Academic Rants

  While 2020 has proven to be one of the most disappointing years of my lifetime, it has revealed that my academic training has served me well. I was able to find historical connections for what I believe are the biggest issues of this year.  It has been a year of tremendous lows. I frequently feel like the essence of America has been broken. We remain a powerful nation, but no longer a unified one. And while I cannot place all of the blame on Donald Trump, he is leading the parade. Under his watch our distrust of the systems of governance, the rule of law (police and the courts), and even our neighbors has increased.  China knew about COVID in 2019 and American intelligence informed the White House before the end of the year. We entered 2020 with few cases but with the knowledge of a powerful virus. Yet, well into March, the Trump administration downplayed its potency. The president gambled his re-election and fate on the economy when it was obvious that the virus could sink it all. C

  Throughout the year I have battling with myself over the idea of American exceptionalism and exclusivity. I thoroughly believe that something makes America different from other nations, but I don't know if that makes us better. COVID-19 has forced me to re-examine my faith in American greatness. To put it mildly, this has been one of the saddest and most disappointing moments in my life. How could the United States for all of its promise fail in this crisis? This is a question that I believe will haunt this nation for generations to come. I believe when historians have all of the facts that they will find a villain or set of villains and a few scapegoats. And, it's very possible that President Trump will transform from villain to scapegoat. However, all of the statements, quotes and tweets will make him liable for a large percentage of this disaster. History teaches us that the reaction to pandemics tend to follow certain patterns. In July, one of my entries offered a compari