Independence day, please

I wish I could declare Independence from the country that the United States has become.

Traits of our people like the greedy, self-centered splurge of wasteful acquisition, mostly of plastic junk.

Or the willingness to overlook truths staring us in the face, convincing ourselves that the USA can do no wrong.

The guns and violence and crack and death in cities like Philadelphia and Indianapolis—and whoa—even little Carbondale, Illinois.

The hateful political rhetoric fostered by a corporate media that has led to angry, knee-jerk reactions and too many tense Thanksgiving dinners.

The willingness to keep electing leaders who take their marching orders from big Oil and big Pharma while ignoring the needs of the citizens. (Hillary Clinton?)

The ever-widening gap between the have mores and the have nots.

Farm bills that hand out subsidies to millionaires and encourage an unhealthy diet that leads to obseity and diabetes (and drugs from Lilly.)

The wars we wage on people we consider our inferiors.

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