How very sad that the estimable Ken Burns has to explain democracy to Americans! Of course, MAGA won’t watch … and thanks to Trump, it won’t learn in the classroom.
Perhaps the only sense in which Trump provides any semblance of public service is to illustrate essential history that we seem to have forgotten. To rediscover what “independence” meant to the people who declared it and fought for it, it is very well worth reading the Pulitzer-Prize-winning "The Radicalism of the American Revolution" by the late great historian of the American Revolution Gordon Wood. Wood was killed last month in a tragic accident, but his works and words are very well worth our continued attention.
Again and again, Wood used the words "dependence" and "independence" to show that a demagogue and tyrant like Trump is the opposite of what the brave people of the Declaration of Independence (and the many similar declarations of that time) and the Revolutionary War had in mind. The intimidation and tyranny of Trump is the opposite of the independence and the public service of true public servants for which the generations of the Declaration fought, suffered and sacrificed very much.
"Power and Liberty: Constitutionalism in the American Revolution" is another outstanding book (and even shorter and easier to read) by Wood that is perhaps even more worthy of our attention in the time of Trump. It is an outstanding clarification of how Trump (and many other so-called public servants) routinely violate their oaths of office to support and defend our Constitution. Wood shows how our so-called public servants’ often selfish, self-aggrandizing and exaggerated sense of their own importance and its role in our self-government is the opposite of “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” as President Lincoln put it in his Gettysburg Address.
Mr. Jordan, thank you for such an eloquent and informative addendum to Mr. Schallar's timely post today. The Founders must be rolling over in their graves that the roadmaps they bequeathed to us including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution among other documents, have become fodder for the paper shredder and replaced with diabolically anti-American screeds such as Project 2025.
With his every breath, word and action, the sociopathic man-child wannabe mad king is an affront to everything upon which our country was founded. He has not only taken a wrecking ball to the West Wing of the White House. He has also used it as a weapon to undermine and destroy our foundational principles all to the glorification of himself and his fragile ego with illegal, gawdy, vainglorious projects. This cannot and must not stand.
Our only hope is that the Dems will retake control of the House and/or Senate in the upcoming midterms. If that occurs, the Article 1 legislative branch will resume its rightful role as a check on the blatant, unlawful actions of the current Article 2 executive branch.
It is useful on this milestone birthday, especially now, that while our revolutionary forefathers birthed a new nation, through blood, sweat and tears, we have ALWAYS had with us, the Royalists, the Theocrats, often combined together with "The divine right of Kings". We have always had with us the slave owners, the haters, those who only feel better when someone else feels worse. Who are so insecure in their position they have to keep shoving everyone else down. We have always had the wealthy, with too many of them focused on hoarding and growing their power for generations.
So, the struggle is still with us, because we still have with us those we struggled against 250 years ago, and they are still fighting for what they lost. We fell asleep, confident in our victory, forgetting the war never ends.
A birthday party not only honors the birth, but also what has resulted, that still stands.
Our nation is ill right now. We are still digesting Trump, and eventually his remains will go out the 'back door'. But this wonderful nation has been slowly poisoned in it's wealth, by those who wanted more wealth and power for themselves. Those who were the opposite of Washington, greedy for the power, the money and conspired to cheat, and poison the 'body politic'.
To heal this nation will involve more than merely removing the last of Trump, but to also remove the poison inflicted over generations, undo the damage done and take measures so we do not ingest that poison again.
We are ill, and without serious treatment, could well have a long suffering, declining death while the poisoners feast on our carcass.
There is no need to be at war with, or to hate the wealthy, we simply need to take some of their toys away limiting how many toys they get to keep in their room. They are children who have not behaved well and caused damage, and we need to stop letting them do that to us. They can still have stuff, just not as much, and somethings not at all. After all, we like the idea of people being able to become rich, for people to enjoy the perks of success, but there are limits to how much is enough for people to control and influence with their wealth, and the money they hoard is needed by an economy that uses that money to 'lubricate' our extended barter system.
To put Hillary Clinton and Al Gore in the same category as Ted Cruz, that despicable lickspittle of drumpf's nether iterations, and Rand Paul, another one who pretends to stand up to the would-be tyrant and then licks the boot, seems to me a real shredding of reality.
Thank you, Mr. Schaller. This entire episode is exactly what the Founders warned about. And the people who have the legislative power are the ones turning a blind eye.
How very sad that the estimable Ken Burns has to explain democracy to Americans! Of course, MAGA won’t watch … and thanks to Trump, it won’t learn in the classroom.
