Two Americas; Two Countries Within one Nation

Principles, morals, respect, and trust. Every country, every nation’s leaders, and every individual in every country must possess the first two qualities and earn the latter two. Without these qualities, no country, no individual will accomplish anything of value, anything worth remembering.

These things I learned from my grandfather and one of my uncles. I consider myself a good and spiritual man because I have worked hard to be the best person I can be. I am far from perfect, but my search for perfection continues at the age of 78.

Education is a tool. If it is used properly, it can aid an individual in his or her search to reach higher levels of spirituality and understanding. Therefore, I believe in questioning everything. If you don’t receive answers which make sense, you should probably discard the information.

Why am I writing about myself? The truth is that I am not important enough to have anything written about me. However, the most valuable part of my education has come from the experiences and wisdom of others.

The most important part of my education began in 1962. I spent 10 years attending Catholic schools. I loved school and I knew that it was very unusual to have a Black child in our classroom. It was just as rare to have an Asian boy or girl, and of course there were no children who were not Catholic.

However, in 1962 my mother allowed me to attend Venice High School. My first day was an education in itself. In my classes were boys and girls who were Black, Asian, and Hispanic who were Christian, Protestant, Muslim, and others who were likely Hindu, Buddhist, or other religions including none at all. Most significantly, there were girls who were allowed to dress like girls.

I was an athlete. A lot of my friends were Black, some of whom I had played with in a baseball league.

As my new friends began to trust me, we talked more freely. One subject which surprised me was about the “two Americas.” It took me a while, but I soon realized that I had been living in a country of white privilege. The lessons learned by my Black friends included how to act around law enforcement, and which areas of Los Angeles were safe and which were not. I was stunned and immediately felt sad. I had been living in an illusion.

I won’t bore you with all the time I had an opportunity to understand what I had learned, but there were many. In the 1970’s, television and the movies began to explore the differences between how whites and Blacks lived and how many of the prejudices against Black Americans were hidden from most whites.

When I enlisted in the USAF on September 11, 1964 I was sent to Lackland AFB in San Antonio. On a single day when some of us were given a day pass to go into the city, I discovered what racism was. Black Airmen were refused service in many bars and restaurants. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 meant nothing in Texas.

My assignment after basic training was in Keesler AFB, Mississippi. If I thought Texas was racist, you can imagine what I learned in the very deep south. On one occasion while riding in a car, bullets whizzed above and beside our vehicle. One of the Black Airmen had joined us on our day trip into Biloxi.

As I became older, issues including the illegal war in Vietnam, having a young family, and the constant effort to improve our lives pushed my interests in social issues and politics aside.

However, by the late 1970’s I became aware that the separation of countries within our nation extended beyond racism. Bigotry was a serious problem for some immigrants, as well as gays and lesbians. Most significantly, women, who composed the majority of our nation’s population were considered second and even third-class citizens by most men and most obviously in what had become known as “red states.”

I also learned that the two Americas had completely different views of how our nation should look, how certain rights were reserved for pure whites in red states, and which path our country should choose in the future.

By the 1990’s another reality became clear. The super-rich and their gigantic corporations received special treatment from our government. Our nation’s motto had changed from “E Pluribus Unum,” from many, one, to “Profit before People.

Both Democrats and Republicans allowed major corporations to move their factories and production facilities to other nations where their profits would increase as their payrolls were reduced. Millions of good-paying jobs in our inner cities had simply disappeared.

The result was a diminished quality of life for the majority, and a rising national debt.

By 2004 America was engaged in two illegal and immoral wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Our government lied to its people, congress, and the United Nations, and by 2008, a failed fiscal policy of “trickle-down economics” was moving our nation towards a second great depression.

After the 2000 and 2016 unconstitutional and illegitimate elections, I lost most of my faith in our government. The two Americas I had learned to understand appeared to morph into one. Corruption was rampant in our nation’s capital, and our government was clearly lying to us constantly.

Every time our government told us that the American people were not allowed to know the truth about an issue for “reasons of national security,” I learned that they were hiding a crime committed by one of their own.

The very fact that Trump had been allowed to become our president frightened me. Our government was both incompetent and corrupt beyond my imagination.

The last of what little trust within me died as the smallest flicker of hope for my beloved country began to fade away. I learned that our government was aware that Vladimir Putin declared war on America prior to the election, but refused to release that information to the voting public. He was in control of the results.

In 2020, Russian agents once again were attempting to help Trump win the election, but a record turnout of anti-Trump voters gave Joe Biden a resounding victory. Here’s where I learned to despise every man and woman in Washington.

While I was reading the results of the 2024 election, something told me to believe my instincts. I was confused. I compared the results of the 2020 election with the 2024 election, adding in Trump’s most serious crimes between 2020 and 2024, and factoring his age and fading mental abilities, and one and one did not make two.

Early in 2024, the FBI announced the fact that once again Putin was attempting to interfere in our election. No additional information was offered after that single statement. He declared war on America for the third time but our incompetent and uncaring government has done nothing.

Let me go back to the alleged assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania. I had serious questions, but one stands above the rest. I believe that  some or all of his Secret Service detail were involved in hiding the facts.

Trump’s right ear was allegedly struck by a high velocity bullet fired by the alleged assassin. He dropped below the podium and emerged with a trickle of blood moving down the right side of his face. Behind him was a wall of people. If he was actually nicked by a bullet, where did the bullet go. No one in crowd was injured, where did the bullet find an end to its path?

I believe Trump used an old trick practiced by “professional” wrestlers. On occasions they hide a razor blade in the waistband of their pants. When the time is right, they cut their ear with the blade. They claim that “red means green.” More attendance means more money.

Now, back to the 2024 election.

The turnout was smaller than in 2020. Somehow, Trump won the popular vote and was given a victory in all seven swing states.

Comparing 2020 and 2024, this is not logical. Inf fact, it seems impossible. Was it possible for Russian hackers to alter the records of the voting machines in those seven states and once again give Trump an illegitimate presidency?

If that is a possibility, there is no doubt that our government was once again fully aware that Putin was controlling our election. However, they want to win elections, and if the American people realized the extent of our government’s incompetence, no one would trust anyone in Washington ever again.

In the 21^st century, there are two Americas within the 50 states. In Washington there is only one, and it is corrupt and incompetent beyond belief. The government of the United States is the worst in the world, and it is not worth saving.

A final note: if term limits had been placed on all three branches of our government, in 1789, none of this would have happened. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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