The Race To A Vanishing Point

 

The writing is on the wall. BIG writing! 

The U.S. has again unleashed forces it cannot control, to obtain some perceived geopolitical advantage, and give itself some edge in the grand game of chess, played on an immense, impersonal macro-cosmic scale __ which ignores individual tragedy, human suffering, destruction of peoples and cultures, wholesale slaughter of innocent civilians __ gradually edging the world toward the ultimate confrontation, the really big one, where we get to see what comes out of the other end of a nuclear confrontation.

We obviously learned nothing from our original meddling in Afghanistan, which produced Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda; our meddling in Iran, which produced the current regime we are still trying to dominate; our meddling and war with Iraq, which now has resulted in ISIS; our meddling and destruction of Libya, which now has the country in shambles and has helped spread chaos and carnage across the Middle East and northern Africa.

We just had to meddle even more, and create the current crisis in Ukraine by toppling the democratically-elected government there, then installing a fierce, racist, ultra-nationalistic "pro-Western" puppet regime which will ultimately put us eyeball-to-eyeball with Russia, a world power armed to the teeth with nuclear missiles.

David Swanson points out in an excellent article that prior to the both World War I and World War II, the public remained clueless as to the onset of war. This despite the fact that all the alarms, signals and flags were in plain sight, huge glaring signs that war was where things were inevitably heading. 

This despite concerned men and women, keen observers, highly visible pundits and scholars __ though admittedly they were in the minority and fatefully shouted down by the usual crowd of bombastic exceptionalists and grinning fools __ issuing grave and sober warnings, dire and thoughtful forecasts, based on sound and knowledgeable analysis, that the world was marching toward a disaster.

Similarly, the evidence is right before us, big pieces of a straightforward puzzle, which even the most simple-minded dolt could assemble into the frightening picture it is.

The insensitive, reckless, aggressive policies of the U.S. are precipitating World War III.

History has dramatically demonstrated that in the heat of major conflict, cooler heads never prevail. This coming war could and probably will go nuclear.

There is, of course, every reason to be concerned about putting food on the table, seeing our kids off to school, showing up for work, keeping the house and yard looking nice, making our homes comfortable for those we love.

But there's even more reason for preserving a world where there are things like food, tables, kids, schools, places to work, houses, yards, homes . . . those we love.

Am I just being a pessimist? An alarmist? A paranoid?

That's what they said about those folks who back before 1914 who were trying to get people to pay attention __ over 17,000,000 people then died in the conflagration of World War I.

That's what they said about many alarmed but certainly better informed folks in the 1920s and 1930s, who said that the Treaty of Versailles was a prescription for major disaster and could only end in a catastrophic conflict. 72,000,000 dead bodies from the greatest war in human history __ so far __ proved them right.

History repeats itself again and again . . . until it doesn't.

Until there is no more history.

Until it's all gone, and there is no longer anyone left to be annoyed by pleas for sanity and prayers for peace.

Then the planet will be governed by a vast, all-embracing quiet, when only the scurrying of cockroaches across a dusty, barren landscape offers evidence of life on Earth.



[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

United?

"The United States of America!" 

Doesn't saying it just make your heart leap for joy?

I start hearing the national anthem play in my head, see the rockets red glare
bursting in air, the American flag waving majestically over the capital
skyline.

But I started wondering the other day:  What exactly does the 'united' stand
for?  What exactly during these contentious, deeply divisive, tragically
troubled times does it mean?

'United' would seem to imply Unity. Agreement. Fellowship. Consensus. Harmony.

Does that sound like contemporary America to you?

Here are some big questions . . .

Are we united by a sense of national purpose?

Are we united by a belief in our destiny and place in history? 

Are we united by confidence in our superiority?

Are we united in our belief in American exceptionalism?

Are we united in our desire for empire?

Are we united by a love for our fellow Americans?

Are we united by our patriotism and sense of duty?

Or . . . are we united by our indifference?

Are we united by our faith in the American Dream?

Or . . . are we united by our pessimism?

Our cynicism?

How about some systemic issues . . .

Are we united in our faith in capitalism?

Are we united in the trust of our government?

Are we united in our belief in American democracy?

Are we united by a trust in God?

A system of shared values?

An ethos?

Are we united by our sense of self-determination?

