Not Quite the Fourth We Want. Ok. Regroup.

Christine Merser, June 30, 2025

OK, I think we can all agree that last week was not a stellar one for the United States of America.

In no particular order.

Our illustrious president did a wham bam thank you ma’am bombing and told the country he’d obliterated Iran’s nuclear future. Turns out, not so much. Then he admitted that on a phone call, someone told him we’ve got to bomb something back to feel good about ourselves, and he said OK, bomb one of our bases. I’ll move everybody out except for the gunners. Funny, I’m pretty sure the gunners are somebody’s brother, son, and husband too. Done and done.

And why didn’t the media cover the phone call?

The wedding. Venice. Bought and paid for by the billions of dollars Bezos hasn’t paid in taxes. Because why should he give back to the people who made him rich? Silly us for thinking we had any part in his success.

And who attended the wedding? Oprah Winfrey, among others. Oprah, who built her billion dollar brand on the backs of women she once helped rise. Funny how quiet her media presence is now as everything she stood for is being erased. It’s not just where she was last weekend, it’s where she hasn’t been these past months. The gains she helped make, especially for women and people of color, will be gone by the end of 2025 if we don’t fight harder. Seems to me now is the time for all good women to come to the aid of their gender.

But no, I’m not done yet.

Let’s talk about the Bill and the two women of my gender who voted for it. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins. Oh, how they fret. How they furrow their brows. They speak of feelings and concerns, and maybe changing parties, while they betray us all. Murkowski sold the rest of America out to save Medicaid in her own state. And Susan Collins, what are you going to do about that? She sold out for nothing.

I live in Maine. And I can tell you, most people here won’t even know what happened over the weekend.

That bill will kill millions of small children. Isn’t it strange that children used to believe the grown-ups were the safe ones, and that the real danger was another kid on the playground, like little Johnny, swinging a shovel in the sandbox? They’ll learn. Or maybe they won’t, since the new history books won’t tell the story the way it really happened. If these men get their way, it will be a story of their glory, written by liars, cheaters, and cruel men.

Nope, still not done.

A woman state senator, her husband, and her dog were murdered by a MAGA assassin, self-proclaimed minister, dressed as a police officer. Who showed up? Not the Republicans who tweet thoughts and prayers. Biden showed up. Feeble and frail, yes. A man who left the country in better shape than it is now, and who now has to shake his head and wonder what came to pass. In just six short months.

And in Udaho, a lawless broken place, someone started a fire, then hid behind trees and shot the firefighters coming to save lives. The reason? Unknown. But what’s clear is this. It is not an accident. It’s the outcome of a movement powered by self inflicted ignorance and chosen cruelty.

Tens of millions of Americans are cloaked in this self inflicted ignorance. I have no patience. No empathy left for them.

So what now?

Every single day, we must fight. Today, as a citizen of Maine, I will call Susan Collins. I will send an editorial to every paper I can. I will text and email every person I know in this state and ask them to do the same. Susan, you have one more chance to do the right thing. If you don’t, I will circulate a demand that you step down. Dereliction of duty. That’s what it is. And yes, it’s legal.

But I’m going to do something else too.

The rest of the day, I will live in my America.

It starts with this. I will not attend one single Fourth of July parade filled with red hats waving flags they don’t even understand. And yes, I have the right to say that. These are ignorant people. And worse, it’s chosen ignorance. It’s racism masquerading as pride. It’s hate disguised as heritage.

You will never reach the height of who I am. You will never be like the greats who came before us. And, those are who I will conjure up. Not your parade of MAGA militia.

So for the next three days, my column will be dedicated to what we can do this holiday. What we should do. To remind ourselves of the America that still lives. The America that never has to go away as long as millions of us carry it forward.

Yes, ten percent of our day must go to the fight. To being informed. Not through Instagram scrolling or Threads. That’s not doing the job. It’s making us just like them. Our brains are absorbing these feeds as fact, and much of it is a lie.

So pick your columnists. Find your journalists. I’ll post the ones I read and listen to, and I hope you’ll share yours with me. Two hours a day, I’ll dedicate to staying informed.

One hour a day, I’ll fight. I’ll write. I’ll act. I’ll speak.

And the rest? I’m going to live a fabulous life. I’m going to be the woman I want to be remembered as. A loving, supportive mother. A loyal friend. A participating American. A global citizen.

And fun. I’m going to be more fun. I haven’t been that fun lately. But I’m bringing her back.

Here’s to living fiercely, joyfully, truthfully in the country we still believe in. This weekend, I’m celebrating those who have gone before, who are still here, and those who will come tomorrow.