Martin Luther King was once quoted to say “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” PHOTO COURTESY OF HARVARDPOLITICS.COM

It has been three years since the insurrection took place on the Capitol grounds with acts of violence, vandalism and vengeance-led demands to hang the vice president of the country! Some are beginning to explain the event in softer terms than what it really was: an attempt to overthrow the government as we understand it.

The most recent mislabeling storyline from the Trump camp is to call those already convicted as insurrectionists, conspirators, criminals, etc., “hostages” of the government!

Just when I thought I had heard it all. Last week I engaged in a lively new year’s discussion about the state of the union, and I concluded that the US’s moral compass is broken, if there ever was one.

Despite the herculean efforts of the founding fathers to first declare their independence from Great Britain, to then write a set of laws to govern the new nation, the constitution (although many times amended) -and to script a pledge of allegiance, it has all come to a head: we are now suffering a constitutional crisis.

The Supreme Court has been issued an invitation it must accept to remedy the dilemma facing the entire nation: the question about the qualifications to run for the presidency. We want it to settle the issue once and for all, at least until the end of this political cycle. It is expected that the court will rule soon, but the resolution of the issues of power, immunity, and the intended meaning of the 14th amendment is a long way from being concluded amongst some in the electorate.

Americans are depressed and we perceive that we are in need to return to a ‘better’ time; a greater time.

We no longer act as “one nation, under God”. Once dominated by a protestant ‘Godhead’, our moral direction has been split into several others vying for the role. Yes, we still have rules of law that have become more pliable than the original drafters intended, and which are subject to political winds of change (election cycles). One popular politician has become a demi-God seeking retribution, too many others are ‘wanna-be’ authoritarians, and a large voting block seemingly yearns for strong-man rulers- too often just blindly following the pied pipers of disinformation and delusions.

Martin Luther King was once quoted to say “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

How do we begin to measure the degree of the arc’s bend when we look at the US involvement in the war that Israel and Hamas are fighting, the US support of Ukraine’s defense against Russian invasion, the US maintenance of military installations throughout the Middle East (Quatar), support for the US proxies in southeast Asia and throughout Africa, to mention just a few?

Perhaps we should look at ourselves from the point of view of other nations.

Fareed Zakaria, a well- respected analyst of foreign affairs, offers the following take: America, by every measurable data analysis and comparison with other modern nations (especially UK, Germany and China), is still the most economically and politically stable nation, all indices pointing to continued prosperity, opportunity for personal advancement, and a place where so many people still want to come to live. He says, “the world sees what the US (citizens) do not.”

So why are we so pessimistic and yearn to return to a time before? And even want to leave the country?

The moral arc has either stopped bending (toward justice), or it has bent so far back from its center that we are careening away from civility, away from the original guiding democratic ideals, and have abandoned hope for a brighter future.

We looked within without a compass pointing north.

It is time in the early new year to reset our compasses; gain perspective; see what the other side of the world knows and understands about this country: we must remain focused on leading, as individuals, in our homes, throughout our public lives, etc.

I contend that people who identify themselves as Black can set the course for America’s greatness, now and in the future, if we can regain our collective identity, vote our agenda, and take off any veils that keep us blind to the facts and reality of life in the USA, once and still the leading nation in the world, a place we have built, nurtured, cultivated and infused with our zest in all things.

Claim your rightful place. And Vote, vote, vote! 

Toniwg1@gmail.com