Fuck the 4th of July.

[LuckyCharms]

Half the neighborhood was already drunk as shit last night.

Loud fireworks already. Americans love making noise at 200AM. 2 or 3 more days of this shit. A lot of screaming. WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Hoping my 11 year old dog doesn't die from fright because of all of the noise. It's hard and draining work trying to keep him calm.

Reversal of Roe v Wade.

Getting reasonable healthcare in this country is like having to solve a complicated puzzle.

Half the country not wearing masks at the beginning of the pandemic. Not social distancing. Not getting vaxxed. Those people are why people like me and my wife have to STILL sacrifice (we're both immunocompromised) so those people can have THEIR freedoms.

The Trump cabal.

Mean motherfuckers. The Let's Go Brandon crowd.

I used to love putting my flag out. It's not going out this year. I would fly it upside down, but the assholes around here would cheer that, because they would view it as a slam against Biden. So the flag stays inside this year.

I have family in the military, and I have family that have been wounded, and family that has perished in combat. I'll spend the holiday reflecting on their honorable sacrifices.

No barbeques, no fireworks, no nothing.

Sorry if this ruffles some feathers, but I'm stating how I feel.

I don't love this country anymore. But, I will always love what it almost was, and what it could be. And I will always honor those with honorable actions.

[Vinca]

1. I don't see much to celebrate - that's for sure. Worst 4th ever.

[jimfields33]

31. I still celebrate. I like the picnics I go to and the fireworks at night

In fact I’m seeing them the 3rd at Disney and the fourth in town. It’s all you make of it.

[CanonRay]

2. Nothing to celebrate this year.

[Wounded Bear]

3. No feathers ruffled here. Doing pretty much the same...

hoping some drunk idiot doesn't shoot a fucking rocket through my window.

[Diamond_Dog]

4. I feel the same. Nothing worth celebrating this year.

If I think about the state of our Rethug-domination too much it feels like being strangled.

[brush]

5. Good post. I'm with you.

[sop]

6. It already sounds like a gun battle in my neighborhood, explosions going off till 2:00 or 3:00 AM.

In my area fireworks tents start going up weeks before the Fourth, selling all manner of explosives so hordes of imbeciles can amuse themselves blowing off their fingers and setting brush fires.

[SergeStorms]

82. In which state do you live?

Selling explosives from tents doesn't sound like a well regulated enterprise. I know each state has their own fireworks laws, but geeez......

[sop]

83. Florida, of course.

[SergeStorms]

84. Ahhhhh....

that makes perfect sense then. Thanks.

[Tetrachloride]

7. Try going for a drive. Lentil takeout. Coconut juice. popcorn

[LuckyCharms]

10. I want to...

but temporarily housebound due to medical issues.

Good suggestion though. That's what I usually do when feeling like this. Or a nice long walk.

[montanacowboy]

8. Double Ditto

Bomb shells started blasting off last night, the whackadoodle crowd is out. We are packing the two dogs and heading up over the border to the sane country of Canada for a couple of days, we can't stand it here. What a sorry mess this country has become.

[LuckyCharms]

11. Have a safe and enjoyable trip!

[montanacowboy]

13. Thank you!

Only a 5 hr drive from home but a totally different atmosphere.

[Totally Tunsie]

9. It's no more "Ruffles and Flourishes".

Now we're just ruffled, not flourished.

Chump put the nails in the nation's coffin and destroyed our country as we knew it. We'll never be the same as we were.

[luv2fly]

12. Right there with ya

Noise canceling headphones with Bluetooth capability so I can watch a movie or listen to music is my only solace this time of year. I feel sorry for all the animals who didn't ask for this.

[Ferrets are Cool]

14. All this and

wifey being diagnosed with her 3rd cancer (leukemia this time). We have NOTHING to celebrate.