Or . . . are we united by our sense of helplessness?

Our vulnerability and fatalism?

Our surrender?

How about some very specific issues . . .

Are we united in our love of guns?

Are we united by our freedom of speech?

Are we united by our disdain for socialism?

Are we united by the War on Terror?

Are we united by our hatred of Muslims?

Then there's the psychological component . . .

Are we united by love?

Or . . . are we united by hate?

Are we united by courage?

Bravado?

Self-respect?

Or . . . are we united by fear?

Are we united by our optimism?

Or . . . are we united by our despair?

Our desperation?

Our doubt?

Here I believe is a really important question: Where does the rugged
individualism which we see as the hallmark of a true American fit in?

How can we be united if we each have our own priorities and agenda?

Maybe we're not united at all.

Maybe it's all an illusion.

Maybe the United States of America is more like United Airlines, or United 
Van Lines. Catchy name but it doesn't really allude to any real or even
imagined unity.

And speaking of huge corporations, maybe we are united as customers,
shareholders and employees of the vast corporations which seem to run
everything these days. We are the biologic modules of a sprawling
corporate Gaia, united in our service to interlocking clusters of
entrepreneurial entities.

Less abstract and more the stuff of day-to-day living . . .

Are we united by the automobile?

Are we united by television?

Are we united by smart phones?

Are we united by the internet?

Holiday sales?

Shopping?

Football?

Which makes me wonder . . .

Maybe we're just a bunch of lonely people who need to feel like we belong to something.

Or maybe not.


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

Russia Bad! America Good!

 
Did you know that Joseph Stalin proposed in 1952 that Germany be reunited as a single neutral country with free elections? The main condition was that Germany not be part of a NATO alliance, which it viewed as a military threat. Russia was under enormous pressure economically after being ravaged by World War II and wanted to reduce the growing tensions between the East and the West.

Of course, by ridiculing and ignoring this proposal it would take another forty years of Cold War hostility and posturing to reunite Germany, then as an loyal ally and military stronghold of the
U.S. __ though interestingly Germany now is Russia's most important European trading partner.

Did you know that prior to the 1963 Cuban missile crisis, Nikita Khrushchev for almost a decade proposed substantial reductions in offensive weapons? That while America was implementing the largest peace time military build-up in history, Russia was actually reducing its military capability?

Khrushchev finally became convinced, especially after the U.S. placed in nearby Turkey nuclear-tipped Jupiter missiles which could easily reach Russia, that America was bent on attacking the Soviet Union. That was the underlying reason for deploying nuclear missiles in Cuba, precipitating one of the most dangerous crises in history. Perhaps not the wisest thing to do, given the level of tensions the U.S. maintained with its constant "better dead than Red" fear mongering, nevertheless
the missiles in Cuba were basically the Soviet's attempt to achieve some sort of parity, at least a minimal acceptable level of mutually assured destruction with America.

Did you know that in 1983 the U.S. risked starting World War III with provocative and unnecessary probing of Soviet air defenses? This was purely a strategic and psychological maneuver intended to bolster support Reagan was soliciting from Congress and U.S. allies for his Star Wars missile defense system. Because at this same time the U.S. was deploying nuclear-tipped Pershing II missiles in Europe which only had a5-minute flight time to key targets in Russia, Soviet leadership understandably viewed Star Wars not as a defensive system but as the means for establishing a first-strike capability. And it suspected the probing of its air space and testing of its defense systems was a prelude to an attack. Speculation about a first-strike nuclear attack on Russia continues to this day.

Did you know that both Reagan and Gorbachev in the end were quite sincere about totally eliminating nuclear weapons by the end of the 20th Century, that their verbal agreement during a summit in Reykjavik, Iceland to work toward eliminating the nuclear arsenals of both Russia and the U.S. was quite authentic? This was not posturing. Moreover, did you know that the whole idea for eliminating the entire nuclear arsenals of both countries was initiated by Soviet Premier Gorbachev in a letter to President Reagan January 14, 1986?   It was a his idea.

Did you know that Russia only has ten foreign military bases? This is in contrast to what many estimate to be over 1000 in at minimum 156 countries by the U.S.  A cursory glance at a world map shows that a substantial number of these bases form a ring around Russia. Even the most impartial observer would not view this as a coincidence and would at least appreciate why Putin and company see much of what America does as provocative, if not blatantly confrontational __ why some analysts on both sides conjecture that America is preparing to launch a "preemptive" nuclear attack on Russia, begging the question what such an attack would preempt other than the continuation of the human species.

