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What July 5th Taught Me That July 4th Never Did
The U.S. celebrates independence while denying it to others; Venezuela fights for sovereignty while being punished for it.
Jul 05, 2025
Growing up in Venezuela and now living in the United States, I’ve always felt caught between two independence days: July 4th and July 5th. Two celebrations. Two flags. Two very different ideas of what it means to be free.
In the U.S., the Fourth of July comes with fireworks, parades, and an almost unquestioned belief in the righteousness of the revolution it commemorates. But in Venezuela, July 5th conjures up different thoughts. It is not just a break from colonial rule but the beginning of a long, unfinished struggle to define freedom on our own terms. It’s not something we inherited. It’s something we’re still fighting for.
And now, from where I stand, I can’t help but see the contradictions. One country celebrates independence while denying it to others. The other fights for sovereignty while being punished for it.
Venezuela’s July 5th is not about fireworks. It’s about survival, resistance, and the ongoing struggle to build a future rooted in dignity.
The story of Venezuela’s independence is part of a much longer, bloodier history. The entire region of Latin America and the Caribbean erupted into revolutionary movements more than two centuries ago, not out of ambition, but as a response to some of the worst atrocities in human history. Colonization, slavery, forced conversions to Catholicism, cultural erasure, and resource extraction didn’t just leave economic scars, they tore at the heart of our collective humanity. As Eduardo Galeano wrote, “Our wealth has always generated our poverty by nourishing the prosperity of others.” Independence wasn’t a beginning; it was resistance and a demand to reclaim everything stolen, silenced, and buried.
In Venezuela, the independence process was shaped by the ideas of the Enlightenment and the revolutions in France, the U.S., and Haiti. But Simón Bolívar, our “Liberator,” wanted something more than a flag or a change in rulers. He envisioned a republic built on justice, not just sovereignty. A society where slavery would be abolished, land would be redistributed, and governance would belong to the people. Speaking before the Congress of Angostura in 1819, Bolívar declared, “The most perfect system of government is that which produces the greatest possible amount of happiness, social security, and political stability.” This wasn’t about replacing a crown with a new president. It was about reimagining society itself, building a nation rooted in dignity, equality, and the well-being of all.
It was a vision far ahead of its time. And it came at a devastating cost. Venezuela lost half of its population during the wars of independence. But as Bolívar said, the other half would have given their lives, too, to make freedom real.
Venezuela became free from Spain, but not from exploitation.
After the discovery of oil beginning in the 1920s, the country became a new kind of colony, one shaped by foreign corporations and U.S. geopolitical interests. While oil profits filled the pockets of multinational companies and domestic elites, the majority of Venezuelans lived in poverty, with no access to healthcare, education, or housing.
That began to change in 1998, when Hugo Chávez, invoking the legacy of Bolívar, won the presidency and launched what became known as the Bolivarian Revolution. He called on the people to reclaim democracy, not just through elections, but through participatory structures, economic justice, and sovereignty. For many who had long been shut out of the system, it was the first time they saw themselves reflected in their own government.
It was transformative. And it was deeply threatening to the powers that had always treated Venezuela as a resource, not a republic.
The Bolivarian Revolution was seen as a threat to U.S. imperial interests from the very beginning. From the moment Hugo Chávez took office in 1999 and began redirecting Venezuela’s oil wealth toward social programs, land reform, and regional integration, the backlash began. He refused to follow the neoliberal script written in Washington, and for that, he was targeted.
In 2002, the U.S. backed a coup attempt against Chávez, which briefly removed him from power before a massive popular uprising brought him back. But the attacks didn’t stop. Economic sabotage, disinformation campaigns, and diplomatic isolation escalated over the years.
After his death in 2013, the campaign intensified. Under Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela was hit with the full-spectrum of economic warfare: hundreds of unilateral coercive measures, the freezing of billions in international assets, restrictions on food and medicine imports, and open support for regime change. A war without bombs.
This is daily life for Venezuelans. And yet, we’re told these policies are meant to help us. You don’t help people by starving them. You don’t “defend democracy” by trying to force another country to its knees.
Here in the U.S., it’s easy to treat independence as something that was achieved once and for all in 1776. But if that were true, why is our country still trying to control the fate of others? Why do we claim to stand for freedom while undermining it abroad through sanctions, coups, and endless wars? And even more urgently: why are so many people in the U.S. still struggling just to survive?
Empire comes at a cost, not only to the people we target, but to the people right here at home. While the U.S. government spends trillions on foreign wars and military bases, our communities are told there’s “not enough” for universal healthcare, housing, or public education. The same officials who lecture the world about freedom are the ones who lined up to vote for the “Big Beautiful Bill,” a package that bankrolls war and delivers massive tax breaks to billionaires while dismantling the programs that keep people housed, fed, and alive
We’re told to celebrate freedom while immigrants are deported, unhoused people are criminalized, and Palestinian solidarity is silenced. We’re told we live in the greatest country on Earth, even as life expectancy drops and student debt skyrockets.
