Many will congregate in town squares and city parks to sing patriotic songs listen to praises of our forefathers and accolades to the greatness of our country and end the day with rousing displays of fireworks, all in the name of celebrating our freedom. Which of course we are not, "free" that is, and those freedoms become less by the day.
This years celebrations will be especially interesting as they will take place at a time when the stock market, as of late this afternoon, was experiencing it's worst pre-independence day performance in 100 years (as reported by cnbc).
CNBC also reports U.S. housing prices will fall by a double-digit percentage from already beaten-down levels, resulting in an overall 40 percent plunge by the time foreclosures peak in the second half of 2010, and that unemployment is at a 26 year high of 9.5% and is predicted to reach 10%
by this winter and continue rising into next year.
Of course we all know that the government consistently underestimates the true number of persons out of work because once unemployment benefits run out you are no longer counted. That is of course if you received benefits to begin with.
Corporate America has been quick to show their empathy for the working class as average weekly wages fell, now at there lowest level in a year. Naturally we are not referring to the likes of Citicorp employees (and others) who are receiving salary hikes by as much as 50% to compensate for government restrictions on bonuses. But then after receiving some 45 BILLION dollars in loans from the U.S. Government it can well afford to. But that money didn't come from the government. It came from us, our children and our grandchildren.
This transference of wealth may show up this 4th of July evidenced by the number of Hot Dogs replacing Steaks on celebratory grills. Unless that is of course, you happen to be one of those Citicorp employees who you and I just gave a 50% pay hike to. And no I don't want to hear the cries of "I didn't do it", the "Government did it." The government can not, or maybe I should say "in the past could not", do a damn thing with the acquiescence of the people.
–noun
1. the act or condition of acquiescing or giving tacit assent; agreement or consent by silence or without objection; compliance (usually fol. by to or in): acquiescence to his boss's demands.
2. Law. such neglect to take legal proceedings for such a long time as to imply the abandonment of a right.
But then through out history people have been acquiescing. Freedoms have never been won by the majority. Freedoms are won by pissed off individuals who band together as patriots and risk their lives to cast off the yoke of Bondage. And then the majority at it's earliest convenience, like lemmings, follows the leader back into oppression being comforted by talking heads speaking of "green shoots" or celebrating bad news because it wasn't as bad as feared?
Consider the Jews. A people who have been struggling against oppression, persecution and exile for over 6000 years. Jewish History is long and complicated and can not possibly be covered here. We refer to them because they are e a people that have been conquered and robbed of everything innumerable times. Fortunately coming from fierce stock there have been those who have been able to conquer back, regaining lost freedoms and pride.
Having experienced such one might think they might be a bit more sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians. But see Jews are people. And people, no matter what ethnic background, are not adverse from taking freedom from others when others will lay down and let them be taken.
Now we are using Jews here as opposed to to Buddhists, who developed "Kung Fu" (so that they might protect there gentle, peaceful lifestyle), for a reason. Arising from the Jews came one of the most notorious, radical, powerfully political and effective "Freedom Fighters" of all time, "Jesus", the son of the God "ostensibly" referred to, i.e. creator, in our Declaration of Independence.
Consider the time of Jesus:
By the time of Jesus, the high priesthood had become so entangled with the Roman occupation that it was all but a political pawn…special interest group, appointed by Pilate and subject to purchase and bribe. The Sanhedrin, before whom Jesus and, eventually, the disciples were tried, was made up substantially of the Sadducean party, Jews with land and economic interests which made them backers of the pax Romana military order.Can you read into that Government, Corporations, special interest groups, lobbyists and a ruling Economic class? And what did Jesus do?
So here is Jesus going to the front porch of the temple, where the money-changers have set up shop. Why? Why does he seemingly come unhinged? He’s not simply annoyed with the inflated price of doves. He has chosen the public place which is the most visible symbol of complicity between the occupying forces and the religious authorities. He is making a statement about a religious system that has become too cozy with the interests of Empire. The temple represents the intersection of the Roman money market and the local economy, the spiritual idolatry of status quo power. And so Jesus engages in a public act that is not so different in kind to a sit-in at the IMF meetings, a bus-strike in Birmingham, a Salt-march in India. He drives the money-changers out as a cleansing act of a compromised and unjust system which has lost its course.
And what was the mission of Jesus?
We might say that Jesus confronts market-driven Christianity
LUKE: 22:36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. Matthew 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mark 10:45 (New International Version)
45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
And what was the son of man paying ransom for? Our freedom! Freedom from the bondage of ourselves. And how do we repay the Son of Man and the multitudes of liberators throughout history
who given their lives to deliver us from the bondage of man. By immediately delivering ourselves into
the bondage of lessor men out of fear! When Fear too, was what we were delivered from, or were we?
So this Independence day, those that will bother, will sing songs and give speeches glorifying our Freedom, our Independence. We will wave flags and pay hollow honors to those who have died to protect what others have died to give us. We will puff our chests with pride and glory.
Then come Monday we will meekly return to subservience declaring our distaste for politics, i.e. excuse for not taking action, allowing all that Jesus and other liberators stood for, all that this country stood for, all that generation after generation of American Soldiers have died for, to go straight to fucking hell!
And then get indignant should someone suggest, that maybe we ain't so patriotic after all.......
See ya at the TEA PARTY, or not!Add to Technorati Favorites
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