Hello at the beginning of another week,
My appreciation for history is because of the amazing history teacher, Mr. Larry Flom. Additionally, he taught my civics class and American Government class. The importance of understanding the role of our government and how it works. He taught me both in terms of understanding and appreciating the genius of Checks snd Balances as well as creating a strong sense of Constitutionality. And that began when I was in eighth grade. I think it was something every one of us who were fortunate enough to have Mr. Flom as a teacher probably realizes much more today than I did in 1968-69, though I was living in a pivotal time then also.
I find myself pondering what this who gathered in Philadelphia must have wondered, imagined, and believed in that time before our Constitution was penned? Were they afraid or so driven by conviction of something better their fear dissipated to the extent it was a mere afterthought? Was the specter of facing a King and the profound power of England paralyzing at moments that they reconsidered and feared they were foolish? We now look at them as more than larger-than-life; we call them revolutionaries; we refer to them as geniuses and founders. And while Ben Franklin was in his early 40s (and the oldest), a number of them were in their 20s. The First Continental Congress in 1774 was in response to what the colonials believed was British overreach (Coercive or Intolerable Acts) which stifled self-governance. So the push back against a tyrannical power (even their own – they were still British citizens at the time) is in our national DNA.
The reason I find this interesting as well as important is because I am sure many in the country (or the world for that matter), regardless your political stance or allegiance will agree where we currently are is untenable. The polarization, the lack of civility, the vitriol, the discontent are palpable, and that is an incredible understatement. The division we are experiencing either societally, globally, or individually is of importance, and harkens back to Lincoln’s statement about the Union. He was correct then, and it is true now. I understand the current situation and feeling of pain and fear well. From living in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area for a good part of the 1980s to feeling a struggle between political ideologies with people I genuinely love. The division which currently exists in the country is real, and I believe is being used for political advantage. That is certainly how it seems. While many are not aware, even those who live here, per capita by population (in other words total population and the divide between rural and urban), Pennsylvania is the most rural state in the nation. The number of rural folks to urban is about 3.25 to 1, and as the 5th or 6th most populace state, that is significant. When President Obama was preparing to run for a second term, I was in Dunkin’ one morning, and I listened to a white male perhaps in his upper 60s at the time. He spoke out loudly enough to be heard in the entire Dunkin’ (apologies for what follows, but I will quote exactly because of the shocking nature of his words), “As long as we have a fucking nigger as a President, we have e a problem.” I was both stunned and silent; I was appalled and embarrassed; I was mortified to the point of confusion. Where did I live? What year was it? And no one, including me (there were perhaps 5 men at the table), spoke up about how inappropriate, how unacceptable that was.
It is easy to want to blame our current occupier of the Oval Office for all the societal divisions and current challenges, and he most certainly has fueled the fires of hate and division, but he did not create it. He merely uses it for personal gain. I can say unequivocally that his administrations have done more to damage our Constitution, the checks and balances that were established from the beginning of the country, and our alliances than any administration in my lifetime, and perhaps in the history of our country. I find no joy, and I take nothing positive in the need to make such a statement. In fact, I am searching both rationally and emotionally to find hope, to see a glimmer of sunshine in the midst of what is happening. In my heart of hearts, I believe the response against the overreach, against the murder of others, against the language used by our current administration, by those on both sides of the aisle, demonstrates that a commitment to democracy still exists. The response of Congress, although mostly partisan, to hold up on the funding of ICE and DHS, while problematic because it affects both FEMA and the Coast Guard, is still fortunately and unfortunately one of the few levers of power available. making federal law-enforcement adhere to the same requirements as other levels of law-enforcement is rational, reasonable, and beyond necessary if we are to reestablish any trust at the national level.
Daily, in our News saturated world, when anyone can publish on a variety of platforms, little will go unnoticed, but everything has a spin. Everyone has an opinion and an agenda, and I am no different. While I am passionate,I would like to believe I try to be thoughtful and measured. While the events of the past month have pushed me to a level of engagement I have never before participated in, it is because never in my lifetime. Have I been as concerned for the survival of our democracy as I am now. Presently, there seems to be something that happens daily that chips away at the checks and balances of our Bill of Rights, leaving our societal fabric tatters, destroying the melting pot that made this country, a beacon of hope; it compels me to speak out, to use my voice and my words to question the actions of my government in ways I never imagined.
Currently, in our hyper-partisan country, as we seem bent on destroying each other, both our allies and our enemies are watching, either aghast or overjoyed. My friends in Poland, Norway, or Spain have asked what I think. My exchange students from Denmark or even Russia are stunned. I wish I had some answer that I could provide them that I believe. What I do believe at the present moment seems either dichotomous or oxymoronic. I am not completely sure how we will survive what a decade plus of Donald Trump’s attack on his own country has done. Simultaneously, the response of Minnesotans, of those in other occupied, American cities, and the marching of American citizens across the country illustrates that somewhere there is still a modicum of common sense and decency. So this returns me to the title: what vision do I have? I want to believe the grand American experiment envisioned in the 18th century still has a place in the world. I want to believe that the branches of our government will work in a manner of the checks and balances initially conceived to limit the power of any person or branch can still succeed. Yes, as cliché as it sounds, I want to believe that a government for and of the people will still show that all people matter. Not in the way, that the founders spoke of all people (remembering slavery or women’s’ suffrage, revisiting civil rights or people with disabilities),  but truly for all people. Yes, that puts me outside the idea of conservative Christianity; yes, it puts me outside of those who claim wokeness is some sort of an abomination. I believe it puts me square in the middle of the Commandment to love one’s neighbor as oneself. Perhaps it’s time that we return to a faith in a loving and forgiving God, who commands us to both love and forgive. Therein is my vision for the future. Therein lies the possibility for a world where all people are valued, and we care for one another. 
Thanks for reading,
Michael
thewritingprofessor55 