Looking back at 2021 and hope for the Future

 

Chris Murray	Thu, Dec 30, 10:28 AM (1 day ago)
to me

It was December 2020, and we were all looking forward to putting behind us a year that was one of the most turbulent in recent memory. COVID not only shutdown the United States, but essentially shutdown the world as the best minds of science began to seek out a solution.  All of the sporting events, concerts, social gatherings that we took for granted was suddenly taken from us. We couldn't gather in crowds, and a great deal of time went before we could actually see loved ones in the flesh. And as 2020 drew to a close, we tried to be optimistic. We were finally feeling that a new year would bring us good fortune. And we could not have been more wrong. 

Just days after the new year began, something that had never happened before occurred. A sitting U.S. President, who'd just lost his re-election bid, gathered a flock of his followers. He whined that the election was stolen, and that he and only he was the rightful president. Despite zero factual evidence, Donald Trump whipped a frenzy among his devoted followers. What happened next was something that for the longest time, no one could envision happening in America. It only happened in other countries, countries that don't have a strong, stable central government. There was an attempted overthrow of the American government. As Trump's followers stormed the castle, elected leaders were forced into hiding. The very people that in the previous year had "backed the Blue" was now attacking police officers, with the full intent of harm, possibly deadly if the need arise. They even chanted "Hang Mike Pence" as they roamed the halls. They wanted to have a public execution of the Vice President of the United States, because Trump lied when he told his followers, Mike Pence could overturn the election if he saw fit.  

When that was said and done, the U.S. Capitol lay in chaos. A Trump supporter was shot and killed after she failed to comply with the lawful order of police. One officer that day had a heart attack and died, and several have since taken their own lives, unable to move past the trauma from that day. We're not even a week into the new year, and already we've had an attempted overthrow. One could only wonder what was next. 

A few weeks later, Joe Biden is sworn in as President, with security enhanced. Meanwhile, Covid cases surpass the 100 million mark. However, it wasn't all doom and gloom. Vaccines were being given, the U.S. returned to the Paris Agreement.  By March 2021, over 500 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine. However, close to three million had died from CVOID. 

The world watched as SpaceX took its baby steps. Blue Origin would conduct a human test flight, aboard the craft was former NASA Astronaut Wally Moon, who at 82, became the oldest person ever to go into space. Albert Einstein's theory of General relativity is confirmed when light is detected from a Black Hole.

We learned that our impact on the climate is only getting worse, and sadly, those warnings weren't heeded by a group beholden to companies that play a role in damaging the environment. New Orleans in struck by Hurricane Ida, causes damages and claiming many lives. Meanwhile, COVID cases increases. After a brief grip was made on the disease and certain restrictions relaxed, the variants of the disease appear, setting back much of the progress.  

A young life lost, will we ever learn?

 It was supposed to be a typical trip to the store. Something each and every one of us does on a daily basis. Just a simple trip to the store, be back later. See you then. No one expects chaos, no one expects the trip to turn out so tragic. No one expects to die. 

Valentina Orellana-Peralta was a 14-year-old young lady with her life ahead of her. She was enjoying a simple shopping trip with her mother. It was supposed to be, in the spirit of the season, a joyous occasion. Unbeknownst to either of them, LAPD was trialing Daniel Lopez, after reports came in Lopez was carrying a gun and threatening shoppers. Moments of terror are caught on police body cam as LAPD follows the suspect throughout the store. Early reports had been phoned into 9-1-1 about the man's erratic behavior, which soon devolved in his attacks on several women, and an attempt to use his bicycle as a weapon. Turns out, Lopez never had a gun, and witness reports citing such turned out to be mistaken.  While this went on, Valentina was in a dressing room with her mother. According to reports, she was trying on different dresses and getting her mother's opinion. 

LAPD arrived on scene, and went into instant combat mode. Something you'd expect to see in a Hollywood film. Guns drawn and at the ready, as the cops made their way through the store in such of the suspect. One officer, armed with a rifle, demanded that he take point. Some officers had less lethal weapons in their hands.  They discussed what weapons to use as Lopez continued his trek through the store. Then the moment came where he was tracked by an LAPD officer. Though other officers had given such commands as "slow down" and "hold up" to the officer in pursuit, he either ignored them, or for unknown reasons, could not hear them. And as he caught up to Lopez, the officer, according to Body Worn Cam footage,  opened fire on Lopez, killing him. And in turn, murdered young Valentina Orellana-Peralta. No commands were given by the officer, he just opened fire. With the woman Lopez is shown to have attacked, less than a few feet away from the officer as he opened fire. Once again, the officer showed no regard for bystanders. 

As they would say in some court room on T.V., those are the facts of the case. Of course, now, the usual steps have been taken. LAPD announced that an investigation is now in place, and the findings would be sent to a civilian review board. They would act based on the police chief's recommendation. And people wonder why there is so little faith in these review boards. From what I've gathered so far, there was no attempt from the officers on scene to secure the bystanders. The officers seemed locked on their target, which was Lopez. And no one is saying that Lopez was not a bad actor.  he clearly had some mental issues; they cause of which is lost to history considering he's dead. I've watched the B.W.C. and the officer in question is clearly being warned by the other officers to slow down and not rush in. The officer in question ignored them, or just tuned them out when he saw Lopez assaulting a woman. Once again, the B.W.C shows the officer in question opening fire on Lopez. A stray bullet from that encounter is what takes the life of Valentina Orellana-Peralta. 

Now, there's quite a few things here. I am curious what training the officers are given in regards to how they handle not only armed suspects, but armed suspects with clear emotional issues. I'm willing to bet that none of that was followed here by the officer in question. What thing people need to understand is that the citizens want officers that are properly trained, can cope with high stress situations. They don't want cops that come with racial bias and they sure don't want cops who treat events like this as if they were on a T.V. show or some Hollywood film. We've evolved from the "shoot first, ask questions second" mentality that plagued us for centuries. And let's be blunt, this isn't the first time that L.A.P.D tactics have bene called into question. In 2018, L.A.P.D. officers shot and killed Melyda Corado, an assistant store manager at Trader Joe's. L.A.P.D had been in pursuit of a suspect, who ended up crashing his car into the store. Corado was attempting to exit the store when officers opened fire on her. Once again, simply just re-acting with little or no regard to any innocent people. 