[LuckyCharms]

16. Ferrets are Cool:

I'm terribly sorry to read this. I'm sending your wife, and you, my best wishes, thoughts, prayers, vibes, good energy, whatever term you want to use.

Stay strong, enjoy the beauty all around you, and stay as positive as you possibly can.

Please keep us updated.

[Ferrets are Cool]

24. Thank you so much LC

Love my DU family

[LuckyCharms]

27. .

It's gonna be alright.

[Totally Tunsie]

39. Sorry to hear what you and your wife are enduring.

Sending healing thoughts to all.

[LuckyCharms]

45. Thank you.

We are managing wonderfully, it's just the thought of the whole thing that is pissing us off. We have long time "friends" hitting the bars and wondering why they have had Covid twice, and probably will get it again.

"We need to get together". I flat out say "Get your shit together first. You're like a walking Petri dish with the risks you take, and you're a fucking danger to us. You either choose our friendship, or you choose to keep pulling your bullshit. One or the other".

[Ferrets are Cool]

101. Thank you Tunsie

[ProfessorGAC]

48. Bummer!

Sorry to hear that.
My wife's friend (& college roommate) had her cancer come back, too. Drag.
Take care.

[Ferrets are Cool]

99. Thank you Prof

Hope your wife's friend gets well soon

[DFW]

94. Ugh! SO sorry to hear that

Mine has "only" had it twice and beaten it twice. No way of knowing if she could do it again, and we're not eager to find out. I wouldn't be setting off fireworks, either.

[Ferrets are Cool]

100. Thank you DFW

[Wingus Dingus]

15. Don't let them steal your country and your home from you.

[LuckyCharms]

17. I never would.

I'd sooner kick them in the teeth.

Doesn't mean I have to pretend all is ok though, because it's not.

I understand and appreciate the sentiment of your post though.

[Wingus Dingus]

20. If you normally put your flag out, then put it out.

Even just as an act of defiance. Its meaning is up to you.

[burrowowl]

55. Fly it upside, dishes signal!

[PittBlue]

18. I totally agree with you.

My rights as a woman are gone…nothing to celebrate.

[BlackSkimmer]

19. Try Benadryl, melatonin, or Dramamine for your pup.

Dramamine has worked the best for my fraidy-pups.

Three are terrorized, and two couldn't care less.

[LuckyCharms]

23. Thanks for the suggestions, but we've tried all of that.

It's hit and miss with those things.

The thing is, he really laid back. He's not a skittish dog, but when the booms start, he gets angry and inconsolable.

True story: We tried one of those Thundershirts. He freaked out at the sound of the Velcro!

He's a strange pup, but the most gentle dog I've ever owned. Had a wonderful bonding episode with him yesterday where we just looked into each other's eyes for about 5 minutes. I love him to pieces.

[BlackSkimmer]

91. Yeah, I tried the thunder shirt too. Same result.

I've even used Xanax, but Dramamine works for mine...and it took me years to figure that out. Also the melatonin.

Gonna be a long weekend. Not wild about loud noises myself. Hugs to your pupperboy.

[Amishman]

21. Nice thing about living in the woods, deer don't drink or launch fireworks

Any humans who do are a comfortable distance away

[dalton99a]

22. Radical extremists have taken over and are legislating from the bench.

They are revoking our basic rights, neutering our federal government, and making our country into a vile, hateful, violent shithole.

Unless they are removed or kept in check, we are doomed.

[Initech]

80. Our country is being held hostage by a radical conservative news network bent on absolute power.

That organization is the one we need to get rid of, then we can start cleaning up all of their messes!

[Paladin]

25. I'm with you.

No July 4 celebrations for me, until, at a minimum: 1.) Clarence Thomas is no longer a Supreme Court justice, and 2.) trump is in jail.

If I don't live to see it happen, that's OK.

[Maraya1969]

26. Maybe we should start making the 4t h like we made Christmas. Center on helping others.

idk - Soup Kitchen?

Any other ideas?

