Happy holidays everyone and, especially today, warm Merry Christmas greetings to all of you who have had occasion to visit my my blog this past year. I just returned from the a trip to the island of New Providence in the Bahamas where I have to admit the sight the many Christmas trees and Bahamians wearing Santa stocking hats seemed a bit out of place in the 80 degree warmth, but the friendliness of the people was more than enough to restore the spirit of hope this season usually brings to my life.
If you are an American who cares about your country or a citizen of the world who has come to expect in recent years that the strength of the United States will be exhibited in an unselfish manner, it has been a very rough year indeed. Just when we thought that our leadership had degenerated to depths where it could descend no lower, it managed to sink even further into the mire. As we abrogated our country’s leadership in the world, other far less democratic forces moved to fill the resulting vacuum. Worst yet, it is easy to feel that the future will be but more of the same.
However, maybe it is due in part to the spirit of the season, but I am feeling more confident about our situation than I have in quite some time. No amount of coverup can forever conceal a crime. When the pendulum swings too far to the extreme, it can do nothing more than begin its swing back in the direction of saneness. When blatant lies and crass crudity rain down from above in a never ending deluge, honestly and civility take on a new importance. When those in power abuse wide swaths of the population and seek only to further enrich their wealthy friends, political revolution becomes inevitable. We have but to look around us; the first stages of that revolution have already begun.
My fondest wish is for all of you to embrace the hope of this season so that together we can unite to restore civility, saneness, and the essence of just governess to our country.
Cajun 12/25/2017
Thanks, Cajun, for the holiday wishes. But, even more importantly, thanks for the encouraging words. Far too many posts on our left leaning web sites are condemnations, bitter accusations, containing only hopelessness and despair. Those are almost a guarantee of the status quo.
The quality an activist needs above all others is a sense of optimism, otherwise pessimism creeps in and makes the hard work of striving for change impossible.
I am certain that change will be forthcoming, that this extremist shift to the right is a temporary thing, and that, despite the knowledge that very wealthy and motivated forces work very hard to not only continue that trend but push it into further extremes, the American people, however much one notes the ennui, the manipulations, will go so far and no further.
I am looking to the midterm elections to see a significant turning away from GOP extremism and its concomitant weakening of the hold of the Trump administration upon that party.
A very happy new year to you and yours, and, importantly, to the American people with whom I have never lost faith.