Wake Up, America
In late February 2021, Myanmar, the former Burma, experienced a takeover of its fragile democracy by its military, supported by its police. As is always the case with such dictatorial juntas, the press was throttled, the right to assemble, and the right to vote were curtailed. Tanks and armed soldiers and police patrolled the streets of every major city. The military, with its natural ally the police, threatened protestors with death for violations of these emergency laws. The “emergency” was the usual lie of “National Security.” In the deadly face of these laws, millions of unarmed Burmese took to the streets. One 17-year-old young man was quoted as saying, “I am willing to give my life to protect our democracy for future generations.” Precisely the sentiment that our Founders pledged their fortunes, lives, and sacred honor to secure and defend.
At the same time, a lengthy article in our press opined on the “boredom” Americans were suffering from because of the social restrictions of Covid-19. Americans were dealing with their boredom by a record mania of consumerism, alcohol, and drugs … the signature diseases of affluenza. The usual “experts” pompously, lovingly, and forgivingly opined on the psychological sources of this national boredom and its remedies. They were doing so not one month after their own democracy suffered its greatest threat for survival since the Civil War… the assault on our national institutions by “Patriot” thugs and hypocritical “Christians” in support of the lies of a pathologically self-absorbed, draft-dodging ex-President.
We are in a suicidal war among ourselves. Whether a flabby people – in their bodies, minds, morals, and souls – can remain free, is a question that we, or our grandchildren, or their children at the latest, will certainly live to see answered. History provides no encouraging parallels
The only exit from this future will be a nation of brave and committed Americans willing to risk something more than their divided opinions. It will take, in a word, citizenship, a citizenship both unselfish and sacrificial.
John “Jack” Hyland, Vietnam combat veteran.
Dear Jack,
Thank you for your well-written article. Thank you for your Service to our Country. I did not serve in War as you did, Brother, although I am also a Veteran who served in Army from 1981-87 and in National Guard from 1988-2005, including three months at WTC Recovery Site. Thank you for so eloquently exposing the hypocrisy of certain Christians who willfully ignore the Legion of Lies and Transgressions that have come from the draft dodger Donald Trump, the first nominee of a major political party NOT to concede he lost an election. Perhaps they should read in the Book of Revelation where it says that the Beast (antiChrist) appeared to have suffered a fatal blow to one of his heads but recovered. Trump has willfully deceived millions of his followers. To those of them who wound up in jail, who fell on their sword for him, who he threw under the bus, why didn’t he pardon them when he had the authority to do so? To those individuals, who Donald Trump says he will now pardon if he is re-elected, don’t believe him. You were fooled once: he’ll fool you again.
You served our Country, Jack. Mr. Trump got a doctor to write that he had ‘bone Spurs’ so he could evade personal responsibility. Yet he had the balls to criticize and denigrate the the Service of Vietnam POW Senator John McCain.
Your analogy of how some of us viewed the COVID 19 restrictions as due to ‘affluenza’ is spot/on. The arrogant Trump even subjected his own Secret Service detail to COVID 19 when they transported him to Walter Reed Medical Center for treatment by not wearing a mask. Thank you Brother, for sounding the alarm about this dangerous man, Trump, who admittedly wants to be a ‘dictator on day one.’ To those who were fooled once by Mr. Trump, don’t get fooled again.
Sometimes there are just too many Yankees. If we had had sufficient troops at Saratoga and Yorktown, we wouldn’t need such sage advice. We could defer to our betters, our lords on high, and be done with it.