I WANT MY AMERICA BACK!
My View From Inside The Turret
For those of us who might be described as “Boomers” … i.e. defined as people born between 1946 and 1964, making them between 57 and 75 years old … it seems to me that we may have lived through the best times America has ever seen. America emerged from World War II as a world superpower. Having left behind the Great Depression with the need to become the “world’s arsenal”, American industry was flourishing in the post-war period. The GIs were returning from the war and the American middle class was expanding. The interstate road system crisscrossing the country was under construction and Detroit was turning out new “modern” automobiles for middle class consumers. Families were moving to the “burbs” and the family auto was becoming a necessity.
People could ride the New York subway system without fear … and the only “migrants” the country saw were the farm workers who frequented the growing fields of southern California and then returned to Mexico after the harvesting season. It was the time of Caesar Chavez and his fight to obtain fair wages for the migrant workers … it was a fight that was necessary and fair. Families in the suburbs could walk around their communities without fear. The same could be said of those living in the cities, including Chicago, New York, San Francisco – perhaps the walk was to go to the local bodega for a newspaper or simply to walk to work. The “mall” became the place to shop and movie theaters were springing up across America as the movie industry was expanding its audiences everywhere.
Now before anyone gets their panties in a twist, I will note that not everything in America was perfect. We were starting to deal with “Jim Crow” passing laws and regulations that were intended to end systematic discrimination in the black community.
Of course, there were robberies, murders and a variety of other types of crime – it would be irresponsible to think that none of this true. It was true, but not like the America we live in today.
In 2024, under the Biden Administration, America is not so great! In fact, the idea of American exceptionalism is considered racist and should not be discussed. Students in government schools are no longer required to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance in the morning – it’s optional and there are few, if any, students taking the opportunity.
Remember growing up and going to the beach AND leaving your valuables in a bag on your blanket when you went in the water?
Well, that’s over! In Hawaii, on June 11, FOX News Digital had the following headline and article: “Hawaii crime reaches new heights as police urge beachgoers to take valuables into the ocean” … Crime in a fan-favorite summer vacation destination has reached new heights — with police now suggesting that beachgoers bring along their valuables while they are swimming in Honolulu, Hawaii's exquisite waters. The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) suggested to beachgoers in a social media post on Saturday to take their valuables into the ocean rather than leave them on the beach. "For those enjoying the beach, don’t leave valuables unattended on the sand. Instead, use a waterproof bag that you can take into the water with you," the HPD said.
Our southern border is open to all comers. In the ‘50s, ,60s and ‘70s, there was no border wall and there was no significant migration across our sovereign boundaries.
In 2024, we suffer the scourge of mass movements over our southern border, aided by a wide variety of NGO’s moving these large numbers of people to the nation’s sanctuary cities. There is no vetting of who all of these peoples are and the result is clear. Just yesterday, June 12, NBC News reported: “8 suspected terrorists with possible ISIS ties arrested in New York, L.A. and Philadelphia, sources say the men from Tajikistan came to the U.S. through the southern border and their criminal backgrounds checks came back clean at the time they crossed; officials familiar with the matter said”
In 2024, we face headlines like these on FOX: “22-year-old woman fatally stabbed, man shot in separate NYC incidents” … and on the New York Daily News: “Man shot on busy Midtown Manhattan street, sending pedestrians scrambling” … and on The New York Times: “Man Charged with Hate Crimes in New York City Street Attacks” … and on CBS News Reports: “Pro-Palestinian vandals target homes of Brooklyn Museum trustees with red paint”.
The same headlines can be found in other American cities, including Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland … and the list goes on. With the sanctuary cities comes crime – much like the crimes that these people participated in and/or experienced in their home countries. NOW, American citizens are the victims in their home country … in our home country, the United States of America! And, why not? The criminals are arrested and then liberal DA’s release them from jail! There is no accountability and crime is expanding exponentially. I can remember when the police arrested you for a crime and if you could not make bail, then you sat in jail until your case was adjudicated. Remember?
Remember when the only foreign flags you saw in America were on Embassy flag poles? Now, we see the flags of Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala because the people streaming across our border do not come to America to assimilate. They come here to take jobs from Americans and send the money that they earn back to the country they came from.
And in the unkindest cut of all, we find that our colleges and universities harbor institutional antisemitism and their student bodies demonstrate in support of rapists, murderers and terrorists as they wave flags that represent the Palestinians of Gaza. Let’s not forget that while they are waving this flag, they are burning the American flag. We have watched this on television and the internet and we have also observed the leaders of these institutions as well as some of our own politicians fail to call it out.
A two-tiered justice system. Out of control regulations issued by unelected bureaucrats that are crushing small businesses across America. Local governments that think they have a better idea regarding home ownership in the “burbs”. In the name of “equity,” they are promoting the notion that the single-family home, once a significant part of the American dream, is outdated and should be replaced exclusively with multi-family units in the suburbs.
I am sure you will remember when your parents bought that home in the suburbs … Remember? Gender studies and college loans that do not have to be repaid. A military that is woke and spends its time figuring out where to fly the “LGBTQ Flag” instead of training with the goal of defeating Americas enemies.
America’s frustration is palpable and real. The only way to “right this ship” is to vote Joe Biden and his Administration out of power! The answer may be Trump. But we must also look beyond Trump if we are to accomplish sustainable change in this country. If we fail in this mission, during this 2024 election cycle, we will lose our Republic … and if the Republic is lost, I am sure that most of us will be glad we may not be here to see it happen.
Yes, I believe that we Boomers have seen and experienced the best of America. Remember?
And Yes, I want future generations to contribute to and experience American exceptionalism, accountability, and patriotism. It is possible! You can make it so! Vote in 2024!
Good stuff Marc. Next election is the most important of our life.