No Fireworks Under Fascism: Why I’m Sitting Out the Fourth of July

Dear Friends,

This year, I will not be celebrating the Fourth of July. I will not be waving a flag. I will not be grilling burgers. I will not be oohing and aahing at fireworks that claim to represent “freedom” while our country descends further into authoritarianism.

Why? Because this is no longer the land of the free.

We are, as I write this, on the brink of a government siege—not by a foreign power, but by our own so-called leaders. Donald Trump, the twice-impeached, convicted felon who clawed his way back to power through lies, voter suppression, propaganda, and raw cruelty, has already federalized the National Guard—nationwide. Not just California. Not just in “blue states.” He’s activated a military force answerable only to him. What do you think he’s preparing for? A block party?

Layers of barricades are now going up around the White House and the Treasury like we’re in a war zone. You don’t build a fortress unless you expect—or plan—to be under siege. This is not the act of a president who respects the rule of law. It is the act of a man laying the groundwork for a coup from within.

So no—I will not be standing shoulder to shoulder with people pretending everything is fine. I will not be giving patriotic speeches about our “great democracy” while the Voting Rights Act is gutted, the courts are packed, journalists are threatened, books are banned, LGBTQ+ families are demonized, and women are treated like incubators with no rights of their own.

This isn’t the Fourth of July. It’s the Fourth Reich.

And let’s not sugarcoat what’s coming. If you think it can’t happen here, you’re not paying attention. It is happening here. We are watching the methodical dismantling of democracy in real time.

If you’re old like me, you may not have the luxury of fleeing. If you’re sick, disabled, or financially trapped—this may be it. The end of the road. We’re not talking about partisan politics anymore; we’re talking about fascism. About control. About surveillance. About militarization. About losing the right to speak freely, to vote, to exist without fear.

So this year, I will protest with my absence.

I encourage you to do the same.

Don’t show up. Don’t pretend. Don’t participate in their charade.

Because lighting fireworks while Rome burns doesn’t make you a patriot—it makes you an accomplice.

If you are a person of faith, pray. If you are an organizer, organize. If you are a writer, speak. If you are able to fight, fight. And if you are afraid, good. That means you’re still human.

But please, don’t let this be just another holiday with sparklers and red-white-and-blue Instagram posts. Let it be a wake-up call.

Because if we don’t resist now—loudly, visibly, unapologetically—there may not be another Independence Day.

Not one worth celebrating, anyway.

With urgency and rage,

Julie Bolejack, MBA

(A Still-Free American… For Now)

PS: I am flying this flag and a No Kings in America one.