The balcony off my apartment where I live in Indianapolis offers a decent-ish view of the Fourth-of-July fireworks display the city puts on every year. I can usually see two-thirds of the show, the medium bursts and high bursts; the one-third that I cannot see, the low burst, is blocked by a building between me and where the fireworks are launched from. But that's okay. Its usually a pretty good show. I stand on my balcony and drink a beer and watch as Indianapolis celebrates our country's continued experiment in representative government.
The fireworks we watch today are inspired by the bombardment of Fort McHenry that began on September 13th, 1814 (be honest now, how many of you thought this was a revolutionary war event?). This is, of course, the event witnessed by Francis Scott Key and memorialized in a poem he wrote the next day upon waking to see the American flag still flying above the fort the morning of September 14th. That poem was later set to music and became our National Anthem. The "rockets red glare," and the "bombs bursting in air" spoken of were produced by a British attack force of sixteen ships firing on Fort McHenry from the Patapsco River. This was part of the Battle of Baltimore and was one of the last actions of the War of 1812, sometimes known as the Second American War of Independence.
But enough history. My reason for starting this little missive was to say that this year I will not be watching the fireworks display because what they represent no longer has any meaning. The United States of North America has become a Monarchy as of Tuesday, July 2nd, 2024. And, not a Monarchy like in Great Britain today where their King may reign but he certainly doesn't rule. Not even like the monarchy of George III, who was King of England during the American Revolution. No, we have become a Monarchy a` la seventeenth century James II who was, arguably, the last British monarch to rule by fiat.
The Supreme Court of the United States has seen fit to bestow upon the office of President nearly dictatorial power. The president has immunity for any act seen as an "official act." We have returned to that which we broke with. To quote Justice Sotomayor:
"Today's decision to grant former Presidents criminal immunity reshapes the institution of the Presidency. It makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution and system of government, that no man is above the law." She went on to say, "The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a King above the law."
So this year I will not be watching the fireworks that are supposed to be a celebration of our break with Monarchy. We have come back around to being a Monarchy and that is not a cause for celebration. Instead, I will close my blinds, put sad music on my headphones and mourn the loss of my country because, make no mistake, American woke up Tuesday in a different country from the one they went to sleep in on Monday.