[LuckyCharms]

30. I try not to make too much of holidays in general anyway.

What I try to do is to live my life in a way that brings aide, joy, humor, help, or whatever, to others.

I don't always hit the mark, I have my issues like everyone else does, and I'm probably an asshole a lot of the time.

But I try to live in such a way, everyday, that when I am on my deathbed, someone, even if it is one person, might remember me fondly because I made their life better in some way.

I think that's the best we can do as imperfect beings.

Holidays to me these days are just another day. I look back fondly on huge gatherings every holiday, but most everyone that was there has passed on. Happens to everyone. Every year, someone else is dead.

Unfortunate fact of life.

The main good thing about getting older though, is that you no longer feel the need to celebrate something just because other people are celebrating.

[Deminpenn]

28. America has been a work in progress for 246 years

and will continue to be one.

While the US is a pretty darn good place, it has never been an idyllic paradise.

[seabiscuit5920]

29. Free wire hangers

The local 4th of July parade goes right by my house. I am thinking of putting a table out in front with a pile of wire clothes hangers on an American flag. This is what is now called Freedom.

[Traildogbob]

32. No ruffled feathers

From this Veteran. I passionately hate a third of this country. Only flag I will be Flying is my Oregon Ducks flag. Run Pre Run. If we ever rid the country of trumpism, at least openly, fires em back into their depths of sewer, we need to have a real Independence Day. Hell, when that asshole dies, we need a holiday of Joy and riddance. With piñatas of all his spawn we can beat the hell out of that spills out “peace of mind.”

[BlueKentuckyGirl]

33. Agree.

I agree with you. The not so United States sucks.

[Marius25]

34. I personally wish we never broke away from Britain

[hunter]

59. That may have turned out better, or it may have turned out worse.

A Britain with all the resources of North America might have been able to maintain its racist empire for a much longer time.

Being a darker skinned subject of the Crown was no picnic. Just ask the native people of Australia, Canada, India, etc....

Maybe the British Empire needed those kicks in the gut from India's independence and British activists inspired by the U.S.A. Civil Rights movement -- Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. -- to recognize their own white supremacist ideologies and other ethical failings.

[treestar]

64. Thinking about that

We could have been another Canada, Australia, New Zealand.

The British abolished slavery without a war. Though it would be interesting to speculate on what would have happened. Without the US, there was slavery in the Caribbean islands for them to abolish, but none in the other countries.

[SidneyR]

35. I agree, LuckyCharms

I think it's actually nothing to celebrate. Because of the actions of the "Founders" we have a stupid political system instead of the vastly more workable parliamentary system. And no national health care. It would have been better to stay with the British Empire like Canada did.

I sure wish I could go home to Kent, UK, which my idiot great-grandfather left back in the late 1800s.

[onecaliberal]

36. We are with you.

[Evolve Dammit]

37. Agree totally. My daughter couldn't finish Howard Zinn's "Young People's History

of United States." I don't blame her. Our heritage is not pretty, with some exceptions of course. But most of those are being actively un-raveled. Wish my WWII vet Dad was still alive. He would have zero patience with these faux freedumb fighters.
Have a good long weekend anyhow and hopefully a drunken, deplorable MAGat sot won't shoot a rocket through your window! (Not sure that's even funny...but best I could do)

[Marthe48]

38. Last year I ended up sitting in my bathroom with my cat

with the vent fan and shower on. It blocked out most of the noise.

Fireworks started here last night and will keep on. I'll probably sit back there again. r's like to make noise-loud mufflers, loud lawnmowers, fireworks and guns. There is nothing special about their noise when we are living with their constant noise.

I'm not going anywhere to eat. Or seeing anyone. My kids met out of town. I was invited, but didn't want to ride that long, or stay in close quarters for a week Bah, humbug! I'm watching their little dog. She did fine with the noise last night, calmer than my cat

On a more cheerful note, we had a Golden Retriever who loved fireworks. We didn't get fireworks often, but once my brother-in-law brought some bottle rockets. As we set them off, our dog chased after them like he was insane. He managed to catch one as soon as it landed and we realized he could get hurt. So we shut him in the house. We've never had another dog that loved fireworks.

