That’s America these days, isn’t it? Flying in the face of fear but with an arrogant panache. Our cake and circuses society seems to have no idea or doesn’t care about how it looks from the outside, or who or what it represents from a heartfelt inside. We’re off the rails. We’re irresponsible. We seem to stand for nothing anymore.
America has been both criticized and admired worldwide for its freedoms, while we Americans have been slowly taking our freedoms for granted. We’ve bent the rules 360 degrees. We’ve reached a new high point, perhaps the breaking point, in our lunatic arrogance by actually electing a lunatic arrogant leader. To the world, Donald Trump represents America. We legitimately elected him within the traditional rules of our voting system. So, on face value, Donald Trump is America, for better or worse.
If you voted for Trump there is a grace period for forgiveness. It ends now. He came on strong, said the right things, and projected an imagery of a tough guy, a taskmaster, who would “drain the swamp” of congressional cowardice and governmental overreach. He hit the national nerve regarding crime, drugs, healthcare, immigration, tax reform, foreign policy, trade, and job restrictive regulations. He created an agitated wave of approval then surfed it right into the White House.
Okay, fool us once shame on you. Fool us twice shame on us.
By now it should be painfully obvious to even the Trump supporters that he is not a well man. Whatever his problem, or unique combination of problems, America simply cannot afford to keep him as president. The sooner he goes, however that looks, the better. He’s causing more harm than good and more problems than he’s worth.
Short-term, short-sighted job growth and economic gain over-promoted by Trump’s swagger and bravado does not help our dying planet or our dying society in either the short or long run. If you are a coal miner, like my grandfathers were, you’re s**t out of luck. I don’t like it anymore than todays’ coal miner who needs to make a living and support a family, but that’s the plain truth and a modern day fact. We have sophisticated machines to dig holes and move mountains now. Learn to operate one of these technological marvels or find another way to earn a living. Sounds cruel, but such is life. But for goodness sake don’t desperately pin your hopes and dreams, or your family’s survival, on Donald Trump's braggadocio and false predictions. Look and think forward toward reality.
With the crucial midterm elections coming up and the 2020 presidential election looming, Trump is now creating and promoting a new wave of agitated divisiveness and hate. He’s playing to his base again, you, who voted for him before, and it’s just plain wrong. Don’t be fooled again. Don’t let Donald Trump be your mentor for harm, hate and injustice. Be an American, and promote and support what America is supposed to stand for. If you don’t know what that is, God help you, and the rest of us. Look it up! Google on your iPhone, smart phone or dumb phone, whatever ...”What does America Stand For?” ...or ask your father or grandfather. Go to the mountain and ask the wise man. Listen and read between all the lines of dissent, controversy, compassion, hate and indifference. If you have a heart, or a brain, listen to it.
And if you still think waterskiing in the Bermuda Triangle makes sense to you, if you like what you are seeing and hearing from our president, if you enjoy feeding off his hateful arrogance and lunatic fringe ideas and followers, then I guess this is the perfect place for you. Wear a life vest.
John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah.
