cuatro de julio, veinte y veinte.

July Fourth, Twenty-Twenty.
On this day, some 244 years ago, a group of American Colonists, acting on behalf of electors, caused there to be published a document called the Declaration of Independence.  This document was a compromise. Yes, I realize that today, compromise is a dirty word. I realize that no one wants to compromise, ever. That they believe that compromise means death. or worse, because all too many have declared that they will kill and die before compromising. Well, this document, like many others after it, was a compromise. Some wanted to open with an offering of peace with the English King. Some were afraid that any such declaration would leave them open to a charge of treason against a lawful ruler. In the end, the members of the continental congress realized that the open rebellion that had been going on for a full year must be the course to take, and that the forces of the King must be driven forth from the newly-named United States. So it was. Each colony voted to form a new Union. The English King was to be told to piss up a rope. But this year, more so than many others, people have been demanding to know why they compromised then, and more so and worse in 1789 when they sat down to write the Constitution of the United States (replacing the grossly inadequate Articles of Confederation.) They wanted to know why a compromise, most especially with 3/5 of slaves or of "Indians not taxed." The Federalist papers, and other historians offer a fairly good idea why some of the compromises regarding taxes and representation, and even of slavery. but I want to talk about the "Great Compromise" from a different viewpoint. So here goes: 
Yes, permitting slavery to continue was "the great compromise" upon which this country was built. Of course, not compromising over anything is what got us from where we were when Bill Clinton left office, to where we are today. 30 million unemployed, another 40 million either underemployed or overworked and over-stressed, 20 million with no health insurance and it could zoom to 70 million by September. A disease that kills or maims people being transmitted by crazy-angry people who want the stuff the right wing fuckheads took from them back which is the same crazy-angry people who elected the fuckheads who took their stuff away in the first place. No compromise bought us a lot of great shit. Our problem in 1789 wasn't "No compromise" it was that we let up on them. We didn't come back in 1796 and demand an end to slavery. We didn't go back in 1815 and demand an end to slavery. We didn't go to the Supreme Court and demand an end to slavery. We didn't go back in 1829 and demand an end to slavery. Oh, well, actually we did. and the Slave States with their fucking slaveocracy didn't want to give up what they had at the insistence of someone else. They said they wanted to end slavery on their own terms and in their own time. Uh huh. fucking worked really well didn't it ? It took another 31 years until enough Americans were enough pissed off about it to force the issue to a head, and that lead to war. Ask yourself sometime why war was necessary ? Why didn't all those southern states give up owning people as chattels ? There is only one worthwhile answer.