2026 is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The most important and stirring words that ring out from that seminal document is the phrase “all men are created equal.” Unfortunately, while the ambition is admirable, the words of the Declaration and the Constitution were written by men who owned slaves, who didn’t give women the right to vote, and who set up the government at that time to be ruled by an elite class of white men.

America, I can’t celebrate you because I can’t celebrate failure. Unfortunately, “all men are created equal” rings hollow while immigrants (the backbone of our country), green card holders, African Americans, Native Americans, citizens (including naturalized citizens), protesters, and more are being targeted primarily because of their color and taken into custody with no rights. Thousands of them have been sent to camps around the country where many have died, the conditions are dire, and they are clearly not being treated as equal. Thousands of deportations are happening without due process of law and human beings are dying.

America, I can’t celebrate Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acting like lawless thugs who believe they are above the law while instilling fear and outrage in the populace. I can’t celebrate their racism. I can’t celebrate them injuring and killing my fellow citizens. I can’t celebrate their hatried of immigrants.

My country, I don’t recognize you.

America, I can’t celebrate an unauthorized war for oil in Venezuela, and potential wars in Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Greenland, and elsewhere. A President who campaigned publicly for the Nobel Peace Prize, who lied about ending eight wars, attacking an independent country with no authorization from Congress is not what the founding fathers had in mind. It was not what those who voted for him had in mind. It is not what true patriots had in mind.

My country, I am beyond disappointed in you.

America, I can’t celebrate an administration filled with unqualified, boot-licking sycophants who don’t care about our history, our government, or our laws, who only care about sucking up to a narcissist who doesn’t care about the country. donald trump only cares about accumulating more power and more wealth. A truly good President would work with Congress to pass legislation that helps all Americans, not just billionaires. A truly moral President would release the Epstein files so that those who are guilty of crimes against children would find themselves facing prison (and would not pardon his friends who are part of it).

My country, I am hurt by you.

America, I can’t celebrate a government that rolls back rights of minorities, that wants to take us back to a time when women were only in the kitchen of the home and in the bedroom making babies, that wants to roll back the gains of rights of the LGBT community, particularly of the transgender part of that acronym, that is actively rolling back civil rights and altering history to erase the contributions of black Americans to our melting pot.

My country, I am ashamed of you.

America, go ahead and light fireworks for 250 years while the spirit of democracy dies in the arms of the Statue of Liberty. I will not celebrate with you. Go ahead and sponsor a wrestling match on the lawn of the White House which has symbolically been partially destroyed already. I will not be there. Wrap yourself in the flag as you pretend to love the country. I will stand naked crying for what it used to stand for. Go ahead and have parades that honor trump who is dividing this country more than the Civil War and is overseeing its demise. I will not stand with you.

My country, I am saddened to see what you have become, but I will continue to fight to help you realize what you should be.