THE UNITED STATES: Bigger than bad guys and gals

It will always be a "Grand Old Flag" -- sometimes grander than others

There have been historic plagues in our country: Racism, sexism and discrimination against the poor, to name just a few. Yes, these are the plagues Americans have dealt with since the founding of our nation; there has been no short supply of challenges. So why is it so much more corrupt today than it was 50 or 60 years ago?

Well, I am glad you asked, because if you are on my site and I am not on yours then that is wanting to listen to my rantings.

Do you remember Young Mr. Lincoln or Mr. Smith Goes To Washington? By the way, if you are not from that generation, I have no idea why you are here and reading this. Anyway, even though we, as Americans, did not have a "perfect union," nor a perfect government or a perfect system of juris prudence, it was the hope and dream of most Americans to have a system as fair and balanced as it could be -- as virtuous and humble as possible. In the world before the Age of Technology blossomed, to borrow from the Rev. Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. somewhat, it was truly the content of one's character that determined their stars, with some significant editing there, and not some enigmatic and nonsensical combination of one's haircut and social media strategies that were responsible for their economic and familial future.

People nowadays are too damn self-absorbed and self-oriented to understand or appreciate the traditional virtues of the American. Of course, there are also those that want to turn the clock back physically, so they can reinvent the worst parts of the American experience -- and they are a disaster as well.

Young Americans do not understand how much sacrifice went into them and this world they romp around in. Maybe every generation says this of the newer one coming up, but this is my truth and there it is. I am not offended by this generational response so much as deflated about the death, the wanton murder and the cremation of the American Dream I knew and the dream of our nation as being that 'Golden City on the Hill' that it has, so often in the past, been characterized as, with some accuracy.

Our politicians today are common thieves, looters of the American trust. And, don't tell me about political parties. They're all the same thing, small men and women unable to do a day's work except in the comfortable, privileged chairs of the public trust.

The Courts today simply support the richest of Americans and otherwise are there to keep the prisons filled to support the criminal justice system and all of the cronies and magpies that circle around it. Vultures. The only distinction we have in the Developed World is that the United States has more people in prison than any other First World Country: 'We're No. 1, We're No. 1!'

Our military...has been more professional, and I will leave it at that. I will never degrade the men and women in uniform. It is not the fault of the service member that standards slip -- it is the fault of the commanders above them.

Our Press and Media today: They can barely read and write the now-Ancient Tongue of their mothers and fathers. They have a scant vocabulary, are mystified by the function of a colon and seem to struggle to get through a fair sentence let alone impose any journalistic tradition upon it.

Insofar as education is involved -- America leads no one in this world in anything remotely academic. We are almost an illiterate nation of crude techies. Today, even college graduates from such esteemed places as Rutgers, Haverford, Rowan and Fairleigh Dickinson, to name a few, produce writers and professional people with a strong familiarization with reading and grammar, but well short of written or linguistic English fluency. And, when we discuss hard sciences -- let's not. These "graduates" are academic jacks of all trades, and masters of none. They know their ways around game consoles much better than anything vaguely scientific.

Economically, the United States has all the strength of a mediocre Third World country, insofar as the lower classes are concerned. Homeless walk our streets unabated like "Untouchables" in India. The powers that be reinvented American royalty in the form of lawyers, industrialists, captains of industry and similar trash. Of note, these great American industrialists and 'captains of industry' have all but committed treason in sending American jobs overseas (and it will go unanswered because we are a country of rules today, not of vision or common sense). The wealthy few craft our society around their greed: above us and not held to any common law.

Religion is a mess...I don't know who is more corrupt, our 21st century politicians or pastors (of every religion). It is a train-wreck, a ridiculous farce of what faith once represented in our nation. So many special-interest groups have used Lady Liberty to wipe their feet on so that she has become a vagrant on her own streets, a stranger in the kingdom of the top 2 percent of wealthiest people, who are destroyers of the Great Society and our Great Nation.

The old never launch revolutions. Oh, maybe when we were young we did. But, with time comes resignation. Things are what they are, I suppose. I rant, knowing it is absolutely useless but do so only to have vent to the pressure of truth that compels me to express myself.

Is there any hope I see? Yes, in the far-flung future, where the White Patriarchal Majority no longer exists and when diversity is the rule of the day. It will be time for the purveyors of perverse governance to give it up and yield to that new American majority that is coming fast; people who will not use the words of our forefathers as a punch-line in some joke someone is telling at a Fortune 100 mixer over Scotch. One day, the United States will not only be the largest Hispanic country in the world but it will be one where many Latins are involved in governance -- not a token few. All Americans, of every race, creed and color will, one day, sit at the table of power and, hopefully, restore vigor and sense to this battered republic.

