PORTLAND, Ore. -- Independence Day feels different this year. Just celebrating with the usual banners, parades and fireworks doesn’t seem sufficient, not when we are in the middle of one of the most volatile and significant “teaching moments” of our democracy in recent memory.
The people who drafted the Declaration of Independence were immigrants, escaping political and religious oppression. What would they say about the debates we are having over a Muslim travel ban and “zero-tolerance” immigration refugee policies? Would they think immigrants diminish America or define it?
And while the Declaration’s authors believed in a Creator and had a “firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence” in guiding our nation’s affairs – what would they make of today’s religious/political battles, fueled by over-the-top, full-page ads – like the recent one in The Oregonian -- sponsored by Hobby Lobby -- that seeks to erase reasonable boundaries between church and state?
Hobby Lobby newspaper ad, July 1, 2018 by KGW News on Scribd
The Declaration celebrates a consensus on certain self-evident truths. Where might we find that consensus in today’s polarized politics? It’s not evident at all in recent decisions about civil rights, voting rights, access to health care, workers’ rights, and women’s reproductive freedoms. Hyper-divisive strategies aimed at “firing up the political base” don’t energize our democracy, but cripple it.
History has shown that the genius of the Declaration of Independence was that governments derived their just powers from the consent of the governed. The drafters had a keen sense of grievance against the tyranny that springs from an unchecked despotic executive. What would they make of the erosion of checks and balances evidenced today by a lapdog Congress, and a Supreme Court and federal judiciary that is being re-shaped by hard-right conservative ideologues?
On July 4 this year, we should be alert, vigilant and involved. Reaching out to find the common ground that unites us in Oregon and our nation is the important work of each generation.
The individuals who signed the Declaration of Independence knew that our new democracy wasn’t going to be a spectator sport. As they did, we need to mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor and our votes to achieve our unalienable rights here in Oregon. Doing so could be a model for the rest of the nation in its time of need.
Len Bergstein is a KGW contributor. He is a Portland-based public affairs consultant with extensive experience in local, state and regional policy issues.