This morning, I discussed the upcoming Supreme Court decisions from the temporary Fox studio on the Mall, surrounded by the state pavilions. I was buoyed by the enthusiasm of the young National Guard members from Puerto Rico and Alaska. They are thrilled to be part of our 250th celebration. The only disappointment was the decision of 10 states—Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Pennsylvania—to decline to participate. Pennsylvania’s governor, Josh Shapiro, refused, but the state’s two senators stepped in to ensure their representation. It is an utter disgrace for these states and another manifestation of our age of rage.
All of these states cited transparent excuses over the cost of participating in our anniversary despite their lavish spending in other areas.
Massachusetts is a particular insult. The home of John Adams and other colonial leaders elected to sit out the celebrations. Recently, we discussed how a Massachusetts church ended the long-standing celebration of the Fourth of July to focus on the “on-going process within the congregation to better understand our own whiteness.”
John Adams once wrote his wife Abigail to predict that Independence Day would be:
“celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.”
Rather than Adams, Massachusetts now has figures such as Gov. Maura Healey, who balked at spending $100,000 to be counted among the states in the pavilion.
Gov. Shapiro did the same. This is a man who wants to be the next president of the United States but has opted out of participating, despite his state being home to our Independence Hall. It appears that he could not acquire space by simple adverse possession. Many people in Pennsylvania and across the country will not soon forget his ignoble stance or the two Pennsylvania senators’ efforts to ensure the state’s presence despite Shapiro’s efforts.
These leaders decided to spread division at the very moment when we could overcome our differences to remember what we share as fellow citizens of this country. They may see the rallying cry of “taxation without representation” replaced by “celebration without representation” for many disappointed voters.
Despite the effort of blue states to boycott the celebration, tourists and participants appear to be having a ball. It is a beautiful space and filled with wonderful people from around our country.
This morning I met Al Underwood, who was playing Paul Revere. He and his wife were delighted to participate and drove in from their home outside of Charlottesville.
As these leaders in blue states sit out the celebrations, many of their citizens are rallying to support our unique republic.
E pluribus unum
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the New York Times best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.“
Anyone fit to be president should be a real leader. Real leaders try to unite their citizens to make the nation stronger.
This president only represents about 30% of the American population and makes great efforts to divide Americans against one another.
On this July 4, Trump created a second celebration which is a partisan political rally, further dividing Americans. Hopefully the next election, voters will elect a real leader regardless of political party.
One July 4 celebration includes everyone, Trump’s second celebration is a partisan rally.
+100
You really are a boomer, aren’t you?
Unite as Americans? We’ll have to agree on:
1. What is an American
2. Our form of government
3. Constitutional rights
before we consider uniting with self-declared America-haters.
Keep crying. They only haters of most everything is the Left!
As a distant descendant of those Adamses, I am saddened, but not surprised by Massachusetts’ presence on that list. In fact, the only state that surprises me is North Carolina. They must be hurtling to the left at a headlong pace.
“Give us the beat, boys, and free our souls
We wanna get lost in your rock ‘n’ roll and drift away.”
(addendum in response to previous exchange)
“…We wanna get lost in your rock ‘n’ roll and drift away.”
Did that previous thread get nuked? I couldn’t find it when I looked for it later that day. Of course, WordPress appears to frequently do some very strange stuff. I used to blame some of that on blog moderation here, but I now think that it is entirely software quirks. Drift Away is one of my all time favorites, whether performed by Stanley Steamer (not on their only album, you could only have heard it live) or Dobie Gray. And I also thought it had at least some subterranean application to the topic of illegal immigration. 😉
When libturd governors act like kings, no protests, when @potus does anything, libs protest. Make it make sense.
Liberals are like mold. They ruin everything.
Addendum-Private organizations have stepped up to work in the NC and Massachusetts booth and one representative (R) from Washington is filling in at their booth
Thank you for sharing. I’m glad to hear that.
I am no fan of Fetterman (I met him when I lived in PA and he was the Lt Gov. – not an impressive fellow) but I will give him credit for stepping up and ensuring that PA has representation.
The 250th missing both PA and MA would’ve been an absolute travesty.
“I am no fan of Fetterman”
I am not a fan, either. But it must be admitted that old-time Democrats were less destructive to our society than this new, wokist variety, and Fetterman seems to be the only old-time Democrat currently holding elective office who is actually sticking to those positions (I hesitate to term them “principles”).
The marxist “leaders” of these “blue” states are finding out that the big majority of their citizens don’t support their poisonous policies. We live in a “blue” state & in our city, Americans of all skin colors are proudly flying the US flag & wearing red, white & blue! You don’t see our state flag being flown anywhere other than on government buildings anymore, though.
