250 years

Today we mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. We set up a democratic republic, and it lasted. Our founders made the right mix of democracy (voice of the people) and republic (explicit constitution and laws), and after 250 years, it still hasn't been overthrown or tossed out.

Very few countries can boast anything comparable. Ours is the oldest written constitution in the world. The United Kingdom has had a stable system of government, but without a written constitution, for more than 300 years. That makes them and us the two oldest, arguably two branches of a single tradition. Despite the acrimonious language in the Declaration of Independence and the hard-fought Revolutionary War, neither side ever hated the other. I think many, even at the time, understood that the Americans were rejecting a persistent mistake made by the British, seen as Parliament failing to live up to its own principles, not rejecting the British nation itself or its values.

Some stable governments, such as that of Iceland, are very old but have spent part of their history as territories of other countries. Japan's monarchy is ancient, but the written constitution dates only from 1947. San Marino, a tiny enclave in Italy, claims to go back to before the fall of the Roman Empire, but whether it has been independent all that time depends on who's telling the story.

The question is whether we can make it for another 250. Today finds the United States rather unhappy, quite unlike the upbeat bicentennial in 1976.

Today, America is divided, and a remarkable number of citizens see other citizens as enemies. Many think they're supposed to despise (not merely disagree with) "liberals" or "foreigners" or "immigrants" or, on the other side, "MAGAs," and politics is a matter of keeping the country from falling into the hands of the wrong half of its own citizenry. Bringing us all together as one nation is no longer the goal; instead, each side wants to get 51% of the vote and smash the other.

Culturally, we have an ongoing problem with "Christian nationalism," an attempt to equate right-wing politics (often with considerable moral hypocrisy) with Christian faith. It's easier to be right-wing than to be godly, and too many now think that if you're right-wing, you are ipso facto godly. And if you reject this, people start expecting you to toe the line of the left wing, whatever unpopular cause it may be chasing at any particular moment.

In 1976 the nation came together to celebrate in various dignified ways, including a procession of tall sailing ships, and I don't recall President Carter trying to take a prominent role in it, although naturally he did his part.

The celebrations this year are widely seen as showmanship and campaigning conducted by our unpopular president, Donald Trump, who is widely believed to be suffering from dementia. We've had a martial arts event on the White House grounds, causing massive damage to the lawns, and a "national state fair" that has been very poorly attended. Extreme weather is also a problem — yesterday the fair closed for several hours due to dangerously hot conditions, and today the heat index (the "feels like" temperature) is forecast to hit 110 F (43 C), which is about 100 F with about 80% humidity.

I hope America will return to its senses. We should thank God for our country without mixing up which is which, and love our country in the proper way, without placing it above everything else. Perhaps the most important American principle is that our country doesn't own us, we own it, and it's ours to improve.

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