The Fourth of July

Statement of Jerry White,

SEP candidate for US president

4 July 2012

The official marking of the Fourth of July will be the usual celebration of militarism and jingoism that has long been used to undermine any understanding of the historical and contemporary significance of the Declaration of Independence,
which marked the beginning of the American Revolution 236 years ago.

President Obama will dine, watch fireworks with the families of US soldiers and host a “Salute the Military” concert in Washington, DC. Amid all the flag-waving patriotism, conformism and glorification of war, it would be easy to forget that the July Fourth holiday marks
one of the most liberating events in modern history.

Pioneer American Trotskyist James Cannon said long ago, “As soon as I grew old enough to look around and see what was going on in this country—all the inequality and injustice still remaining—the beneficiaries of privilege, claiming the heritage of our first revolution, struck me as impostors. I recognized the standard Fourth of July orators as phonies, as desecrators of a noble dream. They didn’t look like the Liberty Boys of ‘76.”

Volledig artkel: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/jul2012/four-j04.shtml