We celebrate our Declaration of Independence today and take
special note of the freedoms we enjoy.
It occurs to me we have freedoms to celebrate this year we have not had
in years, or ever. Here is my list of
brand spanking new freedoms in the land of the free and the home of the brave:
The freedom to judge any race or ethnicity publicly and in a
pejorative way. For the longest time we
shunned bigots. We shunned those who
would describe a person from any racial or ethnic group in a stereotypical
prejudicial way. No more! Now, led by the President himself we can make
snide remarks about Hispanics, Mexican-Americans, Syrians, Iraqis, Iranians,
Chinese, Saudi Arabians, etc. So feel
free to blast a religious or racial group based on your limited understanding
and not be shunned by others.
The freedom to openly practice misogyny. For the longest time we have shunned those
people who looked down on women, who treated them as second-class citizens, or
as mere sex objects. Now, led by the
President himself we can make all kinds of snide remarks about women and suffer
no ill consequences from enlightened men or radicalized women. We can make references to their looks, their
sex appeal, their menstrual cycle, etc.
We can even joke about grabbing their genitals. Now that every woman who supports Trump evidently
is in favor of having her genitals grabbed men are much more free to treat
women in ways that has never been allowed before!
The freedom to openly criticize people with a sexual
identity or sexual preference different than straight forward heterosexuality. For the longest we have been working to treat
human beings as human beings regardless of their sexual orientations. Now, led by the President himself, we can
ignore those people, deny them simply civil liberties such as adopting kids and
getting married and suffer no negative consequences. Not since Biblical times has such freedom to
persecute ever been more supported by a governing body.
Companies and corporations have many more freedoms today as
well.
Companies and corporate heroes can now use their own bigotry
as a source of criteria for employment.
If a company opposes the existence of homosexual people or homosexual
couples they can be denied employment.
Likely any company can deny employment now to women and other minorities
as well.
Companies and corporate heroes can now give money without
limit to political candidates they support.
And since conservative candidates are supported more by large companies
than liberal candidates, conservatives have been elected in increasing numbers
thanks to the unfettered gifts of wealthy conservatives. Now this is a freedom with real benefits. I give away millions to someone who supports
the above freedoms, because they now have more money than the other candidates
they win, and now the law reflects my new freedoms! So cool.
Companies and corporations now can construct, produce and
operate anything they want to without worrying about the impact to land, air,
water or other living things. What a
great freedom! We can put more people to
work destroying the planet than ever before and pretend like we are not
destroying the planet while maintaining our addiction to fossil fuels. This new freedom must have come straight from
the mind of God.
No, there is another new freedom that is much more likely to
have come straight from the mind of God:
Companies and corporations may give any amount of money they want to a
religious organization and receive tax deductions for such gifts. Those religious organizations can now give
those dollars to any candidate they choose or to support any cause they
choose. Best of all, the religious
groups do not have to pay taxes themselves!
Churches remain tax exempt while funding political candidates, endorsing
political candidates and aligning with certain causes. Truly the ability for the wealthy to launder
money through he church as tax exempt, allow the church to spend such money as
they choose and allow the church to remain tax exempt is a new freedom inspired
by all that Jesus taught.
So there you have it.
The new American freedoms we have not had before nor have we been able
to celebrate before. God Bless the USA! Happy Fourth of July!
