22 February, 2024


America - The Yet Unrealized Ideal

Three documents, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, known collectively as the Charters of Freedom, have secured the rights of the American people for nearly 250 years. They and the principles they assert are considered crucial to the true historical identity and proper operational philosophy of the United States.

 

Ten fundamental ideals that launched and defined the American Republic can be discerned within these documents. People can disagree over the specifics, but there is also substantial agreement about what the Founders and Framers cared about and what they were trying to introduce into a world sorely needing fundamental and foundational improvement in politics and governance.

We, the people who have lived through some of the twentieth century and the start of the twenty-first, must recognize that properly understood America is an unrealized ideal. America is not a land mass, a population,  a flag, or a set of monuments. America is a mission and a challenge. The Founders and Framers began it, but each subsequent generation continues to have a solemn duty to advance what is toward what might and ought to be! Anyone who has ever said the Pledge of Allegiance or sworn an oath to the Constitution has knowingly or unknowingly vowed to make America "live out the true meaning of its Creed!

Unfortunately, in contrast to the documented ideals of America, the operationalized values of far too many Americans stand against what the explicit American Creed stipulates. While the descriptions of the two sets of beliefs are distinctly similar, the latter phrase does not identify concepts that closely align with those expressed by the former. The substance of the operationalized values of Americans depends on which Americans one is considering or referring to. There are people born in the United States who are citizens by birth who have no affection for or affinity with America's ten fundamental ideals:

1.   Equality

2.   Inherent Rights

3.   Truth

4.   Popular Sovereignty

5, Rule of Law

6. Justice and Fairness

7. Patriotism

8. Inclusivity

9. Pursuit of Happiness

10. The Common Good

 

 Many "natural born" citizens are bigots, misogynists, zealots, chiselers, swindlers, and scoundrels of all varieties. Some are self-identified white supremacists, neo-Nazis, Klan members, and many are predatory plutocrats. Others are demagogues busily striving to be despots. Unfortunately, such people have been part of the American populace since America began. [GU1] Many are now prominent, powerful elected and appointed RepubliKlan officials, from House Speaker Mike Johnson and ex-president Trump on down.  

Equality

All citizens of the United States, whether by birth or naturalization, have the same set of privileges, immunities, civil rights, and civil liberties. This equality of rights is the Constitutional ratification of the Declaration's beginning assertion of human equality. The Declaration was written in the Eighteenth century, so its terminology is archaic: "all men," but we now understand that the proper understanding is "all humans." This consideration follows the Constitution's consistent use of persons and citizens without gender implications.

Based on the preceding, time has long passed for all Americans to be true to the words they have pledged or sworn to uphold to stand up, speak up, step up, and persistently demand that the true meaning of those words infuse the practical conduct of Americans hour by hour and day by day in all cultural and political spheres.[GU2]  We must remember that human equality and the universality of inherent rights are the foundational premises of America and the American approach to politics and governance.

Recognizing equality and respecting rights are not options; they are duties!

Inherent Rights

All humans have the same and equal inherent rights by their humanity. Among those rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, plus those listed in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These rights are the basis of civil rights and civil liberties, but they are more fundamental. These rights arise from our common humanity. Our shared humanity is one crucial reason immigrants, whether legal or undocumented, cannot be abused. Every person everywhere on the globe is as human as every other person. Genital anatomy, skin color, ancestry, religious affiliation, philosophy, first language, or sexual preference makes no individual or group more or less human than any other. So, we must behave per the inarguable truth that, as humans, we all have equal and identical human rights!

            Despite the reality that we all are undeniably human, far too many Americans behave toward other Americans and non-Americans as though this were not the case. Any such behavior is wrong and betrays the betrayers' pledges and the oaths they may have sworn. At a minimum, such conduct is hypocritical. More often, it is actively malicious. Every loyal and principled American must remember those remaining silent in the face of evil are complicit in its commission and somewhat responsible for the harm done.

