I have visited Washington, D.C. many times in past years involving business matters and lobbying.  Some of the meetings were held in government buildings such as IRS and Treasury.  These are “monuments” to our great society. 

Occasionally, I had the opportunity to visit the Smithsonian Museum, the National Archives, the memorials as well as some other tourist attractions.  These were very impressive and enjoyable experiences.

However, I was not as concerned about the survival of the Nation then as I am today. 

During a recent visit to our Nation’s Capitol, again I was taken with the beauty of the many government buildings, the mall, parks and museums.  Our tour included the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court of the United States of America. 

The heavy security in and around the government buildings is a constant reminder of the perilous times in which we live.  It seems to be limited in the ability to thwart major attacks and in many buildings could be easily breached.

Barriers around the buildings are designed to prevent vehicle penetration as was done at the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City.  However, there are other ways to destroy buildings and kill occupants.  These barriers will not prevent such from happening.

Controlled “air space” over the City involves a flight path for commercial airliners that follows the Potomac River to and from Reagan (National) Airport.  This flight path is mere seconds from the White House and Capitol Building, should an aircraft veer off course.   

Is this security enough?  I think not!  The reality is that our Nation’s Capitol is not secure and we, as a Nation, are not secure.  This fact is frightening to me!

During this visit was time for reflection.  How will this grand place of granite and marble be viewed hundreds of years from now by citizens of other societies?  Many of the government buildings and monuments are of Greco/Roman architecture similar to many of the remnants of those empires long since crumbled. 

I have viewed those ruins of past empires wondering how life must have been in that period of history.

It seems that we, as a Nation, are moving on a fast track in the direction of becoming a historic vestige.  

Why do I feel this way, you may ask?

Unfortunately, in my view, we are in decline as a Nation and as a society.  We are divided like no other time since the Civil War.  We are crumbling from within through self destruction.

A nation divided against itself cannot stand is analogous to the famous statement made by Abraham Lincoln in 1858.  A nation divided is a reflection of a house divided. 

This division will ultimately be the downfall of the U.S.A.  I make this statement because the signs of decay of our Republic are self evident.  Following are some examples.

We are beyond healthy debate on many issues critical to our survival.  Politicians show total disrespect for the welfare of the Nation while pandering to the few opportunists who do not have a long term positive interest in our future.  They simply refuse to work together for the well being of the Nation.  

Misguided and selfish citizens are more concerned with their personal agenda than of the welfare of their republic.  Politicians’ positions concerning abortion and/or gay rights trump the common sense approach of electing the candidates most qualified to hold office.  These narrow issues are perverse when considering ones ability to lead the Nation in foreign and domestic policy.  Greed, avarice, entitlement and narcissism are the banners of many Americans.

The signs are all around us for those who are willing to consider what has happened in recent years.  Frankly, you don’t need to look very far beyond my home area in Southern Arizona.  

It is not foreign powers that we have to fear, it is our very own populous, many of whom are so misguided as to help in the process of a nation crumbling from within.

In our community we witness total disregard for the law by some residents.  These are people who do not consider themselves as part of the criminal element but feel the right to disregard the law in the name of humanity. They dislike the laws concerning immigration and as such are aiding and abetting illegal aliens moving through this area.  They provide sanctuary and transportation to these aliens even though they do not know their identity, health conditions, nation of origin and motives.  Apparently, they simply do not care how such actions affect their fellow Americans.

How selfish can one be, when they have total disregard for the rule of law, have no regard for their neighbors and their fellow citizens.  There was a time when such acts would be considered treasonous.  Today, our Nation is too “soft” to criminally prosecute these offenders.  And, these scofflaws know that they are safe when “hiding” behind the walls of sanctuaries such as churches, schools and the like.

In a time when the courts, politicians and organizations, such as the ACLU, prevent law enforcement agencies from upholding the law, the Nation will suffer and our progeny will face the consequences of these selfish acts.  And, there will be serious consequences.

Of course, this is an example of one of many self destructive acts committed in our Nation.  But, it is exemplary of the direction that our Nation and its citizenry have taken.

It is highly unlikely that I will live to experience the U.S. as it becomes a second rate nation following “in the tracks” of other great empires.  But, I fear that my grandchildren will be subjected to the end result of our self destruction, that is, if they survive the terrorist attacks.  They will not enjoy the U.S.A. that I remember.

Then someday far into the future, humans may scan the crumbling pillars of our great government buildings and monuments while musing how it must have been to live in a society called the United States of America.  That is if the world, itself, has not self destructed.

As I absorb all of the hyperbole about the darling of the media, Barack Obama, I am reminded of the fairy tale authored by Hans Christian Andersen, The Emperor’s New Clothes.

The Emperor, in this case, Obama cares too much about becