Are you a patriotic American? Do you love this country? Do you believe in the Founding Ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution? Do you believe American has been, is, should be, “a beacon of hope” for the world? Do you believe “moral principles” should always guide what America does?
Quoted below are words from Rebecca Gordon’s “American Nuremberg” [2016] from pages 9l-92. Please read these words. Then reflect on what Ms Gordon says. Then read them again. Then talk with friends, family, colleagues, neighbors – SERIOUSLY.
Rebecca Gordon is asking, pleading, with America to reflect, very seriously, on WHO WE ARE – as judged by our recent actions:
“I think that the war on terror has eroded in the people of this country the quality that is sometimes called practical wisdom. Practical wisdom is an intellectual habit we develop over time, one that allows a person to examine a situation and understand its moral contours. It is a habit of thought that helps us understand in a given situation what are the right things to do and the right ways to do them. Practical wisdom requires another habit – courage – if we are to look squarely at the world. We need to not only sift through the media babble that constantly assaults and misleads us as we seek the truth, but also to question our own emotions and biases that inevitably arise in times of national crisis.”
“I believe that after a decade and a half of constant “terror manipulation” – relentless messaging about the dangers that lurk all around us, particularly those involving Muslims and brown-skinned people – we have been damaged morally. In the name of security, we have been been terrorized by our own government – and by the news and entertainment corporations that feed on exploiting such fear – into giving up not only our own freedoms but our fundamental sense of human empathy. While racist contempt for “foreigners” has long been a feature of the American people, years of terror propaganda and “security theater” have created something qualitatively different. Entire swaths of the world’s population are now regarded as enemies by many American people, seen as vicious, less-than-human creatures who are undeserving of basic decency, let alone the protection of international law.”
“As a nation, we need to reclaim these qualities of wisdom and courage. Facing the terrible crimes that have been committed in our names and bringing the criminals to justice would be a good beginning. It would help restore not only the rule of international law, but our own humanity.”
Eroded practical wisdom….moral contours…..the right things to do and the right ways to do them…….courage……media babble……our own emotions and biases…….terror manipulation…….brown-skinned people……WE HAVE BEEN DAMAGED MORALLY……..exploiting fear……giving up our own freedoms…….human empathy……racist contempt……propaganda……”security theater”……..’LESS-THAN-HUMAN’……….terrible crimes committed in our names……..justice….OUR OWN HUMANITY.
These words were said in 2016. No thinking, caring American can remotely think “we” have improved since then. Numerous international polls place America below Putin – now under siege by his own, VERY COURAGEOUS PEOPLE, for things mentioned above, and much more.
Please consider the following, from Theodore Roosevelt’s Mount Rushmore plaque:
“We, here in America, hold in our hands the hope of the world, the fate of the coming years; and shame and disgrace will be ours if in our eyes the light of high resolve is dimmed, if we trail in the dust the golden hopes of men.”
The hope of the world…..shame and disgrace will be ours…..the light of high resolve…..TRAIL IN THE DUST THE GOLDEN HOPES OF MEN.
“WE” are guilty as charged. What are “WE” going to do about it? Do “WE” have the MORAL COURAGE to save OUR OWN HUMANITY?
The issues are plain. The choices are plain. Are “we all in this together” – or not?
What will “WE” tell our children and grandchildren? WHY did “WE” support these policies, and many more destructive ones? Why did “WE” listen to destructive media?WHY did “WE” participate in destructive media? WHY did “WE” choose to believe OBVIOUS falsehoods, rumors, lies? WHY did “WE” vote for destructive politicians?
“WE” will succeed – or fail – to save America, only IF we first save our own humanity.
With Justice For All 