Arcs, Tangents and the Circularities Broken

Today is a milestone day for me.

I've been thinking of so many things, and lately thinking of the arc of my life.

I've gone from growing up in a time when Ike was President, war was confined to defending others, and not for purposes of nation building, the full rights of people under the Constitution was more or less a given, barring thoughts of racial discrimination, and people knew what I learned in kindergarten. And, while I knew little about Civil Rights, I knew even in kindergarten, that there were no 'lesser peoples', just kids who liked to play, learn new stuff, and eat cookies together. We learned lots of neat stuff.

I learned, "If it's not yours, you can't take it."

I learned then the value of other people.

I learned empathy.

I learned about sharing.

And, I learned that some things have value, like truth and paying a fair price for things, while other things, like stealing and telling lies were bad.

I learned my first lessons in the Golden Rule, and not the, "He who has the gold rules".

Today, rather than living in a country that valued the obligations it entered by treaty and Constitutional provision, I live in an Empire. I am part of Pax Americana, which to my eyes is not much in Pax and pretty much not American.

Where did my country go?

Will there be a new course for America by this time next year?

Will the next day we celebrate Lincoln's Birthday be one where we look out on the world with no fear of wiretaps, surveillance under blanket warrants as sparked the American Revolution, and where we stop fighting and spending blood and treasure where paying a fair price could do so much more for us and the planet?

Will the next year see real gains in equality, where people are not removed from voter rolls for the crime of voting while black? And, will we have true election security, or will we still be trusting private corporations with secret software counting votes? Will we finally adopt a system of simple paper ballots as are used in virtually every other democracy in the world?

Will we have health care for all Americans? Or, will we have insurance for Americans whereby the insurance company, after accepting premium payments, still says "no." Will we have an enforced system of alleged coverage, still paying the most of any other nation, for health care that is still denied because of bean counting insurance execs who walk away with billion dollar bonuses.

And will anyone realize that those Health Care Executive bonuses, whether a million or a billion, would cover the treatment for a lot of diseases? Or will someone finally figure out that our system that gives 44 cents of every healthcare dollar to insurance companies is inefficient and a waste of money?

Will we continue to send our manufacturing jobs overseas?

Will we continue to turn our backs on the soldiers coming home with injuries psychological and physical, while allowing private armies to fight our battles at huge cost to the Treasury?

Will we continue to ignore the Constitution?

Will we continue to forget about the Bill of Rights?

Will we allow habeas corpus to remain dead for Americans? (Hey, hundreds of years for habeas was a good record, but it only took the stroke of a pen to kill it here.)

Will we allow the Executive to assume unchecked powers via fiat, order and decree?

Will we require those that have gained so much from being Americans, judging by their bank accounts, pay proportionally less of their income to the Treasury in taxes, while imposing higher taxes and fees on those least able to pay?

Will officials in our government ever realize their first oath and obligation is to the Constitution, and not to some subjective standard of 'security', or loyalty to campaign contributors? Will those same officials ever realize that exchages of liberty for security results in neither?

I don't know the answers to these questions. I know only that I miss my country, my Constitution, and my rights. I hope that between now and next year I am not in detention for committing free speech, in or out of a prescribed 'free speech zone'.

My only loyalty is to the Constitution of the United States of America. It is my most treasured gift of my citizenship. My only loyalty is to the America where the Constitution was King, where the people ruled, and where rulers knew they were servants of the people, not the other way around.

It's a day for reflection. It is a day for planning. It is soon going to be Abraham Lincoln's Birthday.

What will the arc of our path be by next year-- when both Abe and I will be a year older?