[LuckyCharms]

41. That brought a smile to my face about your Golden Retriever...

I can picture him chasing those things. I love dogs so much, especially the goofy ones!

What sometimes works for my dog...

I play music in an upstairs office. I play it loud. Not loud enough to hurt my dog's ears, but pretty loud. If he is up here with me, he usually falls asleep to the music.

So when the booms start, I'll sometimes bring him up to the office, shut the door, and play loud music, and he'll fall asleep. The music is just distracting enough to where he won't notice the booms.

But invariably, one huge concussive boom will happen that rattles the windows, he'll wake up, and then he'll notice every boom subsequent to that.

[Marthe48]

97. Music hath charms

I recently watched my friends' dogs. First time my friend has been away from her dogs since Covid started. so they were antsy. I found classical music with Alexa, and they really calmed down.

Hope you get through the holiday with the least possible stress

[Lil Liberal Laura]

40. Hang in There

If my family can survive Thanksgiving, you can survive the Fourth. As to the other things you mentioned. . .

[lefthandedskyhook]

42. Take it back

Our next door neighbor flew a black flag for 8 months in support of the insurrection. Our American flag does not belong to these people

[Progressive dog]

53. I flew a 33 star Ameriacn flag for several years

in response to the confederate flag one of my neighbors flew. I'm sure he wasn't smart enough to understand why.

[lefthandedskyhook]

56. Good going!

You are a real Americana

[treestar]

66. I like this!

Yep, bet he didn't.

[lefthandedskyhook]

87. You made me cry

with that post

[gulliver]

81. +1

[aggiesal]

43. Quick question ...

Is it
Americans love making noise at 200AM
or
Americans love making noise at 200AM?

[LuckyCharms]

54. What I'm getting at is

Fireworks displays are one thing.

Drunkenly blowing things up in the middle of the night is another thing.

The latter is disrespectful for many reasons.

[aggiesal]

62. I know what you're getting at, it was just a funny series of words ...

that could be taken incorrectly.

[LuckyCharms]

67. I'll be honest...

I knew it was funny, but I had to read your post about 10 times and I'm still not sure I understood the difference completely, but I kind of got the gist.

So I answered in the way I did in order to save myself embarrassment in case I misunderstood...I left my self an out.

Listen, you have to understand something...I'm not exactly the smartest person in the world.

[Magoo48]

44. Subjective, relative, reduced Independence Day.

Or, scare the shit out of PTSD suffers, terrorize wild and domestic animals, and litter and pollute the hell out air and earth day.

[orleans]

46. THUNDERSHIRT & quarter or half a benadryl

also, loud tv, loud music, running ac & fans

that's on my agenda for my little dog who is terrified of loud bangs & booms

i had a son of a bitch republicon little dicked neighbor (years ago when i had a different dog who was also scared of loud booms) who set off a quarter stick of dynamite in the street in front of our house. the neighbors would set off fireworks in the street but fucking dynamite??? i could have killed him! i went outside and told him if he did that again i'd call the fucking cops and have his fucking ass arrested

[Progressive dog]

47. I will stilll celebrate.

[Auggie]

49. Western States are a tinderbox. Add fireworks and jackasses? Unbelievably scary.

[moondust]

50. Hang on!

Let's go, Susie!

[LuvLoogie]

51. I barbecue because it's summer, and I like to cook. I'm staying home.

I made burgers yesterday. I might do a pork shoulder tomorrow. I'll be wearing black along with my teenage daughters.

I've got one whole side of my extended family that is pro-trump. I'm emotionally exhausted. I am going to barbecue. Cooking centers me.

