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.

 

U.S. Continues to Go Downhill

You think the jackass in the White House and the Republicans in congress can't go any lower, but every day they prove us wrong.

I know Michelle Obama said we're supposed to go high when they go low, but come on. How high can we get?

The recent circus around the confirmation of that blustering pig, Brett Kavanaugh, to the now right wing Supreme Court set me on course to yet another depression about the direction of this country.

I grieved, along with more than half of the rest of the U.S., and the rest of the civilized world, about President Dumb Ass's election two years ago and all of the implications of that. Now some of the worst implications are coming to pass with the confirmation of said blustering pig. Added to that, this week's stark news that we have a decade, more or less, to change our ways before global warming is completely irreversible. Meanwhile Donald Dumbo and the Republicants are actually throwing any progress we've made into reverse.

We look with hope to the rest of the world to take the lead on climate. But things are pretty grim out there too. Brexit is a huge distraction for the UK and was brought about by the same problems that brought us President Turd. And Brexit is more irreversible. Germany, a leader in green, is dealing with a growing right wing. The most environmental progress in the world today is being made in, wait, it can't be, China?

Don't think I've spent the past two years just wallowing in depression. I've redirected more of my energy to social justice. We've all but stopped eating red meat. I got myself appointed to my employer's diversity committee. I give to the ACLU. I'm better about speaking up when I see bigotry in action. I'm more aware of my white privilege. I'm not sure how that helps, but it seems important. I'm doing the best I can.

The country is so divided. And one side is so obviously right and the other so clearly wrong. Even after Dumbo is gone, we will still be a divided nation. With a hot world to live in.

There is one thing that can make a big difference. Now. One thing. And that is to change the direction of the congress, and send a message to state and local governments that we the people have had enough. We are in charge. If this is going to be a democracy, then this is how we take our government back. The way to do it is to vote. Vote. Vote. Vote. I can't say it enough.

A lot of damage has been done, but we can reverse the red tide. A blue congress can put the brakes on the dump administration and even make some good things happen. Let's make a difference now. Let's vote.

And in case you're wondering, I endorse the Democrat side of the ticket.

Nothing New to Say, but Donald Trump is a Pig

I really have nothing to add to the conversation about what's happening in this country. I can't say anything new. But I'm going to say it anyway.

Donald Trump is a pig.

Perhaps I can be a little more constructive.

Trump and the people he's surrounding himself with are abusing power and pushing the constitution to its limit, just like many of us expected.

Less than a month into his administration, we're a nation in turmoil, demonstrating in the streets, others around the world confused (at best) about our standing in the lineup of nations.

I do not trust our government. I fear that they do outrageous things to distract us while they do other, more dangerous things we don't know about. There is no reassurance forthcoming, and if it were, I wouldn't believe it.

I'm afraid to imagine how bad it could get at this rate and I wonder how far it can go before Congress puts a stop to it, if they can work up the guts to do it.

The people in government I do trust and respect seem unable and/or unwilling to adequately respond to the crisis. I'd like to think they have a plan and are working behind the scenes to effect some sort of impeachment proceedings or something which will save us. But I'm afraid they are too disorganized and just as confused and scrambling as we out in the sticks seem to be.

To reflect on how we got here seems futile at this point, but I can't help but continue to feel dumbfounded that people actually voted for this. What ignorance! Did they really believe that their jobs would come back to them? Did they really think that a New York billionaire who lives in a penthouse relates to them? Understands them?

I look to my faith for comfort. I look to the old Biblical stories where there is hope even in the worst of times, and where there is light even when it is darkest. I remember that in the face of insurmountable evil, we are called to fight for justice and make a difference even in small ways where we can. I remember the parable of the tiny mustard seed that grows into a giant tree.

I also look to history for perspective. This is not the first time that government has turned bad. We are not the first people to take to the streets in protest.

And there is something unique about us: we are are American. We are a mix of freedom loving people who don't like to be messed with, who don't tolerate it when the government goes too far, who won't tolerate it when some line is crossed. We are mostly peaceful in our protest. Remember that huge women's march a couple of weeks ago? 200,000 in Denver and not one arrest. Not one. And once you get our attention, Americans are compassionate. We care about others and we like justice. We value family and relationships and somewhere deep inside, we champion the chutzpah of immigrants who arrive in this country to work hard and build a new life, which is what most immigrants want to do. Sure we are prejudiced, but we've overcome a lot of our bigotry, and once we get to know each other, we see each other as human beings. That will happen the more we demonstrate and come out to defend each other and unite to overcome this current challenge.

Our press is much maligned and battered by changing technology and social media. But the truth about what the government is doing will still come out. Through all the "fake news" and gossip and stuff that doesn't matter, the truth will continue to expose the festering corruption of lies and deceit and people will wake up to the falseness of empty promises and hollow slogans.

Americans don't always do things gently or in the right order. Sometimes we make terrible mistakes. But if you look at history's jagged line, it tends to go in the right direction eventually. The real question is how many will have to suffer this time while we correct the line's direction? How many rights will be trampled? How many will die for lack of health care? How many will perish from being turned away at our borders before we get it right again?

I'm sure the course we're on will be corrected. I just wish we didn't have to go through everything we have to go through to get there.

Caught Between a Dumbass and a "Bitch" - Does it Really Matter?

As often happens, the office chatter around me zeroed in on this year's unusual presidential election. Typical of the national conversation, my coworkers could neither comprehend ignorant dumb ass Donald Trump, nor could they fathom a bitch like Hillary Clinton at the presidential helm.

With earphones stuck to my head and my eyes glued to the monitors, I really tried to stay out of it. No one's mind is ever changed by these conversations, and while most of the others treat the topic as casually as they do a jawing about local sports, I would just get really mad and take it personally if I got involved.

But when one of the senior managers pronounced that in fact, it didn't really matter who was elected because none of our lives would actually change based on the outcome, I just about boiled over.

"That's easy to say if you're a straight, white man who has lived in privilege all his life," I fumed. "You take your wife for granted and you don't have to worry that the next Supreme Court appointment could lead to the invalidation of your legal marriage. You have never had your civil rights threatened by a majority vote of your fellow citizens. You have never been threatened with ejection from your home country just because your parents immigrated without proper papers when you were too young to understand what was happening. You were never denied the right to vote just because you didn't have a current driver's licence..."

... is what I would have said, had I been participating in the conversation.

Just to clarify, I don't think Hillary Clinton is a bitch. That's just what some people I work with think.

I've never understood why so many people hate Hillary Clinton so much. To many, she represents cold, conniving liberalism at its worst. She is seen as a shrill, calculating, and ruthlessly ambitious liar.

Of course, many of these adjectives wouldn't be nearly so uncomplimentary if they were describing a man. Men who are ruthless and ambitious are actually admired. And they are never described as shrill.

I have always really liked Hillary. Ever since her controversial 1992 comments that she wasn't just some cookie baking housewife standing by her man, I've admired her intelligence and chutzpah.

She has always come across to me as warm and hard working, deliberate and thoughtful. So sometimes she's a little awkward when she tries to tell a joke, but hey, do we need a comedian in the White House or a President? Hillary is an effective behind the scenes leader who works well with others to get things done, as demonstrated by her performance in the U.S. Senate. Sure she's outspoken, and her views have evolved. She is tough but has a human side as well, though she is criticized for showing the slightest emotion - the woman can't win, really. She's either too tough or too vulnerable.

For the "family values crowd," she takes marriage more seriously than many Republican counterparts, having never been divorced though it would have been totally justified had she chosen to do so. I love that she's a committed member of the United Methodist Church. Let's see, has Donald Trump been divorced? Is he a church member?

As for her alleged "crimes" - Benghazi, the email scandal, Vince Foster's suicide ... One by one, Clinton has been repeatedly cleared of wrongdoing, or doing nothing outside of what was normally also done by Republican peers. The fact is, Republicans can't find that she's done anything really wrong, so they make stuff up or exaggerate because they can't stand the thought of her coming into power.

And while I'm at it:

I really don't understand why so many people are supporting a Trump presidency. He has consistently and blatantly lied. He has demonstrated tremendous lack of knowledge about general civics (such as how government and elections work). He has openly declared and bragged about his own racism and ignorance regarding the world outside of the U.S. He has brazenly offended entire populations of the world with Mexicans and Muslims leading the way. It totally defies logic that he could be elected - and yet he is going to be the Republican nominee.

Donald would make a terrible President. If he even listened to advisers, they'd have to spend their time teaching him the basics of how law is made and why he can't just do whatever he wants because Congress figures in there somewhere. All constitutional checks and balances would be sent into overdrive just to make sure his whimsical power trips don't upset the fragile nature of our form of government.

At least we are presented with a choice this election season. I remember elections past when people complained that there was really no difference between the candidates.

I'm getting married this summer. To a man. For the first time in my life, this is legal in every U.S. state. It isn't too much of a stretch of the imagination to comprehend that if Donald Trump is elected, he could appoint someone to the Supreme Court who could reverse the decisions that made my legal marriage possible. That would only be the beginning.

The person who ends up being President matters to me, to a lot of people, personally.