Gliberty and Just Us

If you sound like you know what you're talking about, people will assume you do.

   Mottoes distill the spirit of a society to just a few words, offering a memorable taste of what that society believes in and hopes for.
  Mottoes are intended to be positive, but a slightly different perspective can often reveal a greater truth, which could well be negative.
   Glib pronouncements amid flashy rhetoric can easily conceal more important tissues, leading a nation away from its founding principles toward policies that favor one group over another, specifically people already here over newcomers anxious to become part of a better society.
   Fear and suspicion of The Others, however, cloud the outlook of many, and this is often nourished and encouraged by some who seek leadership and will use whatever means available to reach their goals.
   The pattern is not new. It can be seen many times over by anyone with even a cursory knowledge of history. Other nations at other times have gone through this pattern, and while the names differ, the bigotry and results are the same.
   One important difference this year, however, is that attitudes toward The Others are widespread and specific, even spelled out in policies proposed by ambitious wannabe political leaders.
   Walls -- both physical and legislative -- have been built in the past. Over time, none have worked. Not the Antonine Wall or Hadrian's Wall in Britain. Not the Iron Curtain in Europe nor the Berlin Wall in Germany. The Know Nothing Party in 19th Century America failed to keep out "undesirable" immigrants. And in economics, restrictive tariffs failed to prevent a worldwide Great Depression in the 20th Century. 
   Glib promises of "America First" failed to protect America from the approaching depression and war in the 1930s.

   This nation was founded on principles of compromise and cooperation. The concept of "liberty and justice for all" in an "indivisible" nation has been nearly drowned in a storm of thunderous rhetoric promising benefits for those already here while The Others are sent back to where they came from. Later, they may be allowed to return if they can pass a series of tests to ensure they will "assimilate" with those already here.
   But America has never been a "melting pot," where all become alike. From its beginning, America has been a tapestry or a kaleidoscope of many ethnicities and cultures, each learning to live alongside the others.
   At least, that's has been the national goal. To abandon that goal is to walk away from the path toward liberty and justice for all.