Truth

The American Republic began with an assertion of "self-evident truths." If it were not for the recognition of and commitment to truth, there would be no America. If truth is relegated to history and treated as malleable today, the Republic will not survive and will not prosper and progress. The realization of the America that might and ought to be requires that officials tell the truth and citizens insist on the truth, recognize it, respect it, and act upon it. As for the survival and success of the American Republic, honesty is not merely the best policy; it is the only policy compatible with or conducive to our form of government's functioning according to our founding premises and fundamental promises.

Within this context, we must note that Trump built up 30,573 untruths during his tumultuous administration – a daily average of about 21 dubious statements. Since leaving office, Number 45 has relentlessly repeated false claims about the 2020 Presidential Election. Many reactionaries in and out of public office have echoed these claims, although not a single one has sought to call any other part of the 2020 general election into doubt. These incessant election denials are now formally called "The Big Lie."

For several years, ". . psychologists and mental health professionals have repeatedly warned that Trump is a "malignant narcissist," which is one of the most dangerous and anti-social personality types. For a malignant narcissist, everything and everybody exists only to serve or empower him, and he has no use for niceties like morality, compassion, or fairness — or the law, or our Constitution."

"This amoral attitude and Trump's underlying personality disorder were always problematic throughout his life — but his amoral, narcissistic, and cruel personality didn't become a truly catastrophic problem until he became our president."

The behaviors and traits described above reflect no respect for truth in any context. However, they explain why Trump lies so easily, repeatedly, and emphatically. Through years of persistent, insistent lying, he has convinced himself that truth is what he wants and proclaims it to be. There is another part of interest to Trump's flagrant lying:

"Trump is telling an especially big proportion of self-serving lies. Instead of telling twice as many self-serving lies as kind lies, he told 6.6 times as many. (His overall rate of lying was higher, too, as I discussed in the article.)"

"As it turned out, that was not the most interesting finding. As I read through Trump's lies in the process of categorizing them, I realized I could not limit myself just to the categories of self-serving and kind lies. I had to add the category of cruel lies — lies that hurt or disparage, embarrass, or belittle other people. In the research my colleagues and I did, we found that only 1 or 2 percent of all lies were cruel. That's why I wasn't going to bother with them when coding Trump's lies."

In 2023, Republicans won a small majority in the House. After a protracted struggle to elect a Speaker, they launched bogus investigations and baseless attacks on their political foes. They formed a "Weaponization of Government" committee to start the weaponization of government. Their basis was false accusations against the prior Democratic majority in the House. At least twenty GOP House members seem incapable of making a true statement on the House floor, no matter what issue is under consideration or the topic discussed.

"By installing Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), an ardent 2020 election denier, as Speaker without a single dissenting vote, House Republicans have erased any doubts about where their true loyalties lie. It was bad enough that 139 House Republicans, nearly two-thirds of their caucus, voted against certifying Biden's election on Jan. 6, 2021. When their three-week struggle to elect a new Speaker ended in a total rout of traditional conservatives with the selection of a person who "took the lead in filing a brief in a lawsuit that sought to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 presidential election win, that claim, widely panned by legal scholars of all ideologies, was quickly thrown out by the U.S. Supreme Court. Only a few House Republicans remain who still feel some responsibility for public truth-telling and governing.

It is inarguable that different people and parties will advocate different policies and perspectives in any consequential discussion, and political discussions are no exception to this rule. Different perspectives are not necessarily true versus false. They can be a matter of emphasis where parties think certain matters should take priority, and others think precedence belongs elsewhere. In such situations, it is not always the case that one side or the other is speaking falsely. Differences of opinion can be legitimate. We, the People, must respect dissent, but we must not respect or accept pretense or deception disguised as honest disagreement.         

