A TALE OF TWO CITIES~A REIGN OF TERROR

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." Charles Dickens

Paris in the 18th Century was in turmoil, it was the reign of terror, the French revolution was raging the atmosphere was chaotic.

Washington, DC in the 21st Century is in turmoil, the pandemic is raging and the atmosphere is chaotic.

Is this an analogy? Maybe, but we need to fill in a few gaps.

Paris in 1789 was suffering from unemployment, hunger, and political unrest. The Monarchy ignored the masses with a condescending quip, "let them eat cake". The pushback from Parisians was a reign of terror that changed the political landscape in Europe forever.

Washington in 2020 is suffering from unemployment, hunger, a pandemic, and political unrest. The masses are demanding stimulus, the politicians are responding with a condescending quip: "let them get jobs".

Is this analogy?

Maybe, but the Paris narrative in 1789 can't be ignored, history repeats itself.

The French Revolution began in May 1789 when the Ancien Régime was abolished in favor of a constitutional monarchy. Its replacement in September 1792 by the First French Republic led to the execution of Louis XVI in January 1793, and an extended period of political turmoil.

The US had its own revolution and we inspired the French and yet here we are, emerging from 4 years of chaos that have challenged our Democracy in ways the founders couldn't have imagined.

I understand and believe in executive authority, up to a point, but the experience of the last 4 years has made it abundantly clear that authority, without accountability, is a double-edged sword that cuts to the heart of our democracy.

Our governance pendulum has swung too far to the right, we must make sure it doesn't swing back too far to the left but finds moderation, compromise, and bipartisanship in the middle. After all, we are a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people".

Let's pray that the Biden administration and the virus vaccine will usher in the new year with hope for all Americans.

Vive la America

Comments

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