It's tough to keep emotions in check when something like this happens. It's even tougher when said event takes the life of a young child. Now, there are some out there that want to simply lay the blame at the feet of Lopez, citing that he just should have complied. Not only is that the wrong way to look at the events, it's also inhumane. Orellana-Peralta's death has already been ruled a homicide and I fully expect the officer who opened fire to be charged with a crime. This isn't a case on kneeling on a person's neck and ignoring all concerns about his well-being. This isn't a case of mistaking a gun for a taser. In this case, the officer involved was ordered by his fellow officers to "Slow down", "Hold Up". He essentially was ordered not to engage Daniel Lopez, and he opted to do so anyways. I know there are also those that are going to cite the officer's concern for the well-being of the woman Lopez was assaulting. And one could argue that aggressive tactics could have put her in greater risk. Which once again is why the officer in question was essentially being order to pull back and not directly engage. 

No apology is going to bring back Valentina Orellana-Peralta. Not even an acknowledgment of the reckless actions by the officer involved in the shooting. Maybe this will be the moment that even the most adornment of supporter of law enforcement will finally admit that yes, there is a problem. Yes, there are things that need to be addressed. That much is clear. If we don't address this issue, we're just going to have more innocent victims like Valentina Orellana-Peralta.  Now it's up to a review board, and then most likely, off to the courts. And even after this story fades from the headlines, nothing will ever ease the grief of the Orellana-Peralta family. Hopefully, she wouldn't have died in vain. Finally, we can finally have the police reform we've begged for so long. 

Playing The Role of the Fool

 I find it hard to fathom that a country that was once the leader in technological advances as regressed to the point we are today. Our best minds either created or played a key role in developing many of the technologies of the 20th century. We also created many medical break throughs as well. Much of the research into discovering A.I.D.S. was done in America. Dr. Charles Drew developed one of the methods for extracting blood from plasma. He later developed bloodmobiles based on his work. His discoveries and work in blood plasma would go on to play a role in saving countless lives. Dr. Drew would later go on to be the first African-American to serve on the American Board of Surgery. Much of Dr. Drew's work has become commonplace in treating patients. Dr. Charles Drew was born in Washington D.C.

I can only wonder if he were alive today, how he'd be attacked in the press. I guess a prime reference for that would be Dr. Fauci. For decades, he has been one of the leading experts on infectious diseases. He has multiple degrees, and on top of that, multiple honorary degrees as well. He was at the forefront of A.I.D.S research. Dr. Fauci was tabbed by then President Bush to help develop biodefense drugs in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Dr. Fauci, who specializes in immunology, has been one of the leading voices as not only America, but the world fights COVID and the variants that mutate forth.

Alas, where his words in other countries are heeded, there is a growing sect here in the states that would rather take the medical advice of a podcast host like Joe Rogan. If not he, they'll listen to the advice of any hack who claims to have developed a miracle cure. Then President Trump made a bizarre statement about injecting bleach that sent scores of people to the hospital. Last time I checked, Joe Rogan did not have any medical degrees, nor a lifetime of service in the medical field.  However, when Rogan suggested that Ivermectin could possibly cure COVID, or at least, keep you vaccinated, scores of people ordered the drug that is not designed for humans. Instead, it's purpose is to help horses deal with stomach viruses, like worms. 

Now when those abroad think of America, they don't think of us as the birthplace of intelligent minds the way they once did. Over the last decade, there has been a movement that grew slow like moss on a tree. It's the anti-intellectual movement. People that scoff at those who have degrees. The same people that scoff figure they are experts because they spent five minutes on google doing "research". They don't know how to vet a source; they just passively accept what they "learned" as being gospel fact. Instead of listening to the actual experts, they listen to Bob up the street. Doesn't matter that Bob dropped out of school in Ninth grade. 

I'm not sure where this need to insult intelligence came about, and why it has ramped up over the last few years. We are at a tipping point. It's bad enough we're coming across as fools to other countries, we're essentially damaging our credibility at an alarming rate. Many other developed countries are finding themselves still dealing with COVID, and its mutations, but have a better grasp on the situation because those that don't know, got out of the way and made way for those that do. While everyone made wearing a mask a political topic, the disease raged on, plucking off people of all ages. I'm sure we've all videos of confessionals of people who didn't take COVID seriously, thought it was a hoax, or tried some treatment that they saw on you tube. Sadly, those folks are taking up beds that are needed for those suffering through the newest variant. Thankfully, we have medical professionals, the very folks those same people mocked, taking care of them so they can go back to their families and their daily lives. One of the truly remarkable traits of those that work in the medical field that they are able to put that past them and treat these people.

Fact is we are playing the role of the fool. Blindly grasping around for anything but what is right in front of us. And what had bene right in front of us all the long was a way out of this nightmare, without needlessly losing lives. However, we played a role in making things much worse than they had to be. For a society that claims to care about the unborn, we sure as hell exposed plenty of children to not only the loss of a parent, but the loss of their lives. Countless children have died, yet we keep playing the fool. We need to stop, we need to wake up, and we need to snap out of this. Lest we doom ourselves to fall to the mercy of this plague while the rest of the world gets one step closer to normal. 

Mask Mandates and Vaccines

 I'm quite sure by now that you've seen the post that has been circulating on social media for some time now. It's an undated photo of a group of masked individuals with one holding a sign that reads "Wear a mask or go to jail." The photo is said to have been taken in America at the time of the Spanish Flu. Of course, conservatives have claimed the phot is faked, that it must have been photo shopped.

The photo is completely real. The original photo was taken by local photographer Raymond Coyne in November 1918 at a train station in Mill Valley, California. Town historians have even verified the photo for anyone and any media outlet that has questioned its authenticity. The people in question were part of a hiking group called the "Hash and Eggers" who'd stopped in town to grab a bite to eat. The sign worn by the woman on the right, reading "WEAR A MASK OR GO TO JAIL," reflects local and state mask ordinances that had gone into effect that fall. If you're still not convinced, feel free to contact the Mill Valley Library, whom has the photo in their archives. And I'm sure you can do a little further research, and you'll find that people were actually being arrested during this time for violating the mask mandate. In San Francisco, California, several people had been jailed and fined for not wearing a mask. So, if you are part of the crowd that has been duped into thinking mask mandates are something brand new, you couldn't be further from the truth.  I don't do these blogs simply with a political agenda. I research the topics. Sadly, research is quickly becoming passe in a world where it's easier to share a meme strictly because it shares your ideology.

As for the mask mandates of 1918. At first, they issued an order that lasted around four weeks. Then, when it seemed that everything had reached its apex, restrictions became to loosen. Then came the second wave of the flu, which brought with it a second wave of mandates. And let's keep one thing clear, mask back then were nothing like we have now. Sometimes, people would take to taping the cloth mask to their face. Imagine having to remove that several times during the day. And the historical record bares no note of mass protest, people chanting "No Mask" or what ever catchy slogan you could imagine. Understanding they'd have to suffer for the betterment of their fellow Americans, they bore inconvenience and save lives. 

