Glad to Be an Old Man Soon Relieved From the Evil Around Me

A Proud Young American

I was raised in Los Angeles in the 1950s and 1960s by a single mother, my maternal grandparents, and one of my uncles. I was fortunate to have the best role models anyone could ask for. Principles including respect for all living things, compassion for others, making efforts to understand the lives of others, and accepting the differences between us were at the top of my list for always trying to “do the right thing:” The Golden Rule.

I began to have an interest in politics in 1956. I watched the news most of the time in the evenings, and heard about the events of the day. Sadly, both then and now, more stories about people harming each other, natural disasters, and tales about our nation’s enemies filled the 30 minutes allowed by the networks.

In 1963, an event which greatly affected me and other young Americans happened in Dallas, Texas on November 22. Our hero, the man who gave us hope, and increased our level of patriotism, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, was murdered by a lone gunman by the name of Lee Harvey Oswald. Thus began my education and the awareness of true evil among us. Another fact I learned in my last two years of high school is that there are two Americas: one for Blacks and one for whites.

The Escalation of a 20-Year-Long Unwinnable War

Just after my graduation from high school, I learned of an equally upsetting evil. Our government decided to escalate a war halfway around the world. The war in South Vietnam had begun in 1955, but for what reason has never been clearly explained today, our leaders in Washington, led by President Lyndon Baines Johnson, began sending thousands of men my own age to fight against an enemy we did not know, and for no discernible reason, to die for a cause we did not understand.

As the number of good, young men coming home in body bags increased, younger Americans began protesting. Older Americans and our government retaliated.

On May 4, 1970, in Kent, Ohio, 28 National Guardsmen fired their weapons at a group of anti-war demonstrators on the Kent State University campus, killing four students, wounding eight, and permanently paralyzing another. The tragedy was a watershed moment for a nation divided by the conflict in Vietnam, and further galvanized the anti-war movement.

The Hope We Received From Woodstock Had Been Crushed

Just nine months earlier, more than one-half million young Americans gathered at a music festival in upstate New York to protest this illegal and immoral war. The event known as “Woodstock” solidified younger Americans against the continuation of “the government’s war.”

Much of my youth was filled with tales of evil. We distrusted everyone in authority, and blamed our government for every wrong in our country. However, what I experienced then, was nothing compared to what happened to my country between 1981 and today.

1981 and the Beginning of the End of the Republican Party

I was just 35 years old when Ronald Reagan became our 40th president. At the timer, I was single, with two children, and living in North County San Diego. I was part owner of a hair salon which bore my name, “James Turnage for Hair, L.C.C.” Recently divorced, I was happy, healthy, and was not paying full attention to what was happening in my country.

I had been conned in 1980. Along with millions of others, I voted for Ronald Reagan, believing he was the ideal candidate for what my country needed in the declining years of the 20th century. However, it was Reagan who began the wars on minorities, women, and the working class. And it was Reagan’s support of the Christian religion which created the Christian Religious Right. The demise of the Party of Lincoln had begun. The former Republican Party began to move further to the right and away from the principles and morals of the Grand Old Party.

The Controversial Election of the Second Worst President in History

Moving forward, or more accurately backwards to George W. Bush. His opponent, Al Gore, won the popular vote. However, when the recount in Florida was ordered to end by the Supreme Court, Bush was declared the winner of the Electoral College by the smallest margin in history. In Bush’s first year in office, 2001, he and his Vice-President, Dick Cheney, decided to go on vacation, although the national security agencies had warned them of a possible attack on the country. When the cowardly attacks on 9/11 occurred, we could not imagine this would become the impetus for the downward slide of the quality of life for most Americans.

Bush invaded Afghanistan on the pretext of capturing or killing the architect of the attacks, Osama bin Laden. This did not happen, and our military remained in Afghanistan until 2021. We lost another war.

In 2003, Bush and his administration lied to the American people and the people of the world through the United Nations, falsely claiming that the leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, was harboring weapons of mass destruction to be used by Al Qaeda. Bush received approval from congress, and invaded Iraq on March 19, 2003. America lost this war as well, finally leaving in 2011 when Barack Obama removed the last of our military.

Both illegal wars cost tens-of-thousands of lives, American, Afghans, and Iraqis, and trillions of dollars. The most significant result was the division of America’s people.

The Escalation of a Failing Government

During all of this, our government became less effective, and refused to deliberate the important issues and reach a compromise. In 2010 the “TEA Party” invaded the Republican Party. Its extremist plans for America began to dominate the right side of the aisle. Social programs were rejected by every “Republican,” while huge tax cuts were given to the super rich and our largest corporations. The war on minorities and the working class had escalated.

The Greatest Mistake in American History

The ultimate end of the GOP and therefore the usefulness of America’s government was consummated with the illegitimate and controversial election of the least qualified candidate in history, Donald John Trump. Although Trump was badly beaten by the popular vote in 2016, three states gave him victory in the Electoral College.

Within just a few weeks it became clear that his entire party had surrendered its principles, dignity, and trust to serve a man who sought the end of democracy in America. Those of us who did the research became convinced that Vladimir Putin had placed his biggest asset in the White House.

By 2018 Trump and his party had shredded the entire Constitution, with the single exception of the Second Amendment. Fuhrer Donald Trump would be impeached for cause twice. However, Moscow Mitch McConnell refused to give him a fair trial in the Senate. His second impeachment was the result of an attempt to overthrow our government on January 6, 2021. The word “treason” has never been used by our government or the media, but Trump’s actions are the definition of the word. Yet he remains a free man.

Once a country founded on law, understanding, compassion, and acceptance, America has become a nation controlled by fear and anger, and dominated by hatred and violence. The United States of America is now the most violent country in the world of developed nations. Evil has consumed the atmosphere, while good and loyal Americans are saddened by the demise of the dreams and ambitions of our Founding Fathers.

The Continuation of Media Failures

Finally, the State of our Union can be confirmed by a few frightening facts. The fourth estate no longer exists. Television news cannot be trusted. And the right wing propaganda machine, Fox News, is the most watched fake news network in America. Fascism has replaced democracy and this will never change without a united nation.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Find my nine novels on Amazon’s Kindle

Sources:

History: National Guard kills four students in Kent State shootings

History: Woodstock

Top and featured image courtesy of Huy Phan‘s Unsplash page – Creative Commons License