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Normally, this would be Kevin's territory, and he covered the reasons we're weighing in today at length yesterday. As we sit in front of a computer terminal in Wisconsin fresh from a bike ride to New Glarus, the sights of yellow "support our troops" ribbons, flags and jingoistic bumper stickers every quarter-mile along the route fresh in our mind, we felt the need to write.
Independence Day is more than just a time for fireworks, grilling, and a lazy day in the back yard, and John Phillip Sousa on the radio. It's about remembering and paying respect to the founding of this nation, its assets and its faults. It's about remembering the brave men and women who gave their lives so that we could live ours without fear of reprisal or consequence (if you've read our staff bio, you'll know we've walked that walk). It's about honoring the laws bestowed upon us by the Constitution of the United States, a revolutionary document in every sense of the word.
Democracy is hard work; our unique form of American democracy even more so. We've long subscribed to the rule "if you don't vote, don't bitch" and still believe in it to a large degree. We're not so starry-eyed, however, to think that simply voting is enough. The true struggle is in holding our elected representatives accountable for their actions and insistent they give voice to our concerns. To remind them, essentially, that they are not above the law and work for us.
The Constitution, in its third century of existence, was designed to evolve like the people it governs. To paraphrase Steve Earle, it is flexible enough to change with the times in order to meet the nation's challenges yet rigid enough to preserve the ideals that inspired its original articles and amendments. It can only do so, however, under the collective watchful eye of the people it governs. As long as we're willing to put in the work required to defend and nurture the Constitution, then it will continue to blossom and meet needs of the people. Without it, we get what we now have - an Executive Branch of the Federal Government that acts as though it is both the law and above the law. As a nation under whatever God in which you may or may not believe, we can only hear the catchphrases of this administration (9/11, we're fighting them over there so we don't fight them over here, etc.) for so long before we become numb to what's going on around us. This is what they want. Without the vigilance of the people, the Constitution becomes nothing more than another piece of paper that eventually turns to dust. Call us naive if you wish - and we're certain some of you will - but we believe in this document and in defending it. You should, as well.
Aluta Continua.
Image Courtesy of www.totalfanshop.com.
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This piece of yet another example of Chicagoist spouting the agenda of its uniformly liberal contributors.
Try, every once in a while, to avoid acting as the website of the Democratic Party.
"This piece of yet another example of Chicagoist spouting the agenda of its uniformly liberal contributors."
Um... so what? If Chicagoist is being written and produced by liberals, I don't see what the problem is with their bias coming through in the posts they write. Chicagoist is not a professional, unbiased journalistic entity. It's a blog! If you don't like what they're posting, well, go read something else.
Nice article, but wouldn't something about the real meaning of 4 July actually talk more about the Declaration than the Constitution? After all, the Declaration at that point was unique.
As well, what's the deal with so-called revolutionaries using vaguely communistic stars (see the album cover)? I'm no right-wing reactionary, but that star was the symbol for governments and movements that did kill tens of millions of people in the 20th Century. Certainly those who wish to change things can come up with better symbols.
Of course, I don't know why I would have expected different. The first half of you'r post was a well written praise of our great nation and democracy. I thought it was going to be a well researched bit on the intricicies and debate of how the founding fathers thought it out. But of course Chicagoist turned it into a drooling diatribe against the president; as good as the constitution was, the republicans and Bush have destroyed it.
Real cute attempt at relevancy with with a clip from Olberman. He's been lambasted with true debate so many times its not funny.
Next time you want to pat yourself on the back, try to use somebody with a little more credibility than Keith Olberman.
fishunderice -
Awesome how you discounted what Olberman said without backing it up with a single fact.
You know what they say, TonyB? IOKIYAR.
TonyB- The vast majority of his self gratifying rant is under blind hypocrisy. I searched for a while and didn't find a single qoute from Olberman on the Clinton pardons.-Yet Bush's Libby pardon is serving the party over the country and he should be impeached! what a joke
http://hotair.com/archives/2007/06/30/video-olby-and-larry-johnson-shrug-at-the-non-event-in-london/
A few days later and we have a better perspective of the depth of this, and Olberman prematurely believes its no big deal. The guys an idiot.
Uh, Chuckie, one can disagree with Dems and Dem-leaning newscasters and not be in any way a Republican.
Are you people really this sheltered and narrow-minded? Sometimes, you leftists are as bad as the people on the right.
Granted, specifics should have been offered, but this knee jerk reaction you people have is really amusing.
fishunderice: You're referencing Hot Air? The site founded by Michelle Malkin? An anchor baby who advocates the deportation of undocumented workers, internment camps for suspected ethnic groups associated with terrorism (profiling, if you will), and consistently distorts fact and gets her own "reporting" wrong in order to further her - and the GOP's - own agenda. You're referencing that? Whatever floats your boat. I'll just make sure to avoid your jackboots as you march past.
The reason you won't find Olbermann comments on the Clinton pardons is because he was at Fox Sports Net from 1998 to 2001 covering, um, sports. This was after he left MSNBC in 1998 when he said that the network's insistent, sensationalist approach to the Lewinsky scandal "make me ashamed, make me depressed, make me cry."
Olbermann is just as quick to give it to the Democrats as he is the GOP, reference his rant on how Congress gave the Bush Administration carte blanche for the surge in Iraq.
Bottom line, whether you think he's arrogant or a shyster, he's also one of the few who will speak up and out against both major parties.
This is exactly why the most a president can serve is two terms. So whatever 'harm' you guys consider Bush to be doing can be erased in a few years. Our country always goes back and forth between Liberal and Conservative. We get too much of one and call for the other. It's a nice balance.
Hey fishunderice,
Two things to take you out of pollyanna land:
1. Clinton isn't president and hasn't been for many years.
2. The elite, republican and democratic (ahem where is we live?) alike take care of their buddies. Some are just a little more corrupt than others.
I started reading that article thinking that it was going to be about the Fourth of July, the Declaration of Independence, or the importance of our democracy.
Instead, what we got was an article that spun down the toilet as a load of sanctimonious Democratic Party teachings.
A sad demise for what could have been a decent Fourth of July article. You lefties just don't get it.
It's really not about righty or lefty (this isn't a bullpen decision for a baseball team).
It's about the team, and in this case this Democracy (notice the use of the big D) that is in peril.
Yes, Olberlmann is over-the-top in the segment, and the proverbial hyperbole is flowing, but it doesn't negate the message.
Apathy is still alive and well in this "democracy;" what better example of this then a president that chooses to expedite what most people figured he was going to do anyway, "pardon, commute, free" Scooter. It's not so surprising really, and Keith Olbermann probably was a bit excessive in his outrage. Is this not par for the course with this administration? I was surprised this was the spot he chose to take a stand on. Oh, the war, the suspension of various civil liberties, and questionable policy making decisions weren't enough? This is the boling point, the rubicon? Maybe Olbermann and his bully pulpit should have taken up shot several years prior, back when patriots and freedom fighters should have voiced their concerns and dissension with the same kind of fervor as this convenient commentary.
Outrage over this? I don't know but it seems like journalistic silence was far more deleterious when this president decided to steamroll this country into war. Where was the excessive hyperbole and journalistic outrage then? No, back then a lot of journalists were sipping from the patriotic fervor cup, and blindly following a leader they now are only to quick to castigate and denounce. Too bad it came too little too late.