An Independence Day Unlike Any Other

This Fourth of July didn’t feel like any other I’ve known in my 73 years on this planet. And I’ve known a lot: I’ve seen assassinations and moon landings, Woodstock and Watergate, Vietnam and Desert Storm, Nixon and Obama, 9/11 and Covid. I’ve seen America wobble, stretch, surprise, disappoint, rise, fall, and rise again.

But I’ve never seen this.

Not like this.

This isn’t just a nation struggling with politics. This is a nation dangling by the singed thread of a firework fuse while Donald Trump pours gasoline on the Constitution and asks his followers if the flames look “tremendous.” 

It’s not just dysfunction anymore. It’s decay. And if you’re not smelling the sulfur, you’re not paying attention.

This July 4th, we weren’t celebrating our freedom. We were watching it become a collector’s item under the presidency of Donald J. Trump.

Let’s not mince words. Trump didn’t invent authoritarianism in America, but he put it in a red hat, gave it a Twitter account, and taught it to strut like a pageant queen. 

Here are 5 examples of how Trump has already dragged us into the shallow end of the fascist pool—ankle-deep in jackboots and cofeve. 

• The Cult of Personality

Trumpism isn’t a political movement. It’s a fan club with flags, merch, and a golden idol at CPAC. Blind loyalty replaces policy. Reality bends to the will of the dear leader. It’s not democracy—it’s pro wrestling with nuclear codes.

• Attacks on Truth and the Press

“Fake news,” Trump yells at any journalist not carrying  a MAGA card. He calls the press “the enemy of the people”—a line straight out of a Hitler speech. A democracy needs truth like lungs need air. Trump’s been pumping smoke into the system for years.

• Election Subversion

Trump tried to overturn an election. Full stop. Called election officials. Sent fake electors. Cheered on a mob. If that’s not fascism, it’s definitely the trailer for the This Is What Fascism Looks Like movie. 

• Dehumanizing the “Other”

From Muslim bans to children in cages to calling immigrants “animals,” Trump governs by scapegoat. Classic authoritarian move: create enemies, then sell yourself as the only protection.

• Weaponizing the System

Trump threatens judges. Promises to imprison opponents. Uses pardons like party favors. And now he’s governing with open promises of revenge. The law, under Trump, is not blind. It’s partisan. It’s personal. It’s petty.

But enough hand-wringing. This is not a eulogy. This is a battle cry.

Because while Trump and his followers cosplay as revolutionaries with their military- style camouflage and civil war fantasies, we are the ones actually fighting to preserve the republic. They are trying to burn it down. We are trying to keep the democratic fires lit.

Just like the patriots of 1776, we face a bloated tyrant who sees the state as his property and loyalty as his due. The difference? Back then they were fighting to form a new country. Now we’re fighting to keep the one we still believe in.

So here’s what we must do. And I do mean must.

A 2025 American Patriot’s Guide to Fighting Fascism

1. Vote Like Democracy Depends on It—Because It Does

Not just in November. Every election. Every local school board. Every primary. Make turnout their nightmare. 

2. Call Lies What They Are

Don’t “both sides” fascism. Don’t say “he or she stretched the truth.” Say they lied. Words matter. Accuracy matters. Silence enables.

3. Show Up in the Streets

Protest. March. Rally. It’s more than your right—it’s your responsibility. Loud dissent is patriotic. Ask the Boston Tea Party guys.

4. Support a Free Press

Subscribe. Donate. Find real journalism and share what it says. If you can’t find what’s true, you’re defenseless against propaganda.

5. Talk to People—Even the Difficult Ones

We win when we outnumber. We don’t outnumber if we give up on a third of the country. Be brave. Be kind. But be relentless. The Constitution won’t enforce itself.

6. Celebrate the Real America

Not the myth. Not the sanitized Founding Fathers brochure. The messy, pluralistic, striving, flawed-but-fighting America. The one worth saving.

Remember: The Finale Isn’t Written Yet

Let’s be honest: we don’t know how this disturbing mess ends. The fight against fascism doesn’t come with guarantees. Our founding fathers knew that. Lincoln knew it. The courageous suffragettes battling for the right to vote knew it.  Martin Luther King, Malcom X, and John Lewis knew it. And we should know it too. 

But, despite the dangers and the uncertain outcome, I believe all of us who really are the true American patriots must fight. 

We must fight with facts, with our bodies in the streets, with our ballots in the box, and with our voices raised in shouts of protest and purpose. We must fight not just because we love the good America that should be, but because we refuse to let Trump usher in the evil America that could be. 

So, in keeping with the traditions of July 4th, I urge all of you who believe like I do to make plans to become blazing firework displays for freedom.

We need to become fiery red, white, and blue explosions for truth, justice, and the American way.  For I’m convinced that if enough of us do that, fascism won’t stand a chance. Even if we don't have Superman or Wonder Woman flying by our side.