Big Black Car
We Can Do Better Than This
Politician is a song on Cream’s Wheels Of Fire album. The opening lines:
Hey now baby, get into my big black car.
Hey now baby, get into my big black car.
I want to just show you
What my politics are.
As noted previously, I am stubbornly apolitical - not interested or involved in politics. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t harbor a set of values shaped by my life - my military brat childhood and my own tenure in the Air Force.
Turning toward the music, hand on heart or hand to brim, when Retreat and To The Color sounded at 5 p.m. as the flag was retired.
Once beyond those structured life chapters, the Tom Petty song comes to mind.
Free Fallin.’
I did that - played guitar a lot. Smoked pot. A lot. Traveled in circles. A lot. I worked a lot.
But never escaping the person I was. Fundamentally honest, nose to the grindstone, bring home the bacon. Treat people fairly. Do first, question later. And always while being a weekend warrior in bands.
By nature, with a military upbringing and service time, I suppose I leaned more to the right. But hell, I voted for Michael Dukakis in 1988! Just liked his message more than George Bush’s.
The Gulf War ignited the patriotic flame which had flickered within me for 35 years. I wanted to go to Iraq and fight. That response disturbed me. Surely I was beyond that!
Naturally, the 9/11 attacks did the same. To millions of Americans. People everywhere had little flags on their cars. I recall wondering why they didn’t do that every day.
All this to say that by default, I’m a patriotic, right-leanin’ son of a gun. I display my American flag each day, retire it each night. Hmmm. Maybe not so apolitical after all.
This election year finds people more divided than ever. Republicans say Democrats are socialist idiots. Democrats say Republicans are elitist snobs who don’t care about the regular people.
The 2020 election threw everything way out of whack. It now feels like the country may implode before our very eyes.
We have TWO OLD MEN duking it out to win the Presidency. Again!
We can do better than this.
Is this the best we can do? Despite my conservative fiber and inclination, I simply cannot support Donald Trump. He is a danger to our country.
How can a man with pending federal indictments and multiple trials on his horizon be remotely considered Presidential material? He claims to be above the law. The danger I see is this - the party he leads and the people who support him are saying - with fervor - an ill-tempered fuckup can be nominated - and possibly elected.
This damages the Presidency in a manner never seen. Once the Office is this badly tarnished, it will never regain its rightful stature. Republicans don’t care.
We can do better than this.
On the other hand we have America’s grandpa. Or great-grandpa. The danger here is if Biden dies while in office, Kamala Harris assumes the Presidency. I don’t know much about her, but is she qualified? Who will really be calling the shots?
If it comes down to Trump versus Biden, I will withhold my vote. If Biden is re-elected, we get four more years of Stop The Steal.
We can do better than this!
There is a minimum age requirement for the Office of President. There should be a maximum age limit as well.
Let us hope that the Supreme Court follows the letter of the law.