Some say – 2020 was bad, 2021 looks worse. Perhaps. They call themselves realists. But let us not be defeatists. From fiery beginnings through WWII’s hardest-bitten battles, defeating infiltrators to derailing socialism (on multiple occasions), America has rallied whenever freedom is at risk. In the end, optimism is what turns the dial, takes the next hill, changes everything. Keep it.
Yes, power-hungry socialists have managed to commandeer the Democrat Party, now hollow, haughty, and dangerous. That is bad, sad, and needs reversal. Yes, China, Russia, Iran, and North Kora are looming, existential threats. Their influence must be contained, then rolled back. Yes, ignorance – and misleading media – stalk the land. Moral leadership is needed. Okay, and?
Take a page from history. Note in parallel situations, determination powered by understanding and undeterred confidence is the deciding force. Battles are won not at the outset, not midway, seldom at fringes, but in the final, unmitigated drive – empowered by a belief in victory.
When I served as Assistant Secretary of State, running a $2 billion operational bureau, my charge was to set up police training in Iraq and Afghanistan – and operationalize (or help support) rule of law in 70 countries. We succeeded more than failed, even facing threats, backsteps, foreign doubters, domestic detractors, public corruption, and fear. It can be done.
With a glance back – to empower current thinking – consider where we are. What we confront in 2021 is a battle of ideas. We have the ones that work – and power of history, liberty, prosperity, and common sense on our side. Self-determination, rule of law, capitalism lift people. Concentrated power never does.
So, sit up with me. This is not WWII, even WWI, never mind Civil War or American Revolution. Yes, liberties are at risk, but we have more tools, popular following, political leverage – not to mention fresh determination – than ever before. Tough times hit free countries. When they do, free citizens must speak for freedom, meet emotion with fact. That is democracy. Getting spun up and discouraged undermines cohesion, commitment, and victory. We cannot afford that.
So, we live in challenging times. The socialist monster is afoot again – as in the 1930s, 1950s, 1960′s, even 1970s if you count Black Panthers, Weather Underground, Black Liberation Movement, and socialist, communist offshoots. Bombings, three assassinations were unsettling.
But freedom-loving Americans stood up for their way of life. Today, we are objectively stronger, more conscious, organized, unified, and determined. We can communicate, educate, and defend. As always, we have truth on our side.
So, here are concrete reasons for optimism.
First, natural law – rights in the Bill of Rights – are timeless. Humans 1000 years from now will want free speech, assembly, travel, worship, self-defense, fair treatment when accused, and all the God-given rights individuals crave. They will hate hypocrisy, want accountability, strain for freedom – as we do. That longing cannot be crushed, bought, or legislated away.
Second, the world is awash in gibberish, nonsensical, if dangerous untruths. But it always has been. Glance at the Bible, histories of Egypt, Rome, Europe, China, and life. Power corrupts, and humans suppress rights to acquire to it. Not new. Do not think we are more subject to political chicanery, propaganda, or bloviating officialdom than other eras. It is just our time.
Third, we have organizations like AMAC – with tools like social media, local, state, and national connection and action, a deep reservoir of energy – to lift those around us, push for limited government, individual liberty, truth, and accountability. We can reinforce and channel hope.
Finally, remember this. The end of patience, persuasion, and engagement is political victory. Default to political violence is a tool of the left, not America. Violence is what the left wants, to undermine rule of law, delegitimize institutions, unsettle the settled, instill fear. The left hates stability, tradition, and law. We must defend them – and it all starts with optimism.
Bottom line: Can-do is must-do, make-it-happen starts with optimism. That is not a dodge – it is the fuel that powers right-minded, courageous, can-do people stepping up, stepping out, speaking up, running for office, putting things right. Ronald Reagan was an optimist, as were Ulysses S. Grant, George Patton, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Winston Churchill– and virtually all our Founders. If their life lessons are not worth now heeding – whose are?
Yes, evil exists, creeps, and deceives, but those who treasure freedom, who know its pull, should be optimists. We have the power to define our future. We give it away if we do not believe in that power. We own it, until we surrender it. Good people make things happen – with resolve.
A final thought from time spent in the Reagan and Bush 41 White Houses, US Navy, and seeding rule of law: Will of people changes everything. As optimism rises, the world moves.
