4th of July in the real America

In the America of the mind, "the fantastic monument to all the best possibilities of the human spirit" that Hunter Thompson talked about, we can imagine living up to the potential of the truly great Americans who showed us the way:

Attorney General, who fought for justice in Birmingham, not to defend torture in Washington:


(Thurgood Marshall)

Poet Laureate:


(Gary Snyder)

The fearless revolutionary:


(Emma Goldman)

National composer:


(Charles Ives)

Professor of journalism:

(Molly Ivins)

And, oh yeah,

the elected 43rd President:



These are the people who make me proud of, and want to live up to, the idea of being an American.





Not this guy: