My One Wish Before I Die

Me, 1962 (20 years old) in front of the White House during my Army stint at Ft. Meade, Maryland when I believed in the goodness of America

This is 20 year old me in 1962 standing in front of the White House. I was in the Army stationed at nearby Ft. Meade, Md (NSA). John F. Kennedy was president and I believed in the goodness of America. Little did I know that less than a year later Kennedy would be dead and the belief that I had then would be changed to now, at the end of my life with the obscenity of the Trump White House. The corruption, lawlessness, hate and chaos. My one wish before I die is to see America's goodness restored.

Fourth of July 2018

Our American flag display 1990 on our Pennsylvania property, back at a time when we had a decent president and Congress - oh how we took our indecencies for granted then 

Today, the Fourth of July, we here in America celebrate our freedom from oppression and rule by a despot.

Today, this Fourth is especially important because for the first time our history our freedoms are being seriously threatened by the would be despot who occupies the White House and his Republican enablers in Congress. 

Folks, I cannot stress this point enough, at this time of our two-hundred and forty-two year history as a free country, our freedom is in serious danger of being undermined. As Edmund Burke said:

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

I am saddened today and very worried that our American ideals are being tossed aside to please our Russian adversary, Vladimir Putin. 

Every day, Trump crosses a new boundary of norms.  He bullies and insults our allies. He admires and praises dictators. And now he is getting ready to give Putin the ultimate prize when he meets with Putin in Finland next week, unilaterally lifting the sanctions against Russia.

I think it is time to face the fact that our president, the former reality star, con man and world class lair is in the pocket of Vladmir Putin. 

Today I fear for our democracy folks. And my main fear is that our system of government, three branches that provide a check on one another, has failed. And the elected Republicans do nothing. 

There was the Vichy government in France during World War II.  There was Quisling in Norway during World War II. The Republican leaders McConnell and Ryan will go down in history as cowardly traitors to failed in their basic responsibility of providing a check on our criminal president. 

I just hope our country can survive.

I don't believe in prayers but I do believe that good will eventually prevail.  I just hope it is in my lifetime.