Was chatting with a friend about the state of the Nation. This, and if it’s time for it to break apart into separate republics to avert civil war or worse. I replied I still believed in our flawed imperfect Union.
My father fought for it though he suffered far more than I here. Our potential for a unique greatness is still there under the years of betrayals. My dad saw that, and so do I despite the current cruel darkness I see, and write of.
As for common purpose that shines sometimes. In my life time I saw this during the Civil Rights movement of which my parents were part. I saw it in the heartful attempts at a compassionate society when I was very young.
I saw it again in the short spark of the Occupy movement yet again when millions of women marched after #45 was elected. Two years later those women took the Congress from him. Our nobility is intermittent as it is in any individual. However it comes often enough for me not to absolutely give up on the greatest experiment of the Enlightenment,… The United States of America.
*Here below part of the back, and forth with my pal.*
Jeffrey Sandor: Sidney, the potential exists… it’s what we learned America was in grade school… and why our fathers went to war against totalitarianism spreading in Europe. I have no idea what Japan wanted in WWII but war with China was the reason we are told.
Sidney Smith: I only have the objective experience of my eyes, and ears over near 70 years. All this tells me that the Republic though flawed from it’s start is still an effort worth the trouble despite it’s regular lapses into darkness. This is not so much a nation as a belief.
We believe in the best of what we can be. That is what put those millions of women in the streets three years ago. The earlier millions during the Civil Rights Movement, and all the sparks of compassion, and hope before during, and after them.
Jeffrey Sandor: Look to other democracies… France, Spain, Italy.. Britain… also flawed but missing the things which make our experiment prone to failure. Very hard to make am alloy work…and we’ve failed at it.
Sidney Smith: There’s a difference between our republic, and other democracies you mention. We change, and as history goes change quickly. They had injustices that lasted multiples of centuries. We cleared some of our worse in two. I’m not a slave. That’s rather a lot. Though not a full ‘social’ citizen still rather a lot. They are trapped by traditions we are still evolving ours. We can’t be judged by their example nor they by ours. We are in fact different from each other. We can fail, but they already have.
Jeffrey Sandor: all nations have problems…. problems don’t mean they have failed. Utopia exists in the mind not in reality. You know that. USA has really dropped the ball in “caring for the people”.. Europe has not… certainly not as USA has.
The problems in democracy are often the fact that wealth has too much power and is completely unchecked. USA should be spending on people not on war and weapons. Resources should not be privatized… this is a formula for abuse.
The problems in democracy are often the fact that wealth has too much power and is completely unchecked. USA should be spending on people not on war and weapons. Resources should not be privatized… this is a formula for abuse.
Sidney Smith: True. The current issue for the republic is not if there is enough for all,…there is more than enough. Rather how can it be distributed for the greater good. This is complicated by our unhealed race relations, and class divisions. Both can be fixed healed, and most want it to be.
We are now at a point of one kind of mindset replacing another. An more egalitarian humanist one vs a race, and class based one. We’ll come through it in time. The new demographics alone say so. It will be no Utopia, but it was never intended to be one…we are in “pursuit of happiness”.
That object changes with the eras as it should.
Jeffrey Sandor: Hope sustains some… but we don’t need hope… we need actions, strategies, tactics and vision.
Sidney Smith: Have hope my friend.
Jeffrey Sandor Hope sustains some… but we don’t need hope… we need actions, strategies, tactics and vision.
Sidney Smith: I’ve heard that for 50 years. I leave that noise to the kids now. It suits them it’s fun. Me I just Vote, and post around the 'net. Plant seeds. Btw we always need Hope. It’s what sustains everyone. Like music love, and pastry.
Jeffrey Sandor: You are a paradox of despair and optimism.
Sidney Smith: Yup.
hi Sydney
ReplyDelete"The Electoral College is WACK"
Kyo here...
TODAY, this is recent.
They put out a edited 60min audio PODCAST free from a daily 3 hr show.
Morning Joe MSNBC Friday Dec. 13 2019
"The Electoral College is WACK."
At the 6.50am to 6.55am point
"We talk about what this 2020 election is about. It's going to be about these 3 states. This election comes down to a very small part of America csuse the rest of the country is pretty well locked in.
"Who is going to sell better in Wisconsin, in Pennsylvania?
"As we talk about 3 states and our future of the republic resting on how a sub set of voters in 3 or 4 states vote.
"Its hard to NOT overlook the fact that the Democrats have won the popular vote in 1996, in 2000, in 2008, in 2012, in 2016. Only Bush in 2004 has won the popular vote.
"You get that picture in the 1992 convention of Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Hillary Clinton and Tipper Gore. And 3 of those 4 people on the stage won the popular vote in the USA. And only 1 got to be president.
"Im just curious, passing no judgement on our constitution what so ever. I love our constitution. But im wondering if people around the world, as you when you travel, ”Wait wait, what's going on, how does this work."
"Democrats keep winning.
"Their going to win the popular vote this time too.
"But you are really worried about a sub set voters around,
Milwaukee
Detroit
Philadelphia
"Just in those 3 metro areas, they are going to determine who the next President of the United States is?
"Im just back from the Middle East, 2 weeks before i was in China. People are do baffled by the United States now. Which is ironic because one of our big things historically is we push constitutions on others. We encourage others to adopt a constitutional government, obviously the devil's in the details.
"People forget that ours was written at a time whrn our population was 1/100 the current size. The country was geography much more contained.
"We have NOT adapted, evolved as a country, as a society.
"The example of American politics, the example of our economy after 2008, there's NOT a lot of people around the world now who grt up in the morning and say, "We want to be just like them."
"The Electoral College is WACK.
"No one would design it right now if ee were starting from scratch. Nobody would do it this way.
end
Yeah I watched the edition of Morning Joe.
ReplyDeleteAmazing in these times liberals allied with traditional conservatives because the republican party has gone race nationalist, and the president is literally insane.