Popular Sovereignty

The American Republic is a government of, by, and for the people. Every American citizen, natural born or naturalized, has a complete and equal right to participate in political campaigns, discussions, and elections. All citizens may advocate for their political and social views, even if they are controversial or unpopular. No private citizen or public official should face endangerment due to the views they advocate or the positions they take. The just powers of government derive only from the consent of the governed. The sovereign power in American politics and governance remains with the people, and they exercise it through their votes in free and fair elections. In this context, consider this:

"Quite simply, there can be no popular sovereignty without a real belief in the value of government. If the government does not assume and carry out public responsibilities, less accountable institutions such as the corporation will do the job in their self-interest." Charles Derber

            As the Preamble states, the American Republic was ordained and established by and on behalf of "We the People." Circumstances at the time made it virtually impossible for mass participation in the Constitution's consideration, composition, and ratification via substantial popular involvement. There is no excuse for moving away from this key ideal in the twenty-first century. The U.S. government, properly constituted and construed, must be of, by, and for - us –the people!

            From now on, we have much to do and undo to make popular sovereignty operational in American governance. All voter suppression methods and measures must stop and go to the trash heap of history. Elections everywhere and at every level must be conducted fairly, with equal and authentic voting opportunities afforded to every eligible voter. All votes cast must be accurately counted, recorded, and reported. The election's winners must be duly recognized and ascend to office peacefully and promptly.

 

Rule of Law

The rule of law is another ideal that America strives to achieve but often fails to realize in ways large and small. "If men were angels, no government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed and oblige it to control itself in the next place." James Madison, Federalist Paper No. 51 (1788)

The Framers of the U.S. Constitution divided power among the different branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial) to address the problem. This framework for government, known as the separation of powers, ensures no one person can gain absolute power and stand above the law. Each branch of our government has some control or oversight over the actions of the other branches.

The rule of law functions because Most Americans of goodwill agree that it is important no one person can violate the rights of others without due process. Our Republic depends on citizens obeying the law and maintaining our social order. This circumstance is sometimes described as a social contract. The key to the rule of law is that no person in any governmental position has enough power to act as though they are above the law or a law unto themselves.

At least two Founders spoke directly regarding the crucial commitment to the Rule of Law.

There is a story that upon exiting the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was approached by a group of citizens asking what sort of government the delegates had created. He answered: "A republic, if you can keep it."  The lesson is that our Constitution is neither a self-actuating nor a self-correcting document. It requires the constant attention and devotion of all citizens. Essentially, Franklin meant Constitutional Republics are not merely founded upon the people's consent; they also depend absolutely upon the active and informed involvement of the people to keep them functional and empower them to operate so they govern all the people but rule none. The Framers did not consent to be ruled and did not want to create a system that reduced them or their posterity to the status of subjects rather than citizens.

The Constitution is the foundation of the Rule of Law. True patriotism demands an informed and intelligent devotion to it and a thorough understanding of what it says and how those sentences fit together meaningfully to create a process for governance rather than a pretext for rule.

            In the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, Thomas Jefferson stated: "In questions of powers, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution."

            The Rule of Law is crucial to bringing the unrealized ideal to fruition; these quotes clarify three reasons why this is so...

Justice Ruth Bader Ginzberg articulates the first:

"… the United States is subject to the scrutiny of a candid world ... what the United States does, for good or for ill, continues to be watched by the international community, in particular by organizations concerned with the advancement of the rule of law and respect for human dignity."

The second is conveyed below by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

"Commitment to the rule of law provides a basic assurance that people can know what to expect whether what they do is popular or unpopular at the time."           

The third comes from Justice William J. Brennan:

"The Constitution was framed fundamentally as a bulwark against governmental power, and preventing the arbitrary administration of punishment is a basic ideal of any society that purports to be governed by the rule of law."

