Welcome to Hard Truths America!

The chances are good that, if you’re not crazy, you think that most of the world is.  You’re probably upset with the loonies on the right and the loonies on the left.  You may know a few of them.  They are the bane of holiday meals, the spoiler of parties, and they are completely incapable of reasoning.  They are the brainwashed ones, the Kool-Aid guzzlers.  But, unless you’re in certain geographic pockets, you probably don’t know many such people.

Most of us would consider ourselves to be slightly right or left of center.  And most of us would prefer not to be lumped in with the loonies.  Unfortunately, many in the corporate media would have us believe that we in the vast middle abyss are all lonely and isolated, that we have no support, that our voices cry pointlessly in wilderness.  We often hear from the corporate media how supposedly polarized our countries are.  We may be polarized, but we are not polarized along the lines that are so commonly and sloppily drawn by so many in the corporate media.

The corporate media seems to make a lot of money from sloppily lumping together different sets of ideas, labeling them as “right” or “left,” and then pitting us against one another.  And as we are manipulated into believing that “the other side” is the enemy, somehow the real news, the real issues,  and the real travesties aren’t reported.  On the right, the churches, which too often have replaced honesty and compassion with reasonless “faith,” have become the propogandists of that tightly bundled set of ideas called “the Right.”  And to make matters worse, they claim the right is the CHRISTIAN right.  On the left, we have news people who smirk at the name of Bernie Sanders or report endlessly on Trump’s divisive non-issues (e.g., abortion, affairs) while ignoring the fact that so many people are being victimized by the crushing disparities in income.  

The truth is that most of us can, and do, sit down with one another and discuss issues.  We are the silent majority, and we’re getting pissed off.  We’re becoming radicalized.  We are becoming subversives, finding that the political establishment has no moral authority.  We wish nobody harm.  We do not want violence, but our illusions are quickly being dispelled.

Ultimately, we want the same things:  personal freedom, a safety net that is there but not abused, peace, prosperity, an educated population, economic justice, safety, and a certain amount of mercy.  In short, we want “life, liberty, and the American way.”  We want the American dream back; we sometimes just can't figure out the best way to get it back.  Once we do figure it out, though, there will be change for the better.  But we’ve got to unite.  The reasonable middle MUST become the radicalized middle.

Imagine a country without corporate media manipulation.  Imagine a country where big business can profit without oppressing the workers and where the workers are paid justly.  Imagine a country where crooked politicians of any stripe go to prison.  Imagine a country in which the poor get the same healthcare as the rich (as is the case in other civilized countries).  Imagine a country where respect is based on the honesty of the job and not on economic affluence or political influence.  Imagine a country in which memes are replaced with reason and compassion. 

We can unite.  We must unite.  We can build a new country, a new world.  But we will have to fight.  And if we lose a battle or two, we must keep fighting.  The war never ends.