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2020
Election As
far as I know, we are still officially the United States of America, a nation that is in the process of the greatest experiment
in social and political freedom for its citizens in world history. A process that has, is, and forever will be a work in progress.
There is an election in November and the choice seems clear. Three basics of life in America that most Americans
can recite by heart are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, These “Unalienable Rights” cited in the Declaration
of Independence is disappearing from our daily lives right in front of us. Here we are in 2020; 244 years after ratification
of that Declaration of Independence and 232 years after ratification of the United States Constitution, and the ideals written
within those two documents that we are so very fortunate to be governed by are virtually being ignored as hatred spreads.
While many Americans still struggle to be treated equally and justly under the law or by other fellow Americans, or both,
hatred, prejudice, and intolerance are growing throughout our country. Attendees at houses of worship are being attacked and
killed, white supremacists
are being allowed to spread their messages of hate
and discrimination and promote violence, and some police whose job it is to protect all of us are acting as judge, jury and
executioner. What has Donald Trump done in four years to even try to stop any of it? In his four years
as president, Donald Trump has spread division, intolerance, and hatred, across this nation by his behavior, in his words,
and in his lack of any action against the spread of violence and hatred by Americans against other Americans. Mostly what
Trump has done is to add fuel the fire. He has ordered the separation of children from their parents. He has said of people
wearing Swastikas during a counter protest that there were good people on both sides of that protest. He has tried to defame
war heroes. When a plan to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan was discovered and prevented, he not only didn’t
condemn the plot but instead he actually tweeted attacks on the targeted governor. Democrat, republican, or neither, is this
the America we want? The promotion of violence against any fellow American, even one we dislike or disagree with is simply
un-American. He won't even speak out against systemic racism and white supremacy without it being asterisked with some comment
of deflection or disbelief. Whether the issues of equality, health care, the economy, abortion, the environment,
or other, or combination of other ideals of sociopolitical policy guide you, our president sets the tone. He steers the path
of the country and its policies, When, however, the President of The United States actively ignores the messages set forth
in our founding documents, he is undermining the basic fundamental vision of democracy. For many there
is one issue in America that stands out in importance against all others. President Trump is against abortion. Is that issue
alone enough to cast a vote? While the significance of the abortion rights issue is certainly understandable as every religion
that I know of is opposed to it, does that mean that no other sins matter? For example there are 7 deadly sins in the bible.
They are: 1) Pride, 2) Greed, 3) Lust, 4) Envy, 5) Gluttony, 6) Wrath, 7) Sloth. Trump has committed all of them. Some say
the scriptures teach that there is no degree of sin. Sin is sin. While we all await Donald Trump’s
assurances that Covid-19 will someday just disappear, over 220,000 Americans have died. That is greater than the entire population
of Baton Rouge, Louisiana or Des Moines, Iowa. If that number still doesn’t resonate with you, think of it in terms
of dollars, is 220,000 dollars a lot? Our current president has made fun of wearing a mask, touted the use of unproven drugs
to fight the virus, suggested the human intake of household cleaners as a possible treatment, has prioritized Wall Street
over people’s lives, and blamed China and Democratic Governors and Mayors for the spread of the disease while actually
saying on live television that he accepts no responsibility for it at all. He has caught the Covid-19 virus himself only to
return to the campaign trail spewing the same lies and rhetoric about how under control the virus is while allowing those
in attendance at rallies to not wear masks or practice social distancing. Trump continues to challenge the Covid-19 pandemic
as if he has some power over it. He does not, and while he is losing that challenge, tens of thousands of Americans keep dying.
None
of us are perfect, or expected to be so, but what good are values, patriotic or religious, if they are just written and spoken
but not practiced? Will brotherhood govern our lives or will we let hatred and division rule our hearts and our country? What
are we teaching our children and by extension how are we forging our nations’ future if we don’t practice the
rules of common decency? This country is in need of political change and we need it now, otherwise “America the Beautiful”
will no longer be a tribute to our country but only the title of a song with its heart removed.
CP
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