Once Venerated U.S.A. Plummets into Disgrace

If any day stirs patriotism in the American heart, it’s the Fourth of July. But I won’t be celebrating this year. The thought of waving a flag and declaring that we are the greatest country in the world is laughable.

 

Citizens protest racial injustice in record numbers, disrupting complacency in hundreds of cities and towns across all 50 states. And yet, the inept, immoral president (lower case intended) doubles down on the militarized policing that ignited the protests to begin with. Federal troupes menace fellow citizens as they exercise their American rights to free speech and assembly.

 

Our country should be an example of harmonious diversity to which all others aspire. Instead, multitudes from Berlin to Melbourne take to the streets protesting American racism.

 

Covid-19 runs more rampant here than in any other country. Places identified as shit holes by the same racist president manage the pandemic better.

 

Americans are banned from Europe, parts of Asia, and even Canada because we have failed so badly to combat the virus within our borders.

 

In the midst of this global pandemic, the president, desperately trying to focus the blame somewhere else, carelessly pulls our membership from the World Health Organization.

 

The U.S. should lead the world in fighting disease. Our wealth should create vaccines that we generously share with others.

 

Instead, dimwitted throngs march on state capitals to battle for the fabricated right to not wear disease preventing masks. They do so with blatant disregard for scientific facts and no concern for the public good.

 

I once thought that greed and corruption, persistent evils in the best of countries, could be kept at bay by the determination to live out our ideals. The arc of the moral universe, said the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., would bend towards justice. In spite of occasional backsliding, we were ultimately destined to be the great country we imagined.

 

But evil and corruption have escalated to unprecedented levels. Checks and balances to keep them at bay have been defused.

 

The corrupt elite instigate chaos to distract us from their antics. As a result, we ignore serious threats like climate catastrophe.

 

The criminals running this country are only interested in preserving their own power and wealth. Even the most basic American values don’t interest them. They blithely encourage unthinkable evils such as white supremacy to achieve their goals.

 

And yet.

 

We might have a chance to set things right. In November, we could send a message that corruption will no longer be tolerated. It won’t be easy, however. We must overcome Republican instigated systemic voter suppression, the influence of nefarious countries that manipulate our elections, and the apathy of millions who have not voted in the past.

 

Our reward could be a new United States, a country of which we are truly proud. We could become not the world’s savior, but a responsible citizen nation among others.

 

I Like Autumn - Now

It has finally rained. All summer long, we begged for a break from that record heat. Fires burned out of control as temperatures soared. The relief was palpable this week when, finally, mornings were chilly there was a little moisture in the air.

Autumn is truly a lovely time. I used to hate it.

I think it's because I really, intensely, hate winter. I hate having to wear a lot of clothes. I have having to put a coat on just to take out the trash. I hate the prospect of driving through ice and snow. I hate the endless darkness, long nights, and general absence of sun.

The fall used to remind me that an awful winter was sure to follow. But something's changed the past couple of years.

Winters are shorter than they used to be, or at least because of my advanced age, everything goes faster.

I've also developed some winter coping strategies such as going to Southern California during the worst of it. Joining a gym so I could exercise inside no matter what the temperature also helped - though I have to pile on the layers of clothing just to get there.

 Winters are also not as cold as they used to be.  Climate change has raised the average temperature. Not that I'm in favor of climate change, but can I help it if I like the occasional warm winter day?

Warming Climate Increases Fire

When I first moved to Colorado, back in the last century, forest fires were rare, and they didn't start breaking out until July. Now, they seem to break out just any old time of year and several can burn at once. There are currently so many burning around the state that they aren't even saying how many any more.

Wildfire is licking at the outskirts of Colorado Springs. The High Park fire, the second largest in the state's history and the most destructive in terms of property, burns just outside of Fort Collins. Many homes are destroyed. Domestic animals are homeless. The Larimar County Fairgrounds have become a shelter for displaced horses. Evacuated humans haven't known whether their homes are still standing.

