The 4th of July feels like a sad holiday to me. We celebrate an independence won over two centuries ago, like an out of shape former athlete reminiscing about his glory days on the high school football team.
What we need independence from today isn’t the British — who seem about as threatening as a glass of warm Ovaltine — but from modern tyrannies like big business and, of course, the national security state.
How about we send all the religious people on to the next country again? Just put them on a boat, wish them the best of luck, and don't let them come back.
One of the most believable things about Starship Troopers and The Expanse was that the Mormons were colonizing other worlds, ostensibly for religious liberty.
The tale of the B Ark is a warning. The civilization that sent it died due to a disease spread on telephones. All that was left was the worst of them, which became us.