Did you know that contrary to headlines which screamed foul in the American media, Russia never invaded Crimea? The simple fact is that there were 16,000 troops already stationed there, as per a standing treaty with the Ukrainian government. When the elected President of the Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych __ certainly corrupt and questionable in his own right __ was run out of the country by street thugs, understandably these troops were instructed to protect key physical assets in the region, as well as make sure that the many native Russians who were living there remained safe. There was no firefight, no resistance. After over 4/5ths of eligible voters demanded in a internationally-monitored referendum to rejoin Russia, the region which had been part of Russia going back to 1786, returned to Russian authority __ hardly an invasion by any stretch of the imagination. No troops stormed over the border. No shots were fired.

Did you know that far from being the instigator of the current crisis in the Ukraine, Putin has consistently played peacemaker and attempted to defuse the situation, even as native Russians came under threat from the new government in Kiev, and now are mercilessly being slaughtered in order to ethnically cleanse the Ukraine of all Russian influence? Neo-Nazis now comprise the shock troops rampaging through the eastern regions and assaulting Donetsk and Luhansk, the two strongholds of pro-Russian separatists.

Moreover, contrary to the narrative being pushed by the White House __ obviously the work of neocon lunatics still infesting the government in the State Department and think tanks within the beltway __ the evidence is quite clear that the entire coup was engineered and directed by the U.S., using agent provocateur NGOs, funded by National Endowment for Democracy. Senator John McCain and Asst. U.S. Secretary of State Victoria Nuland were even on the front lines during the demonstrations. This is, of course, not what you're being told by the American press, which with
the White House itself leading the charge continues to pin all of the blame on Russia and Putin.

Now am I making a one-sided case here? Of course not. There have for over six decades, extending right up till the present, gross deceptions and blunders on both sides. I bring up the above examples because the collective memory of the American public seems to be very short. Or more likely, many well-meaning Americans may not even be familiar with these particular facts in the first place. Anything good about the Soviets __ and now the Russians __ tends to be overwhelmed and replaced by the  firmly entrenched and much easier to embrace "black hat" characterization we now hear regurgitated over and over.

What I am saying is there has already been so much misunderstanding, miscalculation, and missed opportunities, that to compound our bleak and tendentious relationship with Russia with more misunderstanding, miscalculation, and missed opportunities, is courting disaster. It's that simple. What's been going on is not working. Time for a new approach.

And I am also saying that America lately bears more than its share of responsibility for the distortions, the slander, the disinformation, which has aggravated hostility toward Russia both by leaders in their official capacities, and now by American citizens, who never seem to run out of foreign peoples to fear, mistrust, even hate.

Let me throw something else into the mix here. This is probably the most important factor whenever we look at Russia and try to gauge her motives and intents.

The Soviet Union lost more than 21,000,000 people in World War II. Most were killed in the Russian homeland itself as a result of the overwhelming German Nazi blitz. Over a half million died in the Battle of Stalingrad alone.

That is why they are fearful of having troops and/or ballistic missiles on their borders __ as in the Ukraine or Georgia. They have been gritting their teeth as NATO has edged its way closer and closer to Russia __ contrary, by the way, to reassurances given right after the fall of the Berlin wall and the reunification of Germany. America lost 420,000 soldiers during all of World War II, fighting on two fronts, in Europe and the Far East. If we had seen 22,000,000 Americans killed, the blood of the majority spilled right here on our own soil, how would we feel about having troops, nuclear-tipped tactical missiles, and ballistic missile defense radars and interceptors arrayed along the Canadian or Mexican borders? How would we read the intention of any nation insisting on putting these on
our borders?

As they say, this is not rocket science.

What might require the intellectual aptitude of a rocket scientist is trying to understand what America's strategic planners have in mind in promoting this agenda. It undermines any possibility of peace between the two great powers and risks thermonuclear war.

Am I a Russia lover?

An America hater?

Neither.

I just think before we kill a few more million people or destroy the world, we might want to look at both sides of each issue, maybe mentally trade places, try to be fair and reasonable, give our all to try to understandexactly what is going on.