Those of us living in city limits often fancy ourselves immune from wild fires which generally happen way off in the mountains. While the flames generally don't get into the city as far as my house, the effects of the fires occasionally do.

It's one thing to see aerial views of 100 foot flames on TV. It becomes more real when your eyes sting from smoke and you actually see ash blowing around in your parking lot. People with respiratory ailments really suffer, even 60 miles away.

One reason the fires are more serious now than in years past is because of the massive kill off of trees due to the mountain pine beetle. Huge swaths of forest have been reduced to the skeletal remains of dead trees, just waiting to be ignited by lightning or a careless smoker.

The beetles are so deadly because winters are no longer cold enough to kill them off, enabling them to thrive on a massive scale. With a temperature today of 104, I'm inclined to believe that the climate is indeed getting warmer.

 Fire suppression over the last century has changed the natural cycle of fire into potentially huge, deadly super-fires. Add global warming, a pine beetle disaster, and more people living in the mountains and you've got a recipe for trouble. Kind of makes me long for the past. 

Dear Dan Savage: Health Care Takes Priority

See Dan Savage on CNN (YouTube).

Dear Dan Savage:

You are one of our most articulate spokespeople. I love to watch you stand up to wild-eyed right-wingers and your writing is some of the best out there. But I'd like to respond to what you are saying these days about President Obama.

I want to remind you how much our country has changed from a year ago. This African American president is young and smart. Intelligent utterances now come from the Oval Office. We can hold our heads a little higher in the global community.

Mr. Obama is unflappable. He reasons with opponents, advocating for mutual respect and civility. When so many, from town meetings to talk shows, believe that "whoever yells the loudest wins," I have yet to see this president lose his cool.

His challenges are undeniable. He inherited two untenable wars, a terrible economic crisis, and a seriously divided and increasingly polarized political landscape. While giving his all to handle these, he also manages to pursue issues unique to his tenure.

While campaigning, he spoke out more than any presidential candidate in history about the need for LGBTQI* equality. While falling short of endorsing gay marriage, he let it be known that DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) was bad policy. He promised to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, which effectively bans gays and lesbians from the military. As significant as anything, his speeches included consistent inclusion of the word "gay." To a minority group largely conditioned to hide in silence, hearing a prominent politician openly acknowledge our existence was exciting. It sent shivers up my spine.

But some of the citizens are getting restless. Gay activists like you are increasingly impatient with Obama. Seven months into office, the president seems to have edited us out of his speeches. DOMA and Don't Ask Don't Tell are, at best, on the back burner. You and others call on us to hold his feet to the fire and keep his promises.

I agree that Obama and all the Democrats in congress should be held accountable. They need to be reminded of the money we raised and the large number of votes we optimistically cast to get them elected. They cannot be allowed to take our support for granted while continuously pushing us to the side so "more important" issues can be dealt with first. It happened in the Clinton administration and it could be happening again. They need to hear you calling for the progress we were promised or they risk losing us.

At the same time, I must distance myself from your rhetoric. While LGBTQI issues are important to me and I'll be happy to defend our rights to anyone, anytime, I am not just a gay man with a single interest in what our country does.

As a voter living with multiple chronic medical conditions, I believe that health care reform takes priority, for the moment, over gay rights. Poverty and bankruptcy are only one hospital stay away for a huge number of Americans. For now, I want Mr. Obama to focus on that.

Dan, I'm sorry, but climate change resulting in melting ice caps and world-wide coastal flooding are also more urgent than gay rights. The potential social and environmental instability resulting from global warming render all other issues moot. I'd like the president to spend his capital on clean energy, alternative fuels, and high speed rail which are not only good for the environment, but for the economy as well.

Dan, I'm always happy to see you on TV or read you in the Advocate. Keep it up. But you don't speak for me. I am a loyal supporter of President Obama. If he can get health care reform accomplished now, I'll wait off to the side a while longer.


*Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Intersex (this acronym is a topic for another time)