Some Things I Never Thought I’d See in My Country

I grew up in a very racist, bigoted, and misogynous country. It was common in the 1950s and 1960s to hear demeaning verbal labels placed on those who were not pure white. Those words were hate-filled terms such as “ni**ar,” “spic,” “Jap,” and “kike.” It was also not uncommon to hear assertive women called the “C” word. Over my nearly 77 years, these words disappeared: or so I thought.

In Four Years America May Have Lost Its Way Forever

During the eight years of the Obama Administration, America became a gentler, more compassionate country. However, between 2017 and 2021 the mood of America turned 180 degrees into the opposite direction. By intentionally dividing our nation, evil crawled out of the slime in the swamps and dominated the news. The obese, old, white man who was illegitimately chosen to lead our nation revealed himself as a supporter of fascism and a sexual predator. Never in my life could I have imagined that a man who hated his own country’s people would live in the sacred confines of the White House.

Domestic Violence Demonstrated by Mass Shootings Is the Greatest Danger to Our Nation’s People

Although gun violence has always been a problem in America, and as hate crimes increased by more than 800 percent in our nation, an unforgivable increase in gun violence followed. Today there are more mass shootings than days on the calendar.

As of March 27, 2023, 9,870 men, women, and children lost their lives from gun-related incidents in just three months. 2023 is on pace to be the most violent year in America as domestic terrorism and suicides become commonplace in the United States. More than 114 Americans die each day from gun violence.

States with the most liberal gun policies suffer the greatest number of deaths. Women and children are more likely to lose their lives from gun violence than adult males.

Hate Crimes Continue to Escalate

Meanwhile, verbal and physical attacks on Blacks, Hispanics, Muslims, Jews, the LGBTQ community, and women continue to escalate. Nearly one half of our government in Washington supports the fascist policies of their leader, Donald John Trump. About 35-40 percent of all America’s citizens reject the principles, promises, and guarantees, in the Constitution, with the exception of the poorly written and ambiguous Second Amendment.

The Republican Party Is Nothing But a Memory

I never believed that there would be only a single legitimate political party in Washington in the 21st century. As an Independent, it is disappointing and worrisome. The Democratic Party continues to exist, but has lost its courage to always do the right thing. Many of its members are more afraid of losing an election than serving the American people. The once Grand Old Party no longer exists, with the exception of a handful of men and women who continue to keep the principles of the former Republican Party. The vast majority are servants to the plutocracy they created and refuse to recognize the rights, needs, and wishes of all 333 million Americans.

These pretenders have chosen to follow a leader who by his very own words and actions has renounced his American citizenship, attempting to end democracy and replace it with a fascist regime with himself as America’s first dictator.

This Is Where I Leave You

I have lived for three-quarters of a century. During that time I have seen the best and worst of our country. However, I never imagined that in my later years I would experience the absolute worst America has to offer.

Written by James Turnage

Find my nine novels on Amazon’s Kindle

Sources:

ABC News: More than 9,800 people killed in gun violence so far in 2023

Gun Violence Archive: MASS SHOOTINGS IN 2023

Top and featured image courtesy of frank mckenna‘s Unsplash page – Creative Commons License