A Tale of Hope Lost and Crushed Expectations

I was reading an op-ed by Robert Reich in The Guardian this morning and discovered a kindred spirit. His revelation of crushed expectations and lost hope for the future of the world in the 21st century mimicked my own. They are based on two tragic and destructive events in world history: a tale of two men who will be remembered as the greatest villains in history.

Between 2009 and 2017, hope and optimism reigned over the United States. President Barack Obama corrected many of the mistakes of his predecessor and returned dignity and respect to the White House. America was back. Then tragedy struck on a single day.

The first event, which altered the world’s future for decades if not forever, occurred on Nov. 8, 2016. The unimaginable happened. The least qualified person in history won the Electoral College. A known sexual predator, racist, and Islamophobe, whose love of capitalism surpassed his devotion to anything else, would be the leader of the most powerful and wealthiest nation in the world.

Over four long years, our fears became a reality. The truth is, Donald Trump was far worse than anyone imagined. At the end of his term, he revealed complete incompetence and a total lack of concern for the American people and the future of our country.

Trump first learned about a possible health emergency in the President’s Daily Brief in December of 2019. At the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 began to spread from China to Eastern and Western Europe. By March, the pandemic was infecting Americans at an alarming rate. For nearly four months, the leader of the free world continued to do nothing and claimed that “it will just go away.”

Today, America is recording nearly one million deaths from COVID-19, far more loss of life than in any war in our nation’s history. Trump failed his primary purpose — to lead his nation in times of crisis.

After losing the 2020 election by nearly eight million votes, Trump refused to concede, making a baseless allegation that the election was filled with fraud. Losing more than 60 lawsuits, including a case before the Supreme Court of the United States, Trump continued to lie to his people.

On Jan. 6, 2021, in a desperate effort to remain in power, he ordered his fascist followers to “fight like hell,” and halt the certification of the Electoral College. Over the last year, we learned that This act of treason was organized and planned by your sitting president in December of 2020. This was the greatest and most egregious attack on our nation in history.

Our second villain to end hope and expectations for the future of the world is well-known.

Vladimir Putin has been the enemy of the United States since joining the USSR’s spy agency, the KGB, in 1975. After Trump lost his bid for reelection, failing to achieve his master’s goals for America’s future, Putin made a decision to invade a democratic, sovereign nation that had previously been a member of the USSR. Putin’s ultimate goals are to destroy the United States and reunite the communist Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Seventeen days ago, Putin’s approximately 200,000 strong military forces invaded Ukraine. This is not only the unforgivable act of a madman, it can be called “genocide,” a war crime. Throughout the region, Russians, the people of Ukraine, and Belarus are intermingled in their adjoining nations.

Although Putin promised not to attack civilians, he lied. Schools, hospitals, and other structures not related to government or military functions have been destroyed by missiles and bombs dropped by Russian aircraft.

Although it was assumed two weeks ago that Putin’s forces would take control of Ukraine within days, Ukraine’s army was reinforced by its citizens and volunteers from around the world. The war rages on.

The entire world is living in fear today. Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons. This action would require engagement by NATO. A third world war would begin, ending life as we know it.

Two vile men could end the hopes of over seven billion men, women, and children on our planet. The 21st century was expected to be filled with positive change. The lives of the majority were to become a priority as dictators were removed from power. Women are playing a much larger role in politics and government. Enlightenment was expected to replace racism and bigotry. Compassion and understanding would have replaced our current atmosphere of anger, hatred, distrust, and violence.

Two horrible and self-serving men will be remembered by historians as the reason for increased pain and suffering around the world.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Source:

The Guardian: Putin and Trump have convinced me: I was wrong about the 21st century; by Robert Reich
Newsweek: Poll Shows Americans Believe Trump Sympathizes with Russian Invasion; by Daniel Villarreal
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Letter: Putin held off because Trump already was doing his bidding; by Susan Frisby

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of anriro96’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of elnina’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License