OMNI
INTERDEPENDENCE DAY ANTHOLOGY #8
JULY 4, 2026
Compiled
by Dick Bennett for a Culture of Peace, Justice, and Ecology
#7 https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2025/07/omni-interdependence-day-anthology-7.html
#6 https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2024/07/omni-interdependence-day-anthology-6.html
#5 https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2023/07/omni-interdependence-day-5-july-4-2023.html
#4 https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2020/07/omni-interdependence-day-international.html
What’s at Stake: US birthdays celebrate freedom from domination
by the British monarchy, and FREEDOM as its fundamental principle. But the Declaration of Independence exalts
the value of equality, asserting that "All men are created equal,"
and “all individuals are endowed with unalienable rights, including Life,
Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” The most lamentable irony of our history is
how this extraordinary idealism was deeply undermined by the Constitution that excluded
enslaved people, women, and Indigenous people, and has culminated in the oppressions
represented and celebrated by Donald Trump as “freedom.”
CONTENTS
The articles are arranged from those that expose and denounce the
infamous history to those that offer an alternative future envisioned by the
Declaration of Independence, endowed with liberty and equality, leading me to think
of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 4th Inaugural Address (Jan. 20, 1945)
describing a Global New Deal. This vision adds to the
domestic New Deal a vision of government securing a lasting, democratic
international peace. Unfortunately,
Roosevelt died before the United Nations was created.
HISTORY: July 4, 2026 a Time to Mourn
Nick Turse. “The
Horrifying Lessons of 250 Years of American History.”
(Frederick Douglas. “Frederick
Douglass On The Meaning Of July F ourth To The Slave.”)
Caitlin Johnstone. “Empire Managers
Invent Fake Threats. . . .”
Balta. “…A Country in Distress.”
Corbin. 1984, Hitler, and Trump
INTERDEPENDENCE
RESISTANCE AND VISION
OF PEACE AND JUSTICE
The Nation Magazine’s Progressive Vision in Search of a More
Perfect Union.
AFSC Declaration of Resistance.
Rev.
Trimble. “. . . A Meditation” [on Connection].
TEXTS 2026
INDEPENDENCE
DAY 2026
Tomgram:
Nick Turse. “The Horrifying Lessons of
250 Years of American History.” 7-4-26.
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TomDispatch <no-Reply@emails.theintercept.com> |
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In
his typical understated fashion, President Donald Trump has billed his Fourth
of July rally in Washington, D.C., as the culmination of the “most
unforgettable birthday party any country has ever seen.” It’s hard to argue
any different. From brutal bloodsport on the White House lawn to the great
emptiness of the “Great American State Fair” to his filthy, fenced-in
reflecting pool on the National Mall, Trump has offered up semiquincentennial
spectacles destined to be etched into the minds of Americans for a
generation. In
the lead-up to this sordid circus, Trump has also raced to erase the ignoble
aspects of U.S. history. But if you’ve had enough of Trump’s revelry this
Independence Day, let me offer a counterpoint to the president’s vision of
America: a clear-eyed look at a country that should live in infamy and the
prescription of a Founding Father who might offer us all a way out. – Nick Turse, editor of TomDispatch “The Horrifying Lessons of 250 Years
of American History” President Donald Trump is
trying to whitewash America’s past. Could rebellion offer a brighter future? By Nick Turse I’ve
lived through the last 51 of America’s 250 years. For much of it, I’ve
believed that the United States was sick beyond salvation. And yet, I never
quite imagined the U.S. would be where it is today. That was a failure of
vision because America at 250 is, in my estimation, exactly where it deserves
to be. It’s a nation gone rancid, a country polluted by its past, and more
so, by the abject failure to reckon with it. Once, it seemed open to question. Would America be the land defined by Jim Crow? Or by the civil rights movement? The country that made war on innocent people half a world away? Or one that owned up to the criminality of that slaughter and turned swords into ploughshares? A nation that jailed women for sending information about birth control through the mail? Or a country that gave people autonomy over their bodies? The odds were always stacked against the U.S., poisoned at the root as it is by twin original sins: settler colonialism and chattel slavery. From these evils, so many other offenses to humanity have flowed. Maybe no country could overcome such a legacy. |
Our mailing address is: TomDispatch, P.O. Box 9201, New York, NY
10008.
Caitlin Johnstone from Caitlin’s Newsletter caitlinjohnstone@substack.com July 3, 2026.
“Empire Managers Invent Fake Threats So We Won't Fight The Real Monsters”
by Caitlin Johnstone. July 4, 2026.
