vanquish ‘bethlehem’
Opinion by Team Thomas
Opinion of Opinion …
The retired leader of U.S. Special Operations Command from 2011 to 2014 has offered an opinion on which we offer an opinion in return: Admiral William H. McRaven is dead-on right.
We need to be alarmed!
Thomas invites you to read: The McRaven Opinion
In his Washington Post offering, Admiral McRaven recounts the story of actor Kevin Costner's attempt to restore post-apocalyptic America as “The Postman” in a 1997 film that was widely criticized by critics as too far-fetched.
As remembered by McRaven, a Naval war hero who led many other Naval war heroes, in our opinion, wrote, “… hate crimes, racially motivated attacks and a plague have caused the breakdown of society as we know it. In his quest to restore the nation's order and dignity, the Postman recruits other postal workers to help rebuild the U.S. government.
“But,” writes McRaven, “Costner’s character is opposed by the evil General Bethlehem, who is fighting to suppress the postal carriers so he can establish a totalitarian government.”
Sound familiar?
Comparing the similarities of Costner’s character to that of his evil nemesis, Bethlehem, McRaven points out the obvious. America today is struggling “with social upheaval, soaring debt, record unemployment, a runaway pandemic, and rising threats from China and Russia,
“President Trump is actively working to undermine every major institution in this country. He has planted the seeds of doubt in the minds of many Americans that our institutions aren’t functioning properly.”
In other words, President Trump is Bethlehem, and we see it, too!
The President doesn’t trust the intelligence community, law enforcement, the press, the military, the Supreme Court, medical professionals, election officials, and postal workers. Trump’s words and actions prove this fact true.
In doing so, President Trump, a great and personal admirer of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, wants Americans to stop believing in our time-tested system of institutions.
If there is nothing left in America but chaos, only Trump, his almighty self, can bring order out of chaos in America.
“It is,” warns McRaven, “the theme of every autocrat whoever seized power or tried to hold onto it.” He should know that, given his unyielding service to the United States of America over a long and storied career,
McRaven notes, “As Trump seeks to undermine the U.S. Postal Service and stop mail-in voting, he is taking away our voice to decide who will lead America.
“It is not hyperbole, McRaven pens, “to say that the future of the country could depend on those remarkable men and women who brave the elements to bring us our mail and deliver our vote.”
Let us remember this, America.
President Trump is purposefully undermining every vital institution in our nation that protects and nurtures American Democracy, which has thrived and inspired since its founding in 1776. American Democracy is guided by a document we have long treasured: the United States Constitution.
True, we have our blemishes as a nation to overcome, but we have a history of overcoming them.
Social unrest may be violent and questionable, but it reinforces the idea that we are being challenged to do what someone else deems appropriate for selfish, hollow reasons: “Be best.”
Vanquish Bethlehem, America.
Vanquish Bethlehem, now, and remember these wise words of counsel from an honorable man who served his nation with distinction: Admiral William H. McRaven.
America deserves better. America can do better. America is better.