One of the things I find ironic is that many of the same folks who champion outlawing abortion are the same ones proclaiming that no government is going to tell them what to do with their bodies, the irony lost on them. Lost on them advocating that laws been put into place by those who have never consulted a medical book like Tabor's for instance.  Many of those seem folks are upset that states are quickly decriminalizing marijuana demanding once again, the right to determine what one person can put into their body. So when the anti-vaccine and anti-mask crowd chat "No Mask!" or "No Vaccine Mandate", it's not the winning argument they think it happens to be. 

Let's examine vaccine mandates. In 1902, Cambridge, Massachusetts  was besieged with a smallpox outbreak. The board of health adopted a mandate ordering that all residents receive a vaccination. Enter Henning Jacobson a pastor and immigrant from Sweden. He had a terrible experience in his homeland with Sweden, itself under attack from smallpox. Jacobson's experience with a vaccine was not a positive one, hence his opposition once he learned of the Massachusetts mandate. Jacobson refused to get the vaccine and was fined $5, quite a sum back then. Jacobson appealed the fine, calling such a mandate a violation of the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Th matter when all the way to the supreme court, who ruled against Jacobson. In his opinion, Judge Harlan delivered the majority decision, essentially stating that a state could impose a mandate, as long as said mandate did not extend beyond "what was reasonably required for the safety of the public." For those seeking to learn more, google Jacobson v. Massachusetts 197 U.S. 11 (1905). Just copy and paste that in your search box and you'll find the text of the decision. It was this decision that the Supreme court recently leaned on regarding Does V. Mills which sought to challenge the COVID mandates for health care workers. Once again, the court ruled in favor of the mandates, saying the states were within their right to impose them.

As you have read (and feel free to research on your own) the mandates that conservatives are suddenly crying foul about have been deemed legal in America for going on 127 years now. So when you see a meme, or some political commentator drone on about how these mandates are an infringement of personal liberties, you will know that what each says has no basis in fact. As for the political commentator, they are merely echoing what their network tells them. A network, by the way, that saw no problem ordering its employees to be vaccinated. All while they spread hysteria, lies and outright fear. In reality, if you don't like wearing a mask, the resolution is quite simple. Wear it. Wear it until we can get COVID until control so that it's not ravaging through, ending countless lives and leaving families mourning lost loved ones. Once we can get it under control, then we can emerge, just as the folks did back in 1918.      

Why Joe Manchin Gets Build Back Better Wrong

 The Republican party, who is always at the ready to engage in warfare without consideration of the financial cost, has balked at the price tag for President Joe Biden's "Build America Back Better" plan. The plan, who would have invested in upgrading the nation's infrastructure, currently sits in dry dock. Some of the key items in the bill would have assured that broadband reached more rural areas, some of which lack any true internet access. It also would have upgraded transportation in America. Crumbling bridges and failing roads would have been upgraded, as would the pipes that carry our drinking water. Imagine traveling on safe bridges, safer roads, and drinking water that doesn't have toxins in it, that would be so grand.

The Republicans balked at those items, wanting them done as they've been done for decades. Piecemeal, with band aids here and there. As for the drinking water, they feel if Americans want safe drinking water, they can go and buy it in stores. As for internet access for more rural areas, they feel the internet is a luxury, despite it becoming a needed tool in dealing with daily life. As they had done during Obama's administration, the GOP has stated their mission isn't to help govern the nation for better it, it's to strictly obstruct anything that Biden wants to enact. Whereas with Obama, they brazenly spoke of their plans in open public, with Biden they've taken a different approach.

Enter Joe Manchin. And let us meet Joe Manchin, shall we? Manchin is the conservative's conservative. He objected to ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the military, an act that made is possible for the military to dismiss a soldier for being part of the LBGT community. He's opposed universal health care, supported in removing funding from Planned Parenthood, and embraced Donald Trump's immigration policies. Manchin, who gets the bulk of his donations from the coal industry, has spoken out against moving from coal as an energy source. Manchin has also stood against any raises to the minimum wage. Manchin truly living his reputation as the most conservative democrat in the senate.

Manchin had a rather frosty relationship with President Obama, but found a kinship with President Trump. He supported Trump's immigration policies, and urged Trump to act on companies that move base of operations overseas in order to move to counties where the company can pay lower wages and not have to worry about health care. 

Now this isn't a complete burial of Manchin. Yeah, he contradicted himself when he voted to allow the Dodd-Frank banking laws to be eased. However, he has been in favor stricter gun control laws, to the point where the NRA went from considering Manchin and ally to launching attack ads against him. And he's demanded more attention to the plight of homeless children.

Yet when push comes to shove, Manchin typically retreats and aligns himself with Republicans. He's sold his vote essentially to the industries that make their money on coal production. The Build Back Better plan may have a high price tag, no one is going to dispute that. However, when you allow something to fall into disrepair long enough, it becomes increasingly expensive to fix it. The price tag for the Build Back Better act is a result of our direct inaction. And if we keeping kicking the can down the road, we'll come to a point where we simply won't have the resources to address the issue. 

A recent infrastructure report card graded 11,200 out of 45,000 bridges in the United States as being in serious or worse condition. 1,668 are in critical condition, while 440 are listed as in imminent failure. There are close to 617,000 bridges overall in the United States, many that are over 50 years old. Some estimations say it will cost $125 billion dollars to give the bridges the needed repairs.  Reports call for a 58% increase in spending on repairing the nations bridges. Oh, don't worry, it's still doable if we stay the course. It will take until 2071 for the bridges to be repaired and made safe for travel. Which means that it will not happen in the lifetime of anyone reading this blog. rather frightening when you think about. Your children traveling on bridges that in the future are only going to get worse.

Of course, if Joe Manchin were to cast aside his concerns and see the bigger picture, that could all change. However, Joe Manchin in the case of infrastructure is not a big picture type, has we've clearly seen. Not long after Manchin came out against the Build Back Better act, Goldman Sachs cut the U.S. economic forecast.  They reasoned that a failure to pass the bill would have a negative impact on growth expectations. Machin's no vote resulting in consequences he clearly didn't see nor anticipate.

Joe Manchin clearly is not seeing the Build Back Better project beyond the price tag. His opposition to spending in some parts will affect infrastructure. He's delivering a blow to President Biden's administration that the Republicans can salivate over and use against the president as they attempt to take back the senate. And it will only serve to give them fodder as they seek to make Biden a one-term president, the first democrat to serve just one term since President Carter. Manchin has wavered if he was going to switch parties and become a Republican. At this point its academic and he may as well switch sides because he's shown great sympathy for their agenda. In this holiday season, Joe Manchin has been the best present the Republicans could ask for. And Manchin has, ironically, delivered coal to President Biden's holiday stocking.  

Universal Health Care and a Founding Father

 One of the rallying cries I hear all the time from those against Universal Health care is that the founding fathers would never have signed on for Universal Healthcare, as they all believed in limited government. That sounds great, and I'm sure it arouses a few applause lines here and there.  And it sounds like it might be true, that they would have found Universal Healthcare as an intrusion from the Federal Government. However, it's not exactly factual.

In 1731, Ben Franklin became a Freemason. Now, Freemasonry has a long, complicated history, but that's a topic for another time. In 1734, upon becoming Grand Master, Franklin decided to put his clout to good use. Around 1736-37 or thereabout, Ben Franklin wrote a letter to Colonial Governor John Penn, in which Franklin, inspired by the Masonry ethic of helping others, authored what one could consider the blue print to Universal Healthcare. In the letter, Franklin expressed the importance of removing the barrier of a doctor's bill. Franklin rightly pointed out that relieving such burdens could prevent plagues,  it would boost the economy of the commonwealth. Franklin reasoned that a colonist would spend more freely if they knew that health issues would not be a heavy burden. 

Franklin may have been talking about the average colonist, but he could very well have been speaking about their 21st century counterpart. We hear the horror stories and sad tales all the time. A person with medical issues and they can no longer work, so they are forced to accept a government health care plan that may not exactly offer everything they'd had before. There are those that know they are in serious need of medical care, but they understand if they get the treatment they require, they'd face crippling medical bills that they know they have slim chances of paying off. worst case, those bills end up being sent to collection agencies. Then the individuals' credit score takes a hit, and all of a sudden, they don't qualify for certain loans, and are unable to purchase a new car or buy a home. Their fiscal troubles begin to get out of control, like a boulder racing down a hill. There's no way to stop it, and when it comes to a head, it's going to end in destruction. 

One of the most laughable arguments against Universal Healthcare is that there'd end up being government death panels, a select few that decides who lives and who dies. Now, organ transplant committees are charged with that grim task. With so few vital organs available, and the U.S. lagging behind every single industrialized nation in the world, these members have to decide if a person is worth giving one of these organs. And depending on your age, medical history, likelihood of survival, you don't have good odds of receiving a donation.  One can argue that those are a death panel, though given the weight of their task, it would not under any circumstances call them a death panel. 

In reality, we already have death panels. They are called insurance companies. These businesses, looking at their bottom line, review if it is or is not cost effective to allow you to have the surgery or treatment that could save your life. I'm sure a google search will provide you with enough horror stories to fill a lifetime. You could be one of the lucky few that gets their treatment approved. Of course, this could come after multiple appeals by which your medical condition could worsen and by the time they are actually approved for treatment. Perhaps no film has summed up the chaos of a for profit health care system than the medical drama Article 99. That film deals with the bureaucracy of the insurance industry in an army hospital, but you could easily transfer any of those stories to what an average person has to endure.

 That's exactly what Americans have to accept. We have a for profit health care system, and if it's more profitable for a company to simply let you die, than that's what they are going to do. We are one of the wealthiest industrialized nations in the world, yet we live in a state where people turn to crowd sourcing sites like Go Fund Me in order to pay medical bills. All of the money that people pour into their coverage, only to be told you're on your own. I cannot think of anything that would be crueler. 

Another scare tactic that is used is that Universal Health care would be the first step to communism. There are plenty of countries, many based in Europe, and there is even Canada that has Universal Healthcare. And I've researched it, and I just cannot find a simple bit of evidence that Canada has fallen to Communism. The reason of course elected officials use that scare tactic is that thanks to the Citizens United case, an Insurance company can simply "donate" millions and essentially purchase a Senator or Congressperson to act as their spokesperson. 

We often wonder why other countries have longer life expectancy. We wonder why others aren't drowning in medical bills. Granted, they may pay more in taxes, but that will be greatly off-set by what you'd save in medical bills. I'm sure of this because that system has worked in every single country in which it has been tried. It hasn't been tried here because Insurance companies have unchecked power. 

So, we're just going to continue to watch loved ones died needlessly. We're going to be stuck watching people suffer, or watching them have to get on their knees and beg perfect strangers for donations. Some call Go Fund Me as bringing out the best in people. I say Go Fund me has taken on a role it was never intended to take. It has become a life source. If anything. the need to rely on Go Fund Me to take care of medical bills sums up perfectly how screwed up our health care system truly has become.

The American Obsession With The Rich

 As the decadence of the 1980's raged on, America was enamored with Donald Trump, who was at the time a charismatic millionaire gadabout who charmed his way into pop culture, a pro football league, and onto the national newspapers. America had a bizarre obsession with Trump that continues to this day. even though his Islamophobic, quest for unchecked power, and overall true sociopathic personality have come to light. Oh, and paranoia, he's paranoid about the myth of "Stolen elections". yet despite all of this, there are those that remain devout to him, no matter what.  He's essentially the evil Gordon Gekko from the movie Wall Street come to life. 

Trump is by far not alone. Americans have a rather unhealthy obsession with wealthy people. We'll take Elon Musk for example. While it is great that Musk is making space travel a possibility for the average American (assuming you can actually afford to drop $5,000 for a 30 second trip).  Musk has chaffed against the idea of a tax proposal by Sen. Elizabeth Warren that would increase what he pays in taxes. In his tweets, Musk claimed that he pays more in taxes than pretty much anyone else. Something that sounds familiar because it was the rally cry Trump had when anyone suggested that he never paid his fair share of taxes. As far as Musk goes, he essentially set up operations the way Al Capone once did. Several business empires, no taxable income because he hadn't sold off shares. Whereas Capone's empire was totally afoul of tax law, Musk and others are able to game a system essentially put in place by conservative leaders in order to protect their wealthy friends who often donated huge sums to their campaigns. Musk also does not officially draw a salary from either of one of his businesses. 

What's insulting about Musk crying poor about paying his taxes is that his businesses were in large part, subsidized by the tax payers. He's essentially making money of the average American, can angered that he has to pay taxes. And we'll table for right now the billions of dollars he's received in tax credits for his businesses, including various governmental contracts regarding SpaceX.

In engaging in a twitter war with Sen. Warren, Musk comes off as a wealthy man that doesn't want to bother paying his fair share, especially to anyone that bothers to do a slight bit of digging and doesn't just passively accept Musk for his word. If anything, our instant gratification society needs to relearn, is the ability to read between the lines. 