I believe what is happening today was predicted in 1958 by Aldous Huxley (search for the video … it’s an eye-opener).
overpopulation = reason for (planned?) pandemic (who’s laughing / celebrating watching videos of all of us walking around with our masks?)
overpopulation = reason for pro-abortion
mass media / censorship / cancel culture / big tech propaganda creates one point of view … brainwashing to convince people to be happy with their new ‘slavery’ … where, with dictatorship, they ought not be happy. this is a huge threat to our children when every attempt will be made to make them loyal to dictatorship.
“all that is needed is money and a candidate that can be coached to look sincere … personality is important but some with good personalities (?) can’t be trusted to be put in positions of political trust.” I believe that person has been forced upon us using all forms of devious corruption.
Democrats are the enemies of freedom.
they lie and cheat … election fraud and even fraud by altering evidence during the last ridiculous impeachment trial.
evil forces are at work for communist take-over; where will it end? We have spoken to other citizens here from other countries … who feel ever so strongly that America is going in the wrong direction … the direction from which they escaped.
massive immigrants coming in why? so they can be persuaded to vote for evil. we can’t even take care of our own Americans much less millions of immigrants.
and to hear Biden refuse to take a position on genocide since ‘they’ may be doing it because of cultural differences? are you kidding me?
the corrupt Biden family belongs in jail, but our justice system seems also corrupt.
Harris is unbelievably weak … a phony, a liar, a joke … an embarrassment.
We just lost the best president and vice president who put America first … who had respectable families; we’re now stuck with just the opposite.
we must stand with our forefathers … and with all of our military who sadly gave their lives to protect our freedom … the freedom we’re now losing.
we need strong conservative / republication support to uphold our great America … to put us first … to never back down.
“the price of freedom is eternal diligence.”
Wow- watching failed Pelosi on 60 minutes really exposed the hypocrisy and hate of the socialist far left democrat party. She exemplifies exactly the self serving,me first movement of the Washington establishment and elites.
While the Citizens in her home district deal with maps to avoid excrement on the streets,she pampers and provides only the best for herself at taxpayers expense.
Oh and the hate and vitriol of her speech and actions, cannot believe anyone could stomach her long enough to vote for her epic failure.
Robert B. Charles on the deck of the Titanic: ‘We CAN’T sink! This boat is unsinkable! Think happy thoughts and feel good about the future! Be optimistic even though we don’t have enough lifeboats and the ship is listing over!’ Where in the world do bozos like this COME FROM? Ignorance is one thing but WILLFUL IGNORANCE is another. Totally and utterly inexcusable.
America needs a citizen truth and retribution commission… Not the enemy’s plan.
Globalist Soros Marxist not maga riot. Evil lying traitor media.
Well stated, optimism is a true American ideal. We cannot lose focus and be distracted by the left, and never forget those patriots before us who gave their lives for our freedoms. We must fight like they did.
First I want to thank AMAC for giving me the opportunity to express my thoughts is this section. Social media has never been my “thing” I did not know were to communicate with other people that might have some similarities in political approaches. Though, may not agree with the article 100%, I think keeping the enthusiasm for America is very important. Maintaining the enthusiasm and love for America will keep us alive and well. We have so much to do to save our beloved country. I have lived long enough to know that everything goes in circular mode “what goes around, comes around”. Meet so many interesting people that left a big mark in my life. Survived Castro/Che Guevara carnage infiltration in Latin America. A family who survived WWII and scape Auschwitz help me in my early years. I got so much love from people who suffered a lot in life and that is the reason I can speak about keeping the enthusiasm and love for this Country is very important for survival. Never give up, speak your mind and remain happy because “happiness is a choice”. Our beloved POTUS “45” has been a cheer leader to all of us. His Agenda of “America First” and “Making America Great” is our goal no matter what. Let’s keep fighting but peacefully; because Leftist and Socialistic ideas will destroyed this Country and “We The People” are the last line of defense.
I JOINED THE DISCUSSUIN AND POSTED MY COMMENTS, WHICH WERE SUCCESSFULLY POSTED. NOW THEY ARE GONE. AMAC IS NO BETTER THAN TWITTER OR FACEBOOK. I WILL BE CANCELLING MY AMAC MEMBERSHIP TODAY!
Nice words, but for naught. The communists controlling Biden will do what communists always do. We spent most of 2020 locked down, unable to travel in many places, unable to get together with people – all in preparation for when they finally take over on Jan 20. If there is another presidential election in 2024, I will be greatly surprised. Then they will be creating new states where they think it will give them more senators. They will come for everyone’s guns (the legal ones, not the ones used every day by mostly black criminals to kill mostly black people ), just as was done under Hitler, Stalin, and other countries who have become dictatorships, where the government tells you everything you are allowed or not allowed to do.
