THE DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO DESTROY THE AMERICAN DREAM

The American Dream could have started with Columbus. But he did not dream of America. He was dreaming of India. He was still dreaming of the Far East after settling in America.

So, we can say that the Pilgrims were the first people who actually dreamed of America, as a land where they could be free to express their religious beliefs and escape persecution. That was certainly a true American dream.

Then, there are other dreams that so many people in other parts of the world believe that only in America they would be able to realize them. In fact, they have faith that in America, they would achieve them: the dream of having enough food on the table every day for their family, the dream of being able to obtain adequate medical care for their loved ones, the dream of seeing their children books in hands walking to school, the dream of buying a house, the dream of having a job to save enough for a well provided retirement, the dream of being able to choose their political representatives… They hold these dreams as an article of faith that once they are in America, they are no longer dreams but a reality.

But there is another American Dream, a much bigger and deeper dream, the American Dream that speaks to the true nature of men that has been warped by fear, desperate needs that could not be satisfied by any other means than killing the weaker. It was enunciated by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence of the U.S.A.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of
Happiness“.

It was no doubt divinely inspired as one can’t fail noticing the irony that Jefferson wrote those words while outside of his study’s window, black men and women slaved away on his plantation. The truth of his words came to him despite the life he and his fellow white people had been leading au contraire, as if the words were sent down to him from above when he was in a trance.

But his words are so evident that they need to be repeated:

“All men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and Pursuit of
Happiness.”

That is the American Dream, which since the day it was declared, has become the Dream of every man on earth.

It is a dream that you are respected for who you are, not because the law punishes anyone for harming you but because everyone – all – understands that it is wrong, it is against the true nature of men to harbor a hostile feeling toward someone for no reason other than he/she looks different than your children or cousins. A dream that you do not have to move to the other side of the street, just like Henry Kissinger did when he was a school boy in Germany, when there is a group of different people coming your way on this side. A dream that people understand that whatever power you have, the brain power of an Einstein, the physical power of a Schwarzenegger, the financial power of a Warren Buffett, it will be used to build, expand, and maintain the common good of society, and improve the conditions of mankind. It is not just against man-created ethical principles to use your power, in whatever form, to harm others. It is against the true nature of men. And the true nature of men according to Confucius is kind and good. That is the Dream that entitles us, the Dreamers, to call ourselves “civilized” and other creatures such ISIS, hyenas “savage”.

The history of the young nation, the U.S.A., has had hiccups, but its trajectory has mainly in the right course toward fulfilling the Dream. But, what has transpired in the U.S. since Newt Gingrich got elected to Congress is great cause for alarm. The wisdom of having two parties competing in the political process seems to have gone unrespected for the last several election cycles.

Since the emergence of the Tea Party, the ultraright has steadily moved forward and been incrementally gaining ground and power. It is not a local phenomenon but a global movement, a political globalism (ironically, the ultraright vocally denounces economic globalisms as if to cover up their own hidden agenda) and a deep state of ideology tinged with racism and white supremacism (hence the oft repeated denouncement of the alleged Democrats deep states by the ultraright media and political circle). Their agenda has been revealed little by little but now seems clear: A re-establishment of the absolute dictatorship of white men of centuries past.

Without much subtlety, they insist that “all men” means white men. To the extent that they have subscribed to the words of Thomas Jefferson, that interpretation has clearly gained acceptance in Russia and Eastern Europe.

The alt right’s modus operandi has been “the end justifies the means”, and “win at all costs”. The Dallas Morning News pointed out that fact when it denounced in an editorial that the Republican Party had abandoned all conservative principles to win an election by publicly endorsing Donald Trump candidacy without reservation.

Before the Trump candidacy, a group of white men, in the U.S. as well as in Europe had tried hard to advance White Supremacism. In Europe, they have made much advance in France with the father/daughter team named Le Pen, and in England, in a surprise coup, they sought and won secession from the European Union; their platform included their opposition to immigration. Boris Johnson openly despised Barack Obama.

But, in the U.S. they were like ronins wandering in small clusters for years without a daimyo.  Trump candidacy and the ensuing campaign deliberately spoke to them and to their dark instinct. Thus, they found their leader. With him as the lead man, that white supremacist interpretation of “all men” has come out in the open and bullied its way into the center of political and social power in the U.S. They consider Democracy, Jeffersonian ideology, not a social and political goal, but an impediment blocking their path.

The Dream is now facing its imminent demise.

