So... it looks like things back home are pretty chaotic. I have friends from both sides of the political fence and they all agree on that. I've been wondering what I could say here that might be meaningful to someone out there. Basically, everything that could be said is being said over and over, but it appears that saying is much easier than listening.
I can’t buy into the popular assertion that whichever party you are not associated with is evil and anti-American and going to ruin the world if given (or left in) power. Democrats and Republicans have successfully co-existed for a long time. What each brings to the table is valid and “American”. Whatever happened to respect?
Democrats prioritize equality and social justice, while Republicans try to protect our individual freedoms. Ying and Yang. It’s a delicate balance. To stay upright, we need each other. Remember that Star Trek episode when Captain Kirk encountered his alternate self in a parallel universe and found that both extremes of his psyche made him whole??? Never mind.
I have a unique vantage point from here in Ireland. Not only do I read and hear news from the American outlets, but I am exposed to the views and opinions of the non-Americans (poor devils). We baffle them.
Here in Ireland, the “common good” is the ultimate good, like in the early Christian church. They are a capitalist society but have higher taxes and spend more on social programs than we do. They understand that social programs do not equal socialist ideology. They are not afraid they’ll wake up one morning in Venezuela just because they can’t carry assault weapons to the grocery store.
In fact, fear tactics and intimidation are not really the way of work here. “Just the facts, Ma’am.” The Irish seem to know how to breathe deeply, hold their noses and sit down together at the table. They have their share of hotheads alright, as well as corruption, but they interact and solve problems as adults (if you’ve ever taught middle school you’ll get the distinction). It’s a gentler society than America.
Ireland ranks ahead of us in the 2019 World Happiness Report. And in another recent survey, 86% said they were “happy with their lives today.” The countries we would describe as “socialist” (such as Finland, Denmark, Norway) rank among the first, year after year, in the WHR. We should look into that. It’s interesting to me that one of the criteria examined is “Freedom to make life choices”. Think about it.
So I’m reading that America has 4% of the world’s population but 25% of the Corona cases. I hear otherwise good people say they refuse to wear a mask just because. What the…? Someone here said that Americans are so obsessed with their individual rights, they are willing to sacrifice their neighbors. The Irish find that reprehensible. So do I. Get over yourself. Wear a mask.
Looks like I’ll be voting by mail for obvious reasons. Even if I could fly home before November, I may not be allowed to re-enter Ireland (and it has nothing to do with that night I had too much Guinness and…). I am a registered Republican. I didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 because I just had a bad feeling, you know, that someone who brags about grabbing married women by the pussy would probably not share my values.
But I can say honestly, before God, that when he got elected I kept an open mind and looked for the best. I have friends and family members who believed in Trump and I decided to trust their judgement and give him a chance. I’m still trying to give him a chance but I’m afraid he just keeps disappointing.
It’s not just his abrasive personality because I know we have had previous presidents who could out-obnoxious him in a heartbeat. But have you read “The Art of the Deal”? The man’s a crook. From the outset, he surrounded himself with thugs and criminals, several of whom are now in jail or facing charges. He has fired or intimidated those who oppose him. How many patriotic voices have to shout in unison before we can hear them? It’s a cloud of witnesses.
President Trump has turned us against one another. He has tried to discredit one sacred American institution after another: our intelligence community, our judicial system, our science community, our military leaders, our diplomats, our free press.
All these foundations of American life, he has disparaged. Do they all stand to be improved? Of course. They have always had their fair share of shame and scandal (as has the presidency). But they are America and when we stop believing in them, we stop believing in America. I’m not ready to do that… because the alternative is something other than democracy.
Make America Great Again? I never liked that slogan… because Americans have always believed their best days are yet to come. We are eternal optimists like my Irish ancestors, who courageously endured unimaginable hardships with visions of a better life. We’ve always been humble servants of the world, sometimes to our detriment for sure. But we’ve always known that as good as we are, we can do better. My slogan would be Make America Greater. We still have a long way to go.
And I’m thinking… even if Trump were the most honest, likable, upstanding man in the country, he still has dropped the ball on leadership. Being a successful businessman (which is questionable with six bankruptcies) does not qualify one to lead the free world.
When calamity struck, I think he just froze and really didn’t know what to do. He really hoped he could wish away that virus and get back in his comfort zone. Then the simmering racial tensions boiled over (as was predicted after “very fine people on both sides” and other unbelievably disturbing comments).
It’s been said that he just wasn’t up for the job. It’s too complicated for him. He’s one dimensional with a childlike naivete, and that really scares me when I think of his relationships with other world leaders.
A letter signed this week by 70 (yes, 70!) Republican former national security officials (some from Trump’s own administration) states he “lacks the character and competence to lead the nation and has engaged in corrupt behavior that renders him unfit to serve as President”. Putin and the lot are seasoned politicians and seem emboldened by his arrogance and are playing him like a fiddle.
Fiddle??? I think this post is done and I’m going to treat myself to a jig or two. Wish you were here. We could have a spirited debate about the candidates. There’s so much more to discuss. I’ll stay calm if you will. ( ;
