This July 4th, I'm listening to Paul Robeson sing "Ballad For Americans" a left wing cantata (music by Earl Robinson, lyrics [1] by John La Touche) You can listen here [2] (scroll down four past other Robeson masterpieces). The Declaration [3] is still worth reading. Try substituting George W. for George III.
As a person who brings the American Flag to anti-Iraq-war demonstrations, I love leftist patriotism. This year's red, white & blue bunting award goes, in my view, to The Nation for three posts: John Nichols [4] channels Tom Paine, Katrina vanden Heuvel recalls a 1991 Nation edition [5] in which leading leftists wrote about love of country and Peter Rothberg outlines five July 4, action planks to create our American dream [6] (together with Bruce Springsteen singing "This Land is Your Land".
Just in case that's not enough, think about July 4th & the Jewish Question at JSPOT where Rabbi Jill Jacobs [7] observes the overlap of July 4th with a Jewish fast day, 17 Tammuz.
Can you past the test for citizenship today? MSNBC has an INS test here [8] which I found thanks to Sarah Netter of Politics on The Hudson.
If thoughts of independence give way to fantasies about equal justice under law, bring yourself back to reality. Mr. Bush's Libby commutation may have also eliminated the "supervised release" portion of his sentence [9]. Try explaining Mr. Bush's favoritism to people facing hard time; at Talk Left, Jerlyn [10] vents the frustration many defense lawyers feel at the erratic and lawless character of Mr. Bush's action.
I'm heading for the roof. Where are you watching the fire works from?
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