America's Denouement

In his inaugural address on January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy observed among many other truths that we, as citizens, must be vigilant:  

“Let the word go forth that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans, born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.”  

Are we still committed to those rights 57 years after those words were spoken?

With the advent of Trumpism, we are losing our Democracy, slowly but surely.

Under the title, Kennedy was Right:  we are Heirs of the First Revolution, John W. Whitehead wrote a piece in the Huffington Post back in 2013.  He seemed to see it coming even then, back before Donald Trump was elected president. This is what he says:

The freedoms we often take for granted did not come about through
happenstance. They were hard-won through the sheer determination,
suffering and sacrifice of thousands of patriotic Americans who not only
believed in the cause of liberty but also acted on that belief. The success of
the American Revolution owes much to these men and women. In standing
up to the British Empire and speaking out against an oppressive regime,
they exemplified courage in the face of what must have seemed like an
overwhelming foe.
Those revolutionaries were average citizens, not agitators or hotheads. They were not looking for trouble or trying to start a fight. Like many today, they were simply trying to make it from one day to another. But they finally had enough and decided to stand and fight for the one thing that makes an American an American:  freedom.
It wasn’t easy. Many lost their livelihoods and homes. Many lost their lives.
But, like Tom Paine, they would not be sunshine patriots. They would not shrink from service to their country.
If we are to survive as a nation, we must regain the spirit of the American revolutionaries. It’s time to turn off the television set, put down the cell phone and, if need be, take to the streets and make sure our voices are heard. Some of our fellow citizens are already on the front lines of freedom. Let’s join them. In the words of Patrick Henry:”

Why stay we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me: give me liberty, or give me death!

From The Blog @ The Huffington Post 

11/22/2013 10:52 am ET Updated Jan 25, 2014
Kennedy Was Right:  We are the Heirs of the First Revolution, by John W. Whitehead

Should Donald Trump Run for President

When the Eagle Flies with the Condor: A Novel of the Sixties

No, he should not.

Donald Trump is the epitome of what is wrong with the country.  Not the fact that he is a successful entrepreneur and has learned how to make billions from the real estate market -- that's good.  I mean that in spite of his success, he shows a lack of responsibility and yes, gratitude to the country that allowed him to rise to the top. His rant about Obama and his U. S. citizenship shows either an abominable lack of knowledge of the issues or no concern for the real problems facing our nation.  He is a salesman and a showman, true, but his vile attacks, his dearth of respect and decorum and the needless dredging up of the "birther" question demonstrates his extraordinary ability to deflect attention from the serious conversation we need to have.

With the money and fame he's acquired over the years, his responsibility should be to BUILD, not DESTROY. He should be giving back to the nation that allows him to make such outlandish accusations. Instead, he is destroying faith and support in the presidency that we so desperately need right now by demeaning everything Obama says. Donald Trump, and others who are able to buy an election, are likely to be in the race for their own advancement and egos.  Why do we have to put up with the kind of rhetoric that only the wealthy can afford to dish out?  Where are our real patriots?

In Congress? I don't think so. Instead, we find that our congress people are largely there by acquiescing to the lobbyists year after year, lobbyist who pay them money to vote according to their agendas. Since they don't want to lose their seats, they go along with it and as a result of their conspiracy with the corporations, they remain year after year perpetuating the myth that they are representing the people. By throwing roadblocks on the pathway to unity and a cohesive method of governing, Congress continually restricts progress by creating stalemate, indecision and ineffectiveness of the system to which they have sworn an oath to uphold. We need fewer candidates like this, not more.

I consider Trump to be a clown, but more than that, I think he represents a dangerous trend--one of tearing down instead of building up. Go back to your tv show, Mr. Trump since that is where all showmen of your ilk belong. Stay out of the conversation of adults. You are exactly what we DON'T want in our candidates -- a lot of vacant, vindictive slander, loud meaningless bluster, but like poor Charlie Sheen, ultimately full of bull pucky.