Whimper, No Bang

Is this the end of America as we know it? The end of democracy, soiled as it is?

The Supreme Court has emasculated the Office of the President, saying he does not have executive power to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations to employees of large corporations. For the time being, the court has allowed the mandate to remain for workers within the healthcare industry.

Why one and not the other? Whatever the answer, it is plain the court believes that no President has the responsibility – ethically or morally – to protect the health and well-being of the American people.

How utterly sad that we have a government of, by and for the people that has been usurped, first by the trump presidency, then by congress for generations, and finally, the Supreme Court.

My personal view is a mere whimper begs respect for my government. Truthfully, I have little left.

The mechanics of American democracy have been eroding for many decades now. The spirit is weak. The purpose is lost. And now, all but the name remains for whatever that is worth. No bang. No violence other than January 6, 2021, and no bloody civil war. America’s core has been defeated with nary a whimper or drop of blood. Who would have thought it?

What lies ahead is how this all plays out. Will the people rise up and regain their government and legacy of values? Or will millions of military lives dedicated to protecting our system of government be ignored, perhaps even spurned?

I hope not. But with politicians making laws that extol religion as the answer to abortion, with Russia running roughshod over Syria, Ukraine, Crimea and others without resistance from the USA, with China militarizing the South China Sea without resistance from any nation, what are we to think? We have state legislatures making laws that restrict voting rights, rights that are guaranteed by the US Constitution.

Why is all of this upside down? Why have we forsaken our beliefs, creeds and values to this extent?

It is a sad day for democracy. Apparently, America doesn’t care. It let it happen. All from within we allowed defeat to triumph over the hearts and minds of the American people. Wow! The protector of democracy failed her greatest duty.

And we were there to witness the death without a fight. Nary a whimper.

January 18, 2022

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intimacy

As we mature, we become deeply involved in relationships. Some of this is basic family relations – siblings, parental – and the like. Next is friends who enter our homes and we theirs. Neighbors, classmates, mutual hobbyists and so forth. Then we develop friendships that go much deeper. We comfort one another when we are hurting physically or emotionally. We discuss the matters of life and learn much more about ourselves and each other. We can even anticipate how others will react to various situations and stimuli. Good friendships do not spread to everyone we know. No, good friendships are special, close and deeply personal. We focus attention and brainpower on these few friends. Some special relationships focus on specific topics of interest and importance. Yes, we have specialized friendships. Most common. But one day, we get to know one person very well. An emotional connection forms with deep roots. A need to know the person more fully expands in personal ways. We sense this b...
Read more

Bits & Pieces

Pie: Apple pie more specifically. With Thanksgiving just passed, many of us enjoyed a good apple pie. Sure, there was pumpkin to accompany the turkey, but in our family multiple pies are offered in the holidays. Apple is surely one. Pecan, pumpkin and others, too. But I almost always choose apple. When I was in college, I was asked what kind of pie did I eat most often. In front of my mom, I answered apple, because I was always looking for a pie as good as mom’s own. Of course my mother was pleased, but it was a true statement just the same. When I was married, Ann’s pie was darned good. Her mother’s recipe. But we fiddled with the recipe until it took on its own generational name, and boy, was it good! Today I still order apple pie for dessert because I am always looking for a great pie to challenge our family recipes. I rarely do find such a prize. Do others do the same? Do you search for a great pie of choice, continually? If you do, what’s your story? Why do you do this? ...
Read more

Remembering Tom Sherlock

Tom Sherlock died on Wednesday, April 3rd. He was 65 years old and did not survive a heart surgery. That was his unexpected end and sad enough. But there is more to his story. Tom joined Dan Schuyler and George Safford to create what became the Village Chronicles, a weekly newspaper serving Warrenville, Illinois. That paper expanded to serve Winfield and then West Chicago. The paper published for eight years and built a good reputation for itself. Tom served the paper in several ways. He was our information technology guru, provided hardware and software to support the paper's operations. He was our sole bookkeeper, accountant and financial manager. He designed our distribution process and provided office space for meetings and layout and typesetting. His efforts supported the work of 32 volunteers who wrote and reported on the communities we served.  The newspaper broke even financially most of the time, but it was a struggle. Tom managed to find money to keep the newspaper afloat...
Read more