Never Been Prouder
Saturday, I heard a former high school classmate say, “watching Trump and Vance yesterday with the Ukrainian president was awesome, I have never been prouder to be an American.” Yep, that’s what he said; mind you he wasn’t voted by his high school peers most likely to be a brain surgeon, but even for him, it was a dumb thing to say. I chose not to react, there is no point, he or anyone who thinks like him is unreachable with any reasonable discussion, and besides, I am not going down rabbit holes hoping to find answers or satisfaction; it feels like a waste of time and a lost cause.
Having said that, I understand the desire among Americans to avoid worrying about international problems, in fact, this nation has historically shied away from engaging in conflicts, until we have no choice. Setting aside and acknowledging our desire to avoid conflicts; since our founding, we can be proud of the fact that, even if we are not directly involved, we stand on the right side of a dispute; we have morally known who to support and why; our support has been on the side of democracy. That is until now.
Last Monday the US voted against a UN resolution drafted by European members which condemned Moscow’s actions and recognized Ukraine’s sovereignty; mind you the US didn’t abstain; we voted against the measure. Our no vote joined Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Sudan and Hungary; quiet an auspicious group to be aligned with; frankly it is deplorable.
As I reflect on the statement about never being prouder, I began to wonder how I feel about the US; am I proud of what we are doing? It is an interesting thing to consider. On the one hand, I share the view that most Americans have; a pride in our country, in what we have done, in who we have been, and what we have stood for; I am proud to be a US citizen. On the other hand, I can’t say that today, I have never been prouder. I think both thoughts can be true, I am proud of this country, but not proud of what we are becoming. As a friend of mine who recently retired from the military said yesterday, “we are no longer who we say we are.”
I was prouder when we were the world’s beacon for democracy, who could be trusted and relied upon to lead with moral clarity. In the eyes of the world, and in my view, we no longer seem to have the desire to lead the cause of democracy. To understand how we got here, I should accept; it is hard to stand for values when everything is based on a transactional mindset and retribution with personal animus ruling every thought you have.
I was prouder when the US was admired by our allies and feared by our enemies. I have travelled a fair amount internationally and witnessed the admiration the rest of the world has felt for our country; that sentiment is dying. No longer are we viewed in that light.
I was proud when President Reagan gave his farewell address to the nation in January 1989. During his address he defined his American vision as “the shining city upon a hill.”
“In my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.”
He continued, “For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us….”
I was prouder of this country when hate wasn’t a tool to divide us and arm us with talking points to disparage those who don’t think like us. Does the discourse in this country feel acceptable to you? Are you okay with a President who communicates with hatred for anyone who doesn’t bow to him?
I was prouder when congress did its constitutional duty and served as an equal branch of government. The founders didn’t intend for elected officials to avoid standing tall as a balance to an overbearing executive, and yet, today, congress is nowhere to be found.
I have noticed lately attitudes and views are beginning to change. I spent late last week traveling about and the mood seems different. People aren’t happy with what is happening; I think much of that is because current actions of the White House are affecting average people more directly than they anticipated. It is easy to want something big to happen when it is happening to someone else, but when it starts impacting your life, things feel different. The question is, what is too much? When do Americans stand up and say this isn’t who we are?
In my view for every person who says they couldn’t be prouder, there are five people who would say they couldn’t be more worried; I get that. And before you say those people are overreacting, remember it was the Democrats who ignored what people were feeling that led to the President we have today. Republicans would be wise to realize most of their voters didn’t vote for this.
In my view the days of saying, “he doesn’t mean that,” or “he wouldn’t do that” are over. The President seems hellbent to do exactly what he promised, and his handlers and Republican supporters claimed he didn’t really mean. The President is changing America, quickly. You can choose to believe it is for the better or be convinced it is a disaster, but the days of pretending he really won’t implement his grand plan are behind us.
I remain proud to be an American, but I also am disgusted by the direction we appear to be going. I don’t want to forgo our world position, I don’t want to be untrustworthy, I don’t want to bully allies and make everything a business transaction, I don’t want to treat Americans with disdain, I don’t want to blow everything up and hope someone has a plan to put it back together, I don’t want to ignore science and traffic in conspiracy, I don’t want to cut services for those who need our help for the sake of a tax cut, I don’t want Elon Musk anywhere near anything that has to do with me or the American population, I don’t want to damage the CIA, the FBI, or our military to install loyalists who don’t have the skills to run those organizations, or the best interest of our country in mind, I don’t want to respond to the silliness that was woke with an equally ridiculous attitude that diversity is bad, I don’t want to acquire countries, I don’t want tariffs imposed on our allies, I don’t want to be told what I can read, I don’t want the press attacked, and I don’t want to spend our tax dollars in court defending indefensible policies.
If they want to cut spending, ferret out fraud, secure the border, balance the budget and cut the debt, I am all for it; but please act like you know what the hell you’re doing, and you have a plan.
Are you prouder than you have ever been? I’m most certainly not.
