A Sense of History

A Sense of History

– By Ed Kociela –

Sometimes we need to take a gentle step back and look through the macro view to get a feel for the moment.

And, man, are we at a moment.

Whether you are taking a MAGA carpet ride or dipped head-to-toe in Pacific Ocean blue, there is significance in this day as the legal system begins to play out for…

Donald Trump.

We don’t know, of course, who the other players who will write this latest chapter of United States history will be, but I can guarantee they will be vociferous at the very least.

Today’s proceedings in a New York City courtroom will be accurately described as historic, a word that, in reality, describes our daily lives. History is written every day. It is the context and depth that matter.

I may carry a little bias into this, but I think we Baby Boomers have been witness to some of the most iconic moments in U.S. history. Meaning no disrespect to The Greatest Generation or the Depression Babies, Founding Fathers, and such We Boomers have seen our fair share.

We’ve seen wars in the Middle East and Southeast Asia that seemed interminable as body counts raged and the will to fight ebbed dramatically.

We have seen presidents shot, and spiritual and cultural leaders assassinated, from Bobby Kennedy and The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to John Lennon.

We have watched as man took his first steps on the moon and as women found their personal rights start to slip away at the hands of misogynistic powerbrokers professing a faith that fails to show itself in their daily lives.

We have watched as we turned on each other in the streets, watched as the ones charged with protecting all fell victim to the systemic racism so inherent in our law enforcement structure. Deny it all you like, it is fact.

We have seen the bittersweet results of our scientific research that has made startling moves in prolonging our lives…if we can afford it, that is.

And, we have seen the damage done as we send our young men and women into harm’s way only to leave them hanging high and dry when they come home in emotional, spiritual, and physical pieces.

What separates this historic era from the others is the fact that we are nowhere as cohesive as we once were.

During The Great Depression we fed each other, buoyed each other, shared what we had.  We cared. It was about us not them and never denigrated into an us versus them cultural war, which we face today. During the great wars we were all about pulling together, whether is was gasoline rationing or using our precious resources to build bigger and better equipment for the soldiers and sailors engaged in military service.

We came together to wipe out polio and combat pandemics like the various flu outbreaks. But, today, we have united to fight HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and its variants, and, of course, we can also be proud of remarkable advances in cancer treatment.

The business of what is going down in New York City today fits with the major-scale stuff history is made of.

We never saw an ex-president standing on the wrong side of a jurist’s bench, especially one who claims to be such an endorser of “law and order,” a staple of the GOP platform for generations.

It is the periphery to all of this that concerns historians the most today, I think. Or, at least right-thinking individuals.

There is every chance of violence and upheaval as these 30 charges – if the preliminary reporting is accurate – are officially filed. Let us hope that the radical domestic terrorists lose their wind and sit this one out. We do not need a repeat of the Jan. 6 insurrection aimed at toppling the government.

How Donald Trump fares in all of this remains to be seen. He may actually be worthy of a not guilty finding. We have not seen the charges or sworn evidence yet. I mean, we have heard the tapes of him trying to coerce a Georgia official into falsifying election results and, legitimately and intellectually, assume a fair degree of guilt in that legal mess. But as far as the porn star payoff is concerned, we do not have sufficient evidence, at least at this very moment, to make a presumption of guilt or innocence. We all have our different wishes as to how it turns out, to be sure, but that is personal stuff and not anywhere near the standards of a courtroom.

Look, I don’t like Donald Trump. I never have. I would like nothing better than to see him saddle up and ride off into the sunset, never to be heard from again. There are plenty of other Republicans to write about and, quite frankly, a number of Democrats as well that we would be better off if they became saddle pals with Trump and just went away. I don’t wish anybody any harm, I would just like them to go away.

But, the thing is, we can’t do that, not yet, anyway, because these guys continue to make history,

And, as modern-day scribes, it is our responsibility to record it.

Viewpoints and perspectives expressed throughout The Independent are those of the individual contributors. They do not necessarily reflect those held by the staff of The Independent or our advertising sponsors. Your comments, rebuttals, and contributions are welcome in accordance with our Terms of Service. Please be respectful and abide by our Community Rules. If you have privacy concerns you can view our Privacy Policy here. Thank you! 

Click here to submit an article, guest opinion piece, or a Letter to the Editor