July 5, 2026 : Written by 404EthanNotFound
11. A Tarnished 250
Yesterday marked two hundred and fifty years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress. For two hundred and fifty years, the our ‘American exceptionalism’ has pervaded and transformed the citizenry. But yesterday, for many in this nation, the patriotic bravado fell flat. I would certainly include myself in this category.
The story of a morally righteous group of patriots rebelling against an unjust authoritarian government is engrained in the DNA of this country and force fed through the education system. While the history textbooks would highlight taxation and quartering of British soldiers as complete injustices worthy of revolution, the same history textbooks minimize the conquest and plunder that the colonists sought to wage.
“He [King George] has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.”
Herein lies the ultimate contradiction of the United States. It presents a moral righteousness and opportunity that is on the surface level objectively good:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”
These values have never been fully realized for all persons in this country. Directly following the liberation from the British Crown, the United States began a decades long conquest leading to the extermination of the indigenous American population. On top of that, the economic prosperity of this country was built with slavery as a fundamental pillar. The life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness has never been for all, but for the select few. We have come to know this in our current day and age as privilege. At its core, the United States is a colonial project.
“Colonialism, essentially the modern name for conquest, also bears on the problem of genocide. One form, the establishment of that measure of domination necessary to secure a privileged trading position or a decisive voice in local policies impinging on the dominant power's strategic interests, is certain to be disrespectful of local autonomy and likely to be exploitive as well (Legters, Lyman H. “The American Genocide.” Native Americans and Public Policy, University of Pittsburgh Press, 1992, pp. 101–12.)”.
Fast-forward two hundred and fifty years and sadly not much has changed. Despite the social progress made in this country (abolishing of slavery, marriage equality, voting rights), the protections were too flimsy to avoid the barrage of attack from the right-wing institutions and politicians. Look no further than abortion rights being taken away from women by the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the United States continues to perpetuate its conquest to accumulate resources. Today, the target is the Middle East through our proxy state, Israel. The genocide of the Palestinian people and the war with Iran is merely the latest chapter in U.S. barbarism.
I look around and all I see is a world on fire. Perhaps it is already too late to save our souls. Perhaps it is too late to reverse the damage that our ancestors have left on our doorsteps. Then again, perhaps not.
I still hold out hope that there is still a chance to uphold the values that this nation was supposedly built upon. I hold out hope that the promises that the founders made can finally be delivered as they should. But I have no illusion that the levers of power will be pulled by those who like the status quo just the way it is. The degenerate cabal of capitalists who spend every moment of their sad lives exploiting the working class and most vulnerable in our society for profit. They are known by many names: the billionaire (and now trillionaire) class, the Epstein class, the bourgeoisie. I hope they will be brought to heel within my lifetime. I will do everything in my power to make it happen.
The new wave of Democratic Socialism that is currently growing within the Democratic party has shown great promise. Built not upon corporate donations, but on grass roots activism, the movement represents the true will of the working class and seeks to finally deliver the promise of a democracy to the people of this nation. While the organizers and members of this movement should get all of the credit for building the political capital necessary to meet this moment, I would be doing a disservice if I did not highlight how critical the success of NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been to this political moment. Mamdani has put both Republicans and corporate Democrats on the backfoot by simply providing the tangible material benefits that New Yorkers needed. Childcare, rent freezing, taxing the wealthy, government run grocery stores to solve food deserts. These are not radical ideas, despite the flurry of out-of-touch attacks that Mamdani has created Communist Sharia Law. Personally, I think that the flaccid attempts of moderate Democrats to attack the actual energy of the party both shows promise and provides infinite comedy.
From where I am standing, corporate Democrats look eerily like fascist collaborators. They would rather uphold the exploitative systems that have led to this moment than actually do the work to solve income inequality or provide any material benefit to their constituents. They would rather the story of the week be Taylor Swift’s ridiculous wedding rather than a service member being arrested on the steps of the Capitol building for daring to call for the President to be impeached (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/air-force-major-jason-watson-arrested-capitol-trump-impeachment-rcna352827). I ask you candidly, which story did you see come across your feed more? Look no further than the collapse of public support for Governor Spanberger in Virginia and the swell of continued support for Mayor Mamdani in NYC. Governor Spanberger has been outed as spineless (failing to fight for the redistricting effort voted on by the people of this state after being rejected by VA courts) and captured by corporate interests (failing to stand up to Dominion Energy’s merger with one of the largest A.I. companies). The Democratic voter base can tell the difference between politicians who put constituents first and those who put corporate interests first.
The fascism seeping out of this country cannot be defeated by these captured, half-measure politicians. This is why the Democratic socialists are now seeking to reclaim the soul of the party and show the American people what a true opposition to fascism looks like. While I do not mean to downplay the destructive nature of the current administration, I do find their ineptitude important to point out. Whether it is the colossal corruption and failure involved with the Washington D.C. Reflecting Pool renovation…
…or the sparse attendance of ‘The Great American State Fair – Freedom 250’ celebration for July 4th, the results are laughable.
The irony that a state fair was being held in D.C. while still denying the citizens of D.C. statehood is not lost upon me. To me, the Patriot Front (Confederate flag-flying, neo-Nazi group) gathering in Washington D.C. yesterday as well as this clip of a skydiver coming in for the landing at a rodeo in California both showcase use of fear and spectacle by the conservative movement. Disaster is never too far behind.
To add insult to injury, the climate disaster is on full display this week as sweltering heats rage across the U.S. and Europe. Many localities are asking residents to conserve electricity while data centers continue to put increased demand on the energy grid. This country has its priorities topsy-turvy.
Perhaps not all is lost, perhaps there is a brighter future ahead of us. All I can say, is that is it up to all of us to remain informed, to make our voices heard, and to advocate for a brighter tomorrow. The promises of this nation are good ones. It is time to finally make good on them. I do not know if I’ll be around to see the 300th year of the U.S., hell at this rate, I do not know if the U.S. will be around for the 300th year. The only thing that is certain is that things need to change and with any luck, they will change for the better. I look forward to the day where we can all be proud of this nation.