Human beings aspire, too. On this Facebook page, I sometimes take the current, fascist Trump regime to task for… well, for a lot of things. But maybe it’s mostly for what they aspire to. Throughout our history, the United States of America has often fallen short of its best ideals. In many ways. Sometimes, awfully short. But through all those 250 years, we have at least aspired. Toward something worthwhile. Toward values that kept us… well, American. Toward justice. Toward equality. Toward fairness. Toward democracy. Toward decency. Toward inclusion. And so, when we fell short, we could look around, get back up, and keep trying. Keep aspiring.

We had the examples of our ancestors, and of great people, leaders both moral and political–to keep us pointed toward the light. Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Douglas, Roosevelt, King, and many more. Not perfect leaders, but people who kept us oriented toward the things that seemed most important about being American. That kept us reaching toward something higher. Something truer, better, brighter. Even when we failed. For aspirations are not ‘fake’ or phony, even if we never quite reach them. They give us perspective and courage, even virtue. And just as with our friends the trees, it is in the reaching itself that attainment is realized.

And that’s my gripe with the current band of posers, fakers, and grifters. That’s the whole thing. The single, inarguable, unique, and terrible thing about our current *administration. (Which can only accurately be called a regime). They aspire to nothing. Nothing at all. Not for themselves, not for our country–yours and mine. Nothing except money and power. Power and money. Search all you want, that is all that you will find. Except for vengeance and retribution, of course. Trump’s personal specialties. And that is no kind of aspiration at all.

Money. Power. Retribution. Nothing about light. Nothing of bright, open space, of clear skies, of freedom. Nothing of a soaring spirit. Nothing of justice, fairness, equality, democracy. Nothing… worthwhile. At least not in the building of a country. Or a person.

Sometimes I get MAGA comments on these Facebook posts. Comments like, ‘Obama was no different. Biden was just as bad. Democrats are just the same. All politicians are alike.’ Those comments are, to use the simplest term, lies. Ignorant lies. For although no politician, or political party, is perfect–always truthful, always virtuous, always right–there is now a monumental difference in aspirations. Through every previous decade and century of our history, although detoured or delayed now and then, there has always been the stated aspiration, the public will, to try to live out the deepest and highest values of our constitution and our founding documents. In spite of differences in how we might get there.

No more. And that is what is wrong. Backward. Upside-down. Corrupt. Despicable. And yes, deplorable–about the current *leadership. The regime. The cowardly cancer in the one-time Republican party, the cabinet, the Congress, and the White House. They aspire to nothing but the most base and vile, cruel and selfish of the human journey and experience.

It won’t last much longer, my friends. It says here it will not. For despite all attempts to corrupt, to cheat, to hurt, to disenfranchise, to destroy institutions and values, Americans are still Americans. Just as trees are still and always will be trees. The signs are all around us, and growing stronger every day. There is a dawning sunlight of rebirth. We still know how to aspire, most of us. I believe that. We’ve been shaken. Conned. Bullied and abused. The country has been wounded. But we didn’t forget. We still know how to reach for the light.

And we will not settle for the darkness.

(This is my latest Substack post. You can support/subscribe to me there at Notes From The Campfire@douglaswoodauthor. https://substack.com/@douglaswoodauthor)