In the 1980's an idea was born that it was better to tax the middle class and the poor because there were more of them than there were wealthy individuals. Meanwhile, states dangle such carrots as "State lotto" where they have catchy slogans like "A Dollar and a Dream".  Essentially passing the message that if you don't want to pay taxes, all you have to do is become wealthy. Setting aside that many of these winners end up poor again, mainly through over extension, bad investments and terrible advice. The only thing this poorly thought out, ill-conceived plan did was in the end, derailing the economy, while the wealthy, no longer baring the brute of taxation, sat on their money, investing just enough to take advantage of the gracious laws put in place by the Reagan administration skirt any true tax liability. 

The middle class, which had been the backbone of the U.S. Economy for well over 100 years, now found themselves pinching pennies, earning just enough to survive in most cases. Family trips that seemed like a cool reality now had to be carefully planned, thus any unexpected expense derail the entire system and leave the family searching for vacation option B, which rarely, if ever, satisfied everyone. Base pay for the average American remained flat, while major companies raised prices of goods and services, and again, took advantage of the loopholes. Then came looser restrictions, and all of a sudden, major corporations were buying out the competition, and re-launching their brands as 'competitors" when in fact they aren't. Once again, this limits consumer choice and makes boycotts more a token response, but that's a subject for another blog. However, this does reduce employment, and shrinks the middle class. The very class the Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Donald Trump, et al,  expect to take on the tax burden they clearly refuse to shoulder. 

By idolizing the likes of Musk, we placate their ego. Despite their wealth, many don't pay any state income tax, something you and I are stuck picking up the tab for. So, if you're ever curious on why your state and local taxes go up, it's because the likes of Musk use the loopholes that allow them to claim no income. And let's be clear about one thing: taxing the rich is not punishment for them becoming wealthy. Let's toss that dog whistle out the window right now. All that is being asked is they pay their fair share, take the burden off the middle class. The middle class can then save or spend more money, which in the end, benefits the wealthy because the middle class can buy more of their products. Sounds simple, right? It can work because a system like that had been the backbone of this country for well over a hundred years, and the country, save a market crash here and there, was prosperous. Prosperous depending on skin color, which yet again could be a topic for another blog. At least families could arrange time for vacations and create memories for a lifetime. Sadly, that has been replaced by stress, early graves, and disruptions of family life. But, hey, that's a really cool pile of money that Elon Musk is sitting on, right? Until the wealthy pay their fair share, we're just going to be stuck on the same hamster wheel, with future generations inheriting growing fiscal troubles, and small amounts of cash to handle them with. 

One V.P Away

 "One Vice President away from a coup." Those chilling words were spoken recently by Governor Jay Inlsee of the state of Washington at a meeting of Democratic state governors. I do not think what happened on January 6th, 2021 could have been summed up so perfectly in so few words. We've come to learn, thanks to the hard work of the January 6th Committee that the like of Mark Meadows was focused on subverting the will of the voters and threatening to derail democracy as it has stood for centuries in America. 

Some of the text that have been read into the record at the hearings paint the picture of the dysfunction that was occurring at the White House as Donald Trump sought any means he could, just short of bloodshed, to remain in office, as he could not fathom the notion that many Americans collectively looked at him and uttered those words, he helped make famous. "You're Fired!" Sean Hannity texted to Donald Trump Jr "Can he not make a statement? Ask the people to leave the capitol?" Hannity asked. Laura Ingraham, Brian Kilmeade, two other Fox News Opinion show host also pleaded in vain for Trump to make some sort of calming statement. As did many members of congress. Perhaps the most direct came from Donald's own son, Donald Jr, who for the first time in his life had a moment of clarity when he texted "He's got to condemn this shit ASAP!" Trump Jr texted Mark Meadows, "We need an Oval Office address"

In a moment in which the country needed him the most, Donald Trump went silent, instead watching from the sidelines. Either he was too paralyzed with fear to make any type of statement, of fear he'd alienate his base, one he'd depended upon if he wanted to make a bid in 2024. Could it be that Donald Trump simply watched the chaos unfold on T.V. and beamed with pride, understanding that he set in motion the chain of events that happened that day? After all, he had pledge to march right beside his followers. When said march went from metaphor into reality, Trump sat by and did nothing. He truly was playing the role of Nero. 

Because Trump essentially went underground while the U.S. Capitol was under siege, and the brave Capitol Police were undermanned to push back the onslaught. Trump supporters even demanded that Vice President Mike Pence, who'd refused to not certify the election, be turned over and hung for treason. Here again, Trump stood idle, as his supporters began to scream louder for the public execution of Pence without the benefit of a trial. When Trump finally did make a statement, the U.S. Capitol laid wasted and lives were lost. To make matters even worse, Trump's official statement was lifeless and without passion, as if he felt he had no need to deliver it. Perhaps deep down, he was proud of what happened that day. while one can only guess what was going through Trump's mind, the world saw something it never thought was possible. American citizens, at the request of an outgoing president, launched an attack on democracy.  When Trump finally did make a statement, he commented on the very lie he created that caused it all. The myth that the election was stolen from him. 

Now, Trump's own words there would make fodder for any phycologist. Trump commented that the election was stolen him, not the people. That however, would distract us from the real issue. We've all seen the 38-page power point presentation which outlined the usurp of power, the most frightening the one that allowed Pence to toss out any electoral votes he felt were unlawful and declare simply that state submitted no electoral votes. When you think about that, it would have opened a Pandora's box that would have allowed any president hold on to power despite the will of the people, Which of course, ran afoul of the U.S. Constitution, something Trump seemed to find as an annoyance while in power, expressed on social media many times as he lamented, he did not have total and ultimate power. 

Mark Meadows has provided the American People with all of this insight long before he opted out of the agreement to testify. Sadly, there is a great danger the Democrats could lose control of the house which would essentially mark the end of the investigation into the attempted coup. Think about if Nixon had been able to get away with the crimes regarding the illegal bugging of Democratic headquarters at the Watergate. That is essentially what we face. If the Democrats lose the house, then those who attempted to thwart democracy will not only go unpunished, but emboldened to make another attempt any time they are in danger of losing power. That happens, the America we've all known for so long would cease to exist. 

Jay Inslee put it the best when at the governor's convention when he said "The American psyche has not recognized that we were one vice president away from a coup." And we better do so, before democracy dies.  

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

 As I write this blog, we're essentially back to square one as it pertains to the Corona Virus. In New York, Governor Hochul announced recently a requirement to mask at all indoor businesses. Of course, by now, we could have easily defeated the virus and reduced its effectiveness. However, it was made political, with some noise makers taking to T.V. and use their pulpits to spread the false narrative that Americans were losing freedoms and were ever being 'oppressed'.

