Imagine, after years of amnesia, a hypothetical American awakes. He would be as mystified as a time traveler, unclear why what was right is so wrong. Why are we not defending America?
In 2004, he recalls race relations were good, today they are appalling. That year, 74 percent of whites, 68 percent of Blacks thought relations were either very good or somewhat good. Today, the numbers are 43 and 33. Where two-thirds of Blacks and three-quarters of Whites were content in 2004, two-thirds of Blacks and six in ten Whites now are not. What happened?
He sees drug overdoses topping 100,000 last year. In 2004, they were a fraction, 1,664 synthetic opioid deaths, 1,878 from heroin. By contrast, in 2019, synthetic opioids – like fentanyl – killed over 36,000, heroin over 14,000, and in 2021, even more.
He spins to see an unaccountable government pushing up inflation – bell weather of economic health. It is 6.2 percent, but in 2004 it was 2.6 percent. Inversion of numbers, he glances back to 2019 – before something called a “pandemic” – and it was lower still. Why so high today?
As if these three top-shelf indicators of regression were not enough, he sees them labeled “progression,” the platform of “progressives,” who have now progressed to control of the Democratic Party. They push race and class conflict, drug legalization, open borders, no deterrence of crime via police, and massive spending, taxes, and concentrated power.
The wider he looks, the more mystified he gets. A man just weaponized a car to kill children in a Christmas parade, disparaged a president, celebrated racism, violence, and class division, and it is a “crash.”
Meantime, parents who resist racism in schools, oppose class warfare and imposing ideology on impressionable children, defend history, books, girls’ sports, safe bathrooms, free speech, untrammeled faith, and our nation’s founders – are “domestic terrorists.”
He sees the average person spending $7,470 for individual health insurance, $21,342 for a family. The individual rate was $3,695 for an individual, $9,950 for a family in 2004.
In 15 years, with lots of talk about lowering premiums, something called Affordable Health Care produced less coverage, higher deductibles, reduced quality, and the price of care has doubled.
He notices other changes. People seem to push information, no check on accuracy, disinterested in thought, anonymously, anxiously, angrily through busy fingers. They do not smile much, look up much, care much about listening, driving, etiquette, wanting an answer, even courtesy.
He notices people are quicker to judge, snap, overtalk, cut off, demand, and accuse, less interested in waiting, listening, deferring, accommodating – as if needing the last word first.
Hysteria abounds, excess emotion, irrationality, fear, indifference, and indolence – on everything from work to worried weather, understanding history, biology, and life’s mysteries to God. What people cannot beat or become, they disparage; what they cannot comprehend, they condemn.
He notices simple things, thin skins, no tolerance for correction, high levels of insecurity, alienation, moral and mental stagnation. He sees everyone hurrying to nowhere special.
He wonders how many serve the country in uniform, how many are veterans, how many young people walk military cemeteries, pledges the flag each morning – as he did. He wonders who teaches honor, service, self-sacrifice, appreciation for those who died, making it possible today.
He notes the nation that landed men on the moon, dropped the Shuttle, sends people to near-earth orbit, but is slow-rolling moon and mars missions, ready to punt the universe to China.
He marvels that a nation that fought so hard for freedom can misunderstand its sanctity; a nation that ended one communist nightmare indulges a second; a nation that brought the murderous Soviet regime to its knees is advancing the Communist Chinese.
This poor fellow, as he looks around, realizes the more he sees, the less he likes it. In a generation’s time, the world has lost reason and rhyme. Progressive is regressive, “slavery freedom,” and words have begun to lose meaning.
Longing for amnesia, another thought appears, how history cycles, recycles, re-ups, re-boots, and how free people, with right grounding, facts, fortitude, identify good leaders, recall freedom’s cost, and rise to put right a wrong-headed government and misguided culture.
Someone named Lincoln, he recalls, said: “I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is … real facts.”
Someone named Truman ended WWII, noting: “Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.”