            As should be clear, the Rule of Law ensures people in positions of authority govern rather than rule. Chief Justice Roberts quoted a predecessor on this:

"A king is born to power and can "do no wrong." Ibid. The President, by contrast, is "of the people" and subject to the law.". Chief Justice John Marshall

Justice Marshall asserts that the government's proper function and highest purpose is to serve, not be served. It also means that people can live according to their conception of what is proper rather than being intimidated by prevailing opinions about what is acceptable or laudatory and what is not. For liberty to be practical, people must be able to thank and express unpopular ideas without fear of persecution. Finally, despite having a long way to go, America still plays the role of an exemplar in the world. We can better continue making progress if the other nations of the world are also becoming more fully governments of, by, and for their people rather than bastions of authoritarianism.

Justice and Fairness

No person may abuse or exploit any other person. Every citizen of the United States must be recognized and treated as. "equal before the law," All people, wherever they live, should be given all due consideration, and the duty of fairness applies to every person regardless of ethnicity, color, Creed, primary language, gender, or sexual orientation.

The second stipulated purpose in the Preamble to the Constitution is to "establish justice." This placement indicates a high priority on governance that fulfills the ideal of "equal justice under the law," which adorns the entrance to the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, Americans have too often fallen far short of living out the true meaning of this Creed.

In a broader social context, the ideal of fairness or "fair play" is more often espoused than faithfully practiced. We also can and must do better here.

Justice and Fairness are crucial to America, being what the Founders and Framers meant it to be. Thus, We, the People, have a lot of work to do and a long time to persist. One crucial area to focus on is governance and politics. The voting rights of every citizen of age must not be denied or abridged. Dark money must have no place in politics, and honesty and logic must become more prevalent in campaigns and decision-making.

Patriotism

American patriotism has two complementary parts. First is critical patriotism, which loves the country enough to challenge it to live out the true meaning of its Creed more fully and faithfully. Second is Emotive Patriotism, which connects citizens to their country, its aspirations, achievements, symbols, and successes.

Carl Schurz conveys this duality in his dictum: "My country right or wrong; when right, to keep her right; when wrong, to put her right." Also, we must not forget that America's birth announcement stipulates "it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security," when governmental conduct "evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism." Authentic American Patriotism neither requires nor condones passivity and submission in the face of governmental actions that trash ten fundamental ideals. It demands the opposite.

            In thinking about and acting upon patriotism, we must never forget:

"Our country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle, and patriotism is loyalty to that principle."

America is the only country explicitly founded on a set of noble principles. It came from the minds of the Enlightenment, not from the mists of times long lost to human cognition. If we love America in deeds and words, our actions must exemplify these noble principles and work to make them realities in our society and culture.

Inclusivity

America is a Republic, indivisible, but it is also a mixture of various cultures in which people of different origins and ancestries have equal liberties under the law, differences are accepted and even celebrated, and opportunity, achievement, advancement, and success are ideally open to all.

Nothing makes this more evident than the following:

                        "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

                         With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

                         Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

                        The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

                        Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

                        I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

 

This value led to a lack of immigration laws for the first century and a quarter of America's existence. The twentieth and twenty-first centuries movements for civil rights, nondiscrimination, women's rights, and LGBTQ rights also reflect and advance Inclusivity.

Pursuit of Happiness

America emerged from the mind, not from the mist. People of different colors, creeds, and cultures can be Americans by birth or naturalization. The only essential American colors are the triad – displayed in our flag. Only when America lives out the true meaning of its Creed may all strive to improve their lives. They must have access to education, accommodations, and services to follow a career and advance within it. They must be credited for their achievements and compensated fairly for their efforts. Under the value of the "Pursuit of Happiness," people may live and build the life they desire if they do not violate the equal and concomitant rights of all others.

            Contrary to a common contention, the  "pursuit of happiness" is not self-indulgent.

"The pursuit of happiness is a great activity. One must be open and alive. It is the greatest feat man has to accomplish, and spirits must flow. There must be courage. There are no easy ruts to get into which lead to happiness." ~ Robert Henri

            The Founders took this value to heart.

"Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends [life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness], it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it and to institute new government." ~ Thomas Jefferson

The Common Good

Government exists for the good of the governed; its just powers come from the consent of the governed, and proper governance acts to promote the common security and general well-being of all the governed. The Founders and Framers had this perspective due to their study and acceptance of the wisdom of the ancient philosophers. Remember – those who created and launched America were men of the Enlightenment:

"It is clear that those constitutions which aim at the common good are right, as being in accord with absolute justice; while those which aim only at the good of the rulers are wrong."    Aristotle

The transition from the Declaration of Independence, which launched America as a human endeavor, and the Constitution ordaining and establishing a Republic to continue that endeavor undeniably relied upon the ideal of the Common Good.

The Declaration concludes:

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

The Constitution picks up these themes of mutuality and commitment at its very beginning:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

If there is any doubt about the aspirations and intentions of those who launched the American Republic – heed this stipulation by the "Father of the Constitution."

"The aim of every political Constitution is or ought to be first to obtain for   rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust." ~ James Madison

 

Though the ancestors of Americans living today came from differing shores in different ships under differing circumstances, we are all in the same boat now! Any contemporary principled patriot who allows governance for other than the Common Good, that person betrays both the Founders and the Framers and every American who has died defending the country and Constitution they created all those years ago!

The issue has risen again:

"THESE are the times that try our souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but they that stand by it now deserve the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."

So, my compatriots – which side are you on?

 

 

 

Larry Conley

 




 





30 May, 2021

On This Memorial Day




On the final Monday
Of the warming, blooming month of May
Many will pause, and some will recall
Those who ultimately gave their all

This is fitting, and this is proper
And we owe them time; we owe them honor
For the fallen brave do not truly die
No matter how long and peacefully they lie

So long as there are some who don’t forget
To make a payment on this solemn debt
For glory illuminates the soldier’s grave
And beauty will ever cherish the brave.

Let them sleep in quiet rest.
They, our bravest and our best
They fought the fight and bore the scars
All glory is indeed theirs, and the duty surely is ours.

No matter how many years have passed
We must remember to the last
They died for us and for this land
So, we could in this moment stand

And with loud voices raise a cheer
For those who faced and conquered fear
Oh, time and weather kindly spare
These fallen heroes who did dare

To die and leave all us to live on free
And the banner we unfurl over thee.
All honor be thine through future days
Let scrolls and pillars speak fulsome praise

And cruel neglect must never claim the dead
Who bravely fought and ultimately shed
Blood and summoned tears and words to say
Thanks to them all on this - the Essential Holiday!


Memorial Day is the essential holiday because without the people and deeds Memorial Day commemorates there would be no other Patriotic, National American holidays.

Heroes are no braver than ordinary citizens, but they are brave for five minutes longer - even to the point of dying.

“The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and most solemn duty of citizenship are bearing arms for one’s country while the greatest act of patriotism is laying down one’s life for its sake.”

Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by those individuals who will freely struggle and bravely sacrifice in the cause of freedom.



23 May, 2020

”Americans must be American Again!"



Americans must be Americans Again!
Let them dream afresh the noble dream that made us see.
Let true patriots arise and renew America's claim
Of being the home of the brave and the land of the free

Let Americans recall the Framers' aims—
Let them build that bountiful land we once swore to love
Where neither tyrants' ploys nor traitors' games
Force anyone from anywhere to bow to those above.

Let Americans strive anew to make America the sweet land of Liberty
One unscarred by false pride or jealous greed,
Where the air is redolent with the scent of true Equality,
And Opportunity proliferates to answer every need.

Let us reclaim the poorer Whites, incited, duped, and driven wild,
And welcome the Reds from whom far too much has been seized.
And embrace the Blacks still scarred from being slavery's child
And accept the Yellows once into internment wrongly squeezed.

