Featherbedding, favoritism, and the misappropriation of taxpayer funds? That's America! Perfect concept for this celebration.
By the way, had you noticed this thing was coming? I lived through the buildup to the bicentennial in 1976, so it's déjà vu for me. I don't remember its being corrupt, just commercial and tedious. I certainly remember they got Warren Burger to step down from the Chief Justice position to run the event, which seemed crazy at the time. Maybe John Roberts can be wooed into a reenactment of that misguided job change. That would be cause for celebration in some quarters.
ADDED: From the morning texting at Meadhouse:
CORRECTION: "I certainly remember they got Warren Burger to step down from the Chief Justice...." No, that's not right. He left the Court to take the lead position celebrating the bicentennial of the Constitution. It did seem crazy at the time.
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2026 can be used to honor our black foremothers.
Big dreams in 1960s Philadelphia of a 1976 World's Fair. Of course it never happened. Just as well. They attempted something like that in 1926 and botched it. More successful in 1876.
Some quarters!
Nice zinger Althouse.
Remember the Bicentennial Minutes on CBS?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0TB76tc5Tg
I've never understood these oddball anniversary celebrations. When I was a kid my hometown celebrated a Diamond Jubilee (75 years) in 1973 (probably to roughly coincide with the national bicentennial), and Iowa promoted a Sesquicentennial (125 years) in 1996 for god knows why. At least 250 ends in zero but so did 210, 220, and 260, 270, etc. will, too. Why not wait until a nice round 300 other than the opportunity for graft?
Why didn’t we celebrate in 2019? Four hundred years of racism.
I guess the NYT was too busy electing Joe Biden.
Which federal commission isn't? If there's federal dollars at play you can bet somebody is getting paid under the table.
By the way, had you noticed this thing was coming?
Funny, it crossed my mind, for the first time, yesterday. I wondered if there would be any sort of celebration and if it would make sense to do so in the present political climate in the US.
this All assumes, that the United States of America will still exist in 2026..
Won't the upcoming Thermonuclear War between Us and Them hamper this?
We were living in Concord, MA, during the biggest of the bicentennial celebrations, and we went away on vacation.
Shouldn't any 'celebration' have been back in 2019?
What ARE we supposed to be 'celebrating'? RACISM ???
Well, let's face it, if not for featherbedding, favoritism and misappropriation of taxpayer funds, I'm not sure any of us would be able to select two words to describe our government.
I am sure any “celebration” will be awash in Wokism and anti-Americanism. Perhaps it would be better if the commission were canceled.
It is my understanding that the city of a Boston is planning to replace the traditional Pop’s concert on the Esplanade with a giant privilege walk.
New York will Tall Ships parade with a Slave Ships parade.
San Francisco will be handing out flag themed syringes.
Washington DC will replace the concert on the Mall with readings from the 1619 Project, How to Be an Anti-Racist, and White Fragilty by celebrities,like the Squad.
Nothing worse than government commissioned "art". It's one thing for an administrator to give a contract to their lesbian lover's yoga instructor, it's another thing for it to be approved by 19 people along the way. Nobody notices it looks like something a 4th grader came up with until it's unleashed on the public.
The original Martin Luther King statue is a classic example.
“I'm not sure any of us would be able to select two words to describe our government.”
Profligate Assholes
@Elanor, my parents chose to take us west for a long vacation in the summer of 1976.
“In some quarters.”
2026 is a QUARTER of a millennium!
So, "stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni" might be a reference to featherbedding in military contracts? And as a kid I used to wonder, shouldn't it be Yankee Noodle?
Warren actually stepped down a decade later for the bicentennial of the Constitution when he was 79, a good age.
Warren Burger. Sorry Chief.
How can you tell there is going to be graft? Because there is money and politicians involved.
And, yes- this is as American as apple pie.
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As a direct descendant of a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a close collateral descendent of its main author, I truly hope that patriotic Americans can crush the advocates of "woke" so badly that they return to their pitiable roach-holes forever, and that their sorry followers are cast into the wind.
The question is whether we shall look into our past for Greatness, or for Grievance.
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As a direct descendant of a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a close collateral descendent of its main author, I truly hope that patriotic Americans can crush the advocates of "woke" so badly that they return to their pitiable roach-holes forever, and that their sorry followers are cast into the wind.
The question is whether we shall look into our past for Greatness, or for Grievance.
Washington DC did us a favor.
It drew the most corrupt, greedy, and worthless people to one place.
We need to ship everyone in Washington DC to Ukraine to fight the Russians.
Put them in neon pink jumpsuits that glow in the dark.
Readering said...
Warren Burger. Sorry Chief.
