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Back when I was a punk I had faith in our government and the people of this land. My faith led to my experience in Vietnam and my career in aviation. Whilst pursuing that career I had the experience of witnessing the downturn and development of my growing cynicism toward the path we traveled.

In retrospect I look at the actions or lack of actions if you will, of our leadership. Truman was President when I was born. He had the means to bring the war in Korea to an immediate halt, but chose instead to sacrifice the lives of our armed forces in a manor that left us with an inconclusive outcome. He also had the option of preventing the Vietnam War with a minor exercise of penmanship, but chose otherwise.

Eisenhower was not a bad person, but his hallmark as president was doing little or nothing. Methinks he was a better General than President.

I don't think JFK was a totally bad fella, though he took a few wrong steps in the short span of his service. Both of his brothers were perfect monsters. JFK made the USSR blink down in Cuba.

LBJ? May he rot in hell. His actions as president precipitated the Vietnam war and loss of many lives, both American and foreign. He was totally corrupt. Civil Rights legislation he promoted haunts us as a growing fungus that threatens to destroy this country.

Nixon was good in many ways, but put faith where it did not belong and it led to his downfall. During those times he polarized the nation in some regards. I was branded a 'baby killer' by some queers that greeted me when I got off the big ol' jet plane on my final journey home. Small compensation was granted by the fact that my 80# duffel bag put three of them on their ass with one stroke. He ended the Vietnam war however.

Ronnie Rayguns: Did mostly good, but stumbled a few times. He made Gorbachev tear down that wall.

Bush 1: Did little other than kick a little ass in Iraq. He did understand that his generals were more functional that he in regards to executing a war and he had the wisdom to define objectives and let them roll.

Clinton: Upgraded the definition of 'Corruption" in spades.

Bush 2: Had the power to close disputes with mideast countries after 9-11 but chose instead to put us into the longest war this country has fought and set the stage for total failure. Much like his Texas buddy LBJ. Simple self serving minds won the day, America lost.

Zero? Almost made Clinton look like a good guy. Perfect azzhole that needs a short walk up to the gallows.

Trump: Was good in policies, but very polarizing in this land due to something outside the "leadership" box.

Biden: Let's Go Brandon!

So, here we are. The land is divided, our government is corrupt and demolishing our future. There is a reasonable expectation that we might wind up in a nuclear war with China, and perhaps by extension, Russia. We have raised a feckless younger generation that seems to support the idea that socialism is good, but law and order is bad. They know little about work/manufacturing/reality, and with the passing of time will present our new "leaders" for election.

I'm not able to do much more than protest this circumstance, and cannot see into the future. There was a time that I thought the outbreak of violent push back from the people would never happen here, but the perspective has changed. I think it inevitable. Question is a matter of when and what will set the spark off when we will all be blown away.

Back in the early '60's I first heard this ditty via the Kingston Trio. It was funny then, but I'm thinking they were remarkable visionaries.

THE MERRY MINUET

They're rioting in Africa
They're starving in Spain
There's hurricanes in Florida
And Texas needs rain.

The whole world is festering
With unhappy souls
The French hate the Germans,
The Germans hate the Poles

Italians hate Yugoslavs
South Africans hate the Dutch
And I don't like anybody very much

But we can be grateful
And thankful and proud
That man's been endowed
With a mushroom shaped cloud

And we know for certain
That some happy day
Someone will set the spark off
And we will all be blown away

They're rioting in Africa
There's strife in Iran
What nature doesn't do to us
Will be done by our fellow man.


That is all.

DD

I agree.

Exellent post.

Spot on !! Rio7

100%

I'd like to slap Ragan for his beginning of the gun grab.

Trump went from hero to near zero on his part as well, although a bug piece of me says there's unfinished business on the table there....so until he dies or we get another president, I offer him hope and modest faith.

One thing to consider when evaluating presidents is what were they doing to the actual dollar.....not the federal reserve, but the actual gold standard. Every one of them who pressed the issue was either dead soon after or made a fool.

Good post with spot on assessments. I agree and I am a little nervous.

My parents took me to see the Kingston trio, I still remember that song

And then you get told that you have to be able to adjust to living in changing times. Because we need to be able to deal with change. Those who can't live with change get stuck in living with the past, right? All this previous B.S. is the mantra of people who want you to blindly follow them and their agenda. As in; "we're gonna destroy the system and if you don't like it, you're just living in the past". Once upon a time I barely knew what socialism was and had rarely even heard of it. Then LBJ began the "Great Society" fiasco and I often began hearing the word "socialism" as a teenager. Along with some choice words from older folks about LBJ. Oh; and I also became labeled as a "baby killer" circa 1970-71 despite not getting sent to Viet Nam in the spring of 1970 thanks to Nixon's troop reductions. At that period in time all that qualified you as a "baby killer" was being in uniform. My how things have changed.

If only we had leadership that inspired us towards freedom from government rather than this incessant pigs pushing for socialism in our country. Obama is the pig that just won't go away. What a flaming azzhole.

Good post, can't argue with any of it.

I believe Clinton was the first President to put himself before our country.

Some of his predecessors were certainly stupid. Some of them were ignorant. Some of them were poor leaders. Some of them were evil. But I think their intentions were to maintain or increase the greatness that is the United States of America. I believe Clinton and his people were more than happy to burn this country to the ground if it gained them power, influence, or money.

It's been downhill since with the exception being Trump. I think Trump did so much to expose what our federal government has become that he will go down in history as infallible. But only if patriots prevail. If not, he'll go in the books as another Stalin. Or worse...

I dont fear or care if the world blows up.

If it happens it happens.

Of course it will happen......when I win the lottery, find the woman of my dreams, and have a fridge full of my favorite beer.

Very well wrote Dan. I feel like I’ve held my moral compass straight and steady and the country has left me behind.

Dan-
You and I share many of the same experiences and conclusions. Thanks for a well written and thought out piece.

The bastards have done nothing but try and pull the curtain back over themselves.

But hey...Trump didn't get the wall finished so I voted for Biden or didn't vote.

Thye final act of patriotism of an old geezer veteran who has just heard the "You're terminal" diagnosis needs to be taking at least one politician with him. Party affiliation probably doesn't matter much! He either gets to go out while standing on a pile of empty brass, or he gets free room, board, and medical care on the government's dime for the rest of his life instead of bankrupting his family. Win/Win!

I'm waiting for the movie.

Veteran sharpshooter finds out he has stage 4 cancer, contemplates his life, remembers the treatment he received when returning from Nam, looks around at the lying news agencies, watches the punks disrespecting their neighbors, sees the politicians enriching themselves while lying through their teeth to the American people.

Decides to uphold his oath to defend America against all enemies, this time domestic.

Yeah, I'd watch that movie.

Well said,thanks for the post.