Dakota Beacon

Let’s begin 2021 where we left off in 2020.

President Trump spoke the minds of millions of people when they elected him in 2016. The same was true of those who turned out for him in 2020. He did not promise to “bring the country together.” He promised to change the corrupt workings in Washington, DC. He promised to “drain the swamp,” to alter the good ol’ boy network otherwise known as The Ruling Class. This elite group comprises professional politicians of modest means entering congress and retiring as millionaires. It also comprises a faceless bureaucracy of civil “servants” to whom congress defers to write endless regulations. Add to this the lobbyists who write the multi-thousand-page bills congress passes without reading.

Our 45^th president was not elected to fulfill platitudinous promises. Trump was elected by an astounding number including a record number of Blacks, Latinos, and assorted disgruntled Democrats to solve problems, get government off the backs of Americans, and actually do something constitutionally on their behalf. He stood with millions of Americans in opposition to the legacy media; never-Trumpers (fake conservatives); RINOs (Republicans in name only); and of course, Democrats, Chinese Communists, and other assorted leftists.

Some anomalies and contradictions illustrate the stark and widening social, economic, and political divide between two Americas. If a guy pretends to be a woman, you are required to pretend with him. It’s un-American for the census to count how many Americans are in America. Russians influencing our elections are bad but illegals voting in our elections are good. It was okay for Joe Biden to "blackmail" the President of Ukraine but it’s an impeachable offense if Donald Trump asks about it. People who have never owned slaves should pay slavery reparations to people who have never been slaves. Inflammatory rhetoric is outrageous but harassing people in restaurants is virtuous. People who have never been to college should pay the debts of college students who took out huge loans for frivolous degrees. Immigrants with tuberculosis and polio are welcome; however, you’d better be able to prove your dog is vaccinated. Irish doctors and German engineers who want to immigrate must go through a rigorous vetting process, but illiterate gang-bangers who jump the southern fence are welcome. $5 billion for border security is too expensive, but $1.5 trillion for “free” health care is not. People who say there is no such thing as gender have demanded a female President. Some countries choose socialism and collapse, but Democrats think socialism is a great plan for America. Criminals are released and ultimately harm more people, but re-incarcerating them is bad because it's a violation of their rights. People who understand the above examples of hypocrisy are branded "racists!" The list could go on.

More and more people wonder what they have in common with administrations in New York, San Francisco, LA, Washington DC, Chicago, and Portland. Many talk among themselves and share opinions in the blogosphere observing how distant and separated different factions are in our polarized culture. Many more share these opinions but remain silent for fear of retribution.

How long can two separate Americas co-exist in the growing tension generated by two different notions of America’s founding, two different ideas about how we should be governed, two completely opposite theories of life, and two different philosophies about how we should go about managing our personal affairs? How long will people tolerate two separate applications of the law – one for the elite and one for the rest of us? How long will people observe alleged transgressions followed by years-long investigations resulting in no prosecutions or convictions? Is there any overlap or middle ground between the left and the right upon which all may agree? Somehow, somewhere, something must give way.

A growing body of people seem to feel that with increasing tension there can be no co-existence. The distance between factions grows and metastasizes. Yet, no one has proposed a single idea that would spark a solution.

No one wants to talk about the “s-“ word. Is the idea of political and geographical secession in play? Not likely. Nor is anything of the sort proposed. Truthfully, secession has probably already occurred in the hearts of millions upon millions of Americans for reasons noted above. Any chance of reconciliation in the near term? Your guess is as good as mine. But, do not hold your breath.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).