I was raised to honor the flag. To revere the thousands of
brave heroes who fought and died for my freedom. To be grateful for the exceptional and privileged life I
have enjoyed in the greatest country the world has ever known. I still do.
However, the pillar of my unwavering patriotism has been
slowly eroded by our corrosive history – which many Americans choose to ignore
using the flag as if it was a cloak of invisibility. They wave and salute the
stars and stripes in their bubble while choosing to overlook that which is significantly
wrong with America. I believe such ignorance is as damaging to our union as if
they were burning our cherished cloth. Calling our nation to task for injustice
is a necessary act of citizenship and, yes, of patriotism.
After 9/11, I watched my government indiscriminately lash
out while convincing most of us to comply. But, we found out they did so by lie
and false pretense. Destroying a sovereign nation. Causing the deaths of more
than 300,000 human souls. Sowing the seed for far more deadly terrorism. And,
costing more than $2 trillion dollars – money that could have been better spent
making America great again. Make no mistake – I honor the 4,486 American
soldiers who died in Iraq. But, while their coffins were cloaked with the flag,
honored by a grateful nation - we cannot use their ultimate sacrifice to ignore
the misuse of power that caused their deaths in the first place. When will
America have the strength to actually admit the truth? We caused so many to die
in vain fighting an unjust and immoral war! Say it! I dare you. No. For too
many, it’s much easier to ignore it or, instead, try to prove their patriotism
by deflecting the issue. Why not attack those cowardly opportunists who decide
to sit during the National Anthem? That makes us feel better! Yes, indeed. It
is so much easier to mock the cause of others than to face your own
misperceptions.
Besides 9/11, perhaps the greatest kick in the gut I’ve ever
suffered came out of nowhere on a beautiful December morning in 2012. A deranged young man walked into Sandy
Hook Elementary School with an assault rifle, designed solely for warfare rapid
kill, and multiple high capacity magazine clips filled with bullets whose only
purpose is to rip human flesh apart. It was the ultimate devastation – the
lowest level of human depravity – when that disturbed young man aimed his gun
at twenty innocent, first-grade children. Just six years young. The nation was
horrified. 97% of us demanded immediate action! It was time to eliminate
assault weapons and implement secure background checks for gun ownership. Ah,
but the forces of political opposition know the power of time. And, before you
knew it, the conversation was manipulated to arm our teachers instead. “The
only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” The insanity
of the reaction said so much about our nation. And, it only got worse when incredulous
conspirators accused the government of staging the whole incident with child
actors just to pass gun control. And, preposterous as it is to imagine –
incomprehensible to understand - some of those very conspirators from Breitbart
News are about to join the White House staff of the new administration.
The study of history is sobering. Too few Americans do it.
We all know the famous phrase: “Those who forget history are doomed to repeat
it.” But, what about those who never cared to learn it in the first place?
Never knew about the genocide of Native Americans. The realities of slavery and
Jim Crow’s discrimination. The interment of Japanese-American citizens during
World War II. Our vast history of military imperialism and our insatiable thirst
for power and wealth around the globe. It is difficult to come to grips with
the black eye we have inflicted on “liberty and justice for all.” It is even
more paralyzing to realize that black eye isn’t healing very well in our
twenty-first century.
Fifty percent of the presidential elections in this century
have been decided by a “rigged” system – not the voice of the people. It is humbling to realize our
Forefathers distrusted our judgment to such a degree, they felt it necessary to
implement a failsafe to protect us from ourselves. Isn’t it ironic their plan
to protect us has ushered in a man who embodies everything they feared for us?
Lies, anger, racism, hate, authoritarian control over others. It was all there
for us to see during the campaign. We all witnessed it and all the “he just
says what’s on his mind” mitigation can’t reshape reality. Too many willingly
joined the hateful frenzy. Too many ignored it for gains in political advantage.
Too many folks just want to bring the institution of government to its knees to
avenge unfulfilled promises regardless of the consequences. Then, of course,
there is the half of the eligible citizenry who didn’t even vote. We reap what
we sow.
