Okay, my compatriots in truth, justice and the American way, please tell me something. Your motto for the past several years has been “Make America Great Again.” I wholeheartedly agree that every one of us should strive every single day of our lives to make our country great … by working hard; by tending to our civic, moral and personal duties; by caring for the least and poorest of us; by reaching out and lifting up – not beating down – those who do not look like, pray like, love like or sound like we do; by adhering to and respecting our Constitution.
But, for the love of God, please tell me what the “again” part means? Exactly what are you trying to get back to? A time when the denial of voting rights to everyone existed? When the right of every human to love whomever they chose to love was illegal? A time when slavery was the law of the land (and a majority of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and half of the delegates to the Constitutional convention owned slaves)? Or maybe you mean a time when women were subordinate to their husbands, could not own property, could not work in a “man’s world,” did not have control over their own lives?
And what about “Great?” Does “Great” mean that everyone has the right to be a vigilante, take laws into their own hands, distribute street justice? Does it mean elected representatives of the people can refuse to listen to and act upon the wishes of the majority of those people? Does it mean they can refuse to even discuss or debate issues (like the current GOP is doing now)? Does it mean the leader of a nation needs no empathy, no acknowledgement of the real struggles of the American people?
Do you want to go back to or strive for a time when violence was/is the solution to personal, local and national problems? When the belief that “might makes right” becomes law? When threats and name calling were/are the only attempts at conversation? Now when exactly was that time? Good grief! Is it now? Wait a minute! I think we are there! You’ve done it! Your attempts at making America great again are gaining strength.
So why are you still angry, still afraid? Is it because we have not fully morphed into the governing blueprints of successful authoritarian countries like Russia, North Korea, Syria, Saudi Arabia and at least 16 others? Leaders of these countries are the idols of #45 … not #46. I dare you to research and discover the paths these and other countries followed to achieve their “great” status. Then check out how the people in those countries live and what freedoms they have … and have lost.
Or could it be you are angry and afraid because you are beginning to see you’ve been had, you’ve been “taken for a ride” and the driver was a user, a crook, a liar, an egomaniac who had his “driver’s license” taken away. He conned you out of your dignity, shaped you into his own image, took/and is still taking your money, and has left you with only your red caps as souvenirs of the journey.