Perhaps the only sense in which Trump provides any semblance of public service is to illustrate essential history that we seem to have forgotten. To rediscover what “independence” meant to the people who declared it and fought for it, it is very well worth reading the Pulitzer-Prize-winning "The Radicalism of the American Revolution" by the late great historian of the American Revolution Gordon Wood. Wood was killed last month in a tragic accident, but his works and words are very well worth our continued attention.
Again and again, Wood used the words "dependence" and "independence" to show that a demagogue and tyrant like Trump is the opposite of what the brave people of the Declaration of Independence (and the many similar declarations of that time) and the Revolutionary War had in mind. The intimidation and tyranny of Trump is the opposite of the independence and the public service of true public servants for which the generations of the Declaration fought, suffered and sacrificed very much.
"Power and Liberty: Constitutionalism in the American Revolution" is another outstanding book (and even shorter and easier to read) by Wood that is perhaps even more worthy of our attention in the time of Trump. It is an outstanding clarification of how Trump (and many other so-called public servants) routinely violate their oaths of office to support and defend our Constitution. Wood shows how our so-called public servants’ often selfish, self-aggrandizing and exaggerated sense of their own importance and its role in our self-government is the opposite of “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” as President Lincoln put it in his Gettysburg Address.
Mr. Jordan, thank you for such an eloquent and informative addendum to Mr. Schallar's timely post today. The Founders must be rolling over in their graves that the roadmaps they bequeathed to us including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution among other documents, have become fodder for the paper shredder and replaced with diabolically anti-American screeds such as Project 2025.
With his every breath, word and action, the sociopathic man-child wannabe mad king is an affront to everything upon which our country was founded. He has not only taken a wrecking ball to the West Wing of the White House. He has also used it as a weapon to undermine and destroy our foundational principles all to the glorification of himself and his fragile ego with illegal, gawdy, vainglorious projects. This cannot and must not stand.
Our only hope is that the Dems will retake control of the House and/or Senate in the upcoming midterms. If that occurs, the Article 1 legislative branch will resume its rightful role as a check on the blatant, unlawful actions of the current Article 2 executive branch.
Taking this opportunity to honor judges across America who sit on the bench remembering he/she is there to defend our Constitution - not a President
Video Project Reaffirms Judges' Constitutional Oaths in Honor of America's 250th Celebration
youtu.be/m_lpnkZMbGc
This infographic was inspired by your blog.
Declaration of Independence has 12 warnings for Trump: Illustrated edition
https://thedemlabs.org/2026/07/04/declaration-of-independence-no-kings-warning-for-trump/
trump’s take on the declaration: https://bsky.app/profile/lucagalletti.bsky.social/post/3mprdryziv22q
It is useful on this milestone birthday, especially now, that while our revolutionary forefathers birthed a new nation, through blood, sweat and tears, we have ALWAYS had with us, the Royalists, the Theocrats, often combined together with "The divine right of Kings". We have always had with us the slave owners, the haters, those who only feel better when someone else feels worse. Who are so insecure in their position they have to keep shoving everyone else down. We have always had the wealthy, with too many of them focused on hoarding and growing their power for generations.
So, the struggle is still with us, because we still have with us those we struggled against 250 years ago, and they are still fighting for what they lost. We fell asleep, confident in our victory, forgetting the war never ends.
A birthday party not only honors the birth, but also what has resulted, that still stands.
Our nation is ill right now. We are still digesting Trump, and eventually his remains will go out the 'back door'. But this wonderful nation has been slowly poisoned in it's wealth, by those who wanted more wealth and power for themselves. Those who were the opposite of Washington, greedy for the power, the money and conspired to cheat, and poison the 'body politic'.
To heal this nation will involve more than merely removing the last of Trump, but to also remove the poison inflicted over generations, undo the damage done and take measures so we do not ingest that poison again.
We are ill, and without serious treatment, could well have a long suffering, declining death while the poisoners feast on our carcass.
There is no need to be at war with, or to hate the wealthy, we simply need to take some of their toys away limiting how many toys they get to keep in their room. They are children who have not behaved well and caused damage, and we need to stop letting them do that to us. They can still have stuff, just not as much, and somethings not at all. After all, we like the idea of people being able to become rich, for people to enjoy the perks of success, but there are limits to how much is enough for people to control and influence with their wealth, and the money they hoard is needed by an economy that uses that money to 'lubricate' our extended barter system.
To put Hillary Clinton and Al Gore in the same category as Ted Cruz, that despicable lickspittle of drumpf's nether iterations, and Rand Paul, another one who pretends to stand up to the would-be tyrant and then licks the boot, seems to me a real shredding of reality.
Thank you, Mr. Schaller. This entire episode is exactly what the Founders warned about. And the people who have the legislative power are the ones turning a blind eye.