American Synchronicity

[scheming daemons]

Every approximately 75 years, this country reaches a "crisis point".

1787 ... the Constitution is ratified. At this point, the nation could have gone one of two ways - toward a new monarchy, with George Washington our first "king", or toward the representative Republic that we ended up with. We were EXTREMELY fortunate that our first President was Washington - a man who wasn't interested in serving more than 2 terms, thus setting the stage for 42 more relatively peaceful "transfers of power" over the years.

1861 ... the Civil War begins. The nation could have gone one of two ways... splitting into two separate (and weak) nations, or holding together as one union. We were EXTREMELY fortunate that we elected a President that put preservation of the union above all.

1932 ... The Great Depression. The nation could have gone one of two ways... Like a lot of European nations, who adopted a fascist socialism in response to the Depression... or with common-sense regulation and rebuilding of American capitalism. We were EXTREMELY fortunate that we elected a President that didn't follow the Mussolini/Hitler/Franco model.

We're at another crisis point now.... again, roughly 75 years since the last one.

AGAIN... we are EXTREMELY fortunate that we are about to elect the right kind of leader.


In each case above, there was a sustained period of prosperity and growth in America's influence in the world.

After Washington, America became a "world player" and influenced governmental changes in many other countries away from monarchies and toward representative democracies.

After Lincoln, the "Industrial Revolution" came about and solidified the U.S. as THE world's preeminent economic power.

After Roosevelt, America became the undisputed leader of Western Civilization.

Who knows what new heights America will achieve post-Obama.



Maybe...just maybe... it has nothing to do with "fortune" afterall. Maybe.... just maybe... America *IS* a great nation, and that the American people - though they sometimes take a while to "get it" - eventually stun the world by electing the EXACT right leader for the times.


Check back with me when in the 2080s to see if we do it again. I'll be in my 120s, but with the improvements in science and health care that will start/accelerate under a pro-science Obama administration, who knows? I just might make it that long.

;-)

[scheming daemons]

1. Wow... dropped off the board fast..... I'll try one kick...

[TheDoorbellRang]

2. I thought this was fascinating

sort of a fates conspiring/ karma thing.

[ddeclue]

3. Pardon me for complaining that you missed 1968...

Khe Sahn and The Tet Offensive
LBJ announces he will not seek another term
MLK,Jr. Assassinated
RFK Assassinated
Chicago police riots at Dem National Convention
World wide riots and protests at colleges and universities in Europe
Russians crush rebellion in Eastern block
Richard Nixon becomes President.

Did I miss anything?
:shrug:

[scheming daemons]

5. Because we didn't elect the right person in 1968, it led to what we have today....

Since 1968, the Repukes have held office for 28 of 40 years.


If we would've done the right thing in '68, who knows? We would've avoided Watergate - and so there would have been no President Carter - which would've meant no President Reagan or Bush I or Clinton or Bush II.... etc.....


We failed in '68 because it wasn't time yet. ;-)


(and it ruins my theory).

[ddeclue]

6. 1968 - Perhaps America's Worst Year since the Civil War -the year on YouTube

Here is a YouTube Retrospective. I really love the montage done in the Tom Hanks series "From the Earth to The Moon, 1968" that covers many of these topics. There was an excellent opening and closing by Hanks himself as chorus who spoke about how 1968 was a dark year for the country and the world but not our worst and compared it to 1937 but talked about the bright points of each year.

The best line in the hour of docudrama was the line about Valerie Pringle's telegram to NASA regarding the miraculous 1968 flight to the moon of Apollo 8: "You saved 1968".

We need to now save 2008 by changing the course our country is now on by electing Barack Obama to lead us away from another precipice year like 1968.

Hanks closed with a wonderful line from Emerson about how "when it is dark enough men see the stars".

I really love the first video link here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hO7m2P3gW4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiCN03Qa3-A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1L8y-MX3pg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ6DPFXfpVI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_J-Afc4l-k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-FibDxpkb0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epxmX_58tOo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUJZgkhSCq8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FDuCfRaj5w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75D8lgaTnj4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1vJqTN-qVI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDy0Z3HSkTE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GrlIUK1hWo

[Odin2005]

4. It's the generational cycle.

http://www.fourthturning.com/forum

[phantom power]

7. No mystery: it's the time needed for a generation to be born that doesn't remember.