“The issue today is the same as it has been throughout history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite.” Thomas Jefferson
Believe me, I have no idea why I even got started on this story. It feels very audacious for an old guy like me, trying to sort out our current dilemma. I am gonna shoot the moon on this one and go way outside my league. In spite of our present political climate, I have a right to my opinion, which seems so obvious, but not today.
When I was looking for a quote, I thought I’d go back to the beginning of our country and see what some of those white- wigged guys had to say. I’ll be damned. Jefferson’s quote absolutely blew my mind. Back in the day, they had to believe what they were contemplating was an experiment, one without precedent. From those days until today, America has always been a crucible of humanity’s best intention, which we seem to forget. MLK had a beautiful dream. It is alive and far more than words on parchment. I swear it’s there, even though we have turned our backs on it.
When I first tripped over that above quote, my immediate thought was Tommy must have been talking about today. One man has spent $450 million on Republican candidates to ensure his continued financial and political dominance. When I was a kid, it was always a fun dare to ask one of us if we’d do the most outlandish thing for a million bucks. We are now so accustomed to reading these insane numbers. We don’t stop to think how much money that actually is. Think about it for a millionth of a second!
Money has learned to be much more subtle in getting what it wants, like a nuggy just above the scalp line. The Ludlow Massacre on April 20, 1914 was a mass killing perpetrated by anti-striking militia during the Colorado Coalfield War. Soldiers from the Colorado National Guard and private guards attacked a tent colony of roughly 1,200 striking coal miners and their families. At least 21 people were killed, primarily women and children, the majority burnt alive as they huddled under one tent. John D. Rockefeller Jr. was widely blamed for this unconscionable barbarism. They died and he got richer. Today, money leaves no visible scars and gets whatever it wants. Money has gotten much smarter as it has grown into the stratosphere.
It is so wonderfully naive and optimistic to think we build today’s world on the foundations of our past, some beautiful idea that turns to shit when we look back there too closely. Today, we have a different kind of slavery and women are still fighting for their rights. The exercise of power has actually become far more potent over the centuries.
When I was a kid, I was really impressed with the oratory of guys like Adlai Stevenson and JFK. The wig wearers were also incredibly articulate, whether you agreed with them on everything or not. A couple of days ago, I watched an old clip of Kennedy talking about his Catholicism and whether it would conflict with his duties as President.
Today, when elementary school teachers talk to the kids about the legends of past presidents and some of their memorable speeches and quotes, it should be interesting. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was incredibly inspiring. “A government of the people and by the people, shall not perish from this earth.” It gives me chills. Kennedy’s 1961 Inaugural Address was mind blowing. “We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.” Today, we have “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters.”
I just called a time out on myself. I know I’ve written before that when you do or say something and you are not getting paid for it, honesty can fill your pockets. Here I am, broke and sincere. It is so tempting to use DJT’s language back on him, but it simply raises the flames burning all our souls today. I decided to step back and look around. OK, I can’t help myself. Trump recently resurrected a lie from 2024 that schools are secretly sending kids to hospitals for gender surgery. ‘Nuff said.
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” I tell you, Willy had a way with words! It is helluva lot easier to blame than to own. It is also easier to wallow in the trenches, rather than climb the mountain. For many of us, the need to belong, mutes the voice of the higher self. In a way, Trump is our Frankenstein, a mirror of the worst in us all.
Speaking of all of us, I wanna take long view and step back a little. We have taken so much for granted here in America. Back in ’64, I was in Queens College and jumped at the chance to work NBC’s election coverage of Johnson-Goldwater. Not only was it fascinating to be standing close to Huntley and Brinkley, their Cronkite equivalent, I absorbed the professional vibe. I also voted for the first time. The legitimacy of our election process was never questioned, simply taken for granted. It fucken works, with a really, small percentage ever questionable. I have never felt a vibe of fear like today either.
Jefferson’s fears have come true. The marriage of money and politics births corruption. With all that money, we have defaulted on The Bill of Rights.”Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” and I will send them to Guyana. The cruelty visited on these people is beyond belief. Jefferson’s feared, small elite have forged the keys to the kingdom and locked the rest of us up.
Here’s the deal, you can’t buy or sell a myth, because it is invisible and lives in the heart. Jefferson’s fears are timeless and so is the belief that we have the capability of being so much better than we are. Only time will tell if this exquisite myth can vanquish the darkness that has been set upon us.
It is my prayer.
LISTEN TO IT HERE:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/1292459/episodes/20011113-is-the-american-myth-for-sale