I fear for my country's future. I grew up connecting the passage of time with progress. Yet the slogan Make America Great Again suggest that some wish to turn the clock back.
Although species depletion and extinction is still an issue, mainly stemming from poaching and habitat loss these days, we have witnessed the return of the bald eagle and,through captive breeding and reintroduction into the wild, the black footed ferret, a small mammal whose population once numbered only 50. Reintroduction of wolves helped to restore some of the natural beauty, bounty and species diversity of Yellowstone, the park the very definition of a national treasure. The Chicago River, once a toxic, bubbling cauldron, has been restored and is cleaner that at any point in the city's modern history.
Now I watch, in horror, disappointment and disillusionment as pristine wilderness lands are stripped of protection. Our coastal waters are opened up to drilling for an exhaustible fossil fuel that, throughout much of the world, is swiftly becoming obsolete. Clean and renewable energy sources come under economic attack by a shortsighted administration that sees only immediate financial profit.
A seemingly endless stream of divisiveness and hate spews forth. It aims to stoke fears of those that do not conform to a white, so called, Christian, ideal. Hate of immigrants, gays, people of color and Muslims. It creates true fear among those against whom the hate is focused. Yet Jesus preached of brotherhood, peace an helping one another, particularly those less fortunate. These are the Christian values that I, a minister's son, was taught. They are values all humane and loving people should embrace, regardless of their belief or faith.
Corporations, in collusion with the administration, enrich themselves while offering their workers compensation so inadequate that they are forced to apply for public assistance. Even this aid is under attack. Our military takes over half of our government budget while U.S. citizens go hungry, even homeless.
Many talking heads on television speak of the exhausting nature of this administration. It seems a new outrage emerges everyday. Perhaps it is a plan to wear down the public. To tire us to the point where we are no longer shocked, where inhumane and what should be unacceptable actions are accepted as "the way things are".
Presently the slogan Make America Great Again suggests that we step backward. Perhaps, like some other slogans and words once hurtful, we should adopt it as we attempt to stem and repair the damage that is being done.
