As I ruminate over all that we have endured the past 5.5 years, from a POTUS who was never truly interested in the responsibilities of the office of President of the USA…to the mishandling of a pandemic that to date has claimed more than 700 thousand of our citizens, I wonder, Are We Free YET?
I mean we all know how important freedom is to those proud red, white and blue, flag-waiving, gun-toting, tax-evading fanatical Americans. Yep, don’t tell them what they cannot do, where they cannot go, and to wear a piece of cloth over their mouth and nose that could save the lives of their family and friends. Nope. That is a bridge too far for these patriots.
Somehow in my wildest imagination I just wanted to believe that we Americans would rally together, for the first time since 9/11/2001, to show that We Could Come Together to defeat the enemy – the deadly COVID-19 virus. We have the scientists, the resources, the will to live and let live – yet, we are now facing another HUGE spike of our citizens becoming infected with a mutated version … that is easier to transmit and more deadly. Are We Free YET!
I have been a mostly optimistic man for most of my adult life, through bouts of doubt and depression that could have taken me out, yet, I held on to the belief that humanity, of which I am just one element, was worthy of sticking around for. That we could do better than our predecessors. That our love for our community and family would demand the best of us all.
Yet, here we are teetering on the precipice of a thousand-foot cliff, with elected officials telling people to not get vaccinated. The same officials who themselves are vaccinated, and thus, protected from the worst of this new viral strain. How the does that make any sense? Or, does it need to, since we are all Free … to be ignorant, resistant, dead.
What level of ignorance and selfishness would “knowingly” send children and their teachers, administrators, and support staff back to schools, and possible danger, by making it illegal to wear a face covering? A society that would rather die than admit it is now on the losing end and facing extinction. A society that fights against the teaching of “accurate” history so that the next generation of student/citizens will not be “blinded” by the lies of white supremacy and its history of genocide and inhumane treatment of any/all people who have melanin in their skin. Are We Free YET!
So much evidence is now available to show how Donald Trump was the impetus behind not only the January 6th terrorist attack on the U.S. Capital, but that he also attempted to bribe and influence election officials in multiple states after he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden – why is he still Free? Any other citizen who would have been involved in such illegal activities would certainly be charged with multiple crimes both at the federal and state levels.
If you have been one to espouse the levels of freedoms that US Citizens enjoy, unlike people who live under oppressive dictatorial regimes around the World – North Korea, Russia, Hungary … you would KNOW that you are not free. You would KNOW that you have severe limitations that could be enforced at the whims of the self-appointed autocrat/dictator in charge.
This is an ELE (Extinction Level Event) moment for our nation and our planet. One that requires the best and brightest minds to come together in UNITY, to collaborate on a path forward that will stave off the possibility of repeating the mistakes that created both the US/Spanish Flu epidemic in 1918-1920, that killed 50 million people globally, and the Great Depression, which took 12 years to run its course. The GOP/conservative/right wing don’t want you or me to know that this has all been a part of this nation’s not-too-distant past. This is their playbook for maintaining power and control. There’s a famous quote that states “those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.”
Because of science and vaccines, we are FREE … from Polio, measles, mumps, chicken pox, and the deadliest of them all Small Pox. Yet, we are free to say no and repeat the dire consequences of the past. What choice shall we make?
Are We Free, Yet? We Shall See.
Peace.
The Traveler Weekly 