This week, in fact, less than 48 hours ago, a new member of the world made his appearance. Yes, I know he is one of many just born, but this one is near and dear. The birth of my first grandson was a momentous event. Besides being the proud grandfather, I became painfully aware of what this newest addition to the family would face.
There are, of course, personal feelings and loads of pride in the event. I served in the U.S. Army. My son, a West Point grad (Class of 2010) also served and now not only is there a guaranty on the family line, but there is also just possibly another warrior in the family tree. I wonder what type of world he will face. By the time he has to make those decisions, I will most likely be long gone. But I still wonder.
Will there be a real space force? Will he face cyborgs of the terminator film genre? What will the world look like when it is his turn to stand in the breach and defend it? These are questions that really bring into focus what is currently going on in our country. Will freedom still be the center point of the U.S., or will socialism take hold and destroy all that has been achieved? Maybe it is my age. Maybe it is because I was a soldier on the iron curtain when it fell that makes me acutely aware of how socialism works and how this younger generation has no idea what they are calling for.
How will we treat each other? The division, the anger, and the hatred that people have for each other is astonishing. I see the pictures of New York City police officers being assaulted and ridiculed by the very people they are trying to protect, and it saddens me, It angers me, and it is hard to wrap my head around that concept. Being a former law enforcement officer, I cannot understand how we have gone so far that the public, at least some of them, openly assault and denigrate those that pledge their lives in service.
When it comes to politics, I am also at a loss. I ran for office some years ago, albeit a local county office, and even I was subjected to the slurs and personal attacks that the president, as well as others running for office, are facing. How did we get here? I would never, and I mean never, think of openly calling the president of the United States a racist or a communist or anything else. It is out of respect for the office that would push me to follow the directives and policies of the commander-in-chief. When did the public and especially those in public office lose their respect for the office? It matters not who is in that office; it is the office itself that, in my mind, must be respected. That is something that we plainly see is lacking today. We see former heads of some of our most revered agencies call the current president a POS and some other derogatory name. That in itself disqualifies them from being taken seriously as they have gone against the ethos of the position they once held. It is easy to see why they are ex heads of agencies. With such blatant displays of disrespect for the office, I would have fired them too—maybe just a little quicker.
Move to the public and look at the antifa nut-bags. These are open anarchists, and when they run rampant, assault people, shut down our way of life, hush free speech, and stomp our right to be treated fairly, the authorities do nothing about it. Some cities and local governments cater to this lawlessness. These ostensibly lawless jurisdictions are seemingly governed by Democratic politicians. Is this a cause and effect? I don’t know, but it sure seems to be the case. Don’t they see the far-reaching effects of those decisions? The attacks on the police, the resistance to federal authorities, local governments deciding to simply not follow the law because they don’t like it, and the public actually hindering federal law enforcement from doing their jobs is the result of this new paradigm and it is a black hole we must not step into!
What type of world is my new grandson going to grow up in? I don’t know, but if the direction we are headed now is an example, it will not be a good place. It will not be the United States I believe in and still pledge to defend with all I have. It will be a place of hedonism, handouts, heartbreak, and human tragedy. I can only hope, for his sake, we course-correct before it is too late.
