Please, please take away the nuclear football

I was taught that a lot of things needed to be different for America to be great. There was always hope that one day the country as a whole would do the right thing.

What hurts so much now is discovering how many Americans are filled with ignorance. selfishness, racism, and hate.

My maternal grandparents and paternal great grandparents came here for a reason. And I grew up believing that I was very fortunate to have been born here. But right now we have the worst failed leader in our otherwise proud history and I still have hopes that we can recover if we work together - as we have during the previous darkest times in our history.

It just happened so fast. But we have had other dark times, wars and depressions, and I'm holding on to the belief that we can overcome this national nightmare as well, but these days it's easy to get discouraged.

that most dark times were brought on by foreign nations. THIS dark time was brought on by an incompetent ass, who does not read his daily briefings warnings of threats and danger. He is busy having his spray tan, hair coiffed, pants steamed while watching Faux. Maybe the daily briefings should be sent directly to Faux, so they can read them to him each morning? The shameful part of all this death, unemployment, food lines is that the gop is trying tocover it all up. It is 100% their guy's fault. Poor choice of a "leader" with a past that should have raised lots of red flags. No qualifications for the job, now look where we are. FAILURE of the very worst kind. Hey, Moscow Mitch try to talk yourself out of this total, unmitigated DISASTER that you and the gop caused, trying to "own the libs" Maybe tRump will get his wall. In DC with the names of all his victims on it. It will be GREAT, LONGER than the Viet Nam memorial wall.

it takes 2 hours to weave his 4 hairs in the shape of a tumbleweed.

Maybe it could be a large sarcophagus bearing the names of all who are known to have died from the plague and a walkway around it inscribed with the timeline of quotes from the president and his serfs. You know, about the Chinese hoax, about how we contained it at 15 cases, about how its all the fault of the governors, about how the Nazis in Michigan are all fine people.

The history of this plague is going to make those who read it shake their heads in shock -- unless Trump wins again in November in which case the only histories that will be available to Americans are those written by Stephen Miller.

A lesser nation would not have weathered the anarchofascist onslaught the Republican Party has subjected us to for the past forty years. Not that we can withstand it indefinitely but we have so far. Hopefully enough of our fellow citizens will be motivated to exercise their civic duty and vote.
We have so many opportunities to improve this nation and our societal systems.

-Laelth

Changes were made, but they were reversed, not implemented or not enforced in following years. Than came Rush, Nooty-toot-toot and McChimp.

We are not the greatest nation on Earth and probably never will be.

Then watch Oliver Stone's history of the United States and know that we are fucked.

for too long a time.

We basked in the warm golden sunshine of American greatness wishing the world could have even a little taste of the American Way.

Mentally and/or physically we grew fat, lazy, apathetic; most of America sat around waiting for all the benefits that this country bestows upon them.

I believed it was so good I went out and bought a pair of rose-colored spectacles. I believed in Santa!

Then...this old guy stroked his white beard, sat back in his chair and grew up, finally maturing.

but I also thought that the Constitution stood for something pretty great. But now we're nothing but The Bad Guys. I'm afraid of America and for America. I always thought that even though our government did some pretty evil things, our citizens were decent and meant well. I had no idea that almost half of them were selfish, bigoted, nasty, just downright vile. Boy, was I naive.

Our gov by and for the people has become a gov by and for the wealthy corporate oligarchs.

The first in my family to do so. Education was so important. My great grandparents attended the ceremony. I was a history and political science major. That combined with a family sharing their journey I entered the world cautiously but knowing my path would not be easy.

The racism and misogyny was ever present. But along the way, I had mentors along the way. I earned the corner office as an insurance executive. My staff was diverse and we did our work well. After the sale of our division most of the team have continued their journey successfully.

That being said, I wish I was surprised at where we are as a nation. This country was built on the backs of unpaid labor. It grew off of underpaid labor.

Until a person who works 40 plus hours and doesn’t have to rely on the state for food stamps or health benefits this formula was designed to implode. Why? Because there is class of folks with power who enjoy the fruits of the labor of the expendable worker.

