The Dream  Is Not Dead
by Hank Silverberg 

       "I see an America with its best days ahead. I see a rich multicultural society where independent thought and accomplishment are alive and well. I see an America where people of modest means, if they work hard and play by the rules, can still be happy in their work and in their leisure, secure from foreign threats and domestic instability."

      "The other party would like to go backwards to what they say was a simpler, better time. But you know what? It wasn’t better. Leaders like FDR and others made great sacrifices in the last two centuries to preserve, protect and defend our nation as a beacon of democracy in the world. Thousands died at Gettysburg, Omaha Beach, and the Chosin Reservoir so that their children and grandchildren could live free from want and fear. We should not be going backwards, back to a time that the other party says was better. We need to move forward as an example to the world of what freedom really means." 

Those words were spoken by a presidential candidate. No, not a current one, or even an historical one.  Those are words I put in the mouth of a fictional  presidential candidate in my book, "The Campaign," which I wrote just as the 2016 election cycle was getting underway.   

I bring the fictional quote up here, at the top of this week's blog not as a plug for the book (though I hope you will read it) but because we are not getting any kind of dream or vision of this country from the current crop of real candidates.  President Trump's only vision seems to be to wipe out everything Barack Obama did as President, like the Paris accords on climate change, the Iran nuclear treaty, environmental regulations and our leadership role in the global economy and politics.  

From the Democrats, Joe Biden seems to think everything is just great, and with just a few tweaks on what was done during his two terms as Vice President, all will be well. But that is not the case either. 

Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders believe breaking up big banks and big pharma will make things better, but they provide no vision on what will replace them. No, it's not socialism or communism. It's something they can't seem to define. Again, no vision. 
  
And so, when a real threat like the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to plague us, everyone seeks a shortcut. Let's murder a few nasty leaders and add more sanctions, some say. But that didn't work with ISIS or Al Quida.  No, let's get our old allies to help us reign them in, even though that didn't work for the last 30 years when we still had allies that trusted us.  

There's no thought of doing what America has always done best. Lead by example. Keep high moral standards, react with thought and a plan and not with a six-shooter in hand. 

We have failed this time to do what John F.  Kennedy cautioned us about in his 1961 Inaugural Address. 

“Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate." 

But I am not one of those talking-head pundits who thinks they can solve every problem. I do not claim to have a solution. And I, unlike those mentioned above, am not asking for your vote. What I am asking is for you to speak out, and force those people who do seek your vote to explain not just what they will do about climate change, or how they handle more aggression from Iran. Ask them about their vision for America and the world. America First won't work. It didn't in the early 20th century, and it won't in the early 21st either. The vision must be broader, to include both the have's

and the have-nots. It must be based on the sound principals our Founding Father's outlined in the 18th century, but applied with both logic and emotion to the current day. 

The United States split in two in 1861-1865 because we forgot the vision on which the country was founded. We had failed to correct some original mistakes that our Founding Fathers could not heal. It cost 600,000 American lives to get back on track, a lost generation of both brains and brawn that took over a hundred years to replace. 

I fear that unless we retain the best parts of our original vision now -  liberty, and justice for ALL, then the United States as it was conceived will soon cease to exist before the lifetime of my children ends.      

 News Notes:
Down Under is on fire. Twenty seven people are dead, 2,000 homes have been destroyed, billions of animals have been slaughtered as hundreds of brush fires continue to consume millions of acres in Australia. It is that country's worst disaster--ever. Brush fires on that continent are not unusual this time of year. Some of them were set by natural causes like dry lightning, and others were man made. But scientists who study such phenomenon say all of them have been worse than usual because of climate change. The continent is drier and  hotter than most summers in the past, and getting worse.   

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/australia-fires-how-climate-change-has-intensified-the-deadly-bushfires/

This map was grabbed January 10th from the New South Wales Government. At this writing the fires are still growing. 

So there is a message here for the world and climate change deniers. The impact of ignoring the issue for decades has cost us and will continue to get worse.   

Also this week, trouble for the American Princess and her husband. Meghan and Harry, apparently already fed up with Fleet Street

(Courtesy of PA: Press Association) 

meddling and British racism, don't want to be part of the Royal Family any more. They announced they plan to spend much of their time in North America (probably Canada) and limit their commitment to royal events, while trying to earn their own income. The Prince and the former Meghan Markle say they want a better sociological climate for their son, Archie. They did not, however, talk all this over with  Grandma, Dad, nor big brother. Needless to say, the Queen was not amused.  

But to all this I say, "Meh!" Should we really care?  It's probably good for young Archie, but it's not my family, and it's really none of our business. You should, however, remember that Harry's mother, Princess Diana, was literally hounded to death by the British paparazzi, so I get it. Good luck Harry and Meghan. 


     (Your comments and suggestions are welcome. See section below) 
                                                                 

(In case you want to read that book mentioned in this blog, you can get a copy at Amazon.com, BN.com or a signed copy  at a reduced price with my signature by emailing me hanksilverberg@gmail.com)