Worn Out American Dream

Listen while you read:  https://youtu.be/IuLFfRP1cxA

I see no refuge for the weary
I see no handouts for the poor
I see no sense of satisfaction
On all the ones who just endure
All the slings and arrows slandered
Against the face of the poor man's dream
Where the rich circle in like vultures
Picking all their pockets clean
Don't you give me your phony smile
Don't you tell me no more rules
How many people will you trample down
Before you're finally through?
Come on, face the situation
All the sadness that it brings
Got me lost inside the shuffle of
A worn out American dream

~  Jimmy LaFave

If you thought this song was written recently, like maybe within the last week, you would be wrong.  "Worn Out American Dream" is on Jimmy LaFave's 1995 release, Buffalo Return to the Plains.  It harkens back to Newt Gingrich's America, not too far a cry from the current administration's America, the one they are going to make great again.

And if you believed me a few posts ago, when I said that I was taking my mind on a vacation from current affairs, all I can say is I'm sorry, I can't do it.  No, wait, I'm not sorry.  As Jim James sings in his latest, "Here in Spirit," If you don't speak out / We can't hear it.  My voice may be small, but this blog is my megaphone, and I will speak out.

And here it is:  What the fuck is happening?  We are moving closer every day to a totalitarian state.  If this isn't scaring the crap out of you, you are not paying attention.  How many people will you trample down / Before you're finally through?  If this is what "great" is, I want no part of it.  I cannot even recognize my America anymore, at least not in its government.  I do see my America in the protests, in the countering acts of generosity and kindheartedness, and in the communal spirit of liberty and justice.

The move toward totalitarianism is happening rapidly; that is part of the playbook.  But the response to that abuse of our free and democratic state is happening just as rapidly.  Within hours of yesterday's ban on Muslims entering this country, there were protests at our main airports, a movement which seemed to happen spontaneously and passionately.  Resistance.  It is our only hope.

And please, those of you with a different ideology than mine, spare me the "Give him a chance" pablum.  We are so far past that, and you know it.  In a recent media conversation, one of the commentators made the point that our hope lies with the Republican congressmen.  They need to voice their opposition to the current trend of upending American values and morals.  There is enough Pollyanna in me to believe that in their heart of hearts, they know that we are heading into the darkness and that their consciences will force them to speak out against it.  The time is now.  Before it is too late.  With each new executive order, the doomsday clock is ticking.  Call me Debbie Downer if you must.

I will continue to argue for the truly great America, the one that is compassionate and welcoming.  If you care to sing/read along, thank you.