Common sense tells us when a train is already coming off the tracks it is not a good time the hitch a ride on it. So why is the United States hitching a ride on the aggressions of Russia and Israel?  This nation once had a mind of its own on a mission of freedom, human rights for all humans, and democracy.  On the verge of completely losing track of the American mission, we have now drained our stock pile of weapons that could have defended this country in aggressive times from aggressive nations,  We have overspent our assets on futile empire building strategies that may have been successful a century ago, but no longer.  Time for America to live in the 21st century.  This has been a bad start. 

As a kid growing up on a farm I was always a bit afraid when the herd of cattle we were trying transfer down a fence tunnel to another pasture, reversed their direction and the herd stampeded around my brother and I (on foot, not horses) back into open space.  But sooner or later on or two cattle would inspire the rest of the bunched up herd to go down the narrow corridor into the next pasture.  While the two leading cattle may seem like leadership for cattle it shouldn’t work for humans.  But apparently it can.  One or two leaders with records of corruption and oppression have led our nation’s leader and this nation into a war.  We have two election cycles to rescue our course and begin the rebuild.  To do that we have to find leadership that does more than orchestrate a stampede using fear, shouts, and blinders.  

Modest Proposal for Good

We, the people, have to be the people that can focus on the mission at an operational level. Our mission is democracy and its grounding values. These core virtues must become the tent pole values to our democracy now. Yes our economy is taking a dive but that happens when the managers and leaders don’t understand, misuse, and exploit the levers of economic development. The times though have changed and the benefits of cooperation are irreversibly linked globally. We can only become great again only in the context of global cooperation and greatness. As world travelers, we can only restore our welcome in other countries by honoring our nation’s founding mission of freedom, human rights, and democracy. When we find our way through the vote to restore the worlds understanding of a democratic America, race, gender, immigration, and health care will find ways to resolve into a working evolving whole again. We are not the cattle on a cattle drive as our current administration treats us. We are to be treated a sacred human beings in community striving as necessary to become one from many. That has been, is and will be good.