#AmericanCredo

I woke up this morning with three things on my mind: 1.) There’s a heat advisory in Pittsburgh for July 4th, 2.) Trump is still president dammit, 3.) the Jimi Hendrix version of Star Spangled Banner and what he told Dick Cavitt about it later. (“I thought it was beautiful”)

Oh, and now that President Softy is about to nominate some hard ass conservative loyalist who will have his back as he manipulates what power he has to make him and his family rich at our expense, it’s time for us to revisit what we believe as Americans, because that nominee is going to be the antithesis to all that the non super rich find good. I could be wrong. The Federalist judges might be sleepers who will grow a heart while on the court. But I wouldn’t count on it.

So I’m refreshing my credo because maybe it’s a good thing for all of us, no matter who we voted for, to think about what being an American really means. You can read my old credo on the tab above. I still stand by that.

Here’s the first thing I believe:

I believe in the common good. I believe Americans can accomplish great things when we watch each other’s backs and help each other take risks without fear of the lifetime consequences of failure.

Second:

I believe in freedom of religion and freedom FROM religion. I believe that no American should be forced to live by the tenets of someone else’s faith. I believe that the expectation of ethical behavior and good citizenship is universal for all Americans and exists independently of religion.

Third:

I believe that no man or woman, regardless of wealth, situation in life or office, is above the law. I believe that to have one set of laws and harsh punishment for most citizens and another set of laws and no punishment for a different group of citizens is unAmerican. I believe that justice should be fair to everyone, that punishment should fit the crime and that no human being should be considered unworthy of humane treatment or due process.

Now it’s your turn.

And here’s that clip of Jimi at Woodstock and his comments to Dick Cavitt. I believe his rendition is beautiful. And so is Colin Kaepernack’s.

Happy July 4th, Everyone! I love you all.

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https://twitter.com/governortomwolf/status/1014154381384732672?s=21

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If you have time, check out #secondcivilwarletters on Twitter. Hilarious.

Here’s a sample:

#SecondCivilWarLetters

My dearest betrothed,

It is the eve of battle here in Bowling Green. The enemy is so close we can smell their Old Spice and citronella tiki torches. We have awaited an anticipated attack for days but have only encountered mispelled tweets and dank memes.

— Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) July 4, 2018

My dearest Ben,

I came across a wounded red hat today along the road. He begged for me to help him. I must admit, he was in such a piteous state I couldn't help myself. I gave him my remaining thoughts and prayers.

He died anyway.

Love forever,
A.J.#secondcivilwarletters

— A.J. Bass (@AnjikoZ) July 4, 2018

On second thought, don’t start reading them unless you are not responsible for anything else today.