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America has a long way to go before again becoming that shining city on the hilltop

By Matthew Burdette - Editor in Chief | Aug 29, 2020

On Aug. 23, Jacob Blake, 29, was shot multiple times in the back as he leaned into his SUV – his three children seated inside – in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Protests were immediate, as officials were not forthcoming with details of the incident, only saying they were responding to a possible domestic incident.

Blake, a Black man, is now paralyzed, his family’s attorney said, noting that it would “take a miracle” for him to walk again.

Tuesday night, a 17-year old white man allegedly killed two people at a protest in Kenosha. Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested Wednesday afternoon and charged with first-degree intentional homicide.

Across the nation, other protests rage over racial equality, with Atlanta; Portland, Oregon; Dallas; Phoenix; Denver; and Columbia, South Carolina, being consumed over incidents in those cities. Other gatherings have turned violent, too, like in Portland, where protesters smashed windows in City Hall, resulting in 23 arrests. In Atlanta, eight people were arrested last week after a police precinct was overrun by protesters and damaged.

If anyone had any doubt before the latest happenings – yes, America still does have a problem with equality among different races and nationalities.

As I’ve said before in the pages of The Telegraph, I’m absolutely dumbfounded by this. The last time I checked the calendar, it’s 2020. It’s not 1860. It’s Not 1900. It’s not 1960. It’s not even 1975. It’s 2020. America has come a long way in its more than 240 years of existence. We simply should not be dealing with equality issues almost two-and-a-half centuries after our country’s founding. It’s unacceptable. It’s unconscionable. It’s irresponsible. It’s unfathomable. And, it’s simply wrong. Especially so since we portray ourselves as the land of the free and the home of the brave – both obviously tarnished ideals that have laid on the bookshelf of history and have become all but dusty, outdated and forgotten.

Today’s world is filled with so much hate. You see it in the headlines every day. Senseless killings here and abroad. Violence against one race or another. Wars, skirmishes and petty disagreements that go way too far. We also see it in politics. You only would have to have watched a few minutes of either political convention this year to see it. Politics is no longer a gentleman’s (and gentlelady’s) – undertaking. It’s cutthroat, down and dirty and – oftentimes – personal to the point of destroying friendships, dividing families and causing instant arguments if one disagrees with someone else’s political slant. Yes, it is happening on both sides. And, yes, both Republicans and Democrats should be absolutely appalled by the way they act. They should be stepping up to solve problems, not trying to divide and conquer. The days of politicians like Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill working across the aisle for the betterment of the nation and humanity as a whole are gone – seemingly long gone.

One also not look much any further locally than social media to see how childish – yes, childish – people can be. On any given day, look at any city, town or civic sounding board to see people absolutely eviscerated for having a different opinion than someone else or even for asking a simple question. These internet couch surfers hide behind the relative anonymity of their keyboards and feel like they can say anything, some of which they likely wouldn’t say if they were face to face with the other party they are criticizing, tearing them to shreds. Sometimes, that even goes for those who administer and run these internet rumor mills. Instead of serving as a uniting force, one that promotes everyone working together, they divide people even more.

The entire world, it seems, is full of hate, disdain for others and intolerance.

One of my all-time favorite scenes in a television series is from HBO’s “The Newsroom,” which debuted in 2012. In the first episode of the Aaron Sorkin-written drama, Jeff Daniels’ character, Will McAvoy, proclaims America is, indeed, not the greatest country in the world anymore. He noted, “We sure used to be. We stood up for what is right. We fought for moral reasons. We passed laws, struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed. We cared about our neighbors. We put our money where our mouthes were, and we never beat our chests. We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, cultivated the world’s greatest artists and the world’s greatest economy. We reached for the stars, acted like men. We aspired to intelligence, we didn’t belittle it. It didn’t make us feel inferior. We didn’t identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election. … We were able to be all these things and do all these things, because we were informed. … The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one.”

While fictional, McAvoy is right. We are not the greatest country in the world anymore. If we were, we wouldn’t be grappling with what amounts to basic human rights, constant upheaval and never-ending political infighting.

He also is right that the first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one.

And, yes, there are many. We must get a handle on the racial – and economic – inequality in this country, and fast. We must have some semblance of decorum in the halls of Congress and in the White House. We must be accepting of all. We must stop violent, destructive protests and replace them with peaceful gatherings that are focused and productive. We must stop the hate, bickering and attacks on our fellow citizens, whether local, national or global.

America – the America I grew up with – is better than this. We all are better than this. We need to dust off some of those old ideals, those family values and return America to the greatest nation in the world. It will be hard work, but we can do it if we work together. Then, and only then, can we once again become that shining city on the hilltop, the one whose words and actions carry weight and the one who sets the example for all others to follow.

Matthew Burdette is the editor in chief of The Telegraph. He may be reached at 603-594-1240 or mburdette@nashuatelegraph.com. Follow him on Twitter @Telegraph_MattB.

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