Some self-mockery for "Independence Day"

At the moment, POC friends and TUPOCC allies are passing along this zinger from someecards.

"Independence day reminds me how fortunate we are to live in a country that eschews violent street protests in favor of snarky blog commentary."

For many folks who have family abroad, for folks whose memory of a life outside the US is hardly faded, the "snarky blog commentary" (and snarky e-cards) probably don't elicit too many laughs. At the end of the day, most of our engagement with episodes of upheaval lies in confrontational debate and raising of correct positions. The past week of exchanges about the legitimacy of popular movement in Iran and Honduras have demonstrated one thing quite clearly: others of us have a far more personal stake.

Often perceived as unamerican and even disloyal, those of us with "rooting interets" may find July 4th evocative of a question long unanswered. Why, for so many nations, does independence and self-determination hinge on how Americans are feeling at any given time?