I could go on. Vote all of the Republican bastards out. Only then will we begin the work of becoming the American promise.

And have continued travelling through adulthood. As I was growing up, I figured out pretty quickly that America was a great country, but not necessarily a good one.

Nothing I've seen in succeeding decades has contradicted that.

Those yankee upstarts thinking the rabble can rule themselves. With no sovereign. No aristocracy. No guiding nobility. Just who the hell do they think they are?

Seems they mostly come around to our way of thinking. And may be doing it better now than we. But we were first. And did so without the French guillotine lollapalooza.

The list of stuff we "used to" that we aren't / don't is pretty big.

The competence is the one that hurts. Charlie Pierce called it idiot America, the notion that popular stupidity is more valid than expertise leads here. As far as I can tell good intentions got a bad wrap. The road to hell is paved with the desire to profit from the misery of others.

I'm not hopeful any more. There is a hardcore of deplorables, they are proud of the term so I don't mind using it, that would gleefully drown kittens to "own the libs." I'm not sure there is a line of transgressive behavior for them, and that is scary. Sure they may not be the bulk of the right wing, but the remainder is made up of people whose tribal membership in the right is more important than the "morals" they demand be upheld.

Since the mid-'70s the GOP has nurtured and given safe haven to this profoundly anti-democratic (anti-republican is just as apt) element. The risk that this philosophy would actually destroy the United States was acceptable because, power. That their gamble hasn't payed off is bad enough. That all the rest of us have to suffer probably doesn't bother them in the slightest.

No system of government devised by the minds of humans, no matter how talented and thoughtful, will ever be perfect..or perfectly executed. Humans will do what humans do, But in this country, we're never fully satisfied with where we are as a people or a government. We can always do better. And though it's in fits and starts, we improve generation to generation. Our system allows us the means and tools to struggle and work to improve the lot of all Americans. The example our ancestors set demands it.

As an example....gay marriage. If you'd asked me in my 20's and 30's if the right to marriage would be extended to gay folks, I would never have thought that would occur in my lifetime. Yet, here we are. Not done by any means on any of the issues that come to mind, but we're getting there.

Don't give up on us yet. We're not done. And for every victory there's another challenge.

Read about the history of the labor movement where workers fought against sweatshops and child labor. Where the government was called in and killed protesters like at the Haymarket Square "riot." Pinkertons brutalized workers. Yet the workers prevailed, formed unions, gained a voice at the workplace. Fast forward to today, 6% of private companies are unionized. Big business has beaten back the labor movement. Most strikes are outlawed and when disputes go to arbitration workers lose. Workers fought for pensions, few if any workers get pensions now. Workers fought for a safe workplace, look at what is happening today in our meat packing facilities. Workers either show up for work or they are considered a voluntary quit. OSHA is toothless. I could go on and on.

I have to laugh when propaganda from the right calls us Socialists. The United States is one of the least Socialist countries in the world, and if Trump gets payroll taxes eliminated, good bye Social Security and Medicare.

I can't even call America a fascist country any more, we are an authoritarian dictatorship. Whistle past the graveyard all you want but it is going to take one mighty effort to return America to a shining light on a hill.

4 more years of Trump will be the nail in the coffin. He has already packed the courts with Nazis and for certain he will get to appoint another person to the Supreme Court unless our hero RBG can hang on.

With all of this doom and gloom post, we need to Make America America Again by thrashing Trump in November and we must win back the Senate. Then no more Mr. nice guy Democrats, no moving on without holding those bastards accountable. Lock them up and go after every fucking White Supremacist in this country. America is great because of our diversity. Rant off.

Too many conservatives, too many fundamentalist "Christians", too many republicans, too many trump cultists. No other modern nation is bogged down like this. We have so much potential, but all we do is give money to rich people while an army of morons vote against the nation's best interests.

With a large portion of the male morons I'm familiar with ... their problem seems to be that Democrats are thought to be less than masculine enough for their liking. Ridiculous I know but there it is. It's why they watch football, yell at the screen aggressively and throw things.

