January, the month of my birth, could have been the month of my death, due to a spectacular early morning fall. Elderly folks, in particular (like me), should be especially careful of where and how they step. Anyway, I don't think I've ever failed to write my column so many times as I did last month. I have a powerful and faithful Guardian Angel, whom I profoundly thank for helping me return to the keys.

***

It seems like a long time since I last tapped-out Realities, but too short to expect the world situation to have improved, or our country to have awakened to the social leprosy of Woke. A broad view of America today finds me concluding "that's just crazy" too often. In short, too many essential parts of our Republic are decomposing, indispensable virtues and logical traditions are disappearing. Superman was once unapologetically introduced as the epitome of Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Our children were taught to love America's exceptional society, her incomparable freedom; but revelations of pervasive federal corruption, in every sector of government, now belie those lessons and subvert our future. I have to ask if Americans today are no longer worthy of their great nation.

Contrary to every American moral tradition, those in the clandestine business of "Fundamentally Transforming the United States of America" are substantially succeeding. I have to agree with most of the conclusions shared by an old classmate of mine recently. In a lengthy phone conversation, he summed up his exasperation, saying, "I don't trust anyone anymore!" He was referencing a broad part of America's institutions; maybe all of them.

Certainly, the most festering deposits of his distrust are located in our federal agencies, FBI, CIA, NEA, State Department, for openers. Is his distrust reasonable, or possibly paranoid? Comparing today's America to that of my youth, it seems well justified. The character of our federal agencies has changed for the worse.

"More than a few eyebrows were raised in 2010 when the U.S. Department of Agriculture bought 85 semi-automatic submachine guns. However, the USDA is just one of 73 federal government agencies employing full-time law enforcement officers who are authorized to carry firearms and make arrests in the United States.” (Robert Longley, updated February 16, 2021)

"Last year, we released our OpenTheBooks.com Oversight Report: The Militarization of America in an editorial published with former-U.S. Senator Dr. Tom Coburn at The Wall Street Journal. Our report quantified the $1.48 billion spent by 67 non-military federal agencies on guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment from 2006-2014." (Forbes.)

I am a pro-Second Amendment advocate, not anti-gun, and the above citations need to be updated. My concern is with exactly which federal agencies have been armed, most importantly, how these arms are used, especially by agencies that are normally required to arm themselves, like the FBI. For example, "...no honest person could believe that the [FBI] raid on Donald Trump's home last week [with submachine guns] was a legitimate act of law enforcement. It was not.” (Tucker Carlson, Tonight on Fox News). "The Presidential Records Act is not commonly a subject of criminal prosecution, even in the most egregious cases," said Jonathan Turley, a professor at the George Washington University Law School. "These incidents have generally been handled administratively." Unconstitutional, all.

I've fallen flat of my time and space for Realities. Will try harder next week - God willing.