What Has Happened to America?

 What has happened to America?

I have lived my entire life -- several decades -- in this country. Sadly, I no longer recognize the nation in which I have spent my life. I know there have always been undercurrents of racism, antisemitism and misogyny. There have been times when these negative thoughts and actions were more pronounced, and more in the open, than at others. But I hoped things had changed. I believed that the American people had changed.

How incredibly wrong I was.

Now the followers of a former twice-impeached president seem determined to destroy this country and everything it has stood for for nearly 250 years. They wear their racism, their antisemitism and their misogyny as a badge of honor. 

They call for the overthrow of the government. They ban books that don't conform to their warped ideology. They call for the execution of the current and the previous president. They call themselves 'pro-life' while simultaneously refusing to provide food and medical care assistance to those who need help the most. They want to turn this nation into a "Christian" nation, ignoring the founding fathers' insistence (embedded in the US Constitution) that there should be separation of church and state.

The disgraced leading candidate for the presidency of one party says he will be a dictator "from day one." He proclaims that if he loses the election, "there will be a bloodbath." He says he will round up all the people in this country illegally, put them in camps, and then conduct a massive deportation. He announced that he plans to fire the nation's federal civil servants (non-partisan employees) and replace them with those loyal only to him, not to defending our constitution. Adolf Hitler and the current Hungarian dictator Viktor Orban did the same thing. He wants to slash Medicare and Social Security, upon which millions of Americans depend, and for which we paid through mandatory payroll taxes. He even mirrors the rhetoric of his idol Adolf Hitler when he refers to immigrants as not human.

Jewish students on college campuses across the country, even at traditionally liberal universities, have been threatened because of their religion. Someone at San Francisco International Airport was questioned about his religion and the driver (who was fired) ultimately told the would-be passenger that he  would not transport a Jew in his car. 

Three Palestinian students at a Vermont college were walking down the street, speaking Arabic, when a man walked onto his porch and shot them. Two have recovered, while the third is permanently paralyzed.

A candidate for the position of head of public schools in North Carolina has publicly called for the assassination of former President Barack Obama and current President Joe Biden. She should have been arrested for these threats, but of course, nothing was done, and her Republican colleagues are silent.

In an opinion piece on cnn.com, some political scientists suggest this country is on the verge of another civil war. Here is the link to the article:  https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/16/opinions/us-brink-of-civil-war-hoffman-ware/index.html

These are just a few examples of what has happened in our country. 

It is up to us, the people who believe in this country and that for which it had stood since 1776. to not remain silent. We cannot sit by and watch the destruction of our country.

Get out and vote in every election, the November presidential election in particular. The stake have never been higher.

One Day Is Not Enough

 Today is International Women's Day.

Yet despite the many advances women have made over the years, we now find ourselves going backward. The Republican-majority US Supreme Court overturned legislation (Roe v Wade) that had for 22 years protected a woman's right to a safe abortion. Since then, various states, led by Texas, have seriously limited a woman's right to choose, going so far as to criminalize abortion. Now the Alabama supreme court has declared that frozen embryos are, in fact, children, and destroying them is tantamount to murder.

In Afghanistan, following the return of the Taliban, girls who are allowed to attend school usually stay only 2 years. Afghanistan ranks among the highest for gender-based violence. So-called honor killings, while illegal, are still widely practiced. Women are not allowed to work outside the home or to leave the home unless unaccompanied by a male relative. Females must once again cover their faces in public. Pakistan and several African countries round out the top 10 worst nations for women's rights.

Female Israeli hostages being held by the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza are subjected to not only the tears of being kidnapped, but also the absolute horrors of sexual violence. Far too many women in India are victims of domestic abuse and even gang rapes in public places and on buses.

Women throughout the world have the potential to do great things with their lives. They can be fighter pilots in the armed forces. They can command naval vessels. They can be police officers and neurosurgeons and prime ministers. They can make amazing discoveries and develop new medications to treat fatal diseases. 

One group I really admire is called the Black Mambas, an all female anti-poaching group in South Africa that works to prevent the slaughter of South Africa’s rhinoceros population and other wildlife. These highly trained rangers put their lives on the line every time they go on patrol.

There are many notable female role models in our world: Malala Yousafzai, Jane Goodall, Kamala Harris, Greta Thunberg and Amanda Gorman immediately come to mind. If you're not familiar with these women, please look them up and read about them.

I have been fortunate to have met a couple of female trailblazers. Dr. Ellen Ochoa was the first female Hispanic astronaut. She later became the first Hispanic woman and the second female director of NASA's Johnson Space Center. Ochoa holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

US Air Force Colonel Eileen Collins became the first female pilot and the first woman to command a space shuttle mission. 

Educate yourself, then speak up for women everywhere. Our struggling world is beset by wars on many fronts, by poverty and hunger and disease. We need all of us, not just white men, to work to make this world better for everyone.

Every day should be a day to recognize and honor the world's women. All women, not just those with advanced degrees or celebrity. deserve to be given the chance to follow their dreams and to succeed in whatever life they choose.

Your Religion Is Not Better

Your religion is not better than mine ... or anyone else's.

It may be the best religion for you. But that doesn't make it the best religion for everyone else. For many people, following no religion is best for them. And your religion does not give you the right to impose your religious beliefs on others.

Maybe you come from a long line of Mormons, or Roman Catholics, or Baptists, or Muslims or Hindus or Jews. That's wonderful. If that makes you happy, great. But that doesn't make you better than anyone else on the planet. And it doesn't make your religion of choice better than anyone else's. 

It does not give you the right to try to exterminate followers of other religions. It does not give you the right to attempt to impose your personal religious beliefs on others and prevent them from following their own set of beliefs. Your religion doesn't give you the right to impose your beliefs on others through coercion or legislation. Our Constitution's First Amendment permits freedom of religion, as well as freedom from religion.

If you want your children to attend a private, religion-sponsored school, you have that right. But you do not have the right to expect taxpayers to fund your child's private school education and indoctrination.

You wouldn't be happy if tax dollars were spent to pay for tuition at an Islamic school that taught sharia law. So you shouldn't expect people to pay for your children to attend a Christian school.

Too many wars have been fought over religious differences: the Crusades, the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East between Muslims and Jews, even battles between the two major factions of Islam. The Roman Empire murdered early Christians who refused to worship the Romans' panoply of gods.

The major monotheistic religions have one thing in common: worship of a single god. The ancient Greeks and Romans worshipped many gods. They had a god of the sea, household gods, a goddess of love, a god of war, and so on. 

I would guess that followers of each of the major religions feel that their religion is the best. And that's fine. 

Just stop trying to force your religion, and your non-religious beliefs, on others.