Saying that wearing a mask is repressive is insulting to those that actually have been oppressed. When one has been dragged out of their home in the dead of night, into frigid temperatures, and even seen their belongings stolen in the process, then you can talk about oppression.  When you've had the mask slapped on your face before you've been brought to a relocation camp, then you can talk to me about feeling oppressed. When pundits and others liken wearing the mask to what happened with the Jewish community in occupied Germany, I can only shake my head in disgust. Disgust that they'd not only use that as the measuring stick, but that they'd use that atrocity in such a trivial manner.

It used to be Americans rallied around each other in trying times like these. I hesitate to use 9/11 as an example, as yeah, we rallied around each other, but it came with a dark side. We made everyone who was Muslim the scapegoat for our fears and anguish.   I think a better example will be what happened in Kentucky, and how it was devastated by recent tornados. Political dogma doesn't matter, Americans see fellow Americans whose lives have bene torn apart by the storms. Many have lost everything, just as the holiday season approaches. Already we have people rallying around those communities, offering help. 

 Alas, when it comes to the masking to help keep other Americans safe, our selfish side comes on strong. Those that sacrifice comfort to wear the mask are mocked. Many of those self-assured folks who brazenly thumbed their nose at the mask regulations now suffer in hospitals. Some take to social media to present themselves as cautionary tales to wear the mask, get the shots, and the boosters. For many of them, those videos have been the last they'll ever do, as the unlucky souls die not long after. Lives lost and all they had to do was wear a simple mask.

For those who are so steadfast that wearing a mask infringes on their rights, why do they wear a seat belt in a car. After all, seat belts are completely uncomfortable and annoying. It wasn't that long ago that seat belts weren't a requirement on school buses. So, if wearing a mask in public is such a strain on your freedoms, what about seat belts? If big government isn't going to tell you to wear a mask, why should you let it tell you to wear seat belts, right? 

When one reads that aloud they quickly see how ridiculous the argument about masks really has become. I for one, don't like wearing mask. For one, I have hearing issues. They are self-inflicted, but there are times I have to ask someone wearing a mask to repeat themselves because I have trouble understanding what they are saying. However, I deal with it because another person's safety is more important than a brief inconvenience for myself. Second, overall, they annoy me. I've had them break, come off, and even failed to remove one before a sneezing fit. Once again, I'll wear the mask anyways because I care about the well-being of others.

And when you really think about it, we should get used to wearing mask, and it has nothing to do with COVID. It has to do with the environment. In China, it's not uncommon to see people wearing mask as part of their daily lives. Of course, China is one of the top polluters and they've pretty much destroyed the air quality of their country. Given the GOP's lack of belief that mankind has any effect on the environment and their desire to roll back as many regulations as possible, we could very well be like China in five to ten years. Living in a country whose air is so chalk full of chemicals that belonged intake is not advisable. 

If there had been less in-fighting and more people willing to sacrifice comfort for the betterment of those around them, it's quite possible we could have returned to normalcy by now. Instead, we get to suffer because of the selfish few. And it doesn't feel like, by scanning the feedback, we've learned our lesson, we could very well be spending the foreseeable future stuck in a rut, looking upon the other countries as they make a quicker return to normalcy. Even then, we'd complain about why it's taking so long, we'd blame the leaders that were actually doing the most to help us, and all around not see the irony of what we are doing. You want to return to normal, as do I. I'm tired of wearing the mask, more tired of having to wear it because of the selfishness of others.  Let's do this, get this virus in the rearview mirror and get back to being normal. Stop listening to uneducated hacks like Joe Rogan. Stop listening to the fear mongers of "insert news network here". Just as brave patriots before sacrificed use of electricity, newspapers, and other such items before, maybe we can do the same. We can learn at least the lesson of sacrifice from them, before we get them all killed because we don't want to wear a mask.   

SCOTUS, Texas, and Rolling Back Women's Rights

 In a striking blow to women's rights, on December 10th 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States let stand a Texas law that allows private citizens to sue any abortion provider. The law does not recognize rape or incest. So, in theory, if a young woman becomes pregnant from a rape, and has an abortion, her bible clutching neighbor could then sue the provider. The only saving grace in the by the ultra-conservative court is that providers can seek relief in federal court regarding the legality of the law.

Let's get a few things clear about the law. It was clearly written without the consolation of medical professionals. The law states that an abortion cannot take place after six weeks, which biologically, well before a woman may ever know she's pregnant. The law runs afoul of Roe V. Wade, which required 24 weeks. The effects in Texas were clear after the law went into effect. Those with the means were able to travel over state lines into friendly states and have their abortion. Those who could not afford to do that were essentially left with no options. Needless to say, one can easily summarize the thinking, and prejudices of those that crafted the law.

Justice Roberts had one of the most clear moments who he stated that the Texas Law essentially chills Roe V. wade because of what he aptly pointed out "providers are not attempting to carry out abortions because of draconian penalties." At least Roberts had the steel to aptly comment on the effect of the law. Justices Kavanaugh and Barrett punted when it came to recognizing that, instead they ruled to what the base of the party that helped them achieve those seats would expect them to, and virtually ignored Justice Roberts' warning. 

For those of you wondering where I stand on this issue, I fully stand behind a women's right to an abortion. It's her body, her choice, right? After all, isn't that the same argument that we've heard from the anti-mask crowd? Many of whom talk out of both sides of their mouths advocating for government control over what a woman can do with her body, while crying repression over a mask. Do I feel that the anti-abortion crowd feels that women are still chattel? I honestly feel that some do, hanging on to the misguided and antiquated notions that a woman should breed and not be seen. Many people whose viewpoints rest in their religious beliefs, as they feel life be God's decree is sacred. Well, even a casual read of the bible proves that not to be true, because God killed people whenever it struck his fancy. Personally, I see the Texas law, S.B. 8 as one of the most repressive laws passed in the 21st century. 

When all is said and done, we could be looking at an unexpected fallout. Women of all ages could find themselves having to travel state borders in order to get an abortion. Those unlucky souls may entrust their lives to quacks, or medical school dropouts, which could have deadly results. And I fear that those women would be cast as law breakers with cold, and heartless efficacy. Instead of calling them what they truly would be, victims. And the fallout will be left to those that so passionately pushed their agenda in hopes of "saving the unborn" will find their path to righteousness blocked and littered with the bodies of the women who died as result.