And a big part of understanding issues is knowing history, taking into consideration what has been occurring for decades, sometimes even centuries. To paraphrase Santayana: "Those who do not remember their past are condemned to repeat their mistakes."

It would be one thing if the feud between Obama and Putin were just some school yard scrap between two pubescent boys over the hottest girl on the cheer leading team  __ it certainly at times resembles that. But these are the heads of state for two major countries armed to the teeth with nuclear missiles, weighed with almost seven decades of bad blood between them, much of the bad blood alarmingly the product of gross misunderstanding. The price of more of the same aggravation and contentiousness is at best wasting valuable resources and energy which could be devoted to mounting crises __ climate change, the rapid destruction of the oceans, spread of antibiotic-resistant disease, depletion of water resources throughout the world, increasing risk of widespread famine, the urgent need to secure vast stockpiles of nuclear weapons from access by terrorists __ at worst an epic nuclear holocaust which puts the human race in a giant coffin.

Isn't it time to put away the gang colors?

The black hats and the white hats?

Russia Bad! America Good!

Nothing is that simple.

Unless you're simpleminded.


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

National Values 103

My previous blog was on air. So far the rich and powerful have not figured out a way to sell us the air we breathe. That's not to say it isn't coming. I can easily picture a future where the air is so foul and toxic, that we all are toting around behind us on little wheels, mobile tanks of breathable air, with plastic tubes running up to our nostrils. They'll probably have a Monsanto logo on them.

In that piece, I attacked the compromising and abuse of one of our most fundamental biological rights. Bush's comically-named CLEAR SKIES is a perfect example of the lords of industry writing the rules for their own advantage, condemning tens of thousands of us to die prematurely by cutting corners on our basic human right to breathe clean air.

In this posting, I want to focus strictly on how you and I are being systematically robbed of yet another thing, something so basic to life, something so pervasive and necessary, that lacking it our entire planet would look like the moon. We look at another one of those fundamental absolutes that is being stolen from us in the name of progress.

In his powerful speech "Where Do We Go From Here?" on August 16, 1967 in Atlanta, GA, Dr. Martin Luther King asked, "Why is it that people have to pay water bills in a world that's two-thirds water?"

Damn good question.

To single out this remark is not a trivialization of this great man's vision. He was talking in general about our system of ownership, where a small elite of well-to-do capitalists wield the power to exploit everyone else.

Think about it . . .

Water.

The human organism basically is protoplasmic material floating in around 42 quarts of water held in a big sack made of skin. Water is about as basic to being human as it gets. We are 60% water.

Why should we have to pay for water?

Does asking this making me some raving pinko commie socialist?

Water has gradually become commodified. We used to just go down to the well in the center of the village. Then cities and counties provided water treatment facilities, publicly owned then later very tightly regulated by municipal governments. This held the price for access to high quality water at a bare minimum. Now it's slowly being privatized. And the quality of municipally available water is being gradually degraded so that it's no longer safe to drink. We end up going to the supermarket to buy water in large plastic jugs.

What happened to being able to turn on your tap and drink some H2O?

When did our community decide it was no longer its fundamental responsibility to provide something so basic to life as water?

And I don't mean water laced with cyanide, mercury and other heavy metals, containing sludge and industrial waste, stinking of human urine and feces, tainted with every widely distributed hormone, prescription drug, anti-depressant, steroid, antibiotic.

I mean the kind of water that our bodies have always required and contained.

The kind of water which is as basic to human survival as . . . well, water.

This attrition of the public domain __ those things which constitute the fundaments of a organized and humane society and a healthful nurturing community __ is always a very gradual step-wise process. The privatization and commodification of the basic elements due to members of a community creeps up in very small increments. Tiny decisions are made one by one, each seeming like a rational or at least more convenient way to do things. Then somewhere down the line, we look back and say, "What happened?"

When things as basic as breathable air and drinkable water are commodified, it doesn't bode well.

Many political scientists and international experts have been predicting for some time now that wars in the foreseeable future will be fought over water.

There's a method to this madness. Corporations and capitalists can sniff out opportunity anywhere and everywhere. This is what they do. It is what they are designed to do, driving the engines of the economy, revving them higher and higher, sucking in what they need and blowing $$$s out the back end.

