Happy(?) 250th Birthday, America!

July 4, 2026, is the 250th anniversary of the Second Continental Congress adopting the Declaration of Independence, which broke with the United Kingdom and ended its dominion over the 13 American colonies.

It is, therefore, America's 250th birthday.

Yet, as an American, I cannot get worked up about it.

I am old enough to remember the Bicentennial.

We had just survived the nightmares of the Vietnam War and President Nixon's Watergate scandal, which almost destroyed America and brought the Nixon regime crashing down in ruins.

However, the Bicentennial helped put that behind us.

It was a celebration of America and Americans, with festivities across our nation celebrating that fact, televised so that people who could not be present would be able to witness them, both here and abroad.

The Bicentennial reaffirmed our national pride, illustrating to the world that we had stood on the brink of utter chaos and destruction, only to come back stronger and more united than ever.

Even the presidential campaign of 1976 had no real effect on this euphoria, because that year was less about national politics and more about national pride.

Not so this year.

For the last 35 years, we have seen a yutz parade of presidents, each more controversial, corrupt and divisive than the last. culminating with the second administration of megalomaniac par excellence, Donald J Trump.

The Donald has changed what should have been a greatly anticipated cause for celebration into a shabby exercise in egotism, making it all about him, and he and his crime family have already become the least popular president and first family in US history.

From tearing down the East Wing to build an elaborate grand ballroom to glorify himself, which is still uncompleted, making the White House grounds look like Hell; from holding a gladiatorial event on another section of the White House grounds (shades of the Roman emperors), ruining the lawns and making it look like the outpourings of a latrine: to the sweetheart deal he offered an old buddy of his to "repair" the reflecting pool at seven times the cost of a legitimate estimate that left it looking like a swamp, this is what guests and tourists have forward to look at.

All of this has been done in The Donald's name, not to mention his proposed 250 feet tall "triumphal arch," which he even stated, "it is for me and it is going to be beautiful"

Construction hasn't even begun on that vanity project, which was also supposed to celebrate out 250th birthday, that, like everything else, nobody wants, needs or can use.

Except The Donald.

As previously stated, the national "celebrations" are one big yawn.

Locally, there will still be parades and picnics, since the Fourth falls on a Saturday this year so many people will not be working tomorrow, although a good many people who work in retail will be working anyhow.

And of course, there will be fireworks, which causes anxiety in pets and people who served in active military duty during wartimes, but the people who buy them and set them off couldn't care less.

All of this is typical Fourth of July behavior.

It simply lacks the cohesiveness and sense of pride that the Bicentennial had.

That I lay squarely at The Donald and his henchmen's feet.