It’s here. Next weekend is Memorial Day. The start of the summer. After two summers of Covid, we’ve all been looking forward to getting back to normal. But what is normal? Inflation is at a forty year high. Everything costs more. Who predicted over $4.50 for a gallon of gasoline? Madman Putin is committing mass murder on innocent civilians in Ukraine on a level not seen since World War II. The world seems to be hoping he really is dying of cancer because we can’t figure out how to make him stop. Covid cases are back up. Health experts are suggesting we should keep wearing masks in crowded places. Most people are not listening anymore. And who would have predicted American mothers are desperate to find formula for their babies? Pass the sun block.
This primary election season is showing how deeply divided the country remains. Republicans have been nominating candidates who still believe the Trump election lie and promise to do everything they can to have politicians take control of our votes. But there are two things hanging over the arrival of summer. One political and one personal.
The Congressional January 6th Committee is expected to start holding public hearings next month. It has uncovered mountains of evidence that Trump and those closest to him tried desperately to stage a coup and overturn the most secure election in American history. It has even tainted the Supreme Court. Gianni Thomas, the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, was actively involved in encouraging those around Trump, including his Chief of Staff, to do everything possible, no matter how illegal, to over turn the election results. Not since the Watergate hearings in the summer of 1973 will we get to see behind the curtain of corruption. But this is a very different country from that long ago summer. Both Democrats and Republicans on the Watergate committee were trying to get at the truth. Yes, some were trying to protect Richard Nixon and his a abuse of power. But even the Republican Senator Howard Baker, hoping to isolate Nixon from his subordinates asked, “What did the president know, and when did he know it?” Well, we all found out. In the summer of 1974, impeachment hearings led to Nixon’s resignation. Today, Republicans want no part of finding out what really happened on January 6th. They refused to be part of the committee. The two Republican Senators who agreed to be on the committee, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger have been ostracized by the party. It’s hard to predict if Americans will tune in.
Just as we are getting ready for the Fourth of July, the Supreme Court will hand down its decision on the future of Roe v. Wade and a right to abortion. The leaked preliminary draft shows the five conservative justices favor overturning Roe and leaving abortion rights up to the states. Over twenty Republican controlled states have already started passing laws that severely restrict or even completely outlaw abortion. This is one of the most personal and divisive issues in American society. Overturning Roe will drive a deeper wedge into the country.
Many of us want to forget all the bad stuff and enjoy the summer. That’s understandable. We’ve been through a lot. But ignoring these important issues will not make them go away. We can’t control many things that affect our lives like gas prices and Supreme Court decisions. We can control who we want to solve these problems and make changes.
As we go into the fall, we will all have decisions to make on the people we want running the country and protecting our personal freedom.
As always, well summarized. It appears we are well passed the ability to slow down or stop the runaway train – the potential for disaster because of the Big Lie. The disaster will happen with the only question being the degree and extent of the damage. It will be the epitome of the self inflicted wound. So avoidable; so sad. How impactful and long-lasting will the damage be to our institutions and the country at large? Unknown, but more than likely we’ll have a pretty good sense between now and Nov. 2024.