Independence and All That Jazz

July 4th 2011:

in·de·pend·ence

  [in-di-pen-duhns] 

noun

1.

Also, independency. the state or quality of being independent.

2.

freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others.

3.

Archaic . a competency.

It is kind of difficult not to feel that the good old Fourth of July is just a bit of a farce. We celebrate our independence from British rule, the rule of the church and the main reason those colonists fought oh so long ago.... freedom from taxation by Great Britain.

Yet here we sit,  in a country where teaching creationism in school is actually up for debate, where you have to stand 20 feet from public doorways to smoke (while carbon-monoxide pumping SUVs blast by - you think that shit isn't screwing your lungs up you self-righteous cough-when-you-pass-a-smoker fuck?), where gay folks can't get married, where you pay through the nose for everything, even good ol' H2O, where corporations rule over all, and where your paychecks hemorrhage money to what, you might ask... TAXES.

They have taxes on everything it seems - anything you buy, on your time and hard work, even on your death. But thank god They can pay for their wars and that new football stadium and their summer vacations; meanwhile, We can't even get decent public heath care or decent public educations. Seriously, light your fireworks and sing "America the Beautiful" if you must, I only hope that at least someone out there thinks about what it is they are celebrating and how far away from the founding fathers' original intentions we have become.

But enough ranting - in other news, I pulled off my first color tattoo yesterday! Today, I made my very first potato salad, sans the direct guidance of Lady Face (though thank you much for emailing your recipe!!), and friends will be over soon to help me devour it, along with veggie burgers and whiskey and beer and whatever else I have hidden about the house.

Hooray for Independence.