When we think of corruption, what first comes to mind? There are many meanings of the word, if we look the word up in the dictionary, there will be several different definitions:

1. dishonest or illegal behavior especially by powerful people (such as government officials or police officers):DEPRAVITY

2. : inducement to wrong by improper or unlawful means (such as bribery) the corruption of government officials

3. a departure from the original or from what is pure or correct the corruption of a text the corruption of computer files

4. DECAY, DECOMPOSITION the corruption of a carcass

   1. chiefly dialectal: PUS

5. archaic: an agency or influence that corrupts

Merriam Webster 2024

Where would you say the United States of America falls on the meter of Public Corruption today? At one time, we were the beacon of all that was good; our systems and public institutions were seemingly incorruptible. Our efforts to move the nation forward, while slow, were at least moving toward that promise, penned by Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin in the Declaration of Independence, that:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator that they are endowed with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Of course, at the time, Jefferson and Franklin did not foresee that statement encompassing a country of such diversity. Indeed, they did not imagine one day, the people they held in human bondage would be free and standing alongside their progeny as equals. Clearly, with the words “all men,” they failed to imagine that one day, women would rise up, independent of their fathers and husbands. Yet here we are, men and women, standing in the town square and speaking out with diverse voices and experiences.

Or are we?

The world is holding its breath, watching our once incorruptible institutions and wondering what is next and what in Hell is wrong with America. Did our systems hold after January 6? Or are we in a tailspin of failure, heading into the autocracy so many on the right seem to embrace with shocking enthusiasm?

Look closely at the systems, local to federal, and even the fourth estate, the Media. What do you think? Are the systems holding or putting us and the world at risk?

I have often said two truths can be equally valid, and this is one of those times. We are faced with a vacuum of misinformation fomenting fury, stirring hate, and closing the hearts and minds of many during their most formative years. We have young people screaming HAMAS slogans without understanding their meaning, thinking they are standing up to tyranny and genocide. Why do they do this? What is the root cause of this fundamental ignorance?

Here is a sad truth about Americans, one-fifth of Americans between 18-29 believe the Holocaust is a myth. WTF you say, right that is what I say, too. The truth is, the genocide of six million Jewish people, the destruction of the European Romany people, the cruel murder of those deemed ‘less’ the crippled, the mentally disabled; all of this isn’t taught in many US public schools today. But there you have it, the failure of the local systems to teach ‘real’ history about genocide, slavery, and land theft; all of it means we have two, maybe three generations of ignorant, myopic, selfish, and ill-prepared human beings entering the world and these are the leaders of the future; God help us.

The failure of our education systems, from kindergarten to public and private universities, is our most egregious failure. This isn’t accidental; it was planned and executed to near perfection. The final nail in the coffin has been banning books throughout our public schools and libraries; the suppression of knowledge and the ability to develop critical thinking skills in our young people leads to what we see today across the country on university campuses.

Courts and justice systems will be the next significant failure. Over the last 30 years, the erosion of the judiciary branch has slowly been overtaken by political appointments at every critical level. The US Court of Appeals and Supreme Court have been overtaken by the political appointments of the extreme right-wing, fueled by the Heritage Foundation, and funded by those at the top with money to burn and a deep fear for anyone who might jeopardize their power.

Many of us remember the Obama years when the Federal bench sat empty of judges because the US Senate, led by Mitch McConnel, refused to do their job. Here is a stark reminder if you have forgotten:

Obama – 179 Nominees, 142 Appointments – 16.5%

Trump – 239 Nominees, 193 Appointments – 22.4%, including three (3) Supreme Court appointments, one that should have been Obama’s.

So, a stockpiled federal court handpicked by the Federalist Society, with lifetime appointments and intent on destroying progress. We have seen how this is working out for the nation:

Roe v. Wade – overturned

Biden v. Nebraska – Student Loan Forgiveness unconstitutional

Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard & North Carolina University – ruled Affirmative Action in admissions unconstitutional.

Finally, we have to look at the cases that struck the heart of Voting Rights and have slowly but surely diminished all that was won.

Shelby County v. Holder 2013 – struck down preclearance

Abbott v. Perez 2018 – the court ruled state legislatures were entitled to a presumption of good faith in redistricting.

Brnovitch v. DNC 2022 –  in which five so-called guideposts were identified to assess whether election laws were discriminatory under Section 2, devised by Justice Samuel Alito. Voting Rights advocates and election attorneys decried them as too broad and designed to undercut future challenges.

So ask yourself, are our systems holding? The two presumptive nominees for President are running neck and neck right now. One is currently sitting in court every single day as a ‘defendant’ in one of many of his criminal cases. The other is the President of the United States. One wants to be a Dictator. The other wants to be President one more time. Both are in their sunset years. One is a vulgarian, a want-to-be despot, and a traitor to everything this nation says they hold precious. The other, well, he has served this nation his entire adult life; I know that I haven’t always agreed with him, but I also know that he doesn’t want to burn this nation down.

So, where do we go from here? Will our systems hold? Will we kick the minority-majority to the curb come November, show them what we are made of, and begin to truly rebuild this nation? It is up to those who genuinely believe we can be great; no one will if we don’t do it.