Modern American myths being debunked by reality.

[lees1975]

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2025/01/modern-american-myths-being-debunked-by.html

There is a lot of mythology in America, especially when it comes to our own history and development as a nation. I've seen a lot of literature that has taken on the task of debunking commonly held myths by presenting the facts in an objective way, but that requires somehow getting past what one has already accepted as fact or truth about the myth. One of my favorite books, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, does a great job of debunking myths. I've used an earlier version of that in a high school American History class, and boy, did I get some reaction to the contents, mainly from parents.

Recent events have shown us that much of what we once believed about the America we live in is simply not true. And of course, I'm going to elaborate on a few of these myths, which will make some people angry, but which are, nevertheless, true.

In America, We Believe In and Support the Rule of Law
The failure of a Democratic party Presidential administration to prosecute the instigator of a very visible insurrection against the United States is proof that America is not a nation living under the rule of law. That is a myth. And while I consider the failure to prosecute this crime, along with multiple others we are now aware of that the justice department simply let go of in the past four years, as gross incompetence, it is still evidence that we do not live under the rule of law.

America is the Greatest Nation in the World
In the television drama, The Newsroom, created and principally written by Aaron Sorkin, Jeff Daniels, playing a cable news network anchor named Will McAvoy, is seated on a panel, answering questions from college students when he launches into a diatribe in response to a student's question, "Can you say why America is the greatest country in the world?" Initially attempting to avoid the question, he delivers a shockingly factual answer. You can click the link which is the underlined title of the show and watch the clip.

That Could Never Happen Here," They Said, After World War 2
The ideology that produced one of the most visionary sections of the Constitution, the first amendment's protection of freedom of conscience, which included religious liberty and abandoned the state required and mandated religion of a state church, is also being abandoned. It is sliding into the government via Project 2025, a blueprint for re-establishing a state mandated religion. It turns government itself into a religious institution for the purpose of defending the Christian religion. Those who've read it know this, which is why the Republicans and their politicians went to great lengths to lie about their support of it during the campaign, and are now ignoring their lies as they take power in Washington.

[chouchou]

1. Life in this country is not quite the paradise that so many people actually believe in their/that reality.

Personally, I truly believe that DUers love their country, as their country is a child.
We try to make/cause the child to grow and prosper for everyone. We want to train the child to respect and be kind to all living things.
Again, personally, I feel that the dark/powerful side enjoys and wants the child to grow into selfishness, non-caring and even spawn more hurtful children, in order to rule over the pathetic masses. Reminds me of Harlan Ellison's "I have no mouth and I must scream"

[Elessar Zappa]

3. Yes and there is no paradise to be found.

Sometimes I see people mention Denmark or Norway or somewhere and talk about it like all societal’s ills have been cured in those countries .

[summer_in_TX]

2. Loved the Newsroom and I remember that scene well.

We are not exceptional, of course. Our nation and our people have done many bad things over the 248 years of our existence. We are not worse than others, but we aren't better either.

BUT at the heart of our nation are the soaring ideals that pull us back to doing and being better. We are a nation built around those ideals in a way no other nation has been. I consider them living words because they have worked in the hearts and minds of people to cause them to struggle together to achieve the right to vote and to be included in our dream.

That's worth the struggle.

[mwooldri]

4. It can happen here

One only needs to read and see books and movies that talk of a dystopian world where Y happened instead of X and because of this change this is how the country or the world looks today. Look at Man In The High Castle and C.S.A. - Confederate States of America as examples of this genre. For me, "It Happened Here" a 1960s film about the UK losing the Battle of Britain and Nazi Germany ends up taking over .. and what life was like for a civilian nurse in occupied Britain. Fatherland is also a good read.

While we like to think these dystopian alternate realities will never happen, there is always a chance. And we need to remain vigilant if we want the USA to remain a republic.

[C0RI0LANUS]

5. Great post lees1975. John Steinbeck had been exposing America's myths for decades.

John Steinbeck was "fueled by anger." (Photo circa 1935; Hulton Archive / Getty Images)

Link:

https://www.loa.org/news-and-views/1744-new-life-of-john-steinbeck-reveals-a-writer-fueled-by-anger/

[Blue_Tires]

6. I definitely agree with "it couldn't happen here"

Along with "our institutions are too strong for Trumpism to destroy"...

But the writer is more than a little negligent solely blaming Dems to convict Donnie when judges he appointed FLAGRANTLY stalled, distorted and fucked up cases which would normally be absolutely unloseable for federal prosecutors -- The stolen secret documents case being the most outrageous... That judge should have been removed for obvious bias...

The writer also forgot to mention how the complexion of the federal cases forever changed when the Supreme Court just casually ruled that anything a president does while in office is legal.

I'm not trying to give Garland a pass, but I'm saying there were a lot more factors in play than his failures...

[lees1975]

7. No question that Judge Cannon was at fault for the screwed up documents case.

But if Garland hadn't dragged his feet, and moved when Congress gave him a ready made case, he would have gotten a verdict before the court made their unconstitutional ruling, though since then, it has been determined he is not immune from prosecution for the insurrection.

[Blue_Tires]

8. Right, Cannon. I forgot her name...

Where has she been lately? She's kind of disappeared from the news...

I guess she's being kept behind glass until some well-connected Trumper absolutely positively needs a verdict in a high profile case

I keep telling folks there are very real reasons why Donnie goes out of his way to hire or appoint absolutely 100 percent incompetent unqualified morons everywhere he can... The only "qualification" ever required is slavish, cultlike loyalty with no questions asked, ever. Judges like Cannon and Donnie's stooges on the Supreme Court.

(Speaking of which, I'm calling it right now -- Forget what the Constitution says, I don't want any DUers to pretend to be shocked when two years from now the Supreme Court pulls some "Well, actually...." bullshit and determine that Donnie can legally run for a third term...)

[lees1975]

9. They'll have to prop him up like Weekend at Bernies

He's already pretty out of it mentally. He won't last four years.

[prodigitalson]

10. re:"now ignoring their lies as they take power in Washington"t we now get to see how far they'll really go

the modern American reactionary right in the form of trmp and his MAGA movement are about to control all three branches of government. and for the first time in american history, thanks to the failure to hold trmp accountable, there will be no accountability or guardrails whatesoever.

It's a historic moment that we will all share