ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA

250 years ago a group of brave people decided that they wanted to be free from rule by what was then a brutal despotic imperialist empire. An empire that was created and maintained by war, enslavement, plunder and subjugation of foreign peoples throughout the world. They declared their independence and determined that they would risk everything they had to fight against that empire for their freedom. They resolved that humans deserved liberty and were entitled to be treated with equality, justice and respect and the way to bring that about was to create the greatest democratic republic the world had seen. They won their freedom. Unfortunately, it did not last.

A constitution was created and agreed upon by the founding leaders. Many were hopeful it would protect the ideals of liberty they had fought to gain. However, something went terribly wrong. From the very beginning the people did not heed the warnings from their wisest leaders not to form factions that would place self serving interest above the best interests of the many and not the few. However, political parties formed with different ideas about what was the best way to gain more power over the whole of the people. This created a country and people in constant argument with each other for more power.

Soon a faction formed that was based on the power of money and it wasn’t long before that faction had all the power. That faction is called capitalism. A system of political economy and power based on the ideal that there is nothing more important than money. Gradually the ideals of the constitution were eroded and compromised. Elections became more of a business deal than a way to elect honest people that would protect those ideals. Anyone who wanted to be a politician just needed enough money to buy a place in government. It wasn’t long before factions formed among those with the most money and liberty for all the people based on the constitution was forcibly forgotten. The once constitutional democratic republic became an oligarchy. Liberty became a one day memorial celebration on July 4th of each year. Wars were fought and many died over who could control the most money and resources. Wars were fought for power over other countries by politicians with money. Then it became worse.

A faction with a lot of money, more money than anyone took control. Their money made them the keepers of all the money a capitalist power can accumulate. This much power gave them entitlement the world had never seen. All they had to do was capture the world’s religious capital. An entitlement secured by a religious doctrine that made them think they were God’s chosen people. With their money and religious doctrine they took control of what had already become the same as the brutal imperialist empire that had once been opposed. Their resolve that humans deserved liberty and were entitled to be treated with equality, justice and respect has now become absent in the world.