Welcome the immigrants clutching fast to hope in desperate need—
Fighting bravely against the same hard-hearted, vicious band
Ever to incite hatred, fear, and spite and to slake their rapacious greed
To keep others away from their places in this fortunate and promised land.

Let Americans look to the youth, all full of courage, hope, and daring-do
And keep them safe from that vast, far-reaching web of vile shams
Of propaganda, plots, and profiteering plans, of malice through and through!
Of broken promises and devious tales promoting nefarious scams

Let Americans demand an end to defaming workers and stealing their pay!
Of everything to slake one's lust and nothing for any other's need
Let them join with farmers who depend on soil and weather's whim each day.
And enlist all workers to end the stranglehold of corporate greed.

Let all Americans again dream those storied dreams.
That arduous work, skill, and ingenuity can lift all to new heights
That today's battles presage the bloom of more benevolent themes.
Let us, though beleaguered now, persevere in securing to all their Rights.

O, Patriots! You are they who never bowed in the face of woe and fears,
You are they who bravely raised the banner of the hallowed ideals
Who fought on though battered and disrespected all these many years.
You alone never forgot how devotion to the best within us feels.

While dreaming a dream so right, so bright in hue,
It shined through all the stone, concrete, and steel,
So forever more its mighty clarion rings forth anew
To make Americans strive to now prove their noble commitments real.

Americans are children of those who crossed the storm-tossed sea
All descendants of travelers from obscure and ominous climes,
Who risked all they had in a quest for what might and ought to be
Braving the waves in different ships from diverse shores at distinct times

Americans, no matter the strand from which their families came
Hope against hope to make themselves and their posterity free.
Now with courage, we rightly claim American as our honored name
And make America everything to everyone that it might and ought to be.

Let Americans once again recall all the evils we've fought and felled
And sing again the stirring anthems we so long have known
And hope again all the soaring aspirations we'd so fervently long held
And lift all the brave banners again that for centuries we've joyously flown

Though millions now have lost so much, they've almost nothing is left to lose
Though many are yet striving the cherished name, American, to win
We vow the dream has never died and will not die while we can still choose!
O' let Americans be Americans again

We, the people, who have as yet too seldom been
Must now see, the land we have is the land we make
And despite the odds, rise and insist Americans be Americans again.
Through the truths we tell and the risks we take

We must recall the meaning of ideals we once so cherished
And as Americans boldly and solemnly, our authentic Democracy reclaim
Our principles, purposes, and promises before they have perished
We must again lift our national vision and focus on the highest plain.

Americans: Female, Male, Black, Brown, Red, Yellow, and White
All need to focus on the who, what, where, why, and when
And, arising together to carry forward the grand and glorious fight
By insisting, at long last, that "Americans must be Americans Again!"



21 May, 2020

Make America Good Again!


Our Founders described America in their famous Declaration
It set forth the premises and promises of our emergent Nation.
Its purposes and processes make up the Constitution,
Though as yet, we've not brought them to fruition.

American officials are elected to govern, not to rule.
Just power is not a weapon, but a tool.
Elected office is a chance to mend each fault and fissure.
It is not a sinecure for making oneself richer.

Power must be an instrument of progress, not selfish gain
Those who deploy power meanly the Nation's honor stain,
Every agency and officer must secure all citizens' inalienable rights.
Whether these citizens be Blacks, Browns, Reds, Yellows, or Whites

America's Republic forms one Nation and one people - indivisible.
Words and deeds that disrupt our unity are frankly impermissible.
All authentically patriotic Americans must rally to its banner
And assure liberty and justice for all in a firm and honorable manner.

Now we once again face times that try our souls.
Will we stand by America's ideals and struggle for its goals?
Without a renewed commitment of lives, fortunes, and sacred honor,
The last, best hope of humankind may soon become a goner.

Will we prove to be sunshine patriots and summer soldiers?
Or will we now resolve to take this burden on our shoulders?
Will we find the courage celebrated in our stories and songs?
And rise in unity and right many of the wrongs.