Wait! What? Is Liz retiring?! Is this some new business venture of hers involving Beyond Burgers? "Fake Burgers From A Fake Indian"?!
I gotta know!!
So the planner's are "mired in dissension". Forget the garden variety accusations of graft and corruption, they are probably arguing about whether this has been 250 years of the evil, eviler, or evilest country on earth. It's not like any of the academic and political types likely to be appointed to such a commission have any love for the U.S. To our so-called betters these day it's just a racist, colonialist abortion that never should have come to pass.
I think that "e pluribus unum" will have to go. Isn't it now "out of one, many"? So many that soon we will not have enough letters in the alphabet.
The summer between Junior High and High School the whole country seemed geeked up to celebrate the bicentennial but I had no idea it was organized. I mean they did paint the Chino dam along the 91 Freeway with a huge “1776-1976” in red white and blue. And fireworks were pretty awesome that July. But what exactly happened that required national organizing?
Trump should lead this commemoration. It’d be epic!!
You’re half right, Ann. Burger was on the court until 1986. After stepping down he was involved with the bicentennial of the Constitution.
The bicentennial at least gave us Rocky and Elton John singing Philadelphia Freedom. This quarter-millennium will probably just give us Creed IV, where he refuses to box with a Russian, and some autotuned Ed Sheeran thing.
Krikey! I can remember something from fifty years ago? It was Arthur Feidler, fireworks, and yes those special little ditties on TV...
There's no way can we do that stuff now. I recognize I'm a spoil sport but I'd prefer we just shut down the money and celebrate in our own way...or not. Then again, I was pissed when the graduation committee made us all pony up for their dresses and tuxes, too.
I'd prefer not to celebrate how corrupt and broken we are...
You know the best American party I remember was those tall ships. Was that early '90s? We went up to my girlfriend's office on the top floor overlooking Boston harbor. All those sails. It was surreal, like when we get a big comet...
In 1976 we had the 'Tall Ships' come into New York Harbor for review. Today we have tall shi*s in both New York and San Francisco, for review.
I would hope that 2026 would be a celebration, instead of a "yes, but..." affair. Of course, we'll likely be told that it's a perfect time to revisit all of the country's sins, as if we aren't doing that already.
I took a quick glance at the list of names the DoD is considering for renaming of southern military bases and I could easily pick several names from the least (and some are no-brainers, really).
I don't necessarily agree with the need to rename at least some of the bases. Fort Bragg is remembered as the home of the 82nd Airborne, and there's some use in an adversary hearing that troops from Fort Bragg are on alert. Nonetheless, in looking at the list of proposed names, I'm cautiously optimistic that the renaming won't devolve into just another fight in the culture wars.
A little off topic, I know, but kind of the same fears for both events.
’As a direct descendant of a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a close collateral descendent of its main author…’
Stratford Hall has special meaning in your family, I’m guessing?
"You’re half right, Ann. Burger was on the court until 1986. After stepping down he was involved with the bicentennial of the Constitution."
You're right that it was the bicentennial of the Constitution, not the Declaration of Independence. I've added a correction. Thanks.
But you're wrong if you think he stepped down from the Court for some reason other than to take that as a job. He gave that as his reason. It wasn't just he wanted to retire and then he found some interesting project. It was his stated reason for retiring.
He could have been lying about his reason. Any evidence of that... other than that it seems like an absurd step down.
"As a direct descendant of a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a close collateral descendent of its main author, I truly hope that patriotic Americans can crush the advocates of "woke" so badly that they return to their pitiable roach-holes forever, and that their sorry followers are cast into the wind. The question is whether we shall look into our past for Greatness, or for Grievance."
It seems to me that the Declaration of Independence is largely a list of grievances. You sound more like a Loyalist. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I have often mentioned that I would have been a Loyalist.
That should be the year we officially get rid of the stars and stripes and substitute the rainbow flag. Also, it should be a national year of mourning for past oppression, and a personal apology by all white people for the criminal acts of white people in the past and in the present. This is an opportunity for everyone to do the work and become woke! Congress should celebrate by passing a massive reparations bill. There’s so many wonderful things that could be done with this important anniversary, that we shouldn’t limit our imaginations. Perhaps the United States could officially go out of business completely! Purge the earth if it’s very existence!
Richard Grennell on Twitter “Our country cannot survive if the intelligence agencies are partisan”, . . . “Most great civilizations lasted roughly 25O years.”
It seems to me that the Declaration of Independence is largely a list of grievances. You sound more like a Loyalist. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I have often mentioned that I would have been a Loyalist.