Western politics is mostly
just empire managers making up fake problems to fight so they don’t have to
address the real problems.
Can’t stop waging wars or
the western empire will collapse. So they make up fake threats from dictators
and tyrants and take action to stop them.
Can’t stop inflating the military budget and circling the planet with more and
more war machinery or the military-industrial complex will stop reaping
profits. So they tell you to be afraid of Muslims and “terrorists” and Russia
and China and take action to protect you from them.
Can’t stop polluting the world and destroying the biosphere or capitalism will
perish. So they split us into two mainstream warring factions arguing about
culture war wedge issues and promise to protect each faction from the other
side.
Can’t stop supporting
Israeli atrocities or they’ll hamstring their hegemonic agendas in west Asia
and make an enemy of the Zionists. So they create a boogie man of
“antisemitism” and set up envoys, inquiries and task forces dedicated to
stopping it.
Can’t get money out of
politics and stop wealthy oligarchs from using their riches to manipulate
western politics to their advantage, because the oligarchs run the empire. So
they fearmonger about “communism” on the right and tell the centrists that the leftists
are costing them elections.
Can’t stop ramping up
authoritarianism and eroding the civil liberties of the citizenry or else they
won’t be able to suppress future revolutions. So they cite unpopular people and
groups as reasons why the authoritarianism is necessary to protect the public
while constructing a giant cage of surveillance and control around everyone.
Can’t stop coercively
extracting resources and labor from the global south because that’s the whole
reason the empire was set up in the first place. So they tell everyone the
immigrants are the source of all their problems and make western politics revolve
around immigration policy.
The empire managers make
up fake problems to solve because the empire is the source of all the real
problems. They make up fake monsters
to protect us from them because they themselves are the real monsters.
They make up imaginary
ghouls and goblins lurking around every corner because they don’t want us
looking up and seeing the real bastards who are poisoning our world.
Caitlin’s Newsletter is a
reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work,
consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Upgrade to paidThe best way to make
sure you see everything I publish is to get on my free mailing list.
Hugo Balta. “America at 250: A
Country in Distress.” The Fulcrum (July
3, 2026). https://thefulcrum.us/democracy/american-flag-upside-down-distress-250th-anniversary
Inverted American flag
Hugo Balta
By Hugo BaltaJul
03, 2026
Last year, I put up the
American flag outside my home because I wanted to reclaim it—quietly,
personally—as a symbol that still belonged to all of us. I wasn’t trying to
make a statement so much as to remind myself that the flag’s meaning isn’t
fixed by whoever shouts the loudest. In "The American Flag's Meaning:
Hope and Heartache," I wrote then about how raising it
could be an act of civic hope, a small gesture toward the country I still
wanted to believe in.
This year has felt different. Over the past several months, like many
Americans, I’ve been thinking about what it means for this country to reach its
250th birthday. It’s something I’ve struggled with as a Latino and the son of
immigrants, especially with the return of Donald Trump to the White House. The
milestone should feel celebratory, but instead it has pushed me inward.
Most days, I take long walks with my wife through our Chicago neighborhood.
These walks have become a kind of ritual—part exercise, part therapy, part
meditation. We talk, but we also fall into stretches of silence where I drift
into my own thoughts: where I’ve been, where I am, where I want to go. Those
questions feel heavier now, tied up with the country’s own uncertain direction.
On one of those walks, I noticed a neighbor flying the American flag upside
down. It stopped me in my tracks. I stood there longer than I expected, staring
at it, feeling something shift. It brought me back to the op‑ed I wrote last
year, to the meaning I tried to reclaim, and to the decision I knew I had to
make this year. I realized I would raise my flag again—but this time, inverted.
We Are Not Ok Inverted Us Flag by Sunoria We Are Not Ok Inverted Us Flag by Sunoria
I am hanging my American
flag upside down this Fourth of July because I believe the country is in
distress. The U.S. Flag Code describes the inverted flag as a signal of “dire
distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.” That’s not language
anyone should invoke lightly. But as the United States struggles through the
second year of Donald Trump’s second term—and approaches its 250th
anniversary—I believe that threshold has been crossed.
Inflation has risen sharply,
driven by higher energy prices and ongoing geopolitical conflict, which has
pushed household costs up and weakened purchasing power. Consumer confidence
has dropped to some of its lowest levels in years as Americans grow increasingly
pessimistic about the economy. Job growth has slowed, unemployment has edged
higher, and GDP growth has fallen short of early administration projections,
all of which point to a cooling economy. At the same time, escalating
geopolitical tensions — especially U.S.–Israeli conflict with Iran — have
disrupted global energy markets and contributed to further price increases at
home.