[ProfessorGAC]

52. I Understand

We're not really celebrating, but we seldom do. It's just a day in July to us.
My doggie, who died in February, got very wound up by fireworks.
The new puppy; nothing. Town display was last night.
He barked at the fitst 2 booms, then ignored the rest.
We'll see what happens if neighbors start up tonight.

[LuckyCharms]

61. I hope all goes well.

We are right next door to these neighbors who set off these huge firecrackers in our shared side yard, virtually 20 or 30 feet away from our windows. All hours of the night.

Nothing I can do. Tried talking to them...it went in one ear and out the other.

I'm not going to start a huge argument with them, because that's never good.

I'm not going to call the police.

So we just sit here and take it, because some people couldn't care less about what others want or need.

I'm sorry to hear about the passing of your dog in February. That's always rough. Enjoy your new pup!

[panader0]

57. The Fourth of July is the date that the Declaration of Independence was officially adopted.

I don't set off fireworks or shoot guns (I don't own one). I don't blast loud music, though even if I did,
I doubt my closest neighbor could hear it. The date has great historical significance, and as such, I honor
this day to myself. I guess I still love this country in spite of all the BS that tfg let loose upon us. We're
headed in a better direction. Can you imagine if tfg had won a second term?

[Siwsan]

58. None of the close by neighbors set off fireworks last year so I have no idea how the boys will do

I know Gryff is easily startled and Arthur is so young. Not to mention the outdoor felines.

I'm hoping it is quiet in the immediate vicinity, tonight, but if my neighbors DO start setting them off OVER my property, I'll have the oscillating sprinkler going at full height.

[Solly Mack]

60. Growing up, the "4th" was primarily celebrated as a time for family in my neighborhood.

Families got together and celebrated each other. Not America, per se, but each other.

My neighborhood was predominately African American.

Every now and then an effort was made, token at best, to include the concept of the holiday into the celebrations, but it was really about family and each other.

Everyone got a new outfit to wear to the cookout. Red, white, and blue, of course.

Still, it was a celebration of the people gathered and not America.

A time or two some unexpected visitor would want to read the DOI, or passages of it. Sometimes they wanted to sing the anthem or say the pledge.

We indulged but, honestly, that was seen as more of an interruption of festivities than a moment of reflection.

When you're left out of society, because of the designs and wishes of others, you don't view the 4th the same way many people do.

When the document calls your ancestors savages, you tend not to find the document itself sacred or anything remotely like that.

When people celebrate the 4th as a day of gaining their freedom, but your ancestors were not free, that stark difference is hard to ignore.

Now, the ideals of freedom and democracy, that's another matter. The ideals of liberty, justice, equality - those are worth fighting for, worth the struggle. Worth celebrating.

I don't hold the "founding fathers" up as heroes or champions of freedom. And it's got nothing to do with expecting people to be perfect or any version of that particular nonsense. Those men flat out left people to linger in barbaric conditions that still haunt us today as a nation. Because of that, the rights of those marginalized then and who continue to be marginalized now, are still considered expendable, are viewed as less important, are treated as a bargaining tool.

I think it more a case of the FF starting something they didn't even realize they were starting. They had some idea about what they were hoping to accomplish, and for the people they were hoping to accomplish it for, the people "freedom" and independence would apply to - but they had no true understanding of how the ideals they espoused would be seen as a lightning rod for all people. I don't even think they knew those ideals would explode upon the hearts and minds of everyone not included in their thinking about freedom and a fair and just government.

So, while I won't be doing anything special to celebrate the day white men in America gained their independence from Great Britian, a day that will bring with it a sharp taste of bitterness since independence has been stripped from women in America, (with the rights of others on the chopping block), I will continue to honor the ideals of freedom.

Because those ideals are worth it.

But I don't need a special day to do that.

I do it because I believe in those ideals and try each day to defend them.

[LuckyCharms]

63. I think you should make this an OP.

You conveyed your thoughts very well here.

