As a Country, we have evolved. We started off by fighting a war against Britain in order not to pay taxes without representation, well, mostly not to pay for King George’s wars. By today’s standards, Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys would be labeled terrorists. Many of the colonists remained faithful to the crown. As time went on, Canada won its independence without fighting a war.
The “founding fathers” were more inspired by French philosophers, whose movement is known as the Enlightenment, than by Christianity. They had a dislike for absolute power invested in monarchies and wanted to avoid Europe’s constant wars. Their documents spoke of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; they spoke of the equality of man. Obviously, they meant “man, not including women.” Obviously, they meant white men of European origin, who, by the way, were somewhat wealthy. Thus, when setting up their Government, only property-owning, white, males were allowed to vote. The “founding fathers” wanted to evade any semblance of royalty or concentration of power.
Slaves were property. In the history of what we euphemistically call civilization, it was slavery and the theft of resources that made kingdoms wealthy. It was an elite, ruling class that lived in luxury and splendor, while the slave and peasant classes led a stark existence. The “founding fathers” were determined to create a better society. Their ideas were radical for their time, and, yet ,their vision was limited by the culture of their time. Thus, their bold experiment fell far short of the ideal.
We have evolved. Today people of color, men and women, wealthy and poor, can vote for whom they want to represent them in this Republic. This did not happen because the white, male property owners became enlightened and wanted to share the power of the vote with them. It was one hell of a battle, and it is not over yet.
- Power is more concentrated in the billionaire class than ever before.
- Voter suppression is rampant.
- We have an elite, hereditary “royalty” (ie., privileged) class.
- We have a miserably-disguised empire, [including those] we euphemistically call “allies” or recently, perhaps, “shit-hole countries.” If they do not do as they are told, we opt for regime change.
When we, as a Country, do not live up to our ideals, we are our own worst enemy. We ousted democratically-elected governments–because they wanted a fairer economic system–and supported oppressive governments that would do our bidding. Think Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Honduras, Iran, Guatemala, Chile, to name a few. Sadly, there are many more. Read Killing Hope: U. S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II by William Blum.
So often, what was done by our Government betrayed our Country’s ideals. What was done clearly showed that those decision makers in our Government did not believe in a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” In the name of protecting Democracy and defending human rights, our Government has propped up vicious dictators, like the Shaw of Iran. Once overthrown, is it any wonder the Iranians consider us enemies? For too long, we have been our worst enemy.
Perhaps the greatest patriot of recent times is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He took our decision makers to task for telling lies; for fighting an unjust war; for neglecting the poor; basically, for not living up to our ideals as a Nation. Like the prophets of Hebrew scripture, he railed against systemic injustice. Like the prophets of Hebrew scripture, he was denounced, rejected by the powerful, and stoned (killed.) Yet he endured the suffering, out of love for his Country, his people.
If we are to quit being our own worst enemy, we need to follow Dr. King’s example.
We need to stand up for our ideals as a Nation.
We need to quit being an empire and be a worthwhile example.
Making our Nation great again should mean no one
- goes without needed health care
- goes hungry
- is homeless
- is denied the education they need
- is denied the right to vote
- is above the law.
The fight for our ideals is far from over. We need more patriots and prophets like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.