The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts have expanded into
mass arrests that have shaken communities across the country. Civil rights
organizations have documented due‑process concerns, and local officials have
struggled to manage the fallout. As the child of immigrants, I feel this in my
bones. The fear, the uncertainty, the sense of being targeted—it’s not
theoretical.
The killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota this year has deepened
the sense of unease. While investigations continue, the tragedy has become
another flashpoint in a country already strained by mistrust and political
tension. It is one more reminder that violence is no longer experienced as an
exception but as part of the national atmosphere.
And for many families, the economic pressures are relentless. Gas prices remain
elevated compared with pre‑pandemic norms, according to AAA’s national
averages, and inflation continues to squeeze household budgets. The Trump
administration points to strong macroeconomic indicators, but that is not what
people feel when they pay for groceries or fill their tank. Economic anxiety
shapes whether people feel secure, hopeful, and connected to their country.
Taken together, these developments paint a picture of a nation struggling to
find its footing. War abroad. Fear at home. Rising costs. A political culture
that treats disagreement as a threat rather than a democratic necessity. This
is not the civic landscape we should accept as normal.
Flying the flag upside down is not an act of disrespect. It is a plea. It is a
way of saying that something fundamental is at risk and that we cannot afford
to look away. It is a reminder that patriotism is not passive. It is not
allegiance to a leader or a party. It is a commitment to the ideals that have
guided this country for 250 years—ideals that require constant tending,
especially in moments like this.
Some will disagree with my choice. Some will see it as provocative or
unpatriotic. But silence feels more dangerous. If citizens cannot express
distress when they believe the country is veering off course, then we have lost
something essential about democratic participation.
This Fourth of July, millions of Americans will celebrate the nation’s
founding. I will celebrate it too. But I will also acknowledge the fragility of
the moment we are living in. By inverting my flag, I am expressing both alarm
and hope—alarm at the state of the nation, and hope that we can still right
ourselves through accountability, civic courage, and a renewed commitment to
the common good.
Hugo Balta is the executive editor of
the Fulcrum and the publisher of the Latino
News Network. Balta is the only person to serve twice as president
of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ).
Steve Corbin. “Parallels
and Patterns: George Orwell’s 1984, Hitler’s Nazi, and Trump 2.0.” The Fulcrum.
How authoritarian patterns in Orwell’s 1984 and
Nazi Germany echo in Trump’s political rhetoric and governance. A comparison of the Trump
administration, Orwell’s 1984, and Hitler explores warning signs of
authoritarianism, propaganda, and threats to American democracy. By Steve Corbin, Feb 13, 2026.
George Orwell’s 1984 is a classic dystopian novel
that is a regular part of American high school English and social studies
classes. It is usually taught in 9th or 10th grade to introduce students to
themes like totalitarianism, propaganda, and censorship. The book remains relevant
because it helps students understand how oppression and manipulation operate,
offering important insights into their roles as citizens who help protect democracy.
Similarly,
American high schools teach about Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 and how
the Nazis changed German society, usually in 11th or 12th grade. This history
provides students with clear ways to judge modern leaders and helps them spot
similar patterns in today’s politics, including those seen in figures like
Donald Trump.
During
both of his terms as president, Donald Trump’s views and actions were widely
shared in the media. TV networks often covered his rallies and press
conferences, and social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
played a major role in shaping how people saw him and engaged with his
messages.
Hence
as a result of this education, many Americans notice similarities between Trump
and the patterns found in Orwell’s 1984 and Hitler’s time.
These similarities are seen as repeated patterns, not exact copies of
totalitarianism. To think more about this, ask yourself: Which signs of growing
authoritarianism do you notice most?
Core
components
The first of four core components people point to when comparing
Orwell’s 1984, Hitler, and Trump is the emphasis on a single leader
as the embodiment of the nation, with loyalty to him prioritized over loyalty
to institutions, Congress, the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Court, and/or the
law. This is an echo of fascist leadership cults and Big Brother’s centrality
in 1984.
Another
point is that Hitler repeatedly told lies until they were accepted, while Mr.
Trump’s policies feature blatant falsehoods and misinformation: 30,573 false or misleading
claims during the Trump 1.0 administration (Washington Post, Jan. 24, 2021).
Mr.
Trump’s discrediting of independent media – “enemy of the people” – and attacks
on journalists – “obnoxious reporter,” “stupid,” and “quiet piggy” – evoke both
Nazi attacks on the Lügenpresse (lying
press) and 1984’s state-controlled information system.
