Grand Illusion

Do I have any illusions about the USA?  No.

There are so many bad behaviors and actions in our shared history: slavery, manifest destiny, Native American removal or even genocide, Japanese internment camps, (internment = concentration,) unnecessary use of the bomb, interference in South American politics, including opposition to democratically elected Salvador Allende in Chile and support of his replacement, (notice the second sentence therein,  economic warfare ordered by US President Richard Nixon,^[2]) the murderous Augusto Pinochet, (US covert and violent activities in the South American country of Chile being anything but a one-off,) the Vietnam War, the Iran Contra crimes, the war in Iraq based on a lie, to name several prominent examples without exhausting an exceedingly long list.

There are many examples of good behaviors and actions in our shared history as well: our history of immigration as personified in the Statue of Liberty's famous base, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!", putting Neil Armstrong on the moon, (inspired the peoples of the world,) the Civil Rights Act of 1964, entry into World War II and the subsequent defeat of Hitler, the Marshall Plan, women's suffrage, the Emancipation Proclamation, and of course the greatest living document on the planet; the US Constitution, to name but a few and it is worth pointing out, even many of these things have their dark side.

The world is gray after all.  It is interesting however to look back at history.  The War in Iraq seems a good place to start since it is such recent history and we can see how quickly things change and evolve.  At the time the President of the United States, likely being strongly advised by Vice President Dick Cheney and to a lesser degree Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, made a decision to invade Iraq that given certain factors could not possibly be for its stated purpose, to hit back at those who had hit us on 9/11.  Long before the campaign of shock and awe began we knew that Al Qaeda was not in Iraq, indeed that Al Qaeda and Iraq's corrupt, strongman President, Saddam Hussein, were anything but on the same team.  The information was available and widely known to those who cared to know.  This is to say a great swathe of Americans did not care to know and were, to whatever degree, bloodthirsty.  

It is increasingly common knowledge and accepted that President George W Bush concocted a reason to make war on Iraq that involved the CIA, Niger, yellow cake powder for uranium enrichment, a phantom spy with a novel pseudonym in Germany, Colin Powell addressing the UN and the use of an amount of political capital he reasoned was due him based on his being in office on 9-11 of 01.  (More, he wanted to get the man who had crossed his Dad back so the story went.  Never mind the photos of Hussein and Rumsfeld from a decade earlier cheesing it up for the camera at the US War College.)  Shock...and awe.

In the early 2000s there was a great deal of confusion.  Many believed Iraq had attacked us.  Others believed Al Qaeda was based inside of Iraq.  Few knew that we had recruited Taliban fighters to oppose the USSR and had thereby helped to create the organization even arming and training them.  (See Charlie Wilson's War.)  

Time typically changes our view.  At the time George W Bush was at the top and so the buck stopped with him.  In making the decision to invade Iraq he knew he was pleasing a great many friends of substantial influence, (read: power or wealth.)  In weighing his decision he probably understood, particularly if found out, it could damage his legacy, but he plowed forward disregarding legacy.  He may have thought who cares about legacy when I am filthy rich?  My friends will consider me a hero.  (And they probably do.)  At the exclusive gatherings of the wealthy and powerful down Texas way I bet he is treated like a bona fide champion.  His public appearances however are rare and measured.  He is responsible for the death of some 500,000 unique, individual human beings.  (Estimates on Iraqi deaths range from 150,000 up to one million.  American deaths number 4,424, including US Army Specialist Casey Sheehan.)  It is unlikely George W Bush will ever leave American soil again as he is wanted abroad and could seriously face prosecution for war crimes.  (He could even be arrested in a couple of small towns in the US.)  

In his quiet and lucid moments I tend to think George W Bush harbors some regret.  He may practice some self loathing at ever having listened to Cheney and Rumsfeld.  No doubt he lives a comfortable life.  Still, legacy is a bitch.  He is already viewed as one of the worst Presidents in our history.  No amount of philanthropy and public humility will bring back 500,000 people to say nothing of the financial crises, which happened on his watch, or the politicization of the Attorney General's office, (which really bothered me personally.)  If he could be honest wouldn't it be an interesting conversation?  

Presently we have a new President in Donald Trump.  He is in so many ways the Reality TV President.  He doesn't like to read or be briefed.  He gets his news from the television and tweets his responses out to the world as if we were sitting right there next to him.  As a millionaire if not billionaire, (we can't know because he refused to allow his taxes to be made public, which should have told us something but many Americans don't think that sort of accountability is important,) he feels especially accomplished and he both trusts his wealthy class and wants to engender loyalty in those circles and so his decisions actions and policies since taking office a mere three weeks ago have been solidly aligned with the interests of the rich.  

