"(Is America the greatest?)........It sure used to be… We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reason. We passed laws, struck down laws, for moral reason. We waged wars on poverty, not on poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were and we never beat our chest. We built great, big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases and we cultivated the world’s greatest artists AND the world’s greatest economy. We reached for the stars, acted like men. We aspired to intelligence, we didn’t belittle it. It didn’t make us feel inferior. We didn’t identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election and we didn’t scare so easy. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed… by great men, men who were revered. First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.”
― Aaron Sorkin
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow is a big day.
Tomorrow the worlds oldest constitutional democracy will once again participate in its grand experiment. The people will vote for their government. We will choose who will lead us. As we approach the ballot we remember the words of Alexander Hamilton , “There are seasons in every country when noise and impudence pass current for worth; and in popular commotions especially, the clamors of interested and factious men are often mistaken for patriotism. ” We must be thoughtful then with our choice and know that the power we give someone has consequences.
Tomorrow we will find out in this season of noise and discordant voices if we can choose a different road. Can live up to our motto ‘E pluribus unum’ and strive to reach the truths that are supposedly self evident? Or, we we choose violent upheaval in the guise of tribal loyalty?
Tomorrow is a big day.
Tomorrow we will pause to mourn over 225,000 lives lost to a pandemic. So many died needlessly. We let that happen. It was not China's fault. It was the choices we made and the leaders we followed that filled the morgues. We are only 4% of the world's population but over 20% of the deaths from this disease. Yet, we are the richest and most powerful country in the world. We failed to protect our own people.
Tomorrow we pass judgement. The venerable New England Journal of Medicine, in its 108 year history, has never taken a position on a presidential race. They have now. They write, “Anyone else who recklessly squandered lives and money in this way would be suffering legal consequences. Our leaders have largely claimed immunity for their actions. But this election gives us the power to render judgment. Reasonable people will certainly disagree about the many political positions taken by candidates. But truth is neither liberal nor conservative. When it comes to the response to the largest public health crisis of our time, our current political leaders have demonstrated that they are dangerously incompetent. We should not abet them and enable the deaths of thousands more Americans by allowing them to keep their jobs.”
Tomorrow is a big day.
Tomorrow we will decide if we are a nation of many different tribes. We find out if you profess to being “Pro-life”, that you live this creed it in all forms; that you care just as much about the downtrodden, the immigrant, the poor, the elderly, and people who do not look or pray like you as you do for the unborn. We will discover once again that personal “rights” have not and should never supersede the general welfare. Despite having "free speech", it is still wrong to yell 'fire' in a crowded theater. This is the 21st century, not pre revolutionary America. We no longer carve out the wilderness with a gun and a plow. There is no more wilderness. We are connected. We depend on each other. We will once again affirm that governments are instituted among people to secure the protection of everyone. Not just the few. We must cooperate together or die alone.
Tomorrow we will decide if we wish to be led by leaders with experience on the world stage and empathy for the citizens they serve. We will choose to move away from a perpetually chaotic cockwombie who judges his success by television ratings and passes edicts via social media. We will instead move towards a dignity that befits the grandeur of this nation. We may disagree on policy choices but we will embrace again the pathway of civil discourse and work for the common good. There is room at the table for everyone.
Tomorrow is a big day.
Tomorrow we will ask our friends who supported our fearless leader if they can seriously continue to defend his actions, mendacity, and demonstrable incompetence all in the name of some ‘higher calling'. I have read the scriptures with great care. There is nothing in the good book that supports his repetitive abhorrent behavior. The time is nigh, we must depart for a new place. It is the closing scene of 'The Caine Mutiny’, Bogart is on the stand, the marbles are out in his hand for all to see - the obvious unsteady look in his eyes and paranoia in his voice. If a person tells you what he is, believe them. Its time for common sense to return. I say to my neighbors and family who supported this petty tyrant that we welcome you back without fear of reprisal. We both hope for a better future. It is that shared desire on which we can build a better world together. Supper is ready, sit down, join us and let's talk.
Tomorrow is a big day
Tomorrow, the power once again returns to the people. We get to decide what to do with this flawed yet grand nation. We will look in the mirror and chose to continue down the path of chaos or climb out of the hole and once again feel the warmth of the sun. The choice is ours. I have voted already. I have made my choice. What will you chose?
Tomorrow is a big day
Tomorrow, despite everything, he may yet win.
What then?
“To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death.
Out, out, brief candle!
Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.”
— Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 17–28)
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