Mainstream America has been banished to the backwaters

The silence of the majority ought not to be tolerated for one moment longer. . .

By Andrew Lidden Pate

It seems only fitting that it was Richard Nixon who popularized the phrase, when on November 3, 1969, in a televised address on Vietnam,  he said, "to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans—I ask for your support."

In his address Nixon sought public backing for his "pursuit for peace" plan, which, in a few words, set forth the gradual withdrawal of American and Allied troops from Vietnam.

Yet the war waged on and did not officially end until April 30, 1975.

Still, Nixon had heard the harsh expressions of anger and mistrust coming from his "fellow Americans," and he responded with the plan and the plea contained in his 1969 address.

Up to that point, for most of two decades--through the tenures of DDE, JFK and LBJ, a Unified American Voice had not been heard.  But over those years  Americans had listened to the lies they'd been told in disbelief, been made painfully aware of the ever-increasing number of causalities  and the sheer horror of the war, not to mention the stories that had come home to them about dishonorable conduct on the part of their soldiers—and most Americans had at last decided they wanted the war to end and their service men and women to be brought home.

"Make love not war."  "Bring them home!" These and other anti-war sentiments were increasingly heard. Draft eligibles were escaping to Canada and elsewhere.   So it was, that in1969 anti-war protests could no longer be silenced.

Today, once again the Unified American voice has been muted, or, at best, reduced to rather inconsequential mumbling.  Forget about "draining the swamp."  We need to find a way for our Unified voice to escape from the backwaters.

To be sure, some columnists and a handful of politicians are attempting to speak out on behalf of their fellow Americans. But they are not heard, not really.

Instead, the voices of Wall Street and Donald Trump dominate.   (Some say, they are one and the same.)  They control Congress.  They control the news cycles.  They define what is true.  And to put it bluntly, nothing they say echoes in any meaningful way the Mighty Voice of America's greatness, the Voice that declares justice and equality for all, that welcomes strangers, that speaks tenderly of caring for children and the less unfortunate—the Voice that demands Truth over every lie.

No! Wall street and Trump drown out every bit of our American Goodness, as though their solitary aim is to purge Goodness from among us.

But even those who are trying in vain to speak with our One American Voice, they are not Us.  They are not We the people.  And  it is Our One voice that must be heard in every medium and in every place where the sounds and impact of our words can be understood and shared— through the social media, in conversation with our friends and family members, via messaging—in every way!

Is it possible?

Maybe not.  But we must try.  We must shout . . . if we are to be heard.

17 thoughts on “Mainstream America has been banished to the backwaters

  1. Greetings from California! I’m bored at work so I decided to check out your website on my iphone during lunch break.
    I enjoy the knowledge you present here and can’t wait to take
    a look when I get home. I’m surprised at how fast your blog loaded on my cell phone ..
    I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyways,
    great site!

  2. Very great post. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to say that I’ve really loved surfing around your blog
    posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing in your rss feed and I am hoping
    you write again soon!

  3. You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I
    find this matter to be actually something which I think I would never understand.
    It seems too complex and very broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I’ll try to get the hang of it!

  4. I do not know if it’s just me or if everyone else experiencing problems with
    your site. It seems like some of the text in your posts are running off the screen. Can someone else please provide feedback
    and let me know if this is happening to them too?
    This may be a problem with my web browser because I’ve had this happen previously.
    Many thanks

  5. Fantastic blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers?
    I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
    Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a
    paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m
    totally confused .. Any tips? Thanks!

  6. Very great post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to mention that
    I’ve truly enjoyed surfing around your blog posts.
    After all I’ll be subscribing for your feed and I’m hoping you write again soon!

  7. I pay a quick visit each day a few sites and websites to read articles, however this website presents feature based content.

  8. Hey just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let
    you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading correctly.
    I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue.
    I’ve tried it in two different web browsers and both show the same outcome.

  9. Hi there everybody, here every one is sharing these experience, therefore it’s nice to
    read this web site, and I used to go to see this webpage every day.

  10. Incredible! This blog looks exactly like my old one!
    It’s on a totally different topic but it has pretty much
    the same layout and design. Outstanding choice of colors!

  11. Thank you for some other informative blog. The place else may I
    get that kind of info written in such an ideal manner? I have a
    challenge that I’m simply now working on, and I have been on the glance out
    for such information.

  12. Hi, i think that i saw you visited my blog thus i came to “return the favor”.I’m attempting to find things to improve my website!I suppose its ok to use a few of your ideas!!

Comments are closed.