As a nation in crisis, hope is scarce and reality is dark and forbidding. Haunted by countless fears, we fervently wish for that storybook world we were introduced to as children. It was a magical world, filled with fantasy, hope and happy endings. Perhaps that explains our reluctance to bring any real resolve to the problems we face today. We are waiting for that knight in shining armor to return, and save us from the demons that threaten us. Why shouldn’t we? We had one … once upon a time.
Once upon a time, paranoia and fear pervaded our lives. The threat of communism and the bomb hung over us like a dark cloud. The fairy tales of our childhood were replaced by air raid drills. We wouldn’t admit it to our friends, but we were scared, though there was a limit to how gullible we could be. We were old enough to know about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and we had seen the pictures. There were no children hiding under desks after those blasts. It was a frightening time to be a kid. Monsters like Khrushchev scared us. He was big, fat and evil – slamming his shoe on the desk at the U.N. Khrushchev was a constant reminder that our way of life was in jeopardy, and we had every reason to be afraid.
Once upon a time, we had a knight in shining armor. His name was John F. Kennedy, and he was our president.
The day that he was assassinated was arguably the saddest day in our history. No one was immune to it, and people wept openly, everywhere. It seemed as if the entire country cried for this remarkable man. The sense of loss and grief was overwhelming. I remember kids, like me, walking home from school in tears. We were only 14 at the time, but we knew he was special. We have not had a president like him since, and the way things are shaping up, it’s not likely that we ever will. JFK was human (yes, he had his flaws) he was inspiring and passionate, yet he was always in control.
During the tension-filled days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy refused to be intimidated. He carried the weight of his responsibility for the nation with confidence and dignity; there were no emotional explosions or attacks on the media. But the characteristic I remember most clearly was his fearlessness. I know of no other president who could have handled that situation better, and I know of many who would have crumbled under the pressure. JFK had complete command. His steady calm, his ability to make informed decisions under tremendous stress and his intense resolve saved us from catastrophe. In the wake of his memory, the people campaigning now look like clowns.
Sound judgment? Courage? Charisma? John F. Kennedy had it all, in spades.
The problems we face today are potentially as threatening as the Cuban Missile Crisis, and they are abundant. Does anyone seriously think that Barack Obama has the savvy, character and guts to deal with a crisis of such magnitude? Would you feel any safer with John McCain, or Hillary Clinton? Of the three aspirants to the Oval Office, can you see one that would willingly bear the enormous weight of responsibility and make sound decisions under intense pressure? I cannot. None of them are remotely prepared to function at that level.
As a society, are we so insignificant that we do not have the right to demand more? Must we settle for mediocrity? Why are we so easily satisfied with inferior candidates? We have been selecting them from the bottom of the barrel for 40 years. Now, there is no difference between the bottom and the top. Our political system has adjusted well to our low standards, allowing people of marginal ability to rise through the ranks.The result? Limited choices. We are encouraged to settle for the best of a bad lot. Presently, we are at the mercy of a lame-duck president who has a demonstrated record of incompetence. Intellectually limited and lacking problem-solving skills, he continues to compound the damage he has done to our country.
Our fairy-tale world is filled with demons and goblins. Is there a knight in shining armor who is will flush them out and set a new course for this country we love? Just a thought, mind you, but perhaps we need to speak up, and make it clear to our political parties of choice that we will no longer accept mediocre candidates. If you read the Constitution, you will see that the founders of our country were clear about the right of the people … the obligation of the people to demand change when their best interests are not attended to. Thomas Jefferson was not talking trash – he signed his name to that document.
Still, change will take time, because our system is slow to adjust and for too long, we have allowed ourselves to be perceived as gullible fools. Changing that perception will require us to make very clear demands, not wimpy requests. And blaming the government won’t get us what we need, either. It is our responsibility, and it always has been. We have lost our way, but we had better find it – quickly. If we don’t, there is no need to elucidate.
Rome, as you know, is merely a city in Italy. Can you imagine a city named America?