“Get over it” we’re told. “Now you know how I felt when
Obummer was elected.” No, I won’t and I don’t. Despite the vitriolic horror
show your side concocted to delegitimize President Obama, he, McCain or Romney were
all suitable choices. Qualified
and dignified candidates each and every one - unlike the current
president-elect. Trump’s supporters and the media continue to veil the lunacy
and repugnance of this man with a cloak of normalcy. In fact, there is
significant evidence to blame the media for the rise of Trump. Just the other
day, Vox – a trusted source of unfettered news – ran an article discussing his negotiation
options for transforming the Iran nuclear deal. HELLO? Exactly what magic
potion do you think will turn this ignorant, temperamental, narcissistic,
pathological liar into presidential material? Hasn’t the insanity of the past
year yet made an impression? He’s still tweeting, for God’s sake! Blasting the
cast of an “over-rated” Broadway show for making a statement of solidarity to
Mr. Pence and SNL who dares to make fun of Trump himself. Look no further than
his announced cabinet and staff appointments thus far: a professed white supremacy
leaning, Jew hating, conspiratorial antagonist will be his Policy Chief; an
accused racist his Attorney General; a rogue general filled with vengeful venom
for being fired his National Security Advisor; a Benghazi conspiracist who
believes water boarding to be an effective interrogation technique his CIA
Director. And, despite statutory forbiddance, Trump wants to hire his
son-in-law – the diabolical genius behind everything Trump – to his White House
staff. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?
“Don’t worry. The system will keep him in check.” Now where
in history have we heard that before? Oh, there will probably be some
successes. Pay no attention to the abhorrent ‘little hands’ behind the curtain
that won the job. I fully expect the ineffective Democrats in Congress to
acquiesce and apologize trying to show how they can get along. Pathetic. Republicans
will continue to strengthen their fortress with more voter suppression and
gerrymandering on all levels. The rich investors and owners of capital will flourish.
While the new administration will sever federal safety nets casting millions of
the less fortunate into an unknown abyss, most Trump supporters will be able to
ride out any economic storm – especially those that are white and male. After all, they will tell you it was
only a small minority that jumped aboard the hate train during the campaign.
Win or lose, they would still be here anyway – so, what’s the big deal? Most Trump voters are decent folk
whose time to celebrate has come! “Ding dong, PC is dead! We are finally free
to say what we feel!” How do you explain dignity to your children when their
leader is Donald Trump?
“Get over it.” I can’t get that phrase out of my head. I’m
hearing this from the same people who say: “Hey, I didn’t own slaves. Why
should I be held responsible?” They look at a rape victim and reply: “You
shouldn’t wear all that makeup and those slutty clothes.” They are the ones who
love to lump all the “libs” in one basket – Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives
Matter, Native Americans – it doesn’t matter. “If you don’t like the country
then leave.” Oh, I know. They are all not racist or sexist or Islamophobes. But
– AND, THIS IS THE KEY – life is about to get measurably worse for many in this
country – many “others”! And, by their vote, Trump supporters showed that pain was
acceptable collateral. They sold out their fellow citizens who didn’t look like
them or worship like them. They sacrificed their daughters. Their anger and
desire for a bygone era trumped racism, sexism and xenophobia. That is what
makes this election so deplorable. This is what makes the Trump victory such a
tragedy.
We are two Americas. There is no longer middle ground.
Compromise is dead. Dialogue is avoided. We each live in our separate bubbles
reinforced by our tribal control of social media and broadcast profit-engines
that feature our exclusive viewpoint. Our government has gerrymandered itself
into a rigged racket of protection. Civility, spirituality, the public good,
and equal protection under the law - ideals we sing about and light fireworks
to celebrate – are only words. While we might SCRIBE these ideals on our
buildings and churches, do we actually SUBSCRIBE to them? That is the question.
We wave that flag and honor those who serve - as long as it’s only the one-half
of one percent that actually have to fight the wars. What does America really
stand for in the twenty-first century? What has the American Dream become? I’ll
tell you what it is all about: Advantage. Winning. Privilege. Entertainment.
Materialism. MONEY! Of course we elected Donald Trump to be our President! HE
IS WHAT WE HAVE BECOME! I was
raised to honor the flag. But, my flag represented a far different America.
