America is aspirational.
Those three words repeat in my mind when I consider the concept of MAGA. I wonder when this country was truly ‘great’. My father, who was a first generation American born son of Russian Jewish immigrants who fled during the pogrom used to say that this was ‘the greatest country in the world,’ since there were unlimited opportunities and people could criticize the president without fear of retribution. If he were alive now, at 102, he would call what is happening in our country, a ‘shonda’ which is Yiddish for ‘shame’.
Was it great when this land, which was inhabited by indigenous peoples, whose safety and sovereignty were threatened by colonizers?
Was it great when the Founding Fathers, who sought independence from England, thought it was acceptable to own other human beings?
Was it great when, as children, we were expected to, with hands on our hearts, recite the words that pledged allegiance to a piece of cloth with the intonation of ‘liberty and justice for all’? Even then, as a child of the 60s and 70s, I knew it was a fallacy.
Was it great when PoC couldn’t eat at the same lunch counters and use the same facilities as white folks?
Was it great when immigrants of all origins were demeaned and demonized, whether they came here documented or undocumented?
Was it great when Joe McCarthy chased down and blacklisted people he alleged were Communists?
Was it great when the KKK hid beneath white hoods and terrorized communities?
Was it great when profits came before people?
Was it great when government officials made the decision that women who became pregnant would be compelled to give birth, regardless of circumstance?
Was it great when LGBGTQ+ people’s very existence and right to marry were under threat?
Was it great when white people thought themselves superior to people with more melanin in their skin, simply by virtue of that biological factor?
Was it great when women couldn’t vote or have credit in their name?
Was it great when books were banned because they offended some people’s sensibilities, when the bible is filled with violence and sex?
Is it great now that masked and armed thugs roam the streets and scoop people up at the behest of the current occupant of the Oval Office, in order to meet deportation quotas?
Is it great now that prices for groceries and gas are soaring, despite the promises of this administration that they would be lower?
Is it great now that we wake up every morning and check to see what fresh hell has broken loose over night and what outrageous ‘Truth Social’ posts have been made?
Is it great now that structures are being razed and new ones are being erected without Congressional approval in order to appease his ravenous ego?
Is it great now that certain of our neighbors voted for a man who thrives on chaos such that his acts are meant to create that untenable state?
Is it great now that this administration and those with something to gain financially, deny the climate crisis we are facing?
Is it great now that a cabal of child sexual assailants are being protected while one who figures prominently in the Epstein files and who called him friend, does everything he can to deflect and deny his role?
Is it great now that the cult of Tr*mp holds people in its grip and makes them foot soldiers for the cause?
Is it great now that the ‘no new wars’ promise has turned into an almost seven month fiasco in Iran that has taken countless lives and increased the cost of gasoline?
Is it great now that the man who sits (and often sleeps) at the Resolute Desk insults our allies and cozies up to our enemies?
Is it great now that he insults primarily female journalists who dare to hold him accountable for his words and actions?
100 years from now, how will accurate history recall the rise and fall (and hopefully rise again) of this country?
What are your aspirations for our nation?
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