I dream of an America with “a vision of a hopeful future and a realistic means to get there.” (Heather Cox Richardson, Letters from an American, newsletter of 2/24/2023).

What does freedom really mean, what does choice imply and who controls each? Is it an oxymoron to control freedom? How is something that is defined as free controllable? Furthermore, in America, the capitol of capitalism, there is no such thing as “free”, everything has a cost whether in monetary terms, consequences or both. Moreover, control implies power and that my friends appears to be the biggest addiction in most “developed” human societies, no?

What to do to stop the division and re-energize the UNITED States of America? This is a question with which I have been struggling for months. I don’t need convincing that the USA was built on the backs of enslaved and oppressed people so the wealthy few could retain power and sustain their wealth.

Absalom Absalom, William Faulkner, pub.'36. A wayward son fighting the empire his father built. When will "we the people" learn? This interview https://youtube.com/watch?v=--nX0GivYqw, was fascinating to watch, but devastating as well. It's been 9+ mos. Where's the readily recognizable change?

1776: Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, ….”

1787: Constitution: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union establish Justice, …… secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, …...”

1863: Gettysburg Address: “… a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

1942: Pledge of Allegiance: “….indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”

2021: Still a work in progress; is now when the “real progress” occurs?

Can we (humans) learn from history or are we simply hardwired to repeat it until we no longer exist?