Basu: This Independence Day brings eerie echoes from 1776

Reading the Declaration of Independence is a good way to observe July 4: It reminds us of the bleak political circumstances leading up to the birth of the nation and the values shared by founders. But the 1776 document has never in my lifetime seemed more relevant, prescient or, frankly, foreboding than it does this year. You might think Britain's despotic king were still in charge here.

“…He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws,” the declaration says. 

You could apply that foreign jurisdiction quote literally today, to Russia’s alleged tampering with our presidential election to secure a win for Donald Trump. His national security adviser, Michael Flynn, would be one of the "others," although the president's attempts to get the FBI director, James Comey, on board with dropping the Flynn  investigation didn't work. 

But you could also take "foreign to our constitution” as a metaphor for what should be abhorrent. Doesn't that describe Trump's unilateral temporary ban on refugees or prospective visitors from Muslim countries who have no immediate family here? The declaration actually addresses something similar:

“ He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither. … We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here.”

As court after court found these bans unconstitutional, Trump maligned the judges and pursued appeals until he got one he liked. 

The declaration says: "He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers."

Trump has tried to overhaul laws protecting the public health, such as the Affordable Care Act, and the environment. He has pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Treaty to get out of international obligations to reduce climate change. He has vowed to remove restrictions on energy production and emissions.

The founding document said of the king, "He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good…." 

It also speaks of "...a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States." 

This president tailors his facts to serve his desired outcome. As the Los Angeles Times put it in an excellent editorial series on the president this spring, “Trump’s ascent marks the first time that the culture of alternative reality has made its home at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.”

He dismisses as lies news reports he thinks don’t flatter him, whether about the crowd size at his inauguration or about turning away from his Mar-A-Lago estate TV host Mika Brzezinski, who makes fun of him. The New York Times, however, disproved that by producing a photo of Brzezinski at the estate.

The president’s and his surrogates' fractious relationship with the press is one of the most alarming deviations from standard White House protocol. A free press with access is essential to holding public officials accountable in a functioning democracy. Not only has Trump dubbed the press "enemy," but when his spokespeople do hold press briefings, they often chastise media as dishonest spin agents.

“By undermining trust in news organizations and delegitimizing journalism and muddling the facts so that Americans no longer know who to believe,” opined the Los Angeles Times, “he (Trump) can deny and distract and help push his administration’s far-fetched storyline."

It is heartening to see some congressional members of Donald Trump’s own Republican Party reject the president's latest conduct as, in Sen. Lindsey Graham's words, "beneath the office of the presidency.” 

But that behavior tends to play well to Trump's base. "He targets the darkness, anger and insecurity that hide in each of us and harnesses them for his own purposes….," says the L.A. Times series. "If we harbor latent racism or if we fear terror attacks by Muslim extremists, then he elevates a rumor into a public debate. ..."

"He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us," the Declaration of Independence said about the king. The impact of Trump's divisive presidency shows up in unexpected ways among the public, including in stress, panic attacks, insomnia and isolation. According to a USA TODAY story, this may be sending people to therapy, yoga and meditation in record numbers, the latter to help them recharge and respond. Many are also feasting on political satire.

We are a resilient, creative people and the Constitution gives us the tools to respond without a violent rupture. So this July 4, let's pledge to use our voices and legitimate media to filter fact from fiction and shine a light in places of darkness; our legal resources to challenge what we can in the courts; and our votes to elect representatives who take these shared values seriously. Happy Independence Day.