The
47th president’s statement to the public, “What you’re seeing and what you’re
reading is not what’s happening,” strongly resembles Orwellian doublespeak and
demands that you reject the evidence of your own eyes and ears. Americans have
seen video footage of two people being killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis,
know that 60-70,000 people have been detained during the Trump 2.0
administration (Deportation Data, Jan. 27), and realize 73.6% of those detained
have never been convicted of any criminal offense (TRAC Immigration).
1984-style elements
Mr. Trump’s insistence that Americans who are getting facts from
the media are getting “fake news” resembles Newspeak and the Ministry of
Truth’s role in manufacturing false reality.
Mr.
Trump’s efforts to change or rewrite official government documents and
websites, punish civil servants who present unwelcome data, or replace
independent experts with loyalists are seen as analogous to the constant
revision of records in 1984 to fit the party's narrative.
Mr.
Trump’s constant focus on vilifying groups like immigrants, political
opponents, and critical journalists functions like an ongoing “Two Minutes
Hate,” channeling anger at designated enemies to consolidate support.
Hitler-era
Nazi propaganda portrayed Jews and other groups as parasitic,
criminal, or a biological threat to the nation. Mr. Trump said “poisoning the
blood of our country” and has linked them to an alleged Christian nationalists’
replacement of native-born Americans, which parallels the neo-Nazi’s far-right
“Great Replacement” ideology. It’s worth remembering that roughly 97 percent of
Americans are descendants of immigrants ourselves, a nation built generation
after generation by people who arrived seeking safety, opportunity, and
dignity. Our shared history should give every citizen pause before embracing
rhetoric that divides us into “real” and “unreal” Americans.
Historians
of fascism point out that Nazi authorities used visible humiliation, rough
treatment, and publicized expulsions to send a message to bystanders. Reporting
on Trump 2.0 describes deportation flights with migrants shackled as deliberate
“theater,” meant to demonstrate state power.
Mr.
Trump’s repeated suggestions to use the military for domestic enforcement, plus
aggressive immigration raids and nationalizing elections, are viewed as
analogous to Hitler’s actions in Germany.
Authoritarian
playbook
Mr. Trump’s illegal firing of 17 inspectors general, firing career
civil servants and demanding loyalty from his cabinet appointees, Congressional
Republicans, America’s judicial system, military personnel, and civil servants
– intended by America’s founding fathers to be neutral and independent – tracks
an authoritarian playbook of hollowing out USA’s checks and balances system
that has worked quite well for 250 years.
The difference between America, Orwell’s 1984, and Nazi Germany
Unlike 1984 or
Nazi Germany, the United States still has freedom of the press,
Constitutionally-driven courts, federally elected representatives, state
governments willing to resist, open elections, and a strong civil society where
people can organize, protest, and criticize the president without automatic
imprisonment.
Many
scholars stress that Trump 2.0 is not the same as Hitler or Big Brother but
that the patterns – attacks on truth, the rule-of-law erosion, reshaping the
population along ethnic lines, scapegoating, and leader-cult politics in the
GOP-dominated Congress, cabinet, and Supreme Court – are early warning signs
that if left unchecked, history shows they can lead democracies toward
authoritarian regimes. This is no
genocide, but history warns us to be careful
Only
a strong civil society can ensure that America, in its 250th year of existence,
remains a democracy and rejects an authoritarian dictatorship. Will you help keep it strong, or will you
give in to Big Brother?
Steve Corbin is a professor emeritus of marketing at the
University of Northern Iowa.
INTERDEPENDENCE, CONNECTION
A Progressive Vision 2026
The cover
of The Nation, July-August 2026, special double Issue, displays center a
worn US flag, to the right the headline “250 Years in Search of a More Perfect
Union,” and left a quotation from Thomas Paine, 1776: “We Have it in our power
to begin the world over again.” The
Contents page repeats its familiar format of editorial, half a dozen diverse articles,
regular columns, and half a dozen articles on “Books and the Arts,” and two
poems. But this number adds 22 articles
under the heading of “250 Special Section: In Search of a More Perfect Union.” All of these article are substantial
examinations of its topic (church and state, Hamilton, Constitution, FDR,
etc).
But actually there are more than 22,
for several of the articles by familiar contributors also examine the US
political experiment; for example, John Nichols on Tom Paine, Q&A with Amy
Goodman, Letitia James on Selma marchers, and Jeet Heer on Bernie Sanders. And every word of the editorial is relevant to
the general anxiety for our pursuit of life, liberty, happiness, and above all
in the Declaration of Independence, equality.
