Opinion: Do we continue the American experiment of Democracy or return to dictators?
“I want a house with a crowded table
And a place by the fire for everyone
Let us take on the world while we are young and able and bring us back together when the day is done.”
This is the chorus to the song “Crowded Table" written by Brandi Carlile, Lori McKenna and Natalie Hemby. One of the verses contains the following words: “Everyone’s a little broken, and everyone belongs.”
There is so much taking place domestically and internationally that these words help to remind us what is really important.
From the domestic perspective, we are quite fortunate to be part of a living experiment. Our government was born at a time when kings ruled. It was a time that government was largely determined by a single monarch. Our Founding Fathers said there is another way and that way is to turn governing power over to the people.
John Adams is quoted as saying, “Government is instituted for the common good: for the protection, safety, prosperity and happiness of the people; and not for the profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men.” It is not difficult to conclude that John Adams was projecting what is to be and not what was actually governing the world at large.
This experiment began in 1776. The experiment was codified by a governing document put together in the summer of 1787. This government has been an expanding government. While it has never fully codified those principles laid out by the Declaration of Independence, it has slowly moved towards fulfilling that promise of equality for all. The Founding Fathers understood their product was not perfect and would require amendments from time to time. So they established a procedure for that process to happen. We have amendments that have specified the rights of the citizens, freed people from bondage and expanded voting rights.
Today, we are faced with a critical choice. Do we wish for this experiment to continue? That is the question before us as we approach November. There have been past challenges. The Civil War was one such challenge. Today’s challenge may be of equal concern as that which produced a war that pitted citizens against citizens. Do we wish to be the generation that ushers in the possible elimination of this experiment?
Let’s make a shift from domestic concerns to international concerns. Where to begin as we can look beyond our borders and see with our own eyes how the greed and obsession of a few can make life miserable for big chunks of societies. The civil war in Sudan is responsible for the deaths of thousands and the displacement of thousands. Who can justify what is happening in Ukraine? By current accounts, the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, is striving to reestablish the old boundaries of the Soviet Union. The first step in fulfilling this desire is the capture of Ukraine, a one-time part of the Soviet Union. People are dying in this effort. The children of Ukraine are denied the opportunity to thrive in peace. People are dying to fulfill the desires of a dictator.
This writing cannot conclude without mentioning Palestine, a region that is the heartbreak of heartbreaks. While 1948 is credited for the beginning of the modern day conflict, the actual conflict is centuries and centuries old. With that said, 1948 marks the beginning of a devastating 76-year period. Simply put, families and children are displaced. Families and children die. People are oppressed and, when people are oppressed, radicalization is a natural outcome. The Jewish people reacted with radicalization in defiance of the Roman occupation and the Palestinians have reacted in the same way to Jewish occupation.
However, it goes deeper than that. The Palestinians are not only occupied by a government that does not care about their interests and concerns, they are occupied by a government controlled by some who seek their annihilation. This is not a recipe for peace.
Let’s just end with:
“I want a house with a crowded table
And a place by the fire for everyone
Let us take on the world while we are young and able and bring us back together when the day is done.”
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Lee Sease lives in Burnsville. He is a former Superintendent of Schools in Middlebury, Vermont.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Do Americans want to continue Democracy or revert to dictatorship?
