Lessons of the Past


            


           History often plays tricks on us. It never repeats itself, but there are lots of interesting twists and turns that remind us of things in the past. The mid-term elections are over and yet we are still speaking about the elections. In many cases we don’t even know who won. “The Big Blue Wave” that pollsters suggested might have occurred.  The uncertainty of the Georgia and Florida elections is clearly reminiscent of the presidential contests of 1876 and 2000.  Ironically, the state of Florida rather than the people of Florida is still determining the outcomes of America’s electoral politics.
            This week is also the 100th anniversary of the end of the first Great War. Armistice Day, usually referred to as Veterans Day, has brought world leaders to France to mark the event and pledge not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Yet, pre-event comments by the American and French Presidents reveal that little has been learned since the treaty of Versailles was signed.
            The lead up to the end of the war is an important aspect of American history. President Woodrow Wilson proposed in January 1918 a lasting peace without victory. On November 11th, German leaders agreed to stop fighting. The peace treaty signed on June 28, 1919 by Wilson and his French, British and Italian counterparts, was never approved by Congress.
            Many believe that the aftermath of the treaty and the punitive measures assigned to Germany played a direct role in the rise of German nationalism and set the stage for World War II.
            The world after World War I was not peaceful. It was filled with nationalism, racism, and ethnic strife. The post-war world changed the landscape of Europe, the Middle East, Asian and Africa.  The next world war would further divide Europeans and have lasting consequences.  Once again, American history posits its place as the peacemaker resolving the European conflicts for the betterment of the world.
            Some sixty-three years from the end of World War II, the legacy of America’s role in forging a lasting world peace is in doubt. Americans are witnessing the very strains that led to Germany’s turn to nationalism.
As a result of the atrocities to come in the wake of its World War I defeat, it is important to recognize what happened in Germany could happen in the United States. And that in many ways, the unchecked behavior of “ordinary Americans“ are indicators of trouble. Encouraged by degrees of strong political dissent, a fifty-six year old man sent pipe bombs to people critical of the current president.  The targets included Jewish Democratic donor George Soros, former Presidents Clinton and Obama, former Vice President Biden, California Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and media network CNN and its contributors former CIA Director John Brennan and former National Intelligence Director James Clapper. 
The recent tragic shooting and murder of eleven Jewish Americans at the Tree of Life Synagogue (October 28th) is a strong reminder that Anti-Semitic sentiments are very alive.  And in a similar way the failed attempt to kill African Americans at church, and the subsequent shooting of two African Americans at a grocery store in Jeffersontown, Kentucky  (October 24th) proves that some Americans fear the direction of our future.  
The shooting and killing of twelve of patrons in a Thousand Oaks, California bar and grill (November 7th) seems unrelated to this behavior until you probe further into what the gunman actually did. This act of domestic terrorism started with smoke bombs being thrown into the bar before the shooter, a veteran, opened fire on an audience of largely college students.
In less than three weeks four white men attempted to kill prominent leaders and average citizens.  Apparently, their targets were engaged in some behavior that disagreed with the status quo of the dominant party. 
This brings me back to 2000.  It becomes the starting point for an era of mistrust.  It seems that the election of 2000 is going to become a critical election in American history. Al Gore and George W. Bush, almost evenly matched, ran for office. Each candidate was a standard bearer for his respective party and its platform.  Both ran on the basis of creating good economies and on improving the nation’s greatest concerns.  In 2000 Americans knew what their political parties stood for and the election reveals a split between distinct values.
In spite of glaring flaws, George W. Bush demonstrated numerous qualities that made him a worthy candidate and could have made him a decent if not well-respected president.  The tragedy of 9/11 and poor choices in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan deterred the course of his presidency. Bush’s critics are always happy to suggest that he lied to the American people about why the United States went to war in Iraq.  Such criticisms falsely suggest that terrorists would not have attacked the US if Al Gore was president.
That bit of doubt played a role in the election of Barack Obama and then Donald Trump. As Americans lost faith in elected officials and their leaders they lost sight of political party platforms and simply sought simplistic solutions to national problems.
Obama promised “hope”, while Trump’s campaign on “fear” promised safety.  The Democrats under Obama did not stray far from their roots, but the coalition that elected him was fragmenting into newly constructed silos.  In contrast, the McCain and Romney Republican Party faded from a middle class and wealthy conservative grouping to a reactionary army against Obama’s politics. The Republicans under Trump made serious departures from its core values. Trump’s republican party is neither conservative nor republican. Its appeal is towards isolated but rural and suburban whites who are either working class or extremely rich. As a result, the  Democratic party is leaning more to the left giving nods to urban minority voters, union members and political socialists.  Hence the historical Democratic and Republican divides have been lost. Political platforms have been thrown into the wind. America’s political spectrum has been annihilated.
Little remains of the old Democratic wing of that party, and nothing exists of the Republican standard.  The two parties are simply the party in power and the opposition.  In this situation there is little room for compromise or consensus.
The failure of the 1919 treaty led to the rise of a German dictatorship. The failures of the French treaties in 1919 or 1945 are signs that the world does not want to share its resources and live in peace. On a global scale we are afraid of other nations and within our nations we are afraid of the other. At some point, that other is one of us!
President Trump frequently has the opportunity to change the apparent direction of our nation and the world. Yet, whenever faced with those moments, when the American president has historically declared America’s role in setting the world straight, he balks and throws shade at America’s allies. A man who cannot find peace with himself should not be the peacemaker for the world. Sadly, there is no rational decision made by this administration that addresses our fears. The greatest disappointment of the Trump administration is that it cannot rationally defend its actions. Nor can the president’s supporters defend such decisions. The travel ban lacks integrity, separating parents and children at the border is amoral, sending troops to the border is a waste of money and an illegal use of the military, the tariff policies are not carefully outlined, and the inability to speak out against white nationalism and gun violence is horrifying.
Our president spent another time with world leaders feeling challenged. He got angry and sulked, and then was further disturbed by the degrees of international press criticizing his actions. He broke traditions by not attending the ceremonies at the national cemetery in France and by not honoring American soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery on Veteran’s Day. Regardless of how you feel about him, this was a grave sign of disrespect.
The disenchantment with the American president is a sign that America is losing its way. It is no longer the beacon to the world community. And within its borders Americans are duplicating behaviors that are reminiscent of the past. One should never forget that the American decade following the end of World War I was marked with some achievements but many more social problems.  If we simply promote that women received the right to vote and Native Americans were made citizens, the reality of the era is grossly understated.
The years between Wilson and Roosevelt were filled with race riots, Red Scares, and exclusionary immigration laws. The nation’s veterans did not receive their bonuses and marched on the nation’s capitol. A great financial disaster followed the boom. Similarly the years after World War II might hold nostalgia for many but were equally described as period of juvenile rebellion, Red Scares and McCarthyism, and the beginnings of a struggle over Civil Rights and gender equality.
Our history informs us of types of unrest before and after the Great Wars. President Trump is in the unique position to quell the forces that lead to conflict. Instead he has fanned the flames of civil distrust of politicians, the government and national institutions.
So as we salute our troops and commemorate the memories of the first great war we must work harder to achieve national as well as global peace. If America truly respects and honors those who fought and those who made the ultimate sacrifices in war, then it would do best to study the lessons of history and work aggressively to restore the balance of our nation.

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