Been trying to pinpoint when the 4th started getting weird for me, and I can’t really place it, but it definitely went from a house festooned with flags and bunting just being festive, if a bit silly, to “that seems a bit much” to “oh, white nationalists, fanfuckingtastic.”

In a minuscule act of “Fuck all y’all”, I wore my “Let Me Be Great” pride hoodie out to get coffee and do the marketing this morning.

We look back at the founders of the country and understandably think they were complete dinosaurs. But *for their time* – they were radical and you could even say, somewhat progressive. They wanted better for the country. I genuinely think if we could teleport them here, and get them past the shock of cars and equal rights for all – I think if we could show them how much progress has been made, they would ask why we’re going backwards and in their name, no less.

I also can’t help but wonder where we might be had King George just given Parliament a shove and said, “give them a few seats, it won’t be the end of the world.” While the monarchy is kinda dumb, to have been a Commonwealth might not have been the worst thing.

And in true American fashion, there’s been a shooting at the Highland Park parade. We’ll never get a day off from any of this, will we?

This country just makes my heart hurt, over and over again.