Now Is The Time For All Good Men To Come To The Aid Of Their Country.”
No, really, it is.
This sentence, originally used as a typing exercise, could be the new American battle cry, the new ‘Rebel Yell’
For centuries people have been pushed to the brink of mutiny and beyond by incompetent captains, unkind kings, lascivious leaders, and dubious dictators. Sensibilities be damned, the ruling class has it’s own rules. The common man, the average citizen, is always caught between the 24/7 rock and hard place job of survival and mediocrity, while the more privileged among us have the luxury of time to speculate.
Their money does their talking, and money rules.
There is a lot to be said for ambition and drive, and America is the place you want to be to freely exercise these strengths. But everyone can’t be successful, due to a wide range of circumstances. In a society driven by greed and ultimate success (as advertised on TV) the huddled masses are becoming even more huddled, tired, poor, and yearning to breath free, beyond their ability to do so.
As this social gap widens, tensions flare.
(Mutiny: An open rebellion against the proper authorities, especially by soldiers or sailors against their officers).
Throughout history there have been many celebrated mutinies, and many tales of righteous mutiny large and small. The founding of America itself was considered a mutinous act against the King of England. Our Civil War was a mutiny against ourself. Fletcher Christian’s mutiny on the English warship HMS Bounty against the infamous Captain Bligh is probably the most famous mutiny in literature. In the 1954 film ‘The Caine Mutiny‘, based on the novel by Herman Wouk, Humphrey Bogart plays the mentally unstable Lieutenant Commander Philip Queeg who puts his ship, the USS Caine, and its crew in jeopardy. The first officer relieves Queeg of command and subsequently faces a court martial for mutiny.
More recently, in the 1995 film ‘Crimson Tide‘, a mutiny occurs on the nuclear submarine USS Alabama when a young officer prevents his captain from launching a nuclear strike against Russia before the official orders are confirmed.
Whether art imitates life or life imitates art, one thing is certain. Each of the mutinies described above, and every mutinous act executed in truth or fiction, bears serious implications and a myriad of punishing consequences.
Is the talk of impeachment of a president a mutinous act? In a sense, yes, if you go by the definition above. However, it is a process and there are rules. It’s a civilized procedure. There is no violent coup like Brutus and company against Julius Caesar, although the sentiment may be the same.
“Et tu, Brute?” ...Et tu Mitt Romney?
(Impeach: Charge the holder of a public office with misconduct).
Richard Nixon resigned office before he could be impeached over he Watergate affair. President Bill Clinton actually was impeached by the House of Representatives, but was acquitted by the Senate. He was charged with perjury, obstruction of justice, and malfeasance if office regarding sexual promiscuity.
As Democrats continue to talk impeachment regarding President Trump, and as Republicans continue to hang their heads, Trump continues to decline in popularity both domestically and worldwide. His staff and advisors, and Cabinet, appear befuddled and overwhelmed defending his actions. But more significant, he continues to stumble, displaying erratic behavior, poor judgement and a twittering mental instability.
Is our president crazy? Maybe, maybe not. Define crazy. Okay ...
(Crazy: 1-Mentally deranged, especially manifested in a wild or aggressive way. 2-Extremely enthusiastic. 3-Appearing absurdly out of place or in an unlikely position).
I think maybe #3.
But Trump, for all his inconsistencies and megalomaniac ways still has some good basic ideas. Even his proffered desire to work “constructively” with Russia has merit, although there may be some personal malfeasance involved.
Each one of the above mutinies and impeachment scenarios has its own signature set of circumstances and cast of characters. The psychological analysis of the anatomy of a mutiny is significant and fascinating, the implications are always profound, and the consequences always agonizing.
The 2016 presidential election placed America at the crossroads and in the crosshairs of both its political backstory and its fate as history will record it. Of course, it all depends on who’s writing the history. To quote from another famous novel that was made into a celebrated film depicting a different kind of mutiny, “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” But the power of our modern news media, the zeal of investigative journalists, and a burgeoning social media make it difficult to sidestep facts and create legend. But still we try.
The election of Donald Trump was a statement of our sensibilities as a people and a nation. The general consensus is that we’re nuts on both counts. But consider the implications and consequences of a Trump impeachment, or possibly worse, a continued Trump presidency. Where does this leave us in the current global order and ever-intensifying world leadership situation? Where does it leave the American people? How will history record these tumultuous times?
I think it leaves us in jeopardy, hanging out to dry, and I think history will not be kind to latter-day America.
I think we may be in trouble.
The original typing exercise practice sentence, “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party.” was changed from “the party” to “their country” because it made the sentence 70 characters long including spaces, quotation marks and the period. Some say the sentence was devised to test the speed of the first typewriter.
Either way, party or country, fact or legend, it does seem like it is time for all good men, and women, to come to the aid of ...America.
America first, but from within.
John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-george-kushma-379a5762
http://newsbout.com/a/John+Kushma
