A subtle scan of the political, cultural and moral landscape from Capitol Hill to the far shores of this once great nation reveals a litany of subtle fundamental changes in core principles and, critically, the language which defines these principles and concepts, leading to a new vocabulary and perception where we have moved from founding principles to confounding principles.
The Constitution: In just a few years we have moved from We the People to Me the People; from Ourselves and Our Posterity to Myself and My Prosperity; from One Nation Under God to One Nation Under Clod; from E Pluribus Unum to E Plunder Us Unum.
The core identifying and defining principle of a constitutional republic and democracy has morphed to a mediocracy to a mockracy to a di-mocracy represented by two diametrically opposed factions whose primary function is not proposing and promotion but opposing, deposing and demoting opposition. Not For the People, but Against the Other People.
The Presidency: We have a situation of actions and schemes “unpresidented” in over 200 years of presidential history. The office is now defined by Royal Tweedicts issued by His MadJesty. The tweeder is actually recognized as the supreme official CEO. That is, Chief Congressional, Constitutional and Environmental Evasion Officer. He was recently honored unanimously with the distinction of MVP, “Most Volatile President.” The President does bathe and ooze in public headlines. For example, not to be outdone by the U.K.’s Brexit, our President has initiated a policy of Nix it. That is, we nix and withdraw from “all” multinational and international treaties and alliances. This is one of many landmark, or is it landmine, legislative actions. A historic presidential monument is already under development to be sculpted and carved at Mount Rashmore. Our president has moved from our Commander in Chief to Demander in Chief. For recreation he engages in such fun and distractive routines as turning numerous government employees into POW’s. That is, Pawns of a Wall game.
Meanwhile congress and senate have been busy meeting in lobbies and corridors dealing with PAC lobbyists. This is of course fully appropriate and consistent with our founding principle of Checks and Balances. They are balancing the magnitude of benefits awarded directly or indirectly to the lobbyist based upon the size of the check.
We the people are now initiating a vigorous enlightening effort starting with the administration of Presidential Floss. To streamline the executive governmental process of presidential appointments we are enacting a few simple steps. Instead of the constant uncertainty of when someone shall be charged with political or criminal actions and the uncertainty of serving the duration we shall provide, upon nomination and engagement, a mandatory three-month sentence for all. Their names will also be then mounted on the Barely Go Round carousel and after three quarters of a year that name will be announced voluntarily terminating their tour of duty. Now we shall have a grip on schedule and structure
We must now lean back and reflect again on the whole political system. Sadly, while both sides of the system represent some absolutely valid and critical principles that serve the good of all the people, both sides are dead wrong on many of their current pronounced principles and positions. Through “intellectual gerrymandering” both sides are able to recruit legitimate principled citizens to their legitimate philosophies and principles and then have them bound by adjacent absolutely contradictory or grievously wrong principles where in effect they must sell their souls. In short, this nation is suffering from the rare but frightening intellectual, political and philosophical malady of Wallnutrition.
Today we have to stop navigating with rear view mirrors and reinstate our moral compass. We must pull in the extreme detractors from the universal good whether on the one end or the other. They have moved from civil right to massive civil wrongs, celebrating the perversion of timeless historic, cultural, moral and religious principles to the other extreme, celebrating “aversion “ to taxes and other public responsibilities evasion, where, for example, the chauffeur for a Texas oil magnate paid more net total taxes than his multimillionaire employer, and where three corporations netting 13 billion in profit paid not one cent in taxes.
This is deregulation of society, the economy and government on a path to total self-destruction. We must move from exercising blind self-destructive rights to exercising our civic responsibility with all working towards what is right for all society and all future generations.
We must immediately move from the current presidential and party principle of “Faction speaks louder than words.” The president is elected to serve We the People, that is, All the People, not Me the People and my Party.
We must move from a POOP president, a “President Only of Our Party,” to a POEM president, that is a “President of Every Member of Society.
Meanwhile the president is absolutely correct that there is a national emergency. What he neglected to acknowledge is the he, the president, is the national emergency.
Rustan Swenson
Shoreham