By Mildred Robertson
Where to start? As I contemplate my monthly blog, I attempt to focus on pressing issues that face our state and our nation. However, as America plunges over one social, political and/or economic cliff after another, I am stymied by the overabundance of topics from which to choose. I believe my state of mind is reflective of the nation as a whole. We are all grappling with this administration’s proclivity to lob one distraction after another to keep us unbalanced and unfocused on looming threats to our democracy.
And there are looming threats.
We appear to be hurtling toward a totalitarian government ruled by a dotard whose only true talent seems to be the ability to foster chaos.
It looks as though those safeguards established by the Founders to combat just such an assault on democracy have faltered, with both the Congress and the courts struggling to address this administration’s numerous infractions. While the three branches flounder in maintaining our course, our nation is bombarded with crises which no current entity seems equipped to address.
It looks as though those safeguards established by the Founders to combat just such an assault on democracy have faltered, with both the Congress and the courts struggling to address this administration’s numerous infractions. While the three branches flounder in maintaining our course, our nation is bombarded with crises which no current entity seems equipped to address.
The crisis on the border is real, though contrived. While thousands of immigrants are being caged and mistreated at the hands of our government, those of us who object seem to be left without a remedy. The visit of Vice President Pence to the border this weekend highlighted the depth of depravity to which we have fallen as a nation. As I looked at those young men behind bars, milling in that stark environment without the comfort of a place to lay their heads or water to drink, it reminds me of the slave ships that wrenched my people from the shores of Africa. It reminds me of how my people were packed like sardines in a space not meant for human occupancy. I am reminded how they were left to wallow in their own filth and then accused of being filthy—as though it were a choice. It brings back to my memory stories of young children wrenched from the arms of their weeping mothers, stolen; never to be seen again.
The crisis in healthcare is real. Millions of Americans stand in jeopardy of losing healthcare as the Republican-led Congress continues to devise methods to eviscerate the Affordable Health Care system.
The threat of climate change is real, as sea levels rise and states like Louisiana and Florida battle to hold back the tide.
Our judicial system is broken as black and brown bodies are warehoused and hate crimes are on the rise. National discourse is hateful and women and minorities are under attack.
While we tout a low unemployment rate, millions of working Americans still can’t afford the basic necessities of life and must work two and three jobs just to get by.
The threats to this nation’s peace and prosperity are just too many to name. Trump simply plays a shell game with these issues, encouraging media to “look here—no look over there,” every time he feels threatened. And the media obliges.
This administration has successfully thrown us all off balance. But we must focus.
Those of us who know that we are on a path leading us away from the greatness first envisioned by the Founding Fathers must, in the words of John Lewis, “Keep Our Eyes on the Prize.”
To maintain our democratic way of life, we must somehow cut through all the distractions and focus on the problem. And that problem is Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Together they have embraced a hysterical fear of the growing presence of minorities in this country. Both Trump and the GOP appear committed to use any measure necessary to dilute the voices of black and brown Americans. We must be equally committed to focus on the threats the administration holds toward American democratic rule and raise our voices in defense of our nation’s legacy.
