1976/2026 COMPARED: It was only 50 years ago that we celebrated our nation’s Bicentennial and comparisons of the America then and now as we begin marking our 250th Birthday are disquietingly vivid and disturbing. Being present for both celebrations and having actively participated in the national political process and then covered it as a journalist perhaps affords me an unusual perspective on how different are the Americas of 1976 and 2026, especially in terms of our individual liberties.