Happy birthday to America! It feels a bit odd to celebrate the “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave” when our theocratic fascist SCOTUS is stripping away our rights and the GOP (Gang of Putin) is cowering behind Donald Trump, doing his bidding. He is no longer president. He has no power, but what they give him. These delusional idiots live in an alternate reality, folks!

I don’t particularly like politics. It is aggravating. But, this is the shit that happens when people don’t pay attention. You either get involved in politics or it will get involved with you. In 2006, I attempted a run for the United States Congress with the Green Party, not because of any desire to become a politician. But, the Representative of my district ran unopposed. He was a George W, Bush supporting conservative Democrat. I felt that someone, ANYONE, should give voters another option in the election. I am opposed to “safe seats” in public office, as a general principle. There should always be more choices for the voters.

The insane buffoonery of that Republican administration seemed to make anything possible. So, why not me? Why not any of us? Well, the standards of what it takes to win American elections has only gotten lower each cycle. Look at the morons in office now! I’m convinced that evil and stupidity are linked together.

All is not lost, though. Thousands of ordinary people have recently begun to run for office for the first time in their lives. Amy Rippel-Elton won the Democratic nomination for U.S. House in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District with only $130 against career politicians who spent millions of dollars in that race. So, this stuff is not impossible. If you really want to push the evil clowns out of office it can be done.

You don’t have to run yourself, if you don’t want to. But, if you get involved at any level of the process you can still help to fix problems with our country. There is no shortage of shit that needs to get done. There is always a need for more people. Special skills, money, or qualifications are not required. That is how America is supposed to work, “government of the people, by the people, for the people.”

Enjoy your fireworks and barbecue.