My pride in America fizzles on this July 4 holiday

In January 1975, President Gerald Ford gave his first State of the Union address and said: “I must say to you that the state of the union is not good.”

Those words carried weight. We weren’t even six months removed from the end of Watergate, the country was struggling to “Whip Inflation Now,” and the last commanders, soldiers and aircraft were leaving Vietnam later on that April.

As the U.S. embarks on its 243rd birthday, I must say that the state of the union is not good. From the eyes of a 30-year old Midwestern-born African American male now living on the West Coast, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to have pride in my country.

The Fourth of July is supposed to be a celebration of our nation and all we have done to help make it and the world a better place.

America’s got issues; what country doesn’t? Problems with race and law enforcement, sexual assault, immigration and cybersecurity have been growing, but they were elevated in November 2016 when Donald Trump was elected the 45th president.

From travel bans to the Russia dossier to the Nixon-like enemies list the president is making via Twitter, Trump’s America-first strategy has created outrage fatigue and embarrassment for Americans traveling overseas. The nation’s reputation as a protector now comes with the label of punchline.

You almost have to laugh to keep from crying.

If we’re a free country, why are we taking away a woman’s right to choose what she does with her body?

If all lives mattered, why haven’t there been government investigations into the fact that 11 African-American transgender women have been murdered as of June 30?

It is our nation’s birthday, but the biggest story going right now is the ongoing crisis at the southern border.

The family separation policy existed in the Bush and Obama administrations but has taken a cruel and predictable turn under the Trump regime. It has been reported that 2,737 children have been detained in these under-equipped buildings, some of which have kids in cages, getting only a thin plastic “mattress” and a foil blanket to keep warm.

I think it’s pretty easy to see that a cruelty-first, policy-second principle was applied there.

All of this serves as the backdrop for Trump’s Fourth of July “Military Parade” on the National Mall that the Republican National Committee is selling tickets to. Trump wants tanks rolling through the D.C. streets and planes flying overhead.

Oh, and we’re paying for it.

The man whose “bone spurs” took him out of military service for the Vietnam War and who said POWs weren’t heroes because they were captured is now getting a parade. Because that’s what dictators do.

The Fourth of July should be about celebrating all we’ve done as a country and how far we’ve come. It should be about acknowledging how far we have to go to be a more perfect union.

Instead, it’s being overshadowed by a president who, on the nation’s birthday, does what the likes of Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini have done.

Nothing about this makes sense, and it adds to my embarrassment of being an American.

Some readers may think I’m whining millennial who isn’t appreciative of the country he lives in. That is far from the truth. I’m just an American who is tired of seeing this country eroded because it can’t or won’t address its racism and misogyny.

America is hurting right now, thanks to Trump and his GOP enablers.

So when you’re at your barbecue or other holiday event on Thursday, please think about what you need to do to make this country a better place.

Because like it or not, the fight to win back America and help create a brighter future is going to come to a head in November 2020.

This story was originally published July 3, 2019 at 7:02 PM with the headline "My pride in America fizzles on this July 4 holiday."