Think about it. If corporations can completely control and charge for basic necessities, what a perfect plan! It's not like lipstick or adding cruise control to the options on a new car. You don't have to convince people of the value to drink water. If they don't they die.

There is no doubt capitalism has energized much of the world and been the major force behind development across the globe. But economic growth has never been nor is it now the only measure of progress. Not everything of worth has a bar code.

Look into the eyes of your child, your spouse, members of your family and community. Can you tell me how much a moment with someone you love is worth in dollars? What should we charge for a sunset? How much for a walk in the park?

As Oscar Wilde's character replied in Lord Darlington when asked what a cynic was: "A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."

So where do we draw the line?

Maybe the better question is: Since we failed decades ago to draw sensible lines which safeguard our individual participation in a society which respects each and every citizen and assures basic decency for everyone equally, what do we do now?

I'm not here to lecture you on the basics of government and citizen responsibility. Actually, if anything I'm here to lecture myself, to remind myself of some things that have been long buried by the shit storm of nonsense, diversions and distractions that is the news media today. I'm here to try to cut through the tsunami of irrelevance and ignorance that has swamped our national dialogue __ the one you and I should be having about the America we want to have and pass along to future generations __ and try to focus my own thinking.

I'm here to remind myself, and hopefully a critical mass of other concerned individuals, that many things we should be able to take for granted __ breathable air, clean drinking water, safe nutritious food (that'll be the topic of National Values 104), and some others down the line __ are rightfully ours and they have been stolen.

It's time to get them back.

It's time to put aside right, left, liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican, Tea Party, Libertarian,
Socialist, gay, straight, black, white, yellow, brown, red and blue. Because there's a lot we agree on.

We just need to clear our minds and talk about those things.

We need to talk.


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

 

National Values 102

We breathe air.

Unlike abortion and gay marriage, there seems to be a lot of agreement on this. We all accept that breathing is not a luxury, not a hobby, not a pastime, not entertainment.

Breathe in, breathe out __ it's something as constant as our heartbeat and only stops when our heart stops.

Isn't breathing an absolute? Isn't air __ or more accurately the oxygen in the air __ one of the fundamental building blocks of life for us human beings? Is there anything contentious or controversial about our need and our basic natural biological right to breathe air?

In National Values 101 I stated, however, we're not talking any old air. We're not talking about air that's full of industrial smoke, automotive particulates, carbon monoxide, or invisible toxic gases. We're not talking about air that burns the eyes, irritates our nasal passages, makes it painful to breathe, turns our lungs black, and consigns us to living on a respirator. We're not talking about air that is carcinogenic and will lead to tumors and kill us before our time is due.

Can we all agree on this?

Yet too often we are given false choices:

If you want a job, then you'll have to put up with "acceptable" levels of pollution.

Either you want the economy to grow or you want the government regulating everything. You can't have it both ways.

This is not only nonsense. It is propaganda __  the polite term for boldface lies  __ and is irresponsibility at its worst. It is abandoning our public duty and a priori commitment to live in a country where concern for its citizens __ concern for one another __ is central and paramount. It is ignoring our constitutional mandate as citizens in a democracy to promote the general welfare.
I know there are libertarians and other minimalist ideologues out there who dispute this.

If anyone out there has a coherent justification for saying . . .

"I have no problem having my children breathe air which makes them sick, will cause them cancer or emphysema, compromise the quality of their lives, and resulting in them dying younger than they should."

. . . please send it to me. I'd love to see what your craven mind has conjured up.

Does this sound melodramatic?

It's not.

Sometimes things are that simple.

To poison or not poison. That's the question.

The issue is not where we draw the line __ what constitutes acceptable levels of poison in our atmosphere __ but how we hold the line that respects human life and good health.

The general welfare.

Of course, where it gets dicey and muddled by a lot of self-serving propaganda, ideological dogma and outright deception, is what role government has in protecting the quality of air.

Let's cut to the chase.

Can each individual household afford to have its own fire brigade available in case of fire? Can each individual household hire someone to drive an envelope over to the bank to pay the mortgage payment? Can each individual household raise an army, equip an air force, deploy a flotilla of battle ships and nuclear submarines to protect itself from invasion by hostile foreign militaries? Can each individual household afford to pave the road between home and school, home and work, home and the grocery store?