The era of Trump ushered in a new and most dangerous movement. One that has sought to roll back almost evert civil rights achievement from the 20th century. Their quest to install a poll tax carefully disguised as a "voter I.D." has gained steam thanks to clever marketing. Now they've ventured into more dangerous waters. A reversal of Roe V. Wade is a step back for women's right, don't let anyone tell you any different. Now we've had a state that adopted a law that encourages private citizens, who's otherwise have no stake nor standing, sue a medical professional for doing a constitutionally protected medical procedure. Something that can only serve to cause more logjam in a judicial system that is already suffering from bag logs. The effect this will have on the system, that thanks to a law that allows suits to cross state borders, will have an effect that only those blind to it cannot see.

 So, setting aside lawsuits, the questions before us is, how long and how many? How many women have to die before this law is proven to be misguided? And how long must these innocent and preventable deaths go on before a change is made, and those that backed it are proven wrong? Remember the cautionary tale of my earlier blog. That's telling you where this will lead. And I say it not for shock value or to speak from hyperbole. History tells us, history is screaming from the top of her lungs that story could come true. We just need to open our ears and listen.  

Loyalty and the Cult Of Trump

When I first wrote this, I was unaware of the infamous power point presentation, which gave a step by step action plan to usurp the U.S. government and undo a lawful election. If that doesn't frighten you as to the power that Donald Trump holds over his followers, I honestly don't know what will.

 Under the guise of anger over subpoenas, Mark Meadows filed a lawsuit against the January 6th commission and speaker Pelosi. Normally, this would be just another chapter in an ongoing Watergate style melodrama. When one looks beyond the surface, you'll see The Cult Of Trump is still alive and well. The likes of Meadows and Steve Bannon are ready to embrace prison time in order to protect their messiah, Donald J. Trump. It doesn't matter that Trump shows no loyalty to them in the slightest, and has no qualms about throwing themselves under the bus to save his own ass. Nor at the very least, after a falling out, Trump is dismissive of them, tossing insults not long after praising them. 

Despite his self-assured airs that he puts on, Trump deep down is an emotionally scarred soul seeking the constant praise that his father gave him. And before you have the slightest bit of pity for him, Fred Trump may not have showered himself with love, he did pass down his misogynistic and racist world views to his son. after all, it was Donald who tried to bar African-Americans from renting his apartments, and demanded that a group of African-American youths that had been found not guilty be executed for a crime they did not commit. Combine that with the fact he disposes of his wives once they no longer serve a purpose, or his rather creepy incest rial interest in his own daughter, can someone explain why a rational person would pledge any sort of loyalty to him?

It comes down to the cult mentality. Trump has managed to convince not only those that serve him, but those who voted for him that they cannot fix their own problems, and that he alone can fix everything. He drives home the point in his speeches that he is their savior, and that they are weak and in need of protecting against mythical henchmen out to harm them. One of his first edicts was to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. Something that without a doubt gave Al Qaeda and other such groups motivation and a great recruiting tool.  However, to his base, one that feared anyone from the Middle East, Trump was a godsent, protecting them from a bully. He used their fears of the Transgender community to invoke a ban on transgender people in the military. Once again, through hatred and bigotry, he's view as a savoir. Once Trump quipped that there were "good people" among the Nazis that offered a counter protest to the Black Lives Matter movement, suddenly everyone who held a racist view felt comfortable express such un public. Trump had assured them that hating someone because of the color of their skin was acceptable in society, thus spawning countless viral videos of angry people shouting disgusting words that aren't fit to, nor should they ever be repeated. Whereas Nero played his fiddle while Rome burned, Trump poured gasoline and lit the fire, and watched, emotionally aroused as any good arsonist would be watching their handywork.

When brings us to the likes of Mark Meadows. He stands now, ready to sacrifice himself to appease his god, Trump. Despite turning over documents, Meadows is now refusing to testify before a committee that is seeking to investigate the role a sitting president played in an attempted overthrow of the U.S. government. The U.S. Capitol was stormed by people not unlike Meadows, grown adults set lose on command. By all accounts, Trump watched from afar as the halls were breached. Even as they threatened to murder Mike Pence, Trump's vice president, he stood by and did nothing. If anything, Trump might have been orgasmic that an attempted coup was in place, merely because he planted the suggestion of a stolen election. Trump was enjoying playing God. 

Meadows and Steve Bannon are Trump's foot soldiers, not unlike mafia hitmen. Both are seemingly willing to face sanctions and jail time in order to maintain their loyalty to a man that does not care about them. It's gamesmanship, with Trump's foot soldiers trying to run out the clock so that the Republicans can achieve the power to shut down the committee, thus allowing Trump to skirt justice yet again, as he has so many times before. 

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is a cautionary tale. Kemp, who is no choir boy himself, refused Trump's pleas not to certify the election, thus bringing an end to his reign in the White House. Until that moment, Trump offered nothing but praise for Kemp, calling him one of the best governors in the country. Today Trump is endorsing David Perdue, who like Trump, spreads falsehoods about a stolen election. Trump has taken to issuing press releases where he still calls himself President Trump. He's called Kemp a RINO (Republican In Name Only) and Trump is using his pulpit to convince the people of the state of Georgia that Kemp cannot be trusted. Much like anyone that fancies themselves a king or a messiah, once you've displeased the master, and he's no longer in need of your services, he'll cast you out, and turn you into a pariah. 

Kevin McCarthy, Steve Bannon, Mark Meadows all seek to remain in the good graces of Trump. McCarthy is willing to destroy America's standing on the world stage, send us into default, destroy the good credit with have with other nations, and take down the U.S. economy all to remain in Trump's good graces. Now that is frightening that anyone should have that much sway over another human being. This is the world we live in right now. If anything, we need not wonder how Hitler, Jim Jones, or any other cult leader got people to fall under their sway. It's all about dominate ego consuming the smaller, weaker egos. And as long as Trump walks free, without serving a single stint in prison, or suffer some fall from grace, McCarthy, Bannon, Meadows, and all the like that hang on his every word, and follow every edict with blind loyalty, they will still him as the messiah. He's the new Golden Calf. And until that day comes where he falls from grace, America will teeter on the brink. For being a democratic republic, to being a fascist state. 

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

 Bells will be ringin' the sad, sad news, Oh, what a Christmas to have the blues. Well, to be honest, how can one not suffer from the blues at least once this time of the year? What should be in theory a joyous time as people from all sects celebrate their faith, always seems to come with a side of blues. 

This time of year, stores are all about asking customers for denotations to the local food bank. People rummage through their closet in order to find clothing that either no longer fits them, or suits their fashion taste. Old toys, blankets, these are among the items that are donated. We truly are the people we wish we were the other 364 days of the year. Why we don't maintain this level of compassion for throughout the year is easy to explain.

