The beginning of the end

Can you see it, my friends? Can you see it in the distance, approaching, gathering apace? I can. I do.

Maybe Donald Trump was God's punishment on this nation's historical sins. And maybe it was Her wakeup call to a country which had grown fat and lazy. And maybe, just maybe, in Her mercy, She has decided She has chastised us enough. My disbelief in God clashes with my desire for a morally sound universe, which makes for interesting discordant thoughts held at the same time.

With his conviction on all thirty-four counts in Manhattan yesterday, we are at the beginning of the end for Donald John Trump, Sr. (Funny he never uses the "Sr." appellation, as he should since he has a son who also has his name. That shows what he thinks of Fredo the First.) No, this doesn't assure us that he will serve jail time. And this doesn't ensure his defeat in November. But both are much greater possibilities now.

We have been in a very dark place since 2016. A place in which empires must often sojourn. Most often when this happens, the empire falls. Very rarely does an empire survive the darkness, fight through it, and come out at the other end intact, if not unchanged.

I recall my father's funeral. His coffin was draped in the Cuban flag. My mother whispered to me, in distaste, "Your father would have hated this. He was never a flag-waving patriot." Neither have I been. Neither am I now. I don't attach a huge flag to my car, displaying my love of country as do the hypocrites praying in the synagogues. But a patriot I am, nevertheless. I never thought I would be. Just as God, I am quite aware of this country's sins. But that's the thing about America: it has sinned, and it has tried to atone for those sins. It has sinned against many groups in its commonwealth, and those people have still fought, bled, and died for the country. It has sinned against other nations on this earth, and the citizens of those nations still risk their lives to come here for a better life. Because America is not the land. It is not the economy. It is not the military. It is the dream. It is the hope. It is the idea of a place where you can come from a far corner of the world and make your name here. Where you won't be weighed down by history, religion, or caste. The Trump era should have stopped that dream, but it didn't. The Trump era should have crushed that hope, but it persists. The Trump era should have crushed that idea, but it lives and thrives.

And Trump has made it quite clear that if he gets back into power, he will destroy America. Imagine that. A possible president vowing to destroy his own country. Because of his pettiness. Because of his anger. Because of his evil.

But my friends, we are at the beginning of his end. And the end comes nearer and nearer, with more and more alacrity. I can see it. I can see the spring of justice bursting out of the dry land. I can hear its life-giving water. I can taste its cool comfort.

I love this country because it took in my family. I love this country because without it I wouldn't exit. I love this country for its faults and its attempts to rectify them. I love this country because its journey is one of evolution. I love this country because it is my country, more so than that of the knuckle-draggers. They see "their country" slipping out of their grasp, and they're right. They are hollow men and women, never understanding the meaning of America, seeing it only in a transactional manner. They loved their America because of their privileged place in it. And now it recedes from them. They reject this promise of a new, equitable America because to them sharing is theft of their birthright. And Donald Trump is the man who embodies all their fears, all their hatreds, all their hubris.They know he's their last chance to stem the tide for a while longer.

But that tide is coming onshore, no matter what they do. King Canute expounded on the folly of such an act. Trump and his followers will, too, learn that they can't stop the inevitable.

And let's not forget: it is a descendant of enslaved Africans, Alvin Bragg, who brought about this victory. It is a descendant of the enslaved, Tish James, who destroyed Trump's business. It is a descendant of the enslaved, Fani Willis, who will have next crack at Trump. It is a descendant of the enslaved, Tanya Chutkan, who will preside over what amounts to Trump's treason trial. People whom one would forgive for having no faith in this country are, again, saving this country. And that's what makes America great.

We have a great commission before us. But we can do this. Because we're Americans.