In Congress, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
Commentary from Congressman Jim Himes:
Dear Friends,
Fifty years ago, I was about to turn 10 as the United States celebrated its bicentennial. I had recently arrived after a childhood spent mostly in South America. I was astounded at everything around me: freedom, openness, no military in the streets. I happened to be in Colorado, and I marveled at the barbecues, the mountains of food, rivers of cold beer, music, and fireworks. Everyone was out in the beautiful mountain air celebrating. I vowed in that moment to live to see our tricentennial. I’m on track.
Of course, I know now, as adults knew then, that our bicentennial came at a very rough time. Watergate had ousted a corrupt president, Vietnam had torn the country in two, and Jim Crow violence was barely in the rear-view mirror. Middle Eastern conflict had forced Americans into gas lines and exposed a huge national vulnerability.
Rhymes of those things echo today. Memory is short and Americans don’t marinate in history, so it’s easy to feel like we are more divided than ever. The aspirations of 250 years ago are now questions. Will we be ruled by an imperial executive unwilling to be checked or balanced? Will corruption and rabid factionalism be the new normal? Will we ever again unum our pluribus?
I work in the political world and spend too much time on social media so I may overestimate the national malaise. In fact, I know I do. This time last year, after climbing Mt. Rainier, I wandered for four days in some of the reddest parts of eastern Washington and Idaho. I line danced with real cowboys in the Bitterroot Range and ate a mountain of pancakes with a bear of a man who had three refrigerators and four rifles in the back of his pickup. I felt like that ten-year-old again.
I thought of this watching World Cup fans arrive from abroad. Surely the way we have treated migrants, thrown our weight around, and disparaged our friends and allies would make them surly visitors.
But nope. Freddy, the road-tripping German, marveled at the wall-to-wall hospitality, thrilled at our oversized exuberance, and became a celebrity with 460,000 followers. A now famous Frenchman dropped his Gallic disdain immediately: “I came to judge and stayed for the snacks.” He marveled at bathrooms larger than his apartment and a gas station with 120 pumps. And who will ever forget the Scottish Tartan Army draining Boston of beer and adopting that staid city as its own?
I saw in these Europeans the unbridled joy I felt fifty years ago in Colorado. Our politics don’t reflect it, but if you look up from the phone you see that Americans are generous, exuberant, and fun. We welcome strangers, attempt the impossible, and love a good time. And we don’t mind looking silly doing it.
Does that matter? I think so. Sometimes outsiders must show you to yourself. There it is right in the middle of the first sentence of our Declaration of Independence. We are to have “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind.” Thank you, Freddy, I’ll take it.
Despicable commentary from this duplicitous man. He implies throughout that his country’s leadership is no longer worthy of the respect he had as a ten year old. Truth is that Mr. Himes writes this gaslighting falsehood to keep the Communists in his party from coming for his seat, the way they’ve done in NYC. But he’s a Marxist at heart – he lived with the Nicaraguan Communists for two months and wrote a thesis about it all – see:
http://www.realhimes.com But they don’t care anymore – Himes’ Democrat leadership unleashed these Communist forces onto the streets years ago in order to win elections and increase power. But it got out of control, as history teaches – it always does. So, Jimbo, they’ll devour you too – its their nature. You have cursed the country with this scourge, and you too will face its reality.
Bob, from Fairfield, are you part of a “master plan” to create chaos through Red scaring by telling stories from the past, suggesting that Communism is our authentic, priority, enemy today? And that our current Congressperson, Jim Himes, who is a senior factor in Congressional oversight of INTELLIGENCE activities is less responsible than the current President, in looking at the staffing, support, and communications from and about the many INTELLIGENCE organizations existing today?
Jim Himes has a greater understanding of what enters into genuine respect for principles and values that hold us together as a unique gathering of people. Where is the radical left in Connecticut’s 4th District? Will you tell us about ‘antifa’, that likely is a force against fascism, but for which the evidence closet seems bare.
Have you bothered to attend a CASUAL CIVICS CONVERSATION yet in Bridgeport? Join us at URSA Cafe and Gallery at 9AM the second Saturday monthly on Fairfield Avenue and share your viewpoints but listen to others as well. That is what occurred more than 250 years ago. Lots of talking, listening, and reflection before deciding on a course of action. Do we learn about the ‘talking, listening, and reflection’ in our introduction to CIVICS instruction today? Time will tell.