{link » Preamble to the United States Constitution}
The Union has congealed into Red and Blue politicized-blocks of states. Justice has also been infected by political bias. Domestic tranquility is anything but. The common defense is not well-enough appreciated, largely taken for granted, and therefore alarmingly self-defeating. General welfare (by which the Founders meant "the common good", not "handout nation") has been replaced by social engineering on a massive scale. And the blessings of liberty have been usurped by the curses of narcissism and disavowal of personal accountability. And, I dare say, my assessment is overly optimistic.
Our socio-economic-political system currently mimics reality television that is as unrealistic as Disneyland, which may account for its ridiculous popularity. Every important and popular endeavor is contested rather than engaged in with a cooperative spirit for the common good. Bylaws and ground rules adhere to gamesmanship, either explicitly or implicitly, and football/baseball/basketball jargon pervades our daily activities. It's the 2-minute drill; we need a walk-off home run; and, unfortunately, Michael Jordan is retired.
In reality, our general elections are no longer about finding a reasonable approximation to a Washington, a Lincoln, or even a Truman, but about choosing a facsimile of an American Television Idol. Not someone blessed with qualities of leadership, wisdom, and personal integrity, but, rather, someone skilled in winning a debate or in deceiving the uninformed, the misinformed, and the perpetually perplexed. So I cling, not to religion or guns (which I don't have) but to my faith that America has a knack for winning at the buzzer when the championship is on the line.
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”Our American Founders, those who conceived our Liberty (lead by Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin), won our Independence (dominated by Washington), framed our Constitution (lead by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay), and subsequently preserved our Union (dominated by Lincoln), would all, in my humble opinion, be chagrined by what has become of our Federalist principles, as summarized by the Preamble to the Constitution.
The Union has congealed into Red and Blue politicized-blocks of states. Justice has also been infected by political bias. Domestic tranquility is anything but. The common defense is not well-enough appreciated, largely taken for granted, and therefore alarmingly self-defeating. General welfare (by which the Founders meant "the common good", not "handout nation") has been replaced by social engineering on a massive scale. And the blessings of liberty have been usurped by the curses of narcissism and disavowal of personal accountability. And, I dare say, my assessment is overly optimistic.
Our socio-economic-political system currently mimics reality television that is as unrealistic as Disneyland, which may account for its ridiculous popularity. Every important and popular endeavor is contested rather than engaged in with a cooperative spirit for the common good. Bylaws and ground rules adhere to gamesmanship, either explicitly or implicitly, and football/baseball/basketball jargon pervades our daily activities. It's the 2-minute drill; we need a walk-off home run; and, unfortunately, Michael Jordan is retired.
In reality, our general elections are no longer about finding a reasonable approximation to a Washington, a Lincoln, or even a Truman, but about choosing a facsimile of an American Television Idol. Not someone blessed with qualities of leadership, wisdom, and personal integrity, but, rather, someone skilled in winning a debate or in deceiving the uninformed, the misinformed, and the perpetually perplexed. So I cling, not to religion or guns (which I don't have) but to my faith that America has a knack for winning at the buzzer when the championship is on the line.
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