Donald Trump

President Donald Trump waves as he departs an Air Traffic Control Reform Initiative event in the East Room at the White House, Monday, June 5, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

(Andrew Harnik)

Clete Wetli is a liberal political activist living in Huntsville and a regular contributor to AL.com. Email Clete at decaturclete@gmail.com or visit cletewetli. com.

As America celebrates another Fourth of July, this one just seems somehow unsettled and different than all the rest.

The days before the holiday are usually marked with celebratory odes to freedom and liberty, but this year we're talking about the President of the United States tweeting out a fake wrestling video depicting him symbolically beating up the press. We've got photos of New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie vacationing on an empty beach because the state government is shutting down. NASA just had to issue a press release to right wing extremists to explain that there isn't a government funded child labor camp on Mars.

Americans thought the Declaration of Independence was a declaration of our resolve for self-government, not a declaration of independence from common sense, civility, and decency. Trump seems to have started his celebration much earlier with a declaration of independence from complete sentences and coherent thoughts.

We keep reading about how America is divided and that we must find ways to come together. But how are we supposed to reason with people who completely reject facts? How do you talk to folks who think pizza-gate is real, that clean coal is making a comeback, or believe that climate change is a Chinese conspiracy?

The world has never seen the mental gymnastics required by today's Republicans as they defend Trump's words and behavior. When they've been forced to muster up any type of criticism, it's been bland, vague, or tepid at best. C'mon folks, you may not have been an admirer of Obama's policies, but he never said anything like the nonsensical covfefe that comes daily from Trump. Obama's agenda wasn't some sophomoric promise to just undo everything the previous president accomplished.

Is this Independence Day historic because we've decided to longer be dependent on reason?

Any legitimate complaint against the current administration is met instantly with a dig on Hilary, fiction about Obama, or a screaming diatribe about how every major news outlet is fake. As Trump continues to play golf every weekend, he complains that the Democrats are holding up his staffing of key government positions, even though he's the one responsible for appointing people. While we should be talking about energy and the crises in North Korea or Syria, Trump's intensely worried about what they're talking about on "Morning Joe"?

On day one, Trump said we needed a ninety-day Muslim travel ban and what day is it now? Why was that so urgent, again? How does that rate on the common sense meter, anyone?

Maybe, this Independence Day, especially, we need to remember what we really fought for and what we stand for as a country. Trump and his apologists are making a mockery of our nation's core values. It's not okay for our Commander-in-chief to attack the free press or use Twitter to air his personal grievances. It's reprehensible that he doesn't know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid or that the White House didn't celebrate Pride month or Ramadan.

No, we're not going to find common ground or agree with parts of an agenda that denies healthcare to tens of millions of people. There is no common ground when Trump's EPA sanctions dumping toxins and pollutants on our common ground.

America has not lost its common sense, but our president is obviously lacking. Since taking the oath of office, Trump's tenure in the White House has been a bad spoof of a television reality show and it's not getting any better. At least in TV land, they cancel stuff like this after the pilot episode.

This Independence Day is different because Trump is testing our very independence and our nation's common sense.