In the week after Independence Day, you should know the price of freedom has gone up. How many million have you got?
The truth is, in this particular country at this particular time, the only truly free people are the ones with over 900 or so million in the bank.
The rest of you are in the virtual freedom category. That's the one where you continue telling yourself how free you are while your smart phone tracks your every move, your employer turns your pension over to a hedge fund manager, and your preacher tells you exactly who to vote for and who to be afraid of.
Evangelical preachers and Hannitys have a lot in common these days. Both are going to tell you times are better now the serial adultering, business bankrupting, fact phobic, refugee splitting, race baiting draft dodger is in charge and not the last president who actually knew the words to Amazing Grace.
Trump thinks Amazing Grace is a reality show on HGTV but would be a better name for a drive-up fast-prayer franchise. It's about time somebody made some real money off all these thoughts and prayers Trumpets are so fond of offering. Amazing Trump Grace would be golden!
But I digress and I like it. If Trump were to quote Amazing Grace, he'd have to read it off of a teleprompter, which is a problem because we know the Donald can't read. His recital would go something like this:
Amazing Grace...I knew a chick named Grace...She was totally into everything about me...I once was lost but then I invented GPS and I have 20/10 vision because there's never been a guy in such good shape at my age....that Grace was amazing...but not as amazing as me!
You get the idea. That version's going to be so popular amongst the believers.
Speaking of believing, proof of God's existence could be found on Independence Day right in the heart of Washington, DC where it rained and rained on Trump's Parade. Surely nobody prayed for that did they?
According to God, there were a lot of whispers for fire and brimstone to fall from the sky, but that seemed a bit too heavy handed. There might be a few saints amongst all those sinners and we don't need to lose any these days. Saints are as rare as successful Trump businesses.
But we started with freedom and we're going to end with freedom. Not that you have any but one or two of you may know a billionaire. That's the free person we love to talk about.
Billionaires are free from laws, free from taxes. Billionaires are free from the responsibility of living in a working society and free from the mystery of how they'll afford to retire. Billionaires don't need universal healthcare.
This is the land of the free and the home of the brave. While fewer and fewer can actually afford the price of freedom, more and more have to be brave enough to deal with the delusion that freedom exists.
Trumpets boast of freedom while crying for a king. That's independence for you.