I always keep two dollars at the ready. I keep it in either a jacket pocket or my pants pocket. And each jacket I own has two dollars in the inside pocket. There's a reason for this. I encounter plenty of people downtown that are homeless, or close to it. When I see one of them and they ask, I always have two dollars at the ready. Now, what they do with the money, that's up to them. It bothers me that others can walk by these souls as if they don't exist. As if these people aren't of any importance. These folks were once kids, kids with dreams. I don't think that any of them ever fathomed the notion they'd end up sleeping in the streets with so few options to go. These are human beings, and for the most part, we cast them aside as if they are second class citizens.

I really wish I could draw. I had an idea for a multi-panel cartoon. A man is walking down a busy street when a beggar asks him for change. The man, on his cell phone and feeling so self-important, walks by the beggar without even giving him a glance. Forty years later, Mr. Self-Important is in hospice car, his time on Earth coming to a close. Eventually he closes his eyes, and dies. He finds himself standing before St. Peter at the pearly gates. Now the man overall led a clean life, he didn't steal and is pretty clear of sin. He figures his entrance to Heaven is assured. St. Peter motions another figure over to stand next to him. It is the beggar the man first encountered forty years prior, and he hadn't aged. Confused, the man turns to St. Peter and asks "What is going on here?"

St. Peter explains that the homeless man was God, descending to Earth in human form. St. Peter explains that many of the beggars are the lord and his Angels, testing humans to see if they've really grasped the notion of compassion. To his horror, the man learns that he won't be gaining entrance to Heaven, for the compassion in his heart is not pure. In fact, the only time the man showed compassion was when it could benefit him. If the man gets a second chance or gets banished to hell, that would be up for the reader to decide, because the panel would end right there.

We have become so wrapped up in our own world that we pay little heed to the suffering of others. It's a struggle to deal with our own daily problems, this is true. However, we can always find time for compassion if we so seek. It baffles me that we're always at the ready to tear down an abandoned building to put up another generic store front, or high-priced lofts that can only be afforded by a few. There are many times low-income buildings or hotels are shut down and people tossed into the streets. And we get the usual dog whistle explanation. It's being done to curb crime. Another grand excuse is that the city is in need of a make-over. Which is clandestine speak for "getting rid of the poor". 

I've often said "You best judge a society by how it treats those most in need". Well, I'm pretty sure our actions show we don't care about the poor and the homeless unless we can use them as props for our own gain. We need to change that way of thinking. We need to stop treating the poor and homeless as "throwaway people." For a society that seems to care so much about the fetus, seems to have no qualms about tossing them in the streets, denying them the social programs that could help them when they become young children or adults. Perhaps we should market them as "former fetuses"? Maybe that will spur the change needed to get these people the help they need to re-enter society and not just become productive members, but to be seen as human.

We're a country that holds tight to religion, yet we pretty much ignore every tenet of religion. However, strange enough, we have people in society that think nothing about perverting it in order to justify their own bigotry and hatred, even if that means playing fast and loose with text, or just flat-out making things up. As I stated earlier, you best judge a society by how you treat those most in need. And right now, we give those in need very little. I honestly believe if we lived life the way we do this time of the year, we'd have that ideal society we've dreamt upon. And the most wonderful time of the year would become the most wonderful time of our lives. 

You Cannot Erase What Wasn't Taught

 One of the cries I hear quite often, mostly from conservatives, is that we're erasing history by renaming buildings and school because a person owned slaves, or something unsavory was discovered thus we're canceling that person. That there is this war by the so called "woke" crowd on American history in general. 

However, that's not how this works. For starters, we've never truly taught history in this country. From the time you're in elementary school and through your graduation from public schools, your mainly taught myth. A combination of myth, lies and a little bit of truth sprinkled in, just for balance.  I would estimate that around 95% percent of what you're told during these formative years is  later rebuked by the facts. There is plenty of reluctance to acknowledge our history.

Let's take for example life in America post our emancipation from England. The history books make it sound like Americans were joyous about being free, no longer shackled by a leader who lived across the ocean. Granted, many people were happy, that is true, but that's not where the story ends. While General George Washington was hailed a conquering hero, some of that support eroded when the country began to have issues with the economy, exporting and importing. Not to mention pesky squabbles with the Native Americans, the Whiskey Rebellion and like Donald Trump, George Washington despised the press, calling them providers of falsehoods, and even spent part of his farewell address blasting the idea of a free press. After the panic of 1792, there were some in the new nation that pondered if the challenge before them was too great and perhaps they could reconcile with England. 

You don't learn about that in school because it would destroy the narrative of the myth, that life post emancipation from England was perfect, that is until the war of 1812. In most text, which inspire many books and films later in American life, it was re-written how we acquired much of the land for this nation. Typically, what we couldn't take through buying off the natives with cheap trinkets and low ball offers, we took by force. And not shockingly, when they fought back, we painted them as savages, uneducated, brutal with no care who they killed in their attacks.  

The Civil War remains one of the most complex periods of American history, one we often boil down to simplistic descriptions. Upon the removal of General Robert E. Lee statute, I saw that someone had commented that it was a great day for the statue's removal, since Lee fought for the Confederacy. To be honest, Lee did and did not fight for the Confederacy. If you're confused, let me explain, but I have to circle back to when this country was first born. It was Gouvenor Morris who posed a very important question. "Have we created thirteen united colonies as on nation, or have we created thirteen new nations?"

As bizarre as it may seem to us modern people, during the colonial era and essentially before the 1880's, American's tending to be loyal to their home state as opposed to the country as a whole. When one reads Lee's own letters, he speaks in glowing terms of his old Virginia, and little is written about the Confederacy as a whole.  Such pledges were commonplace at the time, as each state had their own flag and their own anthems, both of which were always on proud display. 

Towards the end of his term in office, Donald Trump established the "1776 Commission" which was in response to the removal of Confederate statues and re-naming of buildings, something Trump, never shy about using fear to advance his own agenda, said the commission was to fight against the erasing of U.S. History. The report that was the product of the Commission was a laughable document in which politics supplanted facts and was full of errors. The report, had it been handed in by a middle school student as a project, surely would have been graded with an 'F', though a new grade, F minus, would have to be established considering the report did not contain footnotes or cite any historical text. Instead, it was a wet dream of what conservatives wished America had been,  instead of what reality presented it to be. 

Ill-conceived notions such of the 1776 Commission will continue plague us, until we find the balance. Accepting that what was taught for decades as history was flawed and incorrect. This isn't about being woke. This is about being open and frank and accepting our nation's history for its beauties and its flaws. After all, that's how a true patriot would reflect upon the history of the nation they hold so dear.