[Solly Mack]

65. Nah. People can read my reply or not.

Thank you though.

[LuckyCharms]

69. Understood. And you are welcome.

I like you.

And I'll probably read your response more than once today.

[misanthrope]

70. "-the day white men in America gained their independence from Great Britain-"

Not even all white men, at that. Only those above a certain station in life. It was pretty exclusionary.

[Solly Mack]

71. True.

[paleotn]

68. I've never been overtly patriotic anyway.

To me, love of my country and its institutions is the normal state. I don't need a bunch of red, white and blue fru fru to announce that. This year, however, I won't be celebrating, since roughly 40% of my fellow citizens have openly and willfully thrown the great experiment in the garbage.

[NewHendoLib]

72. Me too. I know where I live. Don't need a flag to remind me

[paleotn]

92. Exactly!!

Europeans and East Asians think we're weird as hell with that. They only bring theirs out for the World Cup.

[SheltieLover]

73. Do you have a thyndershirt for your sr dog?

Can use an ace bandage to wrap dog for same effect.

Someone posted it last 4th.

Rednecks busy with fireworks here, too. I detest them with every fiber of my being.

[LuckyCharms]

74. I'm not kidding here...

I tried a Thundershirt. He FREAKED OUT with the noise the Velcro made.

Ace bandage sounds like a good idea! Thank you!

[SheltieLover]

76. Poor dog!

I'll try to find link of how to wrap & post if i find it.

Also, can you get rescue remedy? Flower essence that nearly all rescues use for trauma. Works at the emotional level. 5-flower essence (by FES vs Bach) is same thing.

Health food stores, histic grocery stores, & many vets sell it. (~$10ish).

[LuckyCharms]

77. I'll check it out. Thank you! n/t

[SheltieLover]

79. Yw! Here it is again

https://www.k9ofmine.com/diy-thundershirt/#Option_1_Use_an_Ace_Bandage_to_Create_a_Wrap

[SheltieLover]

78. Link with pix how to wrap with ace bandage

https://www.k9ofmine.com/diy-thundershirt/#Option_1_Use_an_Ace_Bandage_to_Create_a_Wrap

Sorry, dunno how to post pix.

[Mr. Ected]

75. I agree, but...

...there has to be some real fire, some real patriotism, behind our efforts to displace the fascist elements and restore our constitutional democracy, and Independence Day is supposed to memorialize that passion and that zeal. Certainly this abomination of the celebration of that fervor is superficial and sophomoric, and things are more bleak than ever before in our history, but Monday, in Democrats' hearts and minds, should reinvigorate us to valiantly battle the enemy from within.

[oldsoftie]

85. I'm still celebrating like I always do. Screw those who try to ruin the country.

I'm gonna try to stop their plan. I'm gonna spread my facts around even more. And VOTE
But I'm not gonna stop living my life how I see fit either. Not for them.

[gulliver]

86. That is pretty much exactly the wrong thing to do.

Dems deservedly own the flag and the 4th. We are true to them. Republicans? Well, not so much, especially lately. They're sullied by the types who have given up on the flag our soldiers gave their lives and limbs for and the Constitution that has been the light of the world.

On the fourth, a Republican who voted for Trump should hang their head in shame, fall to their knees, and beg forgiveness of the flag. Same with anyone who failed to vote Dem. They should be given that forgiveness, but they really should ask and atone.

Dems and those others (moderate Republicans and independents) who voted Dem, on the other hand, should fly the flag and celebrate the 4th proudly knowing we represent what this country has always been about.

It should also be noted that your opinion and take on the matter doesn't represent Dems in general. As you note, you speak for yourself. You certainly don't speak for me in this case.

[LuckyCharms]

88. That's exactly right.

I am speaking for myself and no one else.

And it's exactly correct that I am not speaking for you.

So your declaration in your response title is not correct, because you seem to be saying that my actions and beliefs are wrong.

My actions.

My beliefs.

And you are stating that all Dems should fly the flag proudly. You are stating that my opinion does not represent Dems in general, when there is ample evidence in the responses to this thread that it may. Or may not. But you are making declarative statements of this as a fact.

I never spoke for anyone else in my OP. I spoke for myself. Not to be rude, but it seems like you may be trying to sway my beliefs with statements that you declare to be true, for me?

That's like me saying that the color of your shirt is wrong.

[gulliver]

89. Well, I think your actions and beliefs are wrong (in this case)

No offense is intended. We're all entitled to have opinions. My opinion that you're wrong is also an opinion that could be wrong.

I'm offering an alternative to your take that I see as "better for the greater good," whatever that means.

As to whether there's "ample evidence in the responses to this thread that (your take) may" in some way "represent Dems in general." That's, in my opinion, extremely unlikely. I would look to our elected representatives and see if there is even one who espouses what you are espousing. I see zero evidence of this, and I'm a news junkie. It's the elected representatives of Dems (those in office, those who make it through primaries, those who are delegated to by same...) who determine whether any statement or position is a Dem opinion.

One thread with a lot of recs means nothing other than the position you're taking is popular with the people who recommend it and respond positively to it. They're entitled to their opinion, but, as I note, they are also not representative of the Dems (unless they can prove they are, of course, through linkage to democratic processes that establish them as such).

[LuckyCharms]

90. You're missing my point. But you know that.

I don't care what the general Democratic position is.

I don't care how many recs my OP gets.

I'm pointing out that a lot of people seem to share my sentiments expressed in my OP. That does not mean that I am stating that the people in the Democratic Party agree with my sentiment. It simply mean that more than a few people are thinking the same way that I am. I think that's great.

I also think it's great that many people may be leaning toward agreeing with your sentiment as well.

I spoke about my dog's fear, fireworks, my unhappiness with the Roe decision, my unhappiness with the state of healthcare, and why I am not putting out a flag this year.

You chose to declare that I was wrong.

I would not presume to call you "wrong", because what you typed was your opinion, and your opinion is based on your life experiences.

Why would you equate my opinion to other members of the Democratic Party? Are you implying that my opinion has no merit, and that to be a good Democrat, I have to believe what you believe to be the definition of a good Democrat?

As you probably can see, I weighing my words carefully.

You fully know that I was speaking for myself.

You fully know that I was not speaking for you.

You subtly implied that I was not a good Democrat.

See?

[gulliver]

93. I sympathize with the reasons you have and your point

I just think it's the wrong response. I most certainly was not implying you are not a good Democrat, just that you and those who agree with you on this point might not be representative in the democratic sense. In my book, you're a good Democrat if you vote Democrat, support the platform, attract votes, and avoid repelling votes unnecessarily. And there's a lot of leeway in that, obviously, for disagreement and people living by their own lights. No one elected me the judge of who's a good Democrat (and no one would).

[brooklynite]

95. A responsible opposing viewpoint.

Right wingers and Bible thumpers don’t represent the entirety or even the majority of America. And I won’t surrender “patriotism” to them. Nor will I claim that there are no positive aspects of American society and culture, the least of which is that it has opened itself to far more immigrants than almost any other nation.

[LuckyCharms]

96. Understand and appreciate your point of view.

Thanks.

[Hortensis]

98. How about fucking social media instead, including this one?

It's not only the trumpists who are degraded and emotionally harmed by political social media. It's like police work. Some can transcend constant exposures to dispiriting influences to remain emotionally balanced and healthy, some cannot.

Use the spare time to do something real and worthwhile with people who believe what they're doing matters.

[former9thward]

102. Our city is having a Naturalization ceremony the evening of the 4th.

I have been assigned to register them to vote. The deadline to register is the next day for the primary elections. So I expect to be able to register about 75 newly minted citizens to vote.