Someone named Reagan said: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”
And Reagan reminded us that the miracle is not government – but ourselves, free individuals. “We cannot help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”
Living to see America silence fascism then communism, Reagan gave the truism: “Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today’s world do not have.”
They did not have it then; they do not have it now. We did have it then; we do have it now. Our job –those waking and those who never slept – is to recall the timeless value of freedom and the fight for it. Reagan was right: Free people have a power without equal. We must remember.
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Great article. Still waiting for the coup,
Wow, I REALLY enjoyed your article, thank you!
Thought provoking and honest.
It certainly brings to the forefront what too many have forgotten.
America is unique,unbelievably resilient ,and the beacon of light, compassion and freedom in the World.
A blessing, but also a responsibility of each of us tp teach future generations how vitally important and precious this gift is.
I pray that Americans seize the opportunity and stand up.
The left’s trouble is that there are many of us out here that didn’t go to sleep and just now wake up. We’ve sat idly by and watched it happen, but now there’s a groundswell waking up and are going to do something about it at the ballot box next year- if dims don’t cheat their way into office again!
Beautifully written article.
Obama was the start of this round of racism and go easy on criminals BS and with the media and low IQ Democrats voting for more low IQ politicians and Rhino Republicans wanting to be liked and not doing the job we voted them in for, we are in a mess. That will take years to straighten out if everyone comes to their senses!
The simplest, and most accurate, answer to these questions is ‘barack’.
An evil, foreign muslim, Communist Jihadist installed in OUR White House with NO pushback from our Congress. The great majority of whom are indebted to Global Communists.
Time to clean house, America.
Either start the deportations, or the hangings for Treason and Sedition. It is time.
Well said, Becky. Only you left out “racist”. Comrade Obama aka ‘The Great Divider”, along with his wife, has nothing but contempt and hatred for white people in general and white men in particular. The fact that so many white folks, in good faith, bought into his lies and empty promises, would make P.T. Barnum blush with envy. Don’t get me wrong, most Republicans are as evil and worthless as well. There’s no fight in them because they’re in on it.
I feel sadness with reality;hope in the fact as long as there are conservatives-there is hope that this ship can still be righted. God bless America ????????????????????????????????
Rip Van Winkle
Everyone falls into one of these (3) catgories
1) Those who watch things happen
2) Those who make things happen
3) Those who wonder what the hell happened
When the Government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the Government, there is tyranny.
Very profound!
Thanks RBC, thoughtfully written as Ronald Reagan must be rolling over in his grave watching all of what has occurred in a relatively short time span across a beautiful nation we call America…
Today when I get out to run some errands in town, some of my observations of people behavior mirror some of the points you have made in this article…
My general impression now sees people in a miserable mood, short on patience, fear in their eyes, keeping their distance from others, they simply don’t want to be where they are in that moment…
Thanks again,
Bill on the Hill,
Vermont, USA… :~)
And if you say anything of the Truth YOU ARE ostracized, banned, and held up for ‘permission’ to speak.
Even here on AMAC.
Shocking.
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Hopefully, one day, people will realize the poison that is social media. Worse is the smart phone that feeds you more lies to strengthen the propaganda. Not long into the future the smart phone “big brother” will run everyone’s lives
I agree with you completely, but your words will fall on deaf ears of most Americans. They are addicted to both social media & their smartphones. They will “forget” their child or pet in a hot car, but I guarantee their cellphone is never out of their sight. It is sad what we have become in this country, not willing to fight for our freedom. The greatest generation who fought in WWII are indeed rolling over in their graves. They gave their lives & limbs for freedom & we as a nation are giving it all away every day.
It’s the old adage, “divide and conquer”, vax or unvax. If you don’t go along with the woke, you are outcast as a racist. The problem is, there are too many people who want to complain, but just sit back and let everyone else do the fighting, as long as they are not involved. Remember the immortal words of John Belushi: “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?” and who ran out of the room, but no one followed him.
Invasion USA & Not Chuck Norris 1980s movie either
This is by far the best article I’ve read describing a situation that is destroying the United States of America. This writing should be read by all who care about our country.