And you say violence is not the answer?? It is the only answer. Would you have told the people who were in the Boston Tea Party to stand down? What about the minutemen who fought the Brits at Bunker Hill – should they have also backed off and not fought?
If you want to hold onto this country, and keep it a free federation of states, then we must:
Effectively, we will need a second Civil or Revolutionary War to cleanse the country of these communists. Remember, in 1959, Khrushchev said the following:
“Your children’s children will live under communism. You Americans are so gullible. No, you won’t accept communism outright; but we will keep feeding you small doses of socialism, until you will finally wake up and find you already have communism. We will not have to fight you; we will so weaken your economy, until you will fall like overripe fruit into our hands.”
This has been happening for decades, with demonstrations against American history, the 1619 project, the liberal teachers in schools teaching kids that this country is racist, Universities banning, or allowing the students to block, conservative speakers, and now allowing social media companies to ban postings that defend Trump or are against the left wing politicians.
Khrushchev was right and his prediction is coming true. So we have to fight this with any and every means possible, or in a short number of years we will have to move to North Korea top get some semblance of freedom.
Yes the last move has been done and yes civil war has begun but make no mistake this will be WW3!!! Arm yourselves!!!
All is well and good to live and follow our rules and constitution however it comes a time when we will need to pick up arms to defend ourselves!! It’s coming fast!! These evil communists will not take this country!!
PRAY PEOPLE! PRAY FOR GOD TO PRESERVE OUR COUNTRY. SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT THERE MAY BE A PLAN IN PLACE, SO PRAY LIKE YOU’VE NEVER PRAYED BEFORE AND DON’T GIVE IN.
You forgot to mention that the ROMAN EMPIRE WAS DESTROYED FROM WITHIN!!! our enemies OWN MSM AND SOCIAL MEDIA, this is the only place I have to speak out against the TREASON than runs rampant in our nation, I served in VietNam and I know how corrupt penna. Courts are from personal experience, HANOI JANE FIRED ENEMY ARTILLERY AT AMERICAN TROOPS, where is she? Living the elitist lifestyle, the only option we have left is CIVIL WAR, the only other action is inaction and there is far too much of that going on in this country, they have been STEALING OUR ELECTIONS FOR DECADES and our
SUPERIOR MANUFACTURING AND INTELECTUAL ADVANCES FOR YEARS, WHY DO YOU THINK “HACKING” IS SO EASY? IT WAS DELIBERATELY DESIGNED INTO THE TECHNOLOGY TO HELP OUR ENEMIES, HOW MUCH MORE DO THEY HAVE TO DO TO US BEFORE WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH?
OPTIMISM? how can we be optimistic? AMERICA survived WW1& 2 because of our MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIES! watch how fast chinajoe and cameltoe send ALL our factories and other industries to CHINA, our enemies CANNOT defeat us in war but our comprimized political representatives have sold thier souls for wealth, power, and perversion, they are OWNED by our enemies, the SWAMP was created for just this purpose, it was the lobbyist that helped our enemies get our elected officials into situations that could be used to force them to betray us, they did it with money, drugs and sexual perversions, WHEN the civil war starts our enemies WILL wait just long enough to WEAKEN OURSELVES before INVADING and destroying FREEDOM once and for all. OPTIMISM? NO!!!ALL I FEEL IS ANGER!!!!
Mr Charles, if you truly believe that then you haven’t studied history.
I am afraid that the difference will be the threat of court packing, and an open gate fir illegals to flood this country… and the fact that we already have such a huge population of ignorant voters..
Beautifully written but it is not enough to overcome the despair of the past year and the looming despair of the present year. At every turn we have been defeated. We have the Democrats and their cohorts and adherents against us. We have a media that churns out stomach churning horror. We seem boxed in at every turn. Each day brings more chaos. People in the Trump administration are leaving like rats in a sinking ship. What utter, horrendous cowardice is being displayed! And We, the People, are supposed to triumph over this? We will need much more than uplifting words. What that is I do not know.
All the left recognizes is violence….they have no moral compass and will do everything in their power to transform America. At some point, violence must be used….if they like it so much, then please give them what they like.
Need to wait until 2022 to turn the congressional tide.
Having a positive attitude is important. However, I do not believe the establishment Republicans will develop a plan of action to reverse the path that the Socialists Democrats are taking this country. The establishment Rinos are busy retaking the party. I believe, like most of the posters, to this topic, that we are already over the edge on a free fall. We will have to hit bottom before we can try to climb back up.