Why celebrate a “happy” Constitution Day?

I’ve long had a bug in my bonnet about holidays and days of commemoration that mean nothing, or better yet, celebrate twisted perversions of the principles for which they were originally established. Hypocrisy seems bad enough without being invited to ignore, and then celebrate it.

For instance, given the tragic history of the 13th Amendment, Juneteenth offers an example of the first category. Meanwhile, Independence Day or Thanksgiving exemplify the second.

Thankfully, some holidays might offer contrasting examples of celebrations that tend to downplay the broader significance of their respective animating principles. Christmas and Mother’s Day, for instance, both celebrate timeless principles far beyond the rituals—such as giving gifts, and flowers—to which they are widely reduced.

As our country comes to grips with the emerging autocracy that increasingly defines the federal government, thinking about Constitution Day feels a bit like being invited to a funeral.

What does patriotism mean?

People who defined themselves as patriots in the not-very-distant past would likely feel disturbed by those who parrot their words and hijack their symbols today.

Today’s performative patriots cheer on the executive branch while it lays rights to waste and decimates the constitutional separation of powers. They prefer solemnly crying during the national anthem rather than considering—even for a moment—how any of the principles enshrined in our founding documents relates to the United States today. They regress into traditional gender roles, flexing a fragile masculinity in the face of a world more complex than they imagine.

Real Americans, in contrast, recognize the beauty in our country bringing together voices, foods, music, and perspectives from around the world. We have long understood that patriotism—in a constitutional Republic—involves critical thinking, concern for others, interrogating official narratives, and holding power (i.e., our government) accountable. It requires activating the checks and balances enshrined in the Constitution to guard liberty and enable the pursuit of happiness.

What’s going on in Washington?

While federal troops were working as trash collectors and transit fare enforcers in our nation’s capital, the theoretically-divided-but-in-fact-united branches of our government continued their assault on our country.

Today’s courts are like a beached whale. After hundreds of years of seemingly thoughtful jurisprudence and rigorous reasoning, they have been reduced by the Supreme Court to a paving stone on the path of an aspiring dictator. They are an embarrassment to the very concept of law, led by a politicized body of unelected right wing judicial activists with no concern for the future or the hundreds of millions of Americans forced to endure their decisions.

Meanwhile, Congress has long reduced itself to irrelevance, bending over backwards—even under the leadership of Democrats—to accommodate fascism and abandon Americans to the lethal whims of Wall Street.

One of the most dangerous myths of this political moment is that Republicans are the only fascists in Washington. In fact, Democrats have long embodied the very same intersecting evils decried by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: racism, militarism, and capitalism.

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Like the Constitution itself, the constitutional crisis through which we are all living transcends ideology, going to the very structure of our government. It is the product of decisions and patterns shared by the leaders of both corporate political parties.

<Shrug>

Having come to understand U.S. history better than I wish, I can’t offer much by way of hope this Constitution Day. History tends to rhyme, and while there are many acts of worthy resistance that deserve our attention and support, I fear the future more than I welcome it.

At least we’ll have plenty of holidays to enjoy.