About a George who was actually a good President

I like to think of Independence Day as a sort of Thanksgiving-for-the-Founding Fathers-Day. Because while I love fireworks, and making flag-cakes, what I aim to do on the fourth of July is to thank those men and women who made both the dream and the reality of the United States of America. I think that both the dream and the reality are important, because the dream was once articulated in 1776 with Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This was the dream, but it took hundreds of years and plenty of bloodshed before the reality of equality and liberty were the rights of all Americans.

Despite some of the imperfections and contradictions of the government of our founding fathers (note that one such imperfection is the lack of mothers in this group), they certainly got a few things rights. I feel extremely lucky for a number of these concepts which have become pillars in our system, but there is one democratic tradition for which I am particularly grateful, especially because I live in a land desperately needing democracy. This tradition is that of a peaceful transition of power, and one whose importance can be easily demonstrated by two stories.

First, I will tell you a story as old as time itself. People are tyrannized by the cruel hand of a despot. Revolution begins to swell, eventually coming under the leadership of a charismatic hero. Revolution succeeds, and war hero becomes new leaders, promising peace, justice and an end to tyranny. Leader becomes mad with power, refuses to step down, and eventually becomes a dictator.

This vicious cycle is common world-wide, on every continent, and in every culture. I am currently living in a country which has witnessed this exact same cycle, and which is currently still waiting for another round of independence from its current round of revolutionary government-turned dictatorship.




Now, let me tell you another story. People are tyrannized by the unfair hand of a king. Revolution begins to swell, eventually coming under the leadership of a charismatic General. Revolution succeeds, and war hero, George Washington, becomes first President of a new nation. He ruled for two terms, carried the nation through its first fragile years, and then he retired to the countryside. By doing so, he effectively established the American tradition of a peaceful and predictable transition of power, and forever placed him high on my list of Americans that I thank on this day.

Poor Egypt. Poor Pakistan. Poor Zimbabwe. And pity any nation who has suffered through taxing and bloody revolutions only to realize that the new leaders are just as corrupt as the old. The United Sates is far from the shining light on the hill that our current delusional president likes to pretend, but we certainly can be a model for some democratic traditions. Thanks to the courage and selflessness of George Washington, Americans can have routine regime change without shedding blood. Thanks to our first president, I can look forward to November. There are enough examples of how easy it is for heroes to become dictators, but I am grateful that Washington took the hard road, stepped down, and made our country something I can be proud of.