In an effort in trying to make sense of it all; of it all, meaning the 2016 presidential election. I first made a pledge to myself to stay optimistic for the sake of the nation as one of my New Year’s Resolutions. Then I went down memory lane to the 2008 presidential debates/election. I wanted to compare and contrast the country’s mood and the issues at hand. The atmosphere at Grant Park was euphoric as history was being made. People were hugging and crying. President-elect Obama referenced Dr. King by the phrase “Arc of History” and Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address, saying, “As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.” Eight years later, “let’s make America great again” has a ring of treachery and defiance, dismounting the notion of a legacy for the first black president.

As I pondered what a difference eight years had made, I recalled a speech Dr. King gave in 1967. ‘Three major evils”—the evil of racism, the evil of poverty, and the evil of war. They are interconnected, all-embracing, and remain steadfast as impediments to a harmonious society. A direct correlation to the quote, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” This is a simplification of Abraham Lincoln’s actual words.

His exact quote was: “Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest, with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer. If it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time or die by suicide.”

We can be our most prominent advocates or our most fantastic haters. … which is why we are our worst enemies.  History has a way of telling us things if we would just spend the time learning about each other and less time in the bully pulpit and corrupt politics.  “A Time to Fight” by Jim Webb. Webb, the former Senator from Virginia and a Democratic candidate in the 2016 primaries for president, gets a thumbs-up for his stance on crime, drugs, and education. He outlines common-sense views, almost in lecture form, in his book. However, one assertion he makes troubles me and edifies the great divide between blacks and whites not communicating on an intellectual, empathetic, and endearing level. The statement is not racist, just superficial in that it applies to the Marine Corps motto: “Once a Marine, Always a Marine.”

He declared that “comparing ethnic backgrounds and discussing life before the corps is an ancient favorite pastime of all Marines.”  I honestly believe that he believes this, after serving with Delta Company in Vietnam. Combat has a way of bringing souls closer together.  Outside of combat, some souls have a way of returning to their roots.  During the racial unrest of the 70’s, the Marine Corp experienced serious racial problems years before the Navy and the Air Force. “Black Sailor, White Navy” by John Sherwood.  As a Navy Racial Awareness Facilitator, one thing became emphatically clear to me. You cannot legislate empathy into a person’s heart.  Compassion can only be planted, in the soul, through the process of willing listeners.

Speaking recently at Washington University in Washington, D.C, Jim Webb stated: “I would like to salute Donald Trump for his tenacity and the uniqueness of his campaign.” Does this mean support for the bully pulpit?  Does the slogan “let’s make America great again,” imply that the Triple Evils never existed?  What period must we go back and great again from what?

Poverty – unemployment, homelessness, hunger, malnutrition, illiteracy, infant mortality, slums…

Racism – prejudice, apartheid, ethnic conflict, anti-Semitism, sexism, colonialism, homophobia, ageism, discrimination against disabled groups, stereotypes…

Militarism – war, imperialism, domestic violence, rape, terrorism, human trafficking, media violence, drugs, child abuse, violent crime…

A new poll commissioned by the Tyler Clementi Foundation found that: 53% of the more than 1400 registered voters questioned said “yes” when asked if they “believe the polarizing language being used in the presidential election is spilling over to young people and creating more meanness.”   Millennials!  Are you listening?   History has a funny way of repeating itself.