I’ll give some special attention to the
editorial, “On 'The Nation' and Empire,” by Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and
publisher of The Nation, her reflection on the magazine’s long-standing
tradition of anti-imperialism and its refusal to accept the "cozy
unremitting war" that has trapped the United States in endless global
conflicts. [1, 2]
Key
themes from the essay include:
- Foundational
Anti-Imperialism: Vanden Heuvel highlights that The
Nation was founded by abolitionists in 1865 and has spent 161 years
maintaining its commitment to anti-imperial values.
- Rejection
of Endless War: She draws on the words of former
contributor Gore Vidal, warning against a perpetual state of war that
drains domestic resources and undermines democracy.
- The
Progressive Vision: Serving as part of The Nation's "America
at 250" series, by calling for a reassertion of American values free
from the burdens of imperial overreach.
“Declaration
of Resistance, ICE detention, climate justice.” AFSC Weekend Reading 7-4-26.
Photo: Jon Krieg/AFSC
Hi James,
Today, people across the United States will celebrate the
founding of this country. The story we are often told is one of freedom
wrested from tyranny. But the full history is more complicated.
This nation was built alongside systems of colonialism,
displacement, and exclusion that denied freedom to most people. For
generations, people have organized, resisted, and demanded that the country
live up to its own stated ideals. Rooted in our Quaker values, AFSC
has accompanied social justice movements for over 100
years.
Today,
that work is as urgent as ever. This July 4th, please add your name to our
Declaration of Resistance. Over the holiday weekend, AFSC is
encouraging people to sign this declaration - online and at events across the
country. Together, we will protect one another, resist authoritarianism, and
build a more just and peaceful world. Add your name today.
“
The unbearable heat of displacement “ [Gaza] By AFSC’s Serena. . . . . Read more.
ECONOMIC
JUSTICE
“Climate justice from New Mexico
to Morocco “ By Brett Heinz & Sayrah Namaste . Read more.
“
Love
as Action supporter drive. . . .”
American Friends Service Committee 1501 Cherry Street Philadelphia, PA 19102 Donate
Rev. Cameron Trimble. “Indra's Net: A Meditation.”
JUNe 22, 2026.
“We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness.” —
Thich Nhat Hanh
There is a story in the
Buddhist tradition about a vast net suspended across the universe. Indra, the king of the gods, owns the net.
At each crossing point, a jewel hangs. These jewels stretch endlessly in all
directions. Each jewel is so well polished that it reflects all the others. If
you look closely at one jewel, you see every other jewel reflected. If you look
into one of those reflections, you find all the other jewels again.
Most of us have been
taught to see the world very differently [white nationalists]. We often think
of ourselves as separate people living separate lives. Countries compete with
other countries. Religions and companies do the same. We are taught to look out
for ourselves, protect our interests, and make sure our own future is safe
[capitalism, neocons].
Indra’s Net shows us that
this way of seeing things limits our vision. Nothing stands alone. Everything
is connected. The forest affects the city, the river affects the farm. Refugees
and politicians, billionaires and children, the living and those yet to be
born, all are linked. Every jewel reflects every other jewel.
I have been thinking about
this story because it offers a different way of understanding the moment we are
living through.
Much of our society is
built on the idea that we are separate. We behave as if the pain of one group
stays with that group. We think that damage to the environment in one place
will not reach another. We tell ourselves that problems like poverty, violence,
loneliness, or injustice can be kept behind borders, walls, or even zip codes.
Reality keeps telling us
otherwise. A virus emerges in one place and circles the globe. A drought raises
food prices on another continent. A war disrupts economies thousands of miles
away. A policy decision in Washington affects a family in rural Alabama. A
single act of kindness changes a person’s life, and that person changes someone
else’s. Often, we do not notice these connections until they become too obvious
to overlook.
The Buddhist teacher Thich
Nhat Hanh called this idea “interbeing.” He said that nothing exists on its
own. For example, a sheet of paper holds clouds, sunlight, rain, trees, soil,
and the work of many people. If you take away any one of these, the paper would
not exist. The same goes for us. Our lives are connected in ways we rarely
think about. . . .
The future does not come
from people acting alone. It grows out of many relationships, choices, acts of
care, and moments of courage that spread through the web. Maybe that is why this story has lasted for
so long. It reminds us that we are not as alone as we think. It also shows that
every act of love matters, because every jewel reflects all the others.
We are in this
together, Cameron
END
INTERDEPENDENCE DAY ANTHOLOGY #8
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