In Memoriam

 Do you remember when an invitation to the White House was a source of great pride and inspiration? Heads of state eagerly attended with the anticipation of being welcomed and celebrated for their connections to this great land of ours.

Not denigrated and embarrassed ambush-style.  Do you remember when being called to the Oval Office wasn't like being called to the Principal's office? 

Do you remember when our country accepted a certain swing of the pendulum from left to right? When bi-partisan was a matter of practice, not a concept from a bygone era? It was a time when legislation had titles like "The Budget," or "HR 223." I do not recall an episode of Schoolhouse Rock dealing with a "Big Beautiful Bill." 

Congress used to be the place where laws were made, not just rubber-stamped by a mindless majority. 

Do you remember when questioning authority was part of our national pedigree? It seems to me that if there had been no questioning of authority two hundred fifty years ago, we might be even more interested in the goings-on in Buckingham Palace.

More than we already are, that is. 

Do you remember when habeas corpus meant meant "you should have the body?" Furthermore it meant that you could not be lawfully detained without valid charges. Not some babble about "a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country, and suspend their right to ..." trailing off into nothingness. 

So much for sound and fury. 

Do you remember putting your flag out on national holidays without wondering what message you were sending to your neighbors? All those symbols that have become co-opted by this group or that, leaving us all worried about how we might be perceived for wearing a red baseball cap. I'm looking at you, Philadelphia Phillies. 

Do you remember when Memorial Day was for recalling those who served our country? All of the men and women who fought and died to save our country and the world from authoritarian leaders and un-American thoughts like fascism? 

We were once the land of the free and home of the brave. We were once a land of immigrants. We have been great. Just because someone invents a clever slogan does not mean they have a road map to return us to greatness. 

Remember that.