TheWiseOldFart

The last words of our nation’s National Anthem are, “O-er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.” One word no longer applies. In the 21 st century, only one percent of all 340 million people experience the American dream, and the core reason our country was the most respected country in the world. That word is “freedom.” I am 78 years old, and struggle to keep our home, eat fresh and healthy food, and pay our utility and water bills every month. I am a slave to a government which ignores me, my wife, and nearly 80 million other citizens. We are not ‘free,’ we are survivors of the corrupt leadership in Washington. We are expected to show our appreciation for a 2.5 percent annual raise when Greedflation has increased by as much as 60 percent on necessities. If “the People’s President,” Franklin Delano Roosevelt, had not displayed his deep concern for all of our nation’s people and created the plan I and my wife paid into for more than 40 years each, Social Security, my wife an...

  There are two days in my life I will always remember. I was a senior in high school on November 22, 1963 when a truly great president, John F. Kennedy, was murdered in Dallas Texas. I was out for a morning run on September 11, 2001. As I was coming up the street on which I live, my wife was in the front yard waving at me. I thought it was because my mother, who was under hospice care, had passed. She led me inside to watch the television. What I was seeing seemed unreal. My emotions were immediately out of control. Sadly, the cowardly and tragic events of 9/11 produced changes in our country which continue to cause harm to the principles of our nation. The intentions of the First, Fourth, and 14 th Amendments to the Constitution were greatly damaged with the passing of the Patriot Act, and the creation of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE. 9/11, and the passing of these two unconstitutional actions happened under the watch of George W. Bush. The Patrio...

Most of the men and women in my age group read “1984,” and saw the movie. Some of us remember the principal tenet of the story all too well, because it is happening on this very day. [Orwell's "1984" explores the dangers of totalitarianism and the suppression of individual freedom in a dystopian future where the ruling Party controls every aspect of life, including language, history, and thought, through constant surveillance and manipulation.] The book was originally published in 1949. It is an accurate portrayal of what is happening in Washington today. Attacks on our freedom and rights guaranteed by the Constitution occur every day, and no one seems to care. The entire premise of this book remains frightening, and is relative to Trump, his Fascist Party, and the policies of his handler, Vladimir Putin. However, one part of this path to a totalitarian government is more disturbing to me than all others: the intentional distortion of history. If any society refuses to le...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Samuel Alito was nominated for an open seat on the Supreme Court by George W. Bush in October of 2005, and confirmed by the Senate in January of 2006. His nomination forced close scrutiny from the left. Alito’s actions in a lower court were often controversial. However, after he swore to remain impartial, and was confirmed by a vote of 58-42. Like all right-wing politicians, he lied. ALITO AND THOMAS ARE OBVIOUSLY MEMBERS OF TRUMP’S CULT Both Alito and Clarence Thomas, who was appointed in 1991 by George H.W. Bush, continue to support issues important to the extremist faction of those who call themselves Republicans. We know that Thomas’ wife, “Ginny,” was present at the beginning of the January 6 insurrection. She openly supports the worst president in history. Records show that she and her husband received gifts in the form of luxury vacations from billionaire supporters who favor fascism, and the end of democracy in America. Alito continues his futile efforts...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart If you are an informed voter, you know that between Trump and President Biden there is no comparison. Americans deserve an American President, not an asset of a foreign nation who would shred the Constitution and move our nation backwards into the dark days of 85 years ago. In the 1950’s nothing happened to guarantee equality for Black Americans in the United States. Few Black men and even fewer Black women were enrolled our colleges and universities. Few of the good paying jobs were given to Black men. It was illegal in most states for Blacks to openly have a romantic relationship with whites. Black women would not have the right to vote until 1965. Women were expected to be subservient to men in the mid-twentieth century. In the workplace most women made little more than 50 cents for every dollar made by men. If they wanted to keep their jobs, they were forced to accept sexual advances by the men in their current employment. Our nation was heavily dominated in...

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Raised by a single mother in the 1950s and 60s, I was fortunate to have been very close and partially raised by my maternal grandparents. They were grandchildren of a Prussian grandfather, who came to this country at the beginning of the 20 th century, and the grandmother he met in America. Of the many things I learned from them, compassion, kindness, and understanding were the most important and remained with me throughout my life. What they couldn’t teach me were the underlying evils which existed then, and have become the norm in the 21 st century. These evils moved out of the shadows and escalated between 2017 and 2021 when an illegitimate president won the Electoral College, and became to leader of the Neo-Nazi movement in America. He and his party, once known as Republicans, combined with the mainstream media, continue to spread lies with the use of tactics including anger, hatred, and violence. At this very moment, somewhere in our ...

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   The George W. Bush Administration forced the passage of several policies which remain and are in direct violation of the Bill of Rights. Eager to defend the failure of “W’s” administration to protect our nation from attacks which took the lives of nearly 3,000 innocent men, women, and children, they passed the Patriot Act less than two months after the cowardly attacks on 9/11. Among the other failures by the second worst president in history, was the creation of ICE. Over my 77 years as a patriot, 67 as an American interested in our political system, I have become greatly fearful as I watched our guarantees under the Bill of Rights removed by a corrupt government. The right-wing continues to move us further to the right and away from the democratic promises of our Founding Fathers. “Fascism has arrived in America and it’s waving a flag and wearing a cross.” After the passage of the Patriot Act, illegal searches became the norm, and seizure ...

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Evangelicals are not Christians by definition. According to the Bible, a Christian is “ someone whose behavior and heart reflects Jesus Christ .” Evangelical leaders preach from the Old Testament, completely ignoring the teachings of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. The facts are clear. The biggest misconception about religion in America, and something Christian leaders would like you to believe, is that most of our Founding Fathers were Christians. Historians confirm that Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison and Monroe practiced a faith called Deism . Deism is a philosophical belief in human reason as a reliable means of solving social and political problems.  In reality, a number of the key American Founders were neither Christians nor deists, but theistic rationalists. Theistic rationalists believed in a powerful, rational, and benevolent creator God who was present and active in human affairs. We must remember that the primary reason the men who cr...