I really thought Joe would help dispel that perception for them somewhat since he is a real guy's guy if noting else and I think he will. But when I heard him try to answer a few questions and speak to these allegations of sexual harassment/assault the other night ... I truly hate to say it but he really has lost a step or two since I last paid any real attention to him or what he has to say.

I'll probably get some hate for saying it but he's just not the same guy that made Eddie Munster look like an idiot on national television in that VP debate. Now that was a thing of beauty and just the sort of beat down which would impress those idiots and gain him some respect when all is said and done.

That guy would have done the same thing to Trump in the upcoming campaign and I hope Joe can somehow channel his inner warrior into action and catch enough fire to burn Trump to the ground in the debates. It can happen ... we just need an Angelo Dundee and entourage like Ali or Sugar Ray Robinson surrounding him coaching, drilling and encouraging him

Dr. Jekyll has again given way to Mr. Hyde.

Dangerfield the scene where the business professor outlines a project to build a business from the ground up. After he describes the different things that have to be addressed Rodneys character proceeds to tell him all the things he missed. Greasing politicians, paying off inspectors, kick back to unions and planning commission etc. I might be naive and I know this is the way EVERYTHING is done these days. Does anyone think this country could ever get back to a somewhat honest, moral, decent place ? Is it this bad (or worse) in other countries ?

Unless something changes the complete apathy of John Q Public to Want to
Know the truth about The Whole Trump debacle. News sources must be made stronger and quash all the constant stream of Propaganda coming out of Washington.

The people must RISE UP. I don’t see that happening. Even now.

Anyway, we're better than some other countries. That's not saying much, but we're better than some.

For all its flaws, the United States of America remains the greatest nation in the history of the Earth.

We have the world’s largest economy, despite having less than 1/3 the population of China, our nearest competitor. We have the greatest military empire that the world has ever seen. Our reach is truly global—far surpassing the military might of any previous empire. Our language is the world’s dominant language. Our arts are consumed globally. Our products (from Coca-Cola to Apple Iphones) are highly desired and consumed globally. We even created the internet and gave it to the world FOR FREE.

No. We are the definition of a GREAT COUNTRY, and not even Donald Trump and his Republican minions can destroy us. We have serious problems, sure. I would like to continue to address those problems, but I will not deny the obvious truth ... that the United States of America is GREAT.



-Laelth

in the autumn of my life, that everything I believed all these years was a lie. I thought we had "checks and balances". That a totally crazy mafioso could NEVER get control of the country, because of all the wonderful PATRIOTS who would defend us against such. Seems naïve to me now.

Old Buddhist proverb (or EST training, one or the other).

The Not Ready For Kate Smith Version:
Oh beautiful rapacious lies
both angry and insane.
As purple passions overwhelm
seems nothing's left to gain.
America, America
It's racism from thee.
Perverting good
like none else could
as if the world can't see.

Pardon the bad poetry, I blush.

I thought of people living behind the “Iron Curtain” and wondered how they could even be happy, or breath freely.

Now, as a 66 year old, I have to watch fellow citizens wear clothes emblazoned with swastikas and live with the knowledge that our own President has financial dealings with Russia.

I just can’t get beyond this.

The reality of 2020 America is a dumpster fire of circumstance, incompetence, rage and fear.
We are the 1990's TV ad for Life Alert...we've fallen and we can't get up.

Part of this is generational. But that path leads to more division, anger and recrimination...but know (don't suspect or accept but KNOW) this...the answers for the future do not lie in the power wielders of the past or present. The millennial generation inherits the whirlwind of a shattered economy, broken promises of stolen opportunity and a side order of global pandemic for good measure.

The future belongs to those born after 2000, not those of use left over from the 20th century. The BEST we can hope for is to serve those who must live in our wreckage and to provide them a solid cautionary tale of what to avoid. We can't tell them the answers (though that rarely stops me from opining loudly about it anyway), but we can bear honest witness to the lies and self-deception that the USA started on in 1980 and has never been able to derail since, only circling the drain faster with each new catastrophe.

I do apologize to them for the mess we - Boomers and Gen X - are largely responsible for leaving in our self-satisfied wake. I can't offer much hope, but I do offer my sympathies, as hollow and empty as that will prove to be.