I think I’ve always taken Independence Day more seriously than most. I am independent to the core and I value things like the freedom to speak and live as I choose. The freedom of others to live as they choose, without hurting other people, is equally important to me. I’ve always felt fortunate to be living in a country that allows people to forge their own paths to their vision of The American Dream. I acknowledge that it’s been an uphill battle for many people to achieve their goals, and that many don’t have the luxury of dreaming because they are focused on surviving; but, at least I have lived in a country where it was possible to speak out against the barriers placed in the way of paths to opportunity. I have lived in a country where it was possible to hope that change could be brought about by our leaders. Despite political differences, I have always tried to respect the person who was elected to hold the office of President of the United States. My respect for the office runs deep, not because I believe the President is so powerful by himself; rather, because the President represents the American people. I desire to respect who we are as a nation. The President is the face of America and I believe that is a daunting responsibility. I appreciate the person willing to take on that assignment. It has previously been my assumption that regardless of the party my president affiliates with, I could trust that he still shared and represented my most important value of human decency and that it would be reflected in his words and actions. I have lived in a country where it was reasonable to expect that the leaders who represent those who are struggling or treated unfairly might be able to transcend partisanship long enough to answer the call for help so that more Americans could thrive. I have lived in a country where I assumed that my president was capable of utilizing critical thinking to make decisions on behalf of my nation. I have lived in a country where my president could be as effective as his ability to work with, learn from, and inspire others. I don’t know where that country went.

I don’t recognize the country I’m currently in. I’m disturbed by the face of it. It’s the face of a personality disorder. That wasn’t a statement of trash talk because I’m still feelin’ the Bern and my guy lost long ago; it is a statement that I believe is simply factual. Anyone who denies that the President of the United States has a personality disorder and does not care about advancing opportunities for anyone other than himself is, well, in denial. Whether the people on Capitol Hill, his administration, his advisors, and his family are allowing him to destroy the dignity of the office of the President and the image the world has of America for their own selfish reasons or because they are weak co-dependents in this bizarre abusive relationship that is affecting all of us, I don’t know. I suspect it’s some of both. Trump’s supporters, Republicans, and all Americans have had ample opportunities to demonstrate integrity and speak out against the President’s behavior, which reflects poorly on every citizen. At the very least, they could express honest concern, but unbelievably, many continue to praise, defend, and enable him (while they probably shut their eyes and wish like many of us that this nightmare would come to an end). I’m not in Donald Trump’s inner circle. I am nobody to him. I can’t influence what he does. I don’t have a voice in Donald Trump’s America. None of us Americans do. Only Donald Trump has a voice in Donald Trump’s America. As long as his circle continues to enable his Narcissistic Personality Disorder, my president will continue to make a mockery of the country I once cherished and the office I respected.

Respecting my president has been my goal since last November, but Donald Trump clearly does not respect the office or the American people, or what the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are all about. So, I have given up on trying to respect him. Lately, it’s been difficult to focus on my own American Dream because I feel like I’ve been living an American Nightmare with a really scary face that keeps screaming incomprehensible tweets. I’d really like to celebrate America this Independence Day as passionately as I always have – but I might just go through the motions and save my real celebration for when my country once again feels free of tyranny and we can all safely start dreaming again.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [and women] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

– America’s Founding Fathers

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