Whether they are playing the role of a soupape de securite , an outlet for the extremists to vent anger and frustration, the Republicans seem to let the extremists lead the way. Or rather they, the Republican Establishment, the Reagan Republicans, the true conservatives, have been incapable of holding onto power and exerting authority over this radical faction. It is painful and sad watching the Republican leadership playing obsequious role of enablers, moronically smiling and applauding whatever the president says or does including nonsensical, irrational, weird utterances and mannerless behavior. Either out of deliberation or weakness, they have been shirking their responsibility to the country, to the Constitution, and to the ideals forming the American Dream.

 

A CONSPIRACY THEORY:

The Case of Mira Ricardel and The (Supposedly) About Face of the President

The First Lady demanded an official in the White House to be fired. Who is she?

It turned out she was just a deputy national security adviser, a relatively unknown official until now, in an administration that even second tier members are famous or infamous. I was puzzled. So, I called COUCH.

COUCH: What’s up?

ME: Just want to get your take on the firing of Mira Ricardel.

COUCH: It is indeed an interesting case. You are right that not many people heard of Ms. Ricardel until the First Lady demanded her firing. Many people in Washington who have worked with her agree that she is a tough bureaucratic player with a strong personality, a very smart woman. Her bio includes impressive assignments at the Departments of Defense and State. But she has never held a top job. Only second tier, obviously acting at someone else’s directing.

ME: That’s why I am surprised that she antagonized the First Lady and her office, as if she felt confident and safe doing so.

COUCH: She did not just antagonize the First Lady and her staff. It has been reported that she was the force behind the abolishment of the position of White House cybersecurity chief, the dismissal of another NSA staff. She blocked some nominees wanted by Jim Mattis, Secretary of Defense, because they were Democrats, meaning not Republican loyalists. She bullied people of lower rankings and butted heads with people above her. And she looks just like a grandmother dressed to go shopping for groceries.

ME: A difficult woman.

COUCH: She is zealous as if she has been sent on a mission.

ME: What do you mean?

COUCH: Remember the deep state that I told you about before?

ME: We do not have regular conversations a la Tuesday with Morrie type. But yes, I do remember your theory, or theories.

COUCH: Here are a few things worth noting: She is brilliant but has always been an underling to some other official. She is a daughter of immigrants from Croatia still speaking Croatian at home. I mention this because, as a rule, at least my rule, when you are new in something, you are more zealous than members who have been in that thing longer than you. You are more royal than the king and in this case, more conservative than the conservatives.

ME: Why?

COUCH: I just state the rule without going into the why, that is for others.

So, she was a good recruit, or candidate, to follow instructions and faithfully execute them.

She claimed to be a Reagan conservative. Nowadays, there is no such denomination in the Republican politics (or at least the Reagan Conservatism has taken a back seat) and because she has proved to be a republican loyalist, my theory is that she was sent to the Trump administration to represent that zealous faction, the ultraright if you will. When she picked a fight against a cabinet member, several ranks above her, she had confidence. When she fought the First Lady and her office, she had confidence. Confidence does not happen in a vacuum, and in Washington politics, you are not confident just because you think you are right. You must have support from some quarter that you believe has power over, or at least powerful influence on the outcome of the dispute – in this case the power over, or influence on the White House.

ME: The ultraright deep state?

COUCH: Is’nt it obvious to you?

ME: Now, she is gone, the influence of the ultraright on the White House is waning?

COUCH: I doubt it. They are sophisticated and their operation is octopus-like. One cadre dismissed doesn’t mean the operation is crippled. I doubt that it would make even a tiny difference in their influence or power. But there have been some developments that I find peculiar.

ME: What developments?

COUCH: The president’s kind words for Nancy Pelosi and Andrew Gillum, the Democrats who have been demonized by him. He called Gillum a cold-stone thief whatever that means. But now, he is wooing them and by association the Democrats. He has offered help to Nancy Pelosi to become the next Speaker of the House. He highly praised Andrew Gillum. I just wonder what is going on?

ME: The president has been known for changing his positions all the time, more than any politician on the records. What is new about that?

COUCH: When you see a boy and a girl exchanging glances in a crowd, will they be lovers? Will they elope? You can’t know for sure. But one thing you know for sure is there is definitely something there, no matter how ethereal it may be.

The president could probably try to hedge his political future now that the Democrats own the House. Or, is the Republican wind, I wonder, blowing back to the right Reagan Conservatism – away from the ultraright?

ME: Don’t give me false hope COUCH.

COUCH: We will see.

John P. Le Phong, Attorney at Law