E PLURIBUS UNUM

That is our country's motto, or at least it was from 1782 until an act of congress in 1956 adopted "In God We Trust."

Found on the Seal of the United States, it is Latin and translates to "Out of many, one;" meaning that this country - The United States of America - is made up of many differing ancestries, races, religions, philosophies,  .  .  .  The supposition then is that we must all work together to build, support, and nurture the country.

What the hell has happened to us?

Our congress has a large faction which chooses, and has for six years now, to block the real work of governing, refusing to support. even. their own. ideas. This has caused, and will continue to cause for some time to come, real harm tho the majority of the people in this country. The harm plays out in many different ways, but few are unscathed. (with the exception of those at the very top of the economic ladder)

What has forced me to finally speak out is the disaster in Oklahoma. Not the disaster itself, but the fact that OK's senators have consistently voted against disaster aid to other states. This isn't new or rare. Sandy disaster relief was held up for months as the rest of the esteemed OK senators' party tried to block it. The GOP party line seems to be: 'aid for me but not for thee.'

What the f@*#k is wrong with people today? Homeless, hungry: not my problem. Old, disabled: not my problem. Need health care, education: not my problem.

Wasn't it Alexis de Tocqueville who said that we get the government we deserve?

We complain that government isn't working for us then vote in paranoid, lunatics who don't know history and who think that: bike paths are going to lead to the overthrow of the country; it's better to let your daughter get cancer than vaccinate her; and avoiding pregnancy causes abortion. There are many, many more examples but if you haven't heard them you're just not paying attention.

I'm frustrated and angry at the gridlock in congress and the cruel lack of empathy and common sense in so many of my fellow citizens.

We used to function on superstition and fear. We used to be a society where everyone carried a gun and scores were settled bullets and rope. But then we changed, evolved. We grew as a society, put in place laws and law keepers, and we called it civilization. Now we're headed backwards it seems, toward a new dark ages.

I can rant and rave, but it won't fund our schools or pay for health care or change the job market. It won't feed the hungry or house the homeless . . . I was glad to have my taxes provide a safety net for the most vulnerable among us, but it seems as though they're destined to line the pockets of the richest and strengthen their ability to twist the laws in their favor. My ranting won't ensure that all citizens have the same rights and opportunities. Unfortunately, my ranting will do nothing but give vent to my frustration.

Dr. King said that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. 

I truly hope he was right. Otherwise we have abdicated the very things that made us great and allowed us once to become an inspiration to the world: education, ingenuity, determination, compassion, social consciousness, entrepreneurial spirit, . . . and we are destined to become an afterthought, a footnote in history . . .

Also . . . I hope that arc isn't too long.

Sorry. 

Rant over. 

I don't recommend it, but if you have a strong stomach and want to wallow in the crazy, just click here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or . . .

There is, unfortunately, no actual end in sight.