I love the Jets, but predict no trophies

It will be a world where diversity, in general, will rebirth, hopefully, the romance and commitment there once was to the ideals of equal justice for all; and a government of, for and by the people. Whites will be one aspect of the large tapestry that is America and not attempt to dominate the quilt with some Nihilistic, Stoic vision of Apocalypse and ruination. Of course, I will have long ago passed on to Glory before that happens. But, this is my hope for the future of my nation, which I have served in and out of uniform since I was 17 years old.

I fell in love with the words of our Founders, their power and trust in Divine Providence and optimism in mankind. The Declaration of Liberty, Constitution of the United States and Bill of Rights are the greatest product ever of human governance and hope. These near-Biblical texts created a shimmering world, sometimes at war with itself for justice, but always committed to truth; until recently, of course.

Well...maybe all of the strength, power and love has been emptied from the cull of our nation. But, we sure do have some great computers and video games! Technology has replaced our morals, ethics and common decency. As a people, we are absurd today. Understanding what is good, of value, not only means that real success can be appreciated, but when we collectively fall short of success that too can be seen. People who always have an empty headed smile about the Stars and Stripes are happy, I hope, and maybe it is kind they are not introspective or bright enough to know what has been lost. In a way, I marvel at the morons, content with a contrivance of their own mind rather than a realistic examination of the truth in the harsh light of day. It is so much more pleasant to live a fantasy than awake to a poor reality.

I find refuge in the past and surrounding myself with the nostalgia and memorabilia of yesteryear. It makes me feel comfortable. Being an older, disabled vet, I feel I have license to be eccentric enough to ban the onrush of today from my front door. It is my choice to ignore the crew of the ship that is America today and simply enjoy the ocean views, amazing ambiance and daily events taking place on the cruise. Oh, I see the porters and such buzzing around like rats scampering through a filthy Habitrail, but I have learned to put them out of my mind in favor of focusing on that next game of shuffle board or evening supper.

I have trust and hope that, one day, the United States I admired so much in my youth will reassert itself again. If not now, then some fine day. Maybe I will be alive to see it, probably I will not. Nevertheless, it will come.

My late Aunt Sue DiEdwardo was the staunchest New England Patriots fan ever minted, I think; she lived in Brunswick, Maine. She loved the team with all her heart. When she spoke of the Pats in the early 70s, she said, "I don't care if they win the Super Bowl this year or next; they are my team and I know that one day, whether I am here or not, they will hoist that Lombardi Trophy over their heads and bring back the championship to New England." She spoke that with all the religious fervor of the Saved on Sunday.

Needless to say, Aunt Sue passed away many years before the Patriots finally beat the St. Louis Rams to take home their first Super Bowl win ever (was it in 2001?). Yet, when I saw quarterback Tom Brady hold that trophy so dearly in his arms, I could not help but think that somewhere, somehow Aunt Sue knew about the win and was delighted with her broad, full and welcoming smile. She was a patient prophet and was right after all.

She believed in the future and the best parts of people and I like to think she rubbed off on me, because I do too. Unfortunately, I am a Jets fan -- so I will not prognosticate when or if my team will ever win the Super Bowl again. However, I will assert with every fiber of my being that, one day, somehow, the very hand of God will right the wrongs of our nation, lay low the corrupt and villainous and return good men and women to the ranks of our national, state and local leadership. And, they will have a vision and will not be the villainous, cheap imitations and Mafioso we suffer today. In this, I rest my confidence. Whether I am here or not, this is coming and I know it will happen.

One will know when that day arrives easily enough. When "God bless America" is said, it will be as a plea -- a submission and prayer -- to our Creator and God: it will no longer be a command or order for our Creator that he better attend to right now ... or else. Yes, that will be a big thing when it happens -- and it will happen.

Thankfully, our nation is larger than the people that occupy its halls of power right now. In fact, they are visitors passing through -- warming the seats of men and women in the future. I believe in this future and the hope of our nation. And, I humbly ask Our Lord to please bless America.

Well, that's me for today. Again, thanks for stopping by. If you are too young to know many of my references then don't worry about coming back. For the rest of you, thank you so much for stopping by, friends. And, as always...seeya later, alligators.