I know it's not just me; that there are probably thousands, if not millions, of good, honest American citizens who wonder where so much of our country's morals and decency have disappeared to. What happened? Did we get invaded by some strange and villainous sect of nomads that are slowly draining the American Dream from our everyday existence leaving just a lot of cold-hearted robots in its place?
It is also puzzling to me how one of this country's major political parties could be so taken over by people who show more loyalty to the United Nations than they do to their fellow countrymen and women. Where have all the patriotic, God-loving, family valued home bodies gone from the current liberal Democratic Party that used to exist?
I grew up in an Irish Catholic Democrat family. Back in the Great Depression days of the 1920s and 1930s the very first thing we thought of as kids was how to help our neighbors. I grew up in a very eclectic nationality neighborhood that consisted of families with such diversified backgrounds as Irish, English, German, Italian, Scottish, Welsh, French, Scandinavian, Greek, Polish, Spanish.
As kids we were never aware of all of those various classifications; we never used any of those titles or classifications, we were just Joey, Sonny, Jack, Bill, Junior, Georgie, Tony, Leroy, Buck, and so on. We had our own little squabbles but they were mostly over whether a pitch was a ball or a strike or if Junior made it across the line for the first down.
But today there is a sharpness in the air everywhere you go. There's tension and suspicions so thick that they can actually be felt without a word being said. Why are we so paranoid and untrusting; and why has our political discourse devolved into rancor and heated debate? Don't we all want the same things any more? Why have we allowed politics to turn friends into combatants? And why is it so hard to trust anyone who is running for political office?
I think a lot of this came about when for 58 years out of a 60-year period from 1935 to 1995 one party controlled the governance of our country, creating a sort of 'entitlement' mentality that bred corruption and wealth based on longevity or entrenchment in office. It was discovered that the more times a person got reelected into our Congress the more power he gained just through seniority; power that also gained more wealth from various sources, not all through payrolls.
That dug-in party was the Democrat Party and they rode a long and wild ride of leadership that was devastating to lose when the elections in 1994 jettisoned the old warriors and installed a new Republican group in 1995. During the next decade or so, the old leaders of the Democratic Party were gradually replaced by a more modern and liberal group that became so obsessed with regaining the power of leadership that they lost contact with humanity and fought with any weapon available to make their gains.
Then came that long-awaited moment in 2006 when a tsunami wave of "fed-up-'ness" drove out the ruling class of Republicans who had been acting and ruling just like their long-term Democrat predecessors, favoring larger government and increased spending. Overnight the leadership of Congress totally changed hands to be followed two years later in 2008 when the "Chosen One" Barack Hussein Obama, a very liberal half-black, slick talking Chicago style politician took over the reins of our presidency.
Now here we are, just two years later, praying for a repeat of the 2006 tsunami of change from the dreaded talons of Socialism - Marxism and unbelievably foolhardy spending and growth of government to where it almost seems as though government employees will soon outnumber civilian workers.
The current president refuses to furnish LEGITIMATE proof of his legality to hold the office of the president and not one judge in our country is brave enough to dispense justice and require that he prove his natural born citizenship. They are all either bought off or so intimidated that they dare not even pretend to be with the people on this issue.
Fear is spreading deeply among the populace that we will either be swallowed up by our debtors or cut down by the secret forces of our militant president, who is trying to turn our country into a lackey state for the corrupt United Nations organization of anti-American, anti-Christian zealots.
The burning question at this moment is will the newly activated trend back to original settler conservative, family values thinking come on strongly enough to change our ruling Congressional offices back to reasonable, sensible, God loving, protectors from the socio-communist thinking that has prevailed more openly in recent months.
November 2, 2010 is a mere month distant when the answers to our questions will be known. I am of the opinion that the new conservatives will prevail and reform both houses of Congress and banish socialism and communism and the threat of United Nations enslavement in one fell swoop, or as a friend of mine might say, 'one swell foop.'
It can't come a moment too soon as I fear that Obama and his alter ego and Secretary of State Clinton are about to cede more and more authority of governing us over to the United Nations. Being under the control of that bunch of "banana republic rulers" and despotic dictators, all looking to clean up our monetary possessions as well is a thought worse than death.
Gerald A. “Jerry” McConnell, 92, of Hampton, died Sunday, February 19, 2017, at the Merrimack Valley Hospice House in Haverhill, Mass., surrounded by his loved ones. He was born May 27, 1924 in Altoona, Pa., the fifth son of the late John E. and Grace (Fletcher) McConnell.
Jerry served ten years with the US Marine Corps and participated in the landing against Japanese Army on Guadalcanal and another ten years with the US Air Force. After moving to Hampton in 1957 he started his community activities serving in many capacities.
He shared 72 years of marriage with his wife Betty P. (Hamilton) McConnell. In addition to his wife, family members include nieces and nephews.
