Drink to the 4th of July with Defunctland on Disney's America and 'The Stars and Stripes Forever'

Happy 4th of July! I'm reaching back to 2020 to follow through on a postponed idea for today's celebration of the second of three patriotic holidays in July I observe on this blog.

For today's celebration, I'm returning to the concept behind Drink to America Sings for July 4th, by examining a patriotic attraction that Disney planned for but never opened, Abandoned - Disney's America by Bright Sun Films.*
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*Defunctland has a video on this topic that was my original choice for this post, but I watched this and decided to save Kevin Perjurer's documentary for next year. I'm an environmentalist, so I don't just recycle, I conserve my resources.

Four years later, I'm finally sharing Defunctland: The War for Disney's America.

Defunctland goes to Virginia to explore the history of the Disney park that never was, Disney's America.

I'm recycling my reaction from 2020 as well.

Not only did this proposed park get in trouble because its neighbors had a severe case of Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY), but because Disney's sanitized view of history had fallen out of fashion and rubbed historians the wrong way, leading to activism on the part of both groups. Imagine how poorly that perspective would fare today with Confederate monuments being removed[,] Juneteenth becoming popular[,] and people examining the Tulsa Massacre. Then again, maybe not, as Disney is retheming Splash Mountain...

Four years later, Splash Mountain has transformed into Tiana's Bayou Adventure, which is now open in Walt Disney World and will open soon in Disneyland. I will revisit the attraction in a future Sunday entertainment feature. For now, I'm sharing some patriotic music from the United States Marine Band, SOUSA - The Stars and Stripes Forever - "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band.

"The Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa...Performed by the United States Marine Band on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, during the band's annual Sousa Season Opener. Conducted by Director Lt. Col. Ryan Nowlin and recorded at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, Va.

I couldn't get too far away from marching music for today, even if the band is sitting in a concert hall, not marching down a parade route.

I'm continuing, for now, with my tradition of including a Tipsy Bartender drink recipe for today with 4th of July Heaven & Hell Shot.*


"Heaven and Hell" — yeah, that's pretty much how I feel about today's celebration. Drink responsibly, or if you wish to drown your sorrows, at least don't drink and drive.

Stay tuned as I share my "catastrophic imagination" tomorrow with the part 4 that I promised in MSNBC examines Project 2025, part 3.

*Skyy hasn't posted a regular-length video for 4th of July so far this year. Instead, he live-streamed 4th of July drinks for nearly 3 hours last night. I'm neither watching that nor sharing it with my readers. It's enough to make me use another creator for next year's celebration, should 4th of July be worth celebrating then. To make sure it is, vote!