That is a shame.
“Disgusting” well describes the depth of the TDS affliction infecting the governors of the ten states at issue today. The problem is that they are allowing their hatred of the President to splash over onto the Republic. Yet there’s reason for optimism: the Confederacy consisted of 11 states, so this lesser manifestation of juvenile disdain might be seen as slightly less problematic.
They are called ingrates.
ingrate – a person who shows no gratitude, thankless wretch, ungrateful person – Webster’s College Dictionary,
Chronic dissatisfaction is not only a social phenomenon but also a personal one. In fact, there are people that we could classify as “permanent dissatisfied”. These people are not able to rejoice over what they have accomplished and keep thinking about the path they still have ahead, they focus on what they don’t have, rather than what they have, and that’s why nothing satisfies them.
And want to take what they don’t have from others who might have what they don’t have.
I congratulate the 2 senators from Pennsylvania for putting aside partisan politics to make sure the Keystone State is represented. North Carolina should have been represented but they have a Democratic Governor and 2 Republican Senators, one of whom fared badly in a tangle with Trump and has decided to sulk and take his ball and go home and retire. A poor excuse for a grown man. My 10 yr old grand daughter has more toughness and resilience than this senator.
250 years from now, at the quincentennial celebration, historians wiil be describing how these States sought to extract themselves from the footnote of their behavior during this semquincentennial.
Well, we hope USA remains USA.
A Republic if we can keep it. 250-years hence? Who knows, given our Department of Education and the Teachers’ Unions of today.
Let’s hope Homeschooled or Chartered becomes the preferred method of education.
100 years from now people will look back and say “what a bunch of crybabies the Democrats were back then”.
Democrats have become the crabby old man shouting get off my lawn. How sad.
End Federal Aid to cities, states, non-profits and colleges
Outlaw Public Unions
Tax all Non-profits where anyone gets $100k+.
BREAK DEMOCRATS!
As a Pennsylvanian, retired history teacher and grandfather, I cannot measure the huge amount of disgust i have for our governor. It is a disgrace.
Every Democrat Voter Hates America…that is obvious! Pro Illegals, Pro Drugs, Pro Homlessness, Pro Debt, Pro Failure!
So ZERO Surprise!
Voting Democrat is EVIL! It is voting National Socialist Gemany 1930’s…well except the National Socialists, at leasted loved their country. Democrats HATE AMERICA!
Democrats are FIGHTING THEIR 2nd Civil War.
Why don’t the Republicans fight back?
All the GOP has to do is STOP funding Democrat failure….the Democrats will implode!
People flee Democrat states…Democrat import illegals…and then get TRILLIONS in Federal Aid!
Sad. And Senator Warren from Massachusetts, a former law professor, wants to destroy the Supreme Court because it has issued some opinions that she thinks are not supported by the mob. How does she take the oath of office? This mid-term election may be the most important for the future of the country as to the direction we will go.
What would you expect from Lieawatha?
The State of Paul Revere and John Adams.
How did she happen?
What an embarrassment.
“How did she happen?”
How did who happen? “Poke a Huntress”? Massachusetts became the textile manufacturing center for the entire US in the early 19th century. It relied heavily on Irish and French Canadian immigrants for labor. That made it one of the earliest targets for trade union organization in the US, far earlier than the auto industry nearly a century later. The unions had the same deleterious effect there that they have had everywhere, undermining individuals getting rewarded in proportion to their efforts and accomplishments, and infecting everything they touched with collectivism and outright Marxism. The Massachusetts of today (and Warren as a Senator) is the direct result.
It said that they are denying the people who actually honor this country and want to live here and appreciate all the lives that were lost trying to make our country free cannot have the celebrations in their own state. I think the state should have them whether they’re red or blue states and let the people decide whether or not they want to partake. Discovering bodies of the Blue states are not representing the state but their own political party and that’s a disgrace to all of the people who are patriots and who love this country.
I would never have thought a state leader would refuse to have their state celebrate our country’s 250 celebration. It is however very joyful to see and hear from numerous visitors during FIFA who celebrate our freedom and blessings. Maybe we should do a swap. God bless America.
Oh what a shame the Blue hairs and the Bull Ring Nose types will miss the celebration. But wait perhaps they can come and protest and throw feces and frozen water bottles at people to demonstrate how freedom of assembly and speech work!! Further, the weather is PUUURRRFECT for Pink Tutus and Butt-less Chaps on the Mall! That way young children can see how society tolerates DREGS but DREGS can’t stand society – Civics education at its finest!!!
Three of the original 13 (and almost 4)- disgraceful