It Bears Repeating: Don’t Screw with America
by Larry Usoff
Clash Daily Contributor
Why is it even necessary to say something like that? When, exactly, did we become something less than exceptional? When did we lose the stuff I’ll call “guts”? Where did we turn from the road of the shining city on the hill to the garbage dump? Yeah, I could say that it began with the current president…but it didn’t. It might very well end with him, because of his extreme views on some things and dithering on others, but it’s been brewing for a long time.
America came out of World War Two the mightiest power on earth. We armed the world during the war, we fed a lot of the world after the war, and we developed things that seemed marvelous back then, but are taken for granted now. What the devil happened to America?
My political affiliation changed when this president was running for the office. It was clear, at least to me, that he did not have any idea of what to do, how to do it, or when to do it. A perfect campaigner, sure…but once you get the job you’d better know how to do it, or at the very least, have competent advisers. Every president should have a cadre of people that he can depend on, and, ideally, they should all have the welfare of the country as their first priority. It hasn’t worked out that way with this administration. Oh sure, we’ve had cheaters, liars, and less-than-brilliant men in the Oval Office…but I believe they had the country’s welfare at heart.
America was, and might still be, the most powerful in the world, so why is it that we are so far down the list when it comes to respect…or fear? We, as Americans, used to be able to travel anywhere in the world and feel safe. Not so anymore. Now, Americans are targets, for killing, for kidnapping, or as political pawns. When, exactly, did we give up the position of top dog? There is no way I would travel anywhere outside the United States anymore. There is no country, including England, that could give me the sense of security that I used to have when traveling. Speaking of England, it’s interesting that the public there is slowly, but surely, rebelling against the stealth jihad of the Muslims…but that’s a whole other story.
From time to time the question is posed, “where are our leaders”? There is no one in the government today, at least not in the administration, that anyone could point to and say “That’s a great leader”. What a sad state of affairs that is, that no one stands out. My time in the Navy gave me a rather salty vocabulary, but one thing that I can say is the title: DON’T SCREW WITH AMERICA. Maybe that still holds true for events outside this country, but are we screwing ourselves, from within? With all the scandals, and you can go back to Watergate and Nixon, the power of the White House seems to corrupt the occupants to the point where each of them has a notable scandal.
Few seem to have escaped, and I suspect that might be because we just didn’t dig deep enough. Going back, there’s Eisenhower and Truman, and those two seem to be the only ones that escaped any scandal, at least while in office.
This isn’t supposed to be a retrospective look at our chief executives, and there’s lots that could be said about each of them, but rather, let’s examine why the world, and I, see the United States as a fading power.
Militarily we’re being weakened. Politically we’ve been weakened. Economically we’ve been weakened. Those three things are boiling in the pot now but remember, a pot doesn’t start boiling instantly. These lessenings have been in the works for decades, but they started boiling under, and with the help of, the current president. Because he doesn’t have a clue, he’s exacerbated the problems. Because of his humongous ego, he truly believed, and still does, that he could charm all our enemies into cooperating with us. It didn’t work.
My fondest wish is to see a president of the caliber of JFK, one who will say, as he did, Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
In other words, folks, don’t screw with America because we’re from hardy stock, and we don’t take kindly to being pushed around.
Image: Courtesy of: http://burgler.wikispaces.com/3rd+grade+unit+3
Larry Usoff, US Navy Retired; US Navy Retired. Articulate. Opinionated. Patriotic. Conservative. Cultured enough so that I can be taken almost anywhere. Constitutionalist. Make no excuses for what I say or do, but take responsibility for them. Duty. Honor. Country; www.AirHumanityRadio. net