The crux of these policies in addition to catering to the wealthy are for the stated purpose of making America great again or putting America's interests first, even at the peril of others.  These motives will certainly ensure President Trump's legacy is a poor one.  Moreover, they will degrade our standing in the world and they are largely not representative of the ideals of most Americans.  

Virtually all of his cabinet choices are inclined to destroy their departments.  Surely that will be Betsy DeVos's role as Secretary of Education.  On the day of her confirmation a Republican congressman from Kentucky introduced a bill to abolish the Department of Education.  This is a coordinated effort.  The bill was scant in its content for reasons associated with the fact it is a trial balloon.  The republicans and the puppet masters behind the party want to see how the democrats react.  I don't think they expect success this time around but having said that their plans to overturn Roe v Wade and weaken the federal government as much as possible is coming along nicely.  

Rick Perry is Trump's selection to run the Department of Energy.  Just a few years ago Perry advocated closing down the DOE.  (He has just recently changed his tune upon learning of his appointment and what the DOE is.)  

Jeff Sessions was chosen as Attorney General to enforce the laws of the United States.  Jeff Sessions is a known good old Alabama boy racist who once upon a time used his powers in the state of Alabama to discourage certain people from voting.  We know more about this thanks to House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell bringing so much attention to it when he rebuked and stopped Senator Elizabeth Warren from reading Coretta Scott King's letter to the Judiciary committee in 1986.  So as Americans we have to ask ourselves, do we want someone who would discourage voting and who is widely thought to be a racist to be our Attorney General?  I mean, of all the people.  

This is typical of the new President's selections for his cabinet however, as well as his advisers.  What is the goal?  What is the endgame?

To appease the Christian right that they have been working hard for many years to overturn Roe v Wade.  The non-religious wealthy do not mind.  If  their daughters need an abortion they have the money and will get them a safe one.  It's the poor who will suffer, first the unwanted pregnancy no matter the circumstances and second, the insurance policy on staying among the impoverished.  

Their other big objective is to weaken the federal government.  Their battle cry is states rights.  Leave it to the states.  The states can do anything the federal government can do and it can do it regionally and locally and thereby better represent constituents.  

The problem with a weakened federal government is once it is weak, there is no power capable of standing up to and checking the power of corporations.  As it is the top corporations or conglomerations in the USA have an awesome amount of power.  If corporations want to get back to polluting so ardently the Cuyahoga again becomes as incendiary as the Sun, who or what will stop them?  The oil companies would dominate the state of Ohio in court.  Even if Pennsylvania and West Virginia joined in oil companies with their vast resources would sue and counter sue and tie up in litigation until such a time as they were damned well ready to stop polluting, (I might as add 'you puny sons of bitches.')  If GE wants to put poor children to work for slave wages because they are delinquents anyway and working for $4.50 an hour is better than on the streets and not going to school because of course they can't pay for the paid education that is the only kind of education in the republican dystopian vision of the future I cringe to bring you.  

It is important to fight this agenda.  I'm all in.  I sent a few dollars to Jeff Merkley last week because he seems as impassioned as I am about not allowing the republicans to select a Supreme Court Justice other than Merrick Garland.  Ideally we correct this thing that happened in 2016 in future elections.  The damage already being wrought is vast but we just have to do what we can do.  There is not point in whining about it.  Denouncing-that's what I am into.  

The other part of this though is that seemingly unimportant legacy.  If you clicked on that Presidential rating sheet I linked up above you saw who rated high and who rated low.  George Washington was highly rated.  Why?  I would say because of virtue and valor.  I would say the same of Thomas Jefferson who is one of my personal favorites.  Abraham Lincoln has been called the greatest President ever, (as well as The Great Emancipator.) because he worked to abolish slavery.  It was virtue that granted Lincoln his illustrious standing.  

Some might suggest legacy is overrated.  In Lincoln's case after all, he was also shot dead for his virtue.  I don't see it that way.  If I could be Lincoln I would be Lincoln.  So what value is there in legacy?  There is the value of moral goodness.  Doing the right thing is its own reward, right?  I would also posit that goodness also radiates outward to those around us and to the environment in a way.  (If the sins of the father can visited on the son after all, it stands to reason the virtues of the father can too.)

George Bush's legacy is not good and he is living with that.  Donald Trump's legacy similarly will not be good.  His is a fragile ego to begin with so the pain of criticism is already affecting him and will continue to do so largely because it will be cutting, (because the criticism is valid.)  I don't think President Trump is in anyway motivated by his legacy, though he might be deluded in part by thinking his will be a legacy of greatness.  It won't be however.  Humanity does not remember those who treated the masses badly in a favorable light.  Hitler, Stalin, the many corrupt Popes, Nicholas II, all the way back to Attila were left with horrible legacies.  Legacy is real and it has consequences and it is another reason the path being laid before us now foreshadows gloom for those who are paving it.