Can each individual household muster the necessary legal team and cash to stop a factory down the road from spewing toxic gas into the air?

Government, especially one which consists of the citizens of the country, is by definition __ as delineated in our constitution __ the way we collectively do those things which we cannot individually do. And it is the strength of our system, certainly not a weakness, that government performs services on behalf of all of us for the betterment of all of our lives.

We've forgotten this.

I'm not pointing fingers. I'm just as much a victim of the tsunami of sheer nonsense that fills the media and the overwhelming cyclone of bullshit that passes for discussion of the "important issues of our times." It's all but impossible to keep a clear head and the needed focus to make sense out of our relationship to the institutional machinery in place to do our bidding, often to assure some of the most basic items to a healthful, productive life.

Like clean air!

This is the point of what some may perceive as very facile, simpleminded blog posts. But I sincerely believe that we need to get back to the fundamentals again. What are the basics? What are those things which we not only should treasure and hold dear but are areas of universal agreement?

We often get so caught up in the fighting, name calling, assigning blame, bickering, that we forget that our nation was predicated on some very solid fundamental values, drawn from the Bible, the teachings of great philosophers and legendary teachers, the wisdom of the ages, even drawn from the ministry of Jesus Christ during his short time on Earth.

National values.

Somehow we've lost sight of them. We've lost sight of the obvious.

I'm reminded of a story __ and I have no idea whether it's true or not but it's a great story __ I heard when I was a teenager.

There was a large tractor-and-trailer rig which got stuck under an overpass. This was right in town, on a single lane road, so it was creating havoc and causing a bad traffic jam. They had hooked up giant powerful tow trucks and diesel-powered winches. The truck wouldn't budge. They were now going to resort to huge metal cutting wheels and blow torches to carve off the top of the trailer.

A 10-year-old boy was walking home from school and happened on the unfolding drama. As he passed a burly man wearing a safety helmet, at that moment in the heat of directing the team to start cutting the truck up, the boy tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir. But I was wondering. Why don't you just let the air out of the tires?"

Sometimes the answer is staring you right in the face.

You just have to look.



[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

National Values 101

We need to decide.

And to decide we need to have a talk.

What's the latest fashionable euphemism? Aaaaah! . . .

We need to have an adult conversation.

The question is: What are the basic conditions, perks, priorities, entitlements, services __ it doesn't really matter what you call them __ that the set of institutions and organizations collectively known as government, is responsible for providing the citizens of this country?

What's the bottom line? As an American, what can I expect?

How we answer this question pretty much defines where each of us falls on the political spectrum that stretches from "conservative" to "liberal".

Which is irrelevant!

So forget about it. Forget conservative, liberal, progressive, libertarian, anarchist, and most certainly forget Republican, Democrat, Green, Socialist, Communist, and all of the rest of the political parties.

Let's just answer the question.

And while you're thinking about it, here's what I have to say:

Air. I don't mean just air. I mean clean air that doesn't choke us, make our eyes water or create the conditions for cancer. Seems fundamental. Amazing how it's brushed aside.

Water. Again we are talking about clean water. Not Evian or Poland Springs. But water that we can drink, bathe in, cook with, irrigate our gardens with. The human body is over 75% water. Without a constant supply of healthful water, we become dust.

Food. Sustaining life is pretty basic. Famished or dead people don't do well. And I don't think this should be frivolously interpreted. Yes, we can eat dog chow. But I am proposing good nutritious food that supports healthy development and healthful sustenance. This is not too much to ask.

Education. Maybe first and foremost, we need to know, understand, think, and learn how to go about knowing, understanding and thinking. Lacking education a person cannot properly function as a social, economic or political being __ an ignoramus cannot begin to participate in society or fully contribute as a citizen.

Health and Basic Health Care. Why is this so contentious? Being sick is a drag. It's personally a drag, it's a drag on those closest to us, it's a drag on the economy. There are no winners when people are sick. To have a fruitful, functioning society, we must be at our best __ physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, socially, politically, intellectually. When we are physically sick, everything else is compromised.

