What’s happened to our country? We are in the middle of an undeclared war crippling the world’s oil supply. We watch the Middle East on fire every day. Thousands killed including US service personnel with no end in sight. Gas prices climbing by the hour. Hours long lines at airports. Our government is unable to function. The rest of the world which used to be able to count on us to lead the way and use our power to keep them safe are stunned and afraid of what we have become. “The shining city of the hill” was a metaphor used by Ronald Reagan to describe the United States as a beacon of hope, freedom, opportunity and a champion of American exceptionalism. It comes from the bible, “A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” How’s that looking today?
We put ourselves in this position by falling prey to the worst con man in American history, and we did it twice. We are led by an unhinged narcissist who is lost in his own reality. Incoherent explanations of his bizarre behavior have become the norm. He has gotten us into a war with no approval from congress which has the only constitutional power to declare war. He never consulted with allies before being pushed into war by Israel. Trump has turned the Republican party into a personality cult ruling with fear. No one will dare cross him. The perfect example is Congress controlled by the Republicans, is really a lap dog for Trump. They have given up all power to him. Both Republicans and Democrats haven’t been able to get a funding bill passed to get TSA workers a pay check for over a month. And when they couldn’t agree, what did they do? They went home for two weeks. Is there a bigger slap in the face to the people they’re suppose to serve?
In this second term, Trump made sure there would be no guardrails to control some of his impulses. Vice President JD Vance once called Trump an “American Hitler”. I guess he’s seen the light and hopes he found a pathway to get nominated for president in three years. The most memorable thing Vance has done is pile on Ukraine President Zelenskyy during the Trump beat down in the Oval Office where Vance pushed Zelenskyy to say thank you for American assistance during the war with Russia. On the same couch in the Oval Office, was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, or as Trump used to call him “Little Marco.” He is so afraid of Trump he wears a pair of dress shoes Trump gave him that are too big that he slides around in while trying to explain what Trump’s strategy is in the war.
Let’s not forget Mr. Slick. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. He prefers Secretary of War it sounds tougher. He stands up at press briefings on the war with his slicked back hair and too tight suits and talks about destroying and killing the enemy while gloating at the camera and admonishing the press for doubting the war plan. Hegseth also has a problem with women and African Americans. He has blocked four officers, two women and two Black men from the promotion list to one star general in a highly unusual move. He’s made clear in the past women should not be allowed in combat.
We are being led by a team of incompetents headed by a man who appears to doze off during meetings. The damage they have created will take years maybe decades to correct. As we spiral further down this path, that shining city on the hill is getting harder to see.
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