So when I hear U.S. leaders talk about spreading democracy, I can’t help but ask: Whose democracy? Whose freedom?
You can’t claim to support democracy and starve a population at the same time. You can’t celebrate independence while trying to overthrow other governments. And you can’t speak of justice if your policies enforce inequality on a global scale.
As a Venezuelan-American, I’m proud of the history that Venezuela has fought for. And I want to be proud of the United States, the country I also call home. But that will only be possible when the U.S. chooses respect over domination, when it ends the sanctions, when it stops weaponizing aid, democracy, and freedom to serve its own economic interests.
Venezuela’s July 5th is not about fireworks. It’s about survival, resistance, and the ongoing struggle to build a future rooted in dignity.
So while the U.S. celebrates its independence this week, I hope more people take a moment to ask: What are we really celebrating? And at what cost?
True independence isn’t about flags or anthems. It’s about the right to choose your own path without being punished for it. If we’re serious about “liberty and justice for all,” then we have to mean it. Not just here, but everywhere.
Real freedom doesn’t come wrapped in patriotic speeches or military parades, it comes through struggle, sacrifice, and the refusal to bow to empire, no matter what form it takes. Whether in Venezuela or the United States, the fight for dignity continues. Eduardo Blanco captured this truth in Venezuela Heroica, when he wrote: “To restrain the passions of people when they’ve been pushed beyond reason is harder than stopping the sea itself.”
And that’s exactly what we’re witnessing in every mobilization, every boycott, every refusal to accept injustice as normal.
The tides of liberation can’t be contained by borders, bullets, or decrees. Not in Venezuela. Not in Gaza. Not in the United States. Not anywhere.
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The Secret to Saving Democracy in the US Is a New Kind of Civics Education
We need a huge pile of money to explain the truth of Trump’s authoritarian overreach to the millions who have checked out from political life.
Jul 05, 2025
Are you part of the newly reinvigorated resistance? Are you someone who recognizes that President Donald Trump is an existential threat to everything wise and decent in this country? Do you believe democracy in the United States is dangling from a high cliff hovering above rocky terrain?
I would bet that every person who reads this article will answer all three questions with a thunderous, “Hell, yes!”
I am right there with you. But here’s the problem: I would also bet that no one who is not already of this mindset will ever read this article. And the same is true, or at least largely true, of hundreds of other articles, books, news reports, speeches, and the like raising the warning of growing autocracy. It is now conventional wisdom that left-wing Americans live in a different-informational universe than right-wing Americans. Progressives generally rely on sources like major media, NPR and PBS, and progressive websites. MAGA enthusiasts rely on hard-right propaganda sources like Fox News, Breitbart, right-wing radio, and, yes, for some the internet ravings of QAnon.
We are talking to ourselves.
This would be expensive. But then, how much is democracy worth to us?
These stark differences in the news consumed by the two groups has led to the left and right existing in two different perceived realities. One sees the world as it is, and the other sees it as portrayed in a far-right fever dream. Realistically, few hardcore MAGA supporters will change their outlook whatever they are told. Indeed, polls suggest that many would be perfectly happy with an autocratic form of government. But given the close political division in the United States, nudging even 1-2% of them into the real world could be enough to save American democracy.
There is, however, a more promising pool of Americans to try to recruit into the fight for democracy. The biggest opportunity isn’t MAGA (although we should still try). The better opportunity to find converts would be from, let’s call it, Team Oblivious.
They are out there by the millions. The term oblivious isn’t employed here as an insult. It’s a descriptor. These are people who pay absolutely no attention to politics or national news because they have absolutely no interest in them. Most aren’t stupid, and at least some would probably be reachable if we could somehow convince them to look up and see what is happening. Before we could do that effectively, however, we would first need to know how and where to talk to them.
The United States is flunking civics. Civics education in schools has been dramatically reduced. When the Founding Fathers spoke of the importance of widespread public education, they didn’t emphasize preparing children for employment as is true today. People like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams supported public education so the young would grow to become part of the informed citizenry necessary for a functioning republic.
Increasing civics education in schools, while important, obviously isn’t the answer to the current menace. We need to act now. Authoritarianism is on the march, and the rule of law is crumbling shockingly fast. It took Donald Trump only a few brief months to completely corrupt the Justice Department—turning it into his personal attack dog. He orders investigations of political opponents at the same time he protects his followers by deep-sixing investigations and abusing the pardon power. He is rapidly politicizing every part of the federal government, firing public servants in what are supposed to be apolitical positions and replacing them with unqualified hacks who will blindly follow him.
The good news is that the resistance is now largely past licking our wounds over Trump’s election and is ready to fight. But there is something else we should do. And that is where, at least in my dreams, a huge pile of money comes into play.
We need a new kind of civics education—and we need it soon.
This new form of civics education would feature a series of brief, professionally produced messages to be posted anywhere and everywhere “members” of Team Oblivious, and to a lesser extent MAGA, can be found. This would sometimes involve expensive media advertising, and at other times free messages such as emails and social media posts.
