By Julie A. Ryan
The 4th of July has been one of my favorite holidays.
I remember the excitement I felt when I was a kid fifty years ago and my country was going to turn two hundred years old. I couldn’t believe I lived in such an old country. Later that year, I learned about how a bill becomes a law from Schoolhouse Rock, and my third-grade teacher taught me about the concepts of democracy, and checks and balances. I loved that everything seemed so organized in my country’s government and that everyone was supposed to be equal. I especially liked the idea of the freedoms I was learning about that were a part of my country’s Constitution. Blasts of colorful fireworks seemed like the perfect way to celebrate the birthday each year of the country I loved so much.
This year it feels like a dumpster fire would be more symbolically appropriate than glorious fireworks. Disorder and dysfunction rule my country’s government today. And I’m a little afraid to post this because Americans have been sentenced to decades in prison for questioning why Donald Trump and his henchmen are bringing such harm to our country and the people who dwell within its borders. This is no longer the land that I loved so much. Freedom of speech was one of my favorite parts of America’s Constitution when I was a kid. Freedoms are currently being replaced by various forms of fear, including: the threat of homelessness and food insecurity, the fear of being deported, the fear of being shot by ICE or Border Patrol, the fear of being locked up and losing freedom for expressing an opinion or a belief that contradicts that of our autocratic leader or the creepy creatures who whisper in his ear.
It was difficult for me to get excited about my country’s birthday today. It feels like it’s going backwards in time in terms of voting rights, civil rights, human rights, and other areas of social progress. In so many ways, it feels like it’s 1956 and we should be celebrating America’s 180th birthday. I hate that Donald Trump and his policies have inflicted so much pain on so many people. He didn’t get struck by lightning during his stormy-weather speech that preempted fireworks in Washington D.C. tonight. So he’s likely got 931 days left of his presidency to continue damaging America.
It will take a long time to repair the damage that has been done, and some things will be lost forever—like lives of innocent people killed by our government. But today I am celebrating. I’m celebrating the idea of democracy. That’s what America actually is–an idea. True democracy has never been fully achieved in my country, but democracy—which suggests that everyone is equal—is a good idea. The idea of democracy will be around long after Trump and his supplicants are done pillaging and plundering the country—long after Trump’s rambling speeches glorifying himself. We will be free of Donald Trump someday and will start moving once again toward becoming an ideal country that embraces democracy and welcomes people seeking freedom from tyranny.
Happy Birthday, Democracy!
© 2026 by Julie A. Ryan. All rights reserved.
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WHEN LIFE WAS STILL . . . 