Safety and Security. This is a big one. Excluding items under other categories, like non-toxic air to breathe and food that doesn't poison us, there are many areas which through our government we safeguard ourselves as citizens. A person should be able to walk down the street, or sit in a park or their back yard, without fear of being attacked, molested, robbed, raped, murdered. We should be able to be in our homes or work places knowing that a poorly maintained commercial airliner or a missile launched from North Korea won't crash into our roof and incinerate us. We should be able to use a microwave oven without it exploding in our faces. We should be able to drive across a bridge without it collapsing underneath us. Related to that, we should be confident that everyone on the road knows how to operate their motor vehicles. If our house catches on fire, we should be able to count on firemen coming to put it out. The list goes on and on. You get the idea.

Equality Before The Law. The law is the law. It shouldn't play favorites. No one is more or less important before the law. Violate the law, there will be penalties. Violate another human being, that person will have remedies in a court of law. It doesn't matter if you're Angelina Jolie or Donald Trump or Barack Obama. "Justice" is portrayed as holding a scale and blindfolded. And so it should be.

Opportunity. Opportunity comes in many flavors and is not unlimited. Everyone cannot be President of the United States. Not at the same time for sure. And impediments always are being erected to our realizing our individual potential. All too often they're internal __  defeatism, low self-esteem. So the last thing we need are more barriers from without. When a society erects barriers based on class status, wealth, ethnic identity, religious belief, sexual orientation, and so on, it becomes fragmented and loses its vitality. It can become hostile and end up at war with itself. We have on the books right now legislation and constitutional amendments to discourage this. It's time we lived up to the language and spirit of these laws.

Democracy. Who gets to run the country? I was under the impression it was each and every one of us, participating on an equal footing. One person = one vote. It's not that way anymore. Now it's who's got the cash. So are we going to have a democratic republic or an oligarchic tyranny? Democracy seems like a good idea to me.

Freedom. Freedom has its limits. But it should constantly expand until it reaches those limits. What kind of freedom? To dress, speak, sing, dance, live, love, worship, socialize, assemble, organize as we see fit, respecting the rights of others to do the same. It's in the Constitution. This should not be rocket science. And it should be on everyone's mind and part of every discussion about our nation. Freedom requires constant vigilance. It requires an ongoing adult conversation, no holds barred, no nonsense. The alternative is division, racism, conflict, disintegration, civil war, or totalitarianism.

Why am I bringing all of this up? These "American values" seem so obvious.

You would think so.

But all hear in the media is . . .

"So-and-so declares all government bad."

"We need to cut spending, then cut it even more."

"Get government out of the way so we can get something done."

"We can't afford it! America is going bankrupt!"

"Fiscal cliff! Debt ceiling! Apocalypse!"

Often these are the same blowhards who are saying America is the greatest thing since mastodon burgers and pterodactyl nuggets. So why do they find it so easy to denigrate it? Why do they want to destroy it if it's so great?

The point is, I don't see anyone talking about the essentials for making America, not just an okay place to live, minimally tolerable. But making America a place where we citizens can thrive, realize our individual potential, be the bad ass exceptionalists we claim we are.

Are any of the "values" I described above so controversial, so offensive, so ideologically obtuse or extreme, that they don't deserve that adult conversation I mentioned at the beginning of this article?

I sure don't see it in the media. I don't hear any discussion of this being prompted by our so-called "leaders" __ please refer here to "Take me to your leader!".

Yet, it is at the heart of everything about our country.

What we hold to be true and dear is the beating heart of America.

We can't sit around waiting for Obama or Biden, Boehner or Reid, Pelosi or McConnell, Cantor or Chief Justice Roberts to get around to it.

They won't.

We the people of the United States need to discuss and decide who we are and what we want America to be __ meaning what kind of nation and society we will pass down to our children. Then we need to keep those priorities first and foremost in mind when we the people of the United States decide what to do.

No excuses. No equivocation. No distractions.

No "we can't afford it" or "that's socialism" or "that's Tea Party".

Let's stop the name-calling, end the soap opera and the games.

Let's cut with the nonsense and get to work.

We can do this. We're the greatest nation in history, right?

We're the baddest, the best . . . we're #1.

Let's prove it.

I say, when politicians go into their usual patronizing him-haw blather, let's keep a roll of duct tape handy to shut them up. We go back to our list of values and say . . .

"Either this makes America the country we want or it doesn't. That's the issue."

What do you say?

Are you in?


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]