Those of us who are old enough will recognize a stark difference between 1976’s Bicentennial celebration and today — only half of us are celebrating.
While half of us are singing along to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The USA” or George M. Cohan’s “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” the other half believes there’s nothing about America that’s worth celebrating.
America, they believe, is a racist, misogynist, homophobic society where no one can get ahead because capitalism, they believe, only supports the wealthy, and government doesn’t give enough handouts to everyone else.
In the days leading up to America250, even former President Barack Obama took a swipe at America’s Founders, who were the architects of the system that led to his success.
He told MSNOW that despite being “geniuses,” the Founders had a “deep flaw” because of their ties to the slave trade.
“I think sometimes we get confused in thinking that these two stories are separate. They’re intertwined, right?” Obama claimed. “Which is why it’s possible for me to be a great admirer of George Washington, and also acknowledge he was a slaveholder.”
Three was nothing “intertwined” about the Founders’ political genius and their slave ownership. Slavery was standard in the 18th century throughout most of the world, including the African continent and the British Empire.
Nevertheless, he believed it was important to smear the Founding Fathers as America’s 250th birthday was fast approaching.
As part of the national celebration, the Trump administration established the Great American State Fair, and invited the states to participate.
However, nine states are not sending official state delegations: Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
Those non-participating states have one thing in common: their governors are Democrats.
Meanwhile, the FIFA World Cup brought both players and thousands of soccer fans from all over the world. One fan, Elsa from Norway, was particularly enamored by the display of patriotism while driving through Indiana.
“Small towns, wide open spaces, cornfields, barns, cute houses, diners, water towers, friendly people, great food, American flags everywhere, and so much more!” she enthused, and posted a photo of herself in front of a home displaying an American flag.
Democrats call states like Indiana “flyover country.” She won’t see too many flags in some parts of California. A Southern California homeowners association told residents to remove their flags or face a $100 fine. The same goes for fireworks.
John Adams, in a letter to his wife Abigail, envisioned Fourth of July celebrations that included fireworks “from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”
This year California tree-huggers and climate alarmists are replacing a growing number of fireworks with drone displays. That includes Long Beach.
Meanwhile, San Diego county’s celebration will be an exercise in virtue signaling, starting with an acknowledgement that they stand on “stolen land,” followed by a performance of the “Star Spangled Banner,” then the “Black national anthem.”
Then comes nearly two hours of statements read by representatives of “historically underserved populations” who claim to have made significant contributions to society. They include stories from the local tribal community, Latino community, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community, the LGBTQIA+ community, and the Black and African community.
Only after this identity politics lalapalooza will they set off the fireworks … or maybe drones.
In recognition of today’s celebration, Elon University commissioned YouGov to conduct an America250 National Survey. It found that 55% of respondents who identify as Democrats said they would rather live somewhere other than the United States.
In contrast, only 10% of Republicans said they would prefer living somewhere else. Legal Insurrection’s Elizabeth Stauffer asked, “What’s stopping you?”
This confirms a later Gallup News poll that showed a 66-point patriotism gap between Republicans and Democrats. Only 27% of Democrats said they were either “extremely proud” or “very proud” to be Americans, compared to 93% of Republicans.
The YouGov poll also found that only 25% of Democrats believed that the American Dream was attainable by anyone, no matter what their circumstances, if they were willing to work hard, whereas 75% of Republicans believed anyone who worked could succeed.
Although Republicans and Democrats had their differences during our 1976 Bicentennial, we could agree on one thing: There was no place on Earth that was more exceptional, more moral, more free, than America. But that’s changed.
Taken to extremes, consider Charlie Kirk.
Those who hate America the most also celebrated the assassination of a man for simply asking questions and changing minds. Now they make his widow the object of their hatred simply because she exists.
They are not like us; we are not the same.
