AMERICA'S INFECTION

Simmering for 2.5 centuries under a thin skin of freedom, capitalism, self-determination and religion—what many believe to be the hallmarks of America—lies a festering puss of colonialism, racism, misogyny, violence, environmental degradation, exploitation, hypocrisy, consumerism, greed and conceit.

Occasionally, despite all the GOOD that is America, we are unable to contain our troubling infection ... and our contagion erupts onto the national stage: Broken treaties, genocides, slavery, civil war, environmental disasters, multifaceted oppressions, mass shootings, public health catastrophes, greed-driven financial collapses ... wars. Unwilling or unable to acknowledge our bothersome affliction, we often masquerade our oozing iniquities as patriotism, bravery, progress, manifest destiny, the right to bear arms, the pursuit of happiness, defending democracy, God's will.

In 2026, we no longer hide what ails us. Rankling in plain sight, our current president has unwittingly become the poster child for our septic affliction, personifying everything that represents the worst of us. Check the boxes; he meets every aforementioned clinical criteria (first paragraph).

A conspicuous American malaise—effortlessly diagnosed by peasants and pundits at home and abroad—offers us a unique opportunity in American history. We may finally acknowledge our festering abscess and submit it to a healing, redemptive regimen; a grueling protocol of accountability and truth-telling that refuses to mask the symptoms and instead targets the source of our infirmity. Or ... we may ignore it, nurture it, maybe even honor it—allowing it to not only grow, but to contaminate the entire, wonderful, exasperating American experiment.

Common sense reminds us, deeply rooted infections don't heal themselves. Without diligence, they tend to get worse. Neglected, they tend to be fatal. In America's case, ignoring our egregious sepsis will not only make us less of a democracy ... we will kill it.

Samuel Adams saw the danger and warned us: "Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people ... universally corrupt."

Last week a majority of congressmen stood to applaud our president's State of the Union address. They cheered lies, racism, obstruction of justice, human trafficking, violent rhetoric, war, exploitation, hatred and braggadocio. Let me repeat the key operative word: "cheered."

The people who are leading us were not applauding democracy ... they were praising our worst, corrupt behavior.

How is this going to end? Can we save ourselves? At this septic stage of development, the prognosis is not good. The doctor has ordered accountability and truth-telling ... but those responsible for delivering the meds seem to have gone AWOL.

SIGNS

If you'd like to support our common sense efforts, contributions will help cover the cost of website fees, marketing and the general blood, sweat and tears of arranging words in a meaningful order. You may give via Venmo, @BFortson.

Subscribe to follow.

If these thoughts resonate,

please share, using the links below.