For this idea to come to fruition, people with the necessary skills (which I don’t have), and some initial funding, would need to create an organization dedicated to spreading the word of the attack against American democracy. Its mission statement could be educating the citizens of the United States about the growing threat to our democracy. The leadership of such an organization would need to be beyond reproach. Complete transparency would be essential as would vigorously auditing of the organization’s funds. I would personally suggest that no effort be made for such an organization to qualify as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization as that would open it to harassment by government officials answering to Trump.
Once set up, the organization’s first priority would have to be fundraising. Lots of fundraising. This would be expensive.
But then, how much is democracy worth to us?
Any such organization would be wise to consult with experts who can help paint a picture of Team Oblivious (group characteristics not personal information). What are their demographics, what they are interested in, what media do they consume, what social media do they visit, what type of work do they do, and what might move them. The answers would vary with different ages and other differing characteristics. The data would therefore need to be broken down into categories. At the same time, experts on every type of media, online and traditional, should also be consulted to assist in determining the best way to reach as many people as possible.
In terms of the actual messages to be sent, the best starting place would be the warning signs of authoritarianism. This would be combined with showing the many ways in which these signs point at Donald Trump. For example, experts agree that one particularly worrying sign of authoritarian government is the use of police and prosecutors to attack political opponents, something Trump is doing right now. This could be demonstrated in as little as 10 to 15 seconds, driving the point home before boredom grabs the wheel. This could be followed by new messages discussing other signs of Trump’s authoritarian tendencies, as well as other relevant topics.
These messages would be spread anywhere and everywhere that Team Oblivious, and to some extent MAGA, can be found. As noted before, this would obviously be expensive, but well worth the cost.
Because if ever America needed an informed citizenry, it is now.
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Latest Israeli 'Massacre' in Gaza Used 500-lb US-Made Bombs: Report
The attack on a crowded café has been described by international law experts as wildly disproportionate, following new reporting about the munitions used.
Jul 03, 2025
International law experts are describing Israel's Monday attack on a Gaza café as a potential war crime after an investigation in The Guardian revealed that the attack was carried out using a 500-lb bomb supplied by the U.S. government.
Reporters photographed fragments of the bomb left behind in the wreckage of the al-Baqa Café. Weapons experts identified them as parts of an MK-82 general purpose bomb, which it called "a US-made staple of many bombing campaigns in recent decades."
The attack killed anywhere from 24 to 36 Palestinians and injured dozens more. Casualties included women, children, and the elderly. A prominent photojournalist and artist were also killed.
Experts have called the use of such a weapon on an area full of civilians wildly disproportionate and a likely violation of the Geneva Convention, which outlaws military operations that cause "incidental loss of civilian life" that is "excessive or disproportionate" to the military advantage to be gained.
"It is almost impossible to see how this use of that kind of munition can be justified," said Marc Schack, an associate professor of international law at the University of Copenhagen in comments to The Guardian. "If you are talking about 20, 30, 40 or more civilian casualties, usually that would have to be a target of very great importance."
After the attack drew heavy criticism, an army spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike had killed "several Hamas terrorists" and that "prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians using aerial surveillance."
Gerry Simpson of Human Rights Watch criticized that defense.
"The Israeli military hasn't said exactly whom it was targeting, but it said it used aerial surveillance to minimize civilian casualties, which means it knew the café was teeming with customers at the time," Simpson told The Guardian. "The military would also have known that using a large guided air-dropped bomb would kill and maim many of the civilians there. The use of such a large weapon in an obviously crowded café risks that this was an unlawful disproportionate or indiscriminate attack and should be investigated as a war crime."
Since Monday's bombing, the attacks against civilians in Gaza have only intensified. According to a Thursday report from the Gaza Government Media Office, more than 300 Palestinians have been killed within the last 48 hours in "26 bloody massacres."
According to reporting Thursday from Al Jazeera, these have included attacks on "shelters and displacement centers overcrowded with tens of thousands of displaced people, public rest areas, Palestinian families inside their homes, popular markets and vital civilian facilities, and starving civilians searching for food."
At least 33 people were killed Thursday at a Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) aid distribution site, adding to the hundreds of aid seekers who have been killed in recent weeks. In a Haaretz investigation last week, soldiers described these aid sites, administered by the U.S. and Israel, as a "killing field," where they have routinely been ordered to fire on unarmed civilians who posed no threat.
Two American contractors at a GHF site told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that their colleagues fired their guns wildly, including in the direction of Palestinians. They provided a video which shows hundreds of aid-seekers crowded between metal gates, being assaulted with stun grenades and pepper spray, while gunshots echo in the background.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International and hundreds of other humanitarian NGOs called for an end to the Israeli government's blockade of food and other necessities entering the Gaza Strip. They also called for an end to the "deadly Israeli distribution scheme" and for a return of aid distribution to the United Nations and other international organizations.
"This devastating daily loss of life as desperate Palestinians try to collect aid is the consequence of their deliberate targeting by Israeli forces and the foreseeable consequence of irresponsible and lethal methods of distribution," said Agnès Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International, on Thursday.
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