The loyalists lost because they were either Brits who never felt American, or comfortable well-to-do types who didn't want to rock the boat. Better to let the King and British rule us than do something crazy like have our own country.
And that's why they lost.
Ah, memories! I spent July 4, 1976 in Madison, at the Italian-American Club block party at Park and Regent. And I'm not even Italian. There was a band playing Italian dance tunes, kind of like the wedding scene in The Godfather, but nobody was dancing. So they struck up some polkas and the dance floor was packed. America!
Show me another tall boat parade in New York, like 1976. Show me fireworks at Rushmore. Show me a Taiwan still free of the Communist Party, and a severely weakened mainland CCP. Invite Zelensky to speak about fighting for freedom from oppression, and winning, before the fireworks on the Mall in DC, complete with the 1828 Overture and Marine howitzers as percussion.
I don't ask for much. The Commission itself is a sinecure, and grifting is to be expected of those appointed. Jail them all, immediately after the last giant chrysanthemum shell explodes over the Golden Gate Bridge.
We were living in Concord, MA, during the biggest of the bicentennial celebrations, and we went away on vacation.
My parents wouldn't let me go to the "People's Bicentennial Celebration" because they were "Communists." It's a pity. It would have been one of the last chances to see Phil Ochs -- who I hadn't heard of at the time -- before he offed himself.
Anyway, the week was like Massachusetts Christmas or something. Lots of anticipation the night before about what you'd do the next day, and then everyone rushing to the post office to get their "first day covers" of the commemorative stamp like some coveted present.
Gerry Ford was at the Old North Church the night before, and at Concord Bridge on the day. My memory is that Ford's speech focused more on America's wealth and power than on moral values, freedom, etc.
I think 1976 was the first of many "Tall Ship" experiences. We went to the now forgotten "Bicentennial Train" instead.
This is all assuming there still exists a USA in 2016.
Christopher B, at least two other people have beaten me to it, but 2026 is the quarter-millennium of the Declaration. It ought to be a bigger deal than the bicentennial.
On 7/4/1976 I was on the George Washington Bridge, watching the tall ships on my way to my first lesson at Juilliard. Amazing!
Absurd to step down at 79 to run a commission? Yeah, wish Burger had died as Chief so Clinton could have appointed his successor instead of the vacancy having been filled (indirectly) by Scalia.
Temujin said...
In 1976 we had the 'Tall Ships' come into New York Harbor for review. Today we have tall shi*s in both New York and San Francisco, for review.
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I'm guessing you mean Tall Shits like Comey and Kerry.
We should celebrate by calling the whole thing off. Return to something more like federalism, with a weak central gov't that can't fund these boondoggles.
Besides, it's only one 4000th of a megaannum. No big deal.
One reason we wanted our own country is we didn't want to get mixed up in England's Endless wars in Europe. THe founding fathers would be amazed to hear Lindsey Graham or Mitt Romney baying for more bloodshed in the Ukraine. Or Neo-Cons and Neo-morons willing to Risk WW III and nuclear war because they don't like Putin.
Imagine traveling back in time and telling George Washington that we spent all day hating the Russian leader. "Sir, why do you hate the Czar. What has he done to America? Is he seizing our ships on the High seas?" would be his response.
It did seem crazy at the time.
Nothing is crazier than Roe V Wade.
I spent 1976 living in England, which kind of put a damper on things. We were stationed at R.A.F. Lakenheath in Suffolk. The base put on a Hell of a fireworks show.
If Washington, Jefferson or Adams came forward in time to today, they'd head into the woods to start planning a rebellion.
"This is all assuming there still exists a USA in 2016."
According to the Democrats the US became the property of the Russians in 2016 via Putin's Boyfriend Trump.
Interesting about moderns who wish the British would have kept control of the US. Even the Boston Brahmans saw that revolution was required. England would have kept the US poor to support the privileged families of the Empire. There would be no fairness, you would do the same job your father did no matter how smart you were. England is not a good society. In short, the US would have been like Canada and Australia 100 years ago. Some quaint individualists on the frontier, and a mass of people striving to better themselves but not going far because they were not born to nobility.
Gosh! What a bunch of cynics and spoil sports are commenting on this thread! The United States is the greatest nation ever conceived. Sure, we don't always live up to our ideals. Sure, from time to time our internal whiners and critics seem to have the upper hand. So do we give up and just say the critics are right and our country isn't worth our devotion? Fork that! I'd be 83 on July 4, 2026, and if I make it that far, I'll celebrate 83 years living in the best country on Earth. And if I don't live that long, I'll expect you all to celebrate living in the best country on Earth. And if you don't, my spirit will haunt you! You've been warned.
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