A pre-July 4 thought
The former slave and great abolitionist Frederick Douglass (not his real name, by the way) gave his most famous speech on July 5, 1852, more than a decade before the end of slavery. In that context it's a remarkable read and then remember that just over a decade after the speech, after hundreds of thousands of Americans died to end slavery (while about three-quarters as many died trying to preserve it), the dream of Douglass and many others was realized. Which is not to say that the US lived up to its promise of "all men are created equal" for roughly another century (I would argue we're there now, though blacks still have significant headwinds not caused by current racism), but that the nation indeed did something remarkable and almost unthinkable and most worthy of celebration. No, it's not the key thing we celebrate on this holiday, of course. That's freedom from the tyranny of English kings. But I like the Douglass speech as the cherry on top even though, given when it was written, it was rather critical of "your" independence.
The speech is called "What to the slave is the Fourt of July?"
Douglass Fourth of July.pdf (nationalhumanitiescenter.org)
I suspect that many people, especially many black people, are less sanguine than I am about the state of the nation when it comes to true independence; nevertheless I celebrate all our freedoms this holiday.
Just One Thing: How did they miss it, or did they not?
Following Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance a lot of people want to know why the "mainstream media" kept telling us that Biden was fine and dumping on reports such as by special prosecutor Robert Hur or by the WSJ that Joe Biden was struggling cognitively. I shared some audio from Jake Tapper yesterday and will have a lot more today from the press conference below, but sure is a GREAT question.
So, here's a short but to-the-point piece by Jim Geraghty at National Review: Media's Lousy Coverage of Biden's Mental State | National Review
And this: Biden’s Lapses Are Said to Be Increasingly Common and Worrisome - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
And this, as media and Democratic politicians (not that there's much difference) give each other cover to go after the man they've been protecting: Joe Biden Losing Support of Congressional Democrats | National Review
Also worth noting: the shiv in Biden's back by Nancy Pelosi, who normally only shivs those she knows already to be on the political version of death's door, skilled as she is at always, and I do mean always, being the victor.
And just watch a few minutes of this, especially starting about 2 1/2 minutes in, to see what an insane press conference it is. Reporters other than Fox News are asking important questions about the ability of the president to do his job and whether the administration is hiding information:
Today's Guests
Beth H Macy is a US Navy veteran, artist, and author of the Moscow Nights spy trilogy. As a Vietnam Vet, given the politics of the time, it took years until she felt comfortable to proudly say in public that she served. This is a conversation I want to have heading into Independence Day.
Dave Forsyth is a Denver author who’s done fun and fascinating research about historic amusement parks in and around Denver. His latest is The Amusement Park at Sloan's Lake: The Lost History of Denver's Manhattan Beach
And previously: Denver's Lakeside Amusement Park: From the White City Beautiful to a Century of Fun (Timberline Books): Forsyth, David
Other Stuff
As if Trump could have a better week: Judge Delays Trump Hush-Money Sentencing to Rule on Immunity - WSJ
Interesting move. There are only two kinds of Dems who would do this: One who's running in a red district and wants to try to get liberal Republicans or Trump-leaning Dems, OR one who's running in an absolutely safe Democratic seat and has no fear of a primary (either because it's passed already or because there's no challenger.) Lloyd Doggett is in one of the most liberal (maybe the most liberal) congressional districts in Texas (including most of Austin), so he falls in the latter category. I do think this is a slightly more courageous thing to do than if a Dem running in a red district had said it...but it still doesn't matter: Texas Democrat Rep. Lloyd Doggett calls on Biden to withdraw as presidential nominee - ABC News (go.com)
Bruce Mehlman on things you should appreciate about the USA (as we head into the July 4th holiday): Six-Chart Sunday (#23) – God Bless the USA (substack.com)
If candidates here had this kind of discipline, Lauren Boebert would probably have lost in 2024 and Trump would have lost in 2016. That said, you can't go very far comparing French politics to American politics as they're incredibly different, not least with a far right that's further than the US far right and a far left that's at least as far as the American far left and much bigger as a % of the electorate. French candidates bow out in bid to block far-right | Reuters
I get that some, perhaps many, Trump supporters like this talk and even like the idea, but it’s a huge political mistake to talk about and it would be a huge political mistake to do. Trump Tells Dr. Phil ‘Sometimes Revenge Can Be Justified’ - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
To me this is really sad. Rudy was an American hero. Think about how many other lawyers, some of whom are fairly well known, whose reputations and careers have been wrecked by their (voluntary) association with Donald Trump, though I wouldn't claim that they all had great or even very good reputations to begin with. (Cleta Mitchell, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Lin Wood, Kevin Clinesmith, others caught up in the various current lawsuits in GA and related to Jan 6...)
Rudy Giuliani disbarred over 'false and misleading' statements on 2020 election - ABC News (go.com)
Whaddya think of this new piece of the surveillance state? FedEx’s Secretive Police Force Is Helping Cops Build An AI Car Surveillance Network (forbes.com)
How your FedEx driver is helping cops spy on YOU | Daily Mail Online
This is just brutal. Sad beyond words, and terrible for our nation. A completely self-inflicted wound, significantly caused by the panic of teachers unions (even for kids who were too young to be in school because that panic changed how everyone behaved.)
The Pandemic’s Babies and Toddlers Are Struggling in School - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
As if you needed another reason to eliminate teachers unions: Major Teachers' Union to Vote on Resolution Accusing Israel of 'Genocide' | National Review
This is a big deal. I suspect Biden will lose if it ever gets to trial. Or if Trump wins, he rescind the order. Judge sides with 16 states, putting on pause Biden's delay of consideration of gas export projects | AP News
Hey, I have a good idea...don't do this: Sri Lanka fishermen die after drinking from bottles found in sea (bbc.com)
Dig it! (But he can't actually force retailers not to sell it for more than the 99 cent price printed on the can.)
I owe you this from yesterday:
I’m hesitant to play psychologist, mostly because I have zero training in it and also because I’ve never met Joe Biden but plenty of people are bringing this up so I’ll mention it:
From Axios:The two Bidens: The night America saw the other one (axios.com)
- The time of day is important as to which of the two Bidens will appear.
- From 10am to 4pm, Biden is dependably engaged — and many of his public events in front of cameras are held within those hours.
- Outside of that time range or while traveling abroad, Biden is more likely to have verbal miscues and become fatigued, aides told Axios.
So what about this? Late-day confusion in people with dementia - Mayo Clinic
Today's Videos
Wait, what?
And let's end this week with two very different wonderful renditions of God Bless America (1943 and 1970 and 2022)
Some history here: God Bless America - Wikipedia
Have a fantastic Independence Day holiday!