Although times are turbulent, the raging battle is not lost;
Now, all true American patriots must pay a portion of the cost.
Let us resume the struggle to bring our principles to be;
And ensure treachery no longer stains the banner of the free

America will not bloom as what it must and ought to be
Unless all of us assume and well perform our solemn duty
Our hallowed Republic and its Constitutional ideals
Will not function fully while so many blithely cool their heels,

America's Creed is splendid and no burden to defend
But if words don't become actions, our shame will never end.
Every sworn and silent enemy, we must confront and rout.
Citizens must affirm and advance the Creed and act to carry it out!

So, my dear compatriots, there's not much more to say.
The crucial question remains: "Will we rally and save the day?"
Despite our manifest differences, we are all equally human,
And the mission driving us forward must be "E Pluribus Unum!"



20 May, 2020

Every Citizen An Heir


We, the People, in far too large a measure, have either forgotten or willfully ignored a fundamental and abiding truth of the American Republic. It is not now, nor has it ever been an accomplished fact. It began as and remains an ongoing quest. The “Republic, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” to which so many Americans have so often pledged allegiance is not some idyllic paradise in which tranquility reigns and with it ongoing survival and success assured. 

The Republic will endure, when and only when we the living hereby highly resolve that its roots have been watered by the blood of patriots who fought against all its enemies be they foreign or domestic. The Republic will succeed and bloom when our eternal vigilance and dutiful diligence engages and energizes us to constructive action to advance unity, liberty, justice, community, and prosperity for all Americans and for America as a polity. The Republic will wither if too many of us take it for granted or withdraw into personal fixations or trivial pursuits.

If We, the People, do not intelligently and indefatigably take care of the Republic, it will undoubtedly be taken from us and from our posterity. We, the Republic, must recognize that no one of us is them; there is no them! There is only US! Accordingly, the vast majority of Americans must supplant I in their political and social creeds and efforts so that Illness is transformed to Wellness. United we soar but divided we stall. From here onward, We, the People, must demand that those in power must see the Many as One and this perspective means WE all are US!

Every person born or naturalized in the United States is a citizen of the United States and of their state of residence. Every citizen is an heir to the foundational premises and fundamental promises of the American Revolution, and no citizen will be able to fully benefit from her or his inheritance or make the most of it until and unless the following principles are overwhelmingly accepted and pervasively practiced:


1.         The complete and equal humanity of every person is recognized and respected regardless of any differentiating physical, philosophical, intellectual, or social characteristics, or personal and sexual preferences among them.

2.         Each human is acknowledged to have the full complement of inherent natural rights, and these rights are recognized and respected in all persons by every person.

3.         Governments derive their just powers from the consent of all the governed, as ascertained through a free, fair, unfettered, and inclusive voting process.

4.         Whenever people in authority fail to protect and promote the natural rights, deserved privileges, and immunities of all citizens or to ensure every citizen has the full range of civil rights and civil liberties enjoyed by any citizen, it is the right and duty of citizens to depose such people and choose new officials to so protect, promote, and ensure.

5.         We support the realization of the preceding or progress toward it with our efforts, our resources, and our unremitting dedication.

6.         Unity of principle, purpose, and practice is continually improving throughout the land.

7.         Justice is established and functions effectively for everyone.

8.         Americans enjoy peace among themselves and insofar as possible are at peace with all the nations and peoples of the Earth.

9.         Americans contribute according to their abilities to a common defense of America.

10.       Robust and shared prosperity reflects, promotes, and sustains the general welfare of all.

11.       Our parents, ourselves, our posterity, and our compatriots enjoy the blessings of liberty to the maximum extent possible. 

12.       Involuntary servitude does not exist in the United States except as a punishment exclusively for people duly convicted of crimes.  

13.       No state may make or enforce any law which abridges the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States. And no state may deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, and no state may deny any person subject to its jurisdiction the full and equal protection of the law.

14.       The right of any citizen of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude, political persuasion, sexual orientation, gender, social status, religious or philosophical creed, ethnicity, or ancestry. 

18 June, 2019

Let's Censure President Trump Tomorrow!




Let's censure President Trump for lying
And disgracing all our country has stood for
Abusing all the power that we gave him
And for money-grubbing like none ever have before

He's the man who hired all the criminals -
Alt-Right scammers who bring racism to the fore
They call fiction fact to fill the credulous with fury
And divide our citizens and rot our nation’s core

Let's censure the President for sowing
Doubt among our allies far and wide
Breaking every promise kept for decades
And hugging vicious tyrants to his side

What if Saudia Arabia attacked those tankers
Would Trump’s Regime have been brave enough to say
Sheltering MBS through corrupt connections
That pretend a vicious murder is okay?

Drip - Drop
Drip - Drop
Drip - Drop
Drip - Drop

Let's censure the president for totally lacking
The ethics, wisdom, and dedication we expected
Serving the desires of his donors and corporations
While utterly leaving duty and diligence neglected

Let’s censure the president for betraying
America’s honor routinely on the World scene
Picking fights with nations who share our values
And putting a nightmare in place of America’s dream


Photo credit: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51b89491e4b03168d3436df5/t/5b5751442b6a28ce3b673b9b/1532449092686/CENSURE+TRUMP+by+J.+Bernstein.pdf


14 June, 2019

A Republic Born Anew – 2019/2020






Based on ideals so dear and long held to be true
Can the Republic, now so much imperiled, rise and live anew?
Will a government of the people with powers fine and just
Triumph o’er the cabal of greed, conceit, and ruinous lust?

Will we give our full effort and bestow our due consent?
Or in the battle for the future will we ignobly shrink and timidly relent?
Will we now – stand by our country - as the storm rages,
Or will we shrink from our solemn duty to the ages?

In this Crisis, that so sternly tries the soul
Will we work tirelessly and nobly to make the nation whole?
As all, have the rights to liberty and life,
Why do we far too often writhe in vicious strife?

As individuals strive to begin or continue a happiness’ pursuit,
Why must some deny to any their chosen and unique route?
At the venerable age of two hundred and forty-five,
Does the radiant dream of the inception remain genuinely alive?

Or is it more akin to ashes, debris, and dust
To the strongest iron of mighty ships now, sadly gone to rust?
By clamorous fools and uncouth fears, we stand too much divided.
Are the fondest hopes of ages past now abandoned and derided?

The power grabbers and money grubbers have pushed us to the brink.
Why can’t we, the People, stop squabbling and finally stop to think?
Regrettfully the heroes of the past are gone. Come on, people; now it is our time.
Can we yet see the reason? Can we still sense the rhyme?

If we should fail, do we appreciate what value will be lost?
If we won’t bear any burden or we won’t pay every cost.
Will we now stand up for America and earn undying love?
Or will we flee into escapism since push has come to shove?

Can this current cohort of voters prove their loyalties are real?
Can it find somehow the concern and the courage to help the nation heal?
Can we hear the haunting chords so faint come from afar?
They play upon our spirits to remind us who we are.

From battlefields and patriot graves, a spirit is in motion,
To call young and old to give a full measure of devotion.
Hark, the trumpet calls me once again, and it calls all of you too.
To arouse the best within us, and ensure the Republic thrives anew.






[The worst thing that can happen to the Republic is not that it is ferociously and skillfully attacked, but that it is feebly and ineptly defended.]

Photo Credit: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqEUgVJ23P3MWTZzeSDIDZ5ird8gCQj4idT94KqSPsMc3hxeS_RORttjT28qeovGP8fmpnNOtr0cdJimtIJUr1nFjMdzXUOnNQg_zl_rfe8xnhQQomLHb6syzL0eLZ-cMsPWV_9wQprdU/s1600/Founders.jpg