I grew up during the cold war. Air raid sirens blasted out their whining wails at least weekly, they were followed by air raid drills in which kids in schools had to duck and cover in case a nuke was dropped. There were fallout shelters everywhere. Buildings were marked with black and yellow fallout shelter signs identifying them as safe haven should the nukes head our way. Well to do types and preppers (we didn't call them that back then though) had their own fallout shelters. If a jet flew over and broke the sound barrier people trembled with fear thinking the big one - WWIII - had started. There was, in the early 60s, news every day about the high strung tensions between the USA and the USSR. We were literally on the brink of WWII and the end of the world as we know it.
Americans were just as diverse back then as we are now but instead of celebrating our diversity and weakening our country by staying separate from one another, we strove for unity to strengthen America. We, for the great part, were unified against our enemies in the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), Eastern Europe, North Korea and Red China. When their leaders said one thing an the American President or other U.S. officials said the opposite - there was no doubt who the great majority of Americans believed. They were united as Americans. This is one of the reasons that the civil rights movement made such headway then and soon thereafter; we finally woke up and realized we were all Americans and were all united against a common enemy and the enemy was not ourselves. We were not perfect but we stood by our leaders because we knew we stood on he moral high ground in world events and politics.
After living through all that, I have seen the USA and the rest of the world change markedly. Some things for the better others for the worse. Today we are usually our own worst enemy. Some things that led up to that were to have been expected but some have come as a surprise. I guess the biggest surprise of all is the one I have seen again and again in very recent years. It is a phenomenon of change much like when the magnetic poles on a magnet, of even of a planet, switch ends. North becomes south and south becomes north - all very confusing, I would imagine. The change I am talking about though is not magnetic but is polarizing and even more confusing. You see, it used to be that the American president was always more believable than the one from the USSR (essentially modern day Russia) or any other commie nation but it seems just as a planet can do, the polarity of the situation has been reversed, at least for me.
I just read this article: State Department fires back over Putin claims Kerry 'lied' about Syria and I have to admit, I find President Vladimir Putin much more credible in this situation. His claim about Al Qaeda being in Syria is much more believable than Kerry's denial of it, especially since I seem t remember others in the Obama administration making reference to Al Qaeda being in Syria as recently as within the last couple to few weeks. I also find it rather credible that, as Putin says, we lack hard evidence that Assad of Syria actually used chemical weapons against his people. Heck, most of the rest of the world believes likewise right now. I am not saying Assad did not do it, I am saying there is a lot of doubt regardless of the absolute certainty of Obama, Kerry and their minion. I would like to see more evidence, accepted by more nations, as proof that Assad actually did so and that it was not Al Qaeda or the rebels who did it. Let's face it, both sides in the Syrian civil war are outright scum and I am none to sure we should be supporting or attacking either side. I figure we ought to let them kill one another off and make the world a better place though .
Back to my point though, I think things have gotten all twisted around since I have been a kid, the world is very confusing and disheartening. That is especially so in light of the fact that a Russian president is more credible than our own - even if just for a moment. Of course, that all could change with the presentation of hard cold evidence. Even as much as I dislike President Obama, I hope that (possibly against all odds) it changes back to the norm and that he (as America's head representative) comes out on top in credibility and morality as compared to Putin. Right now though, it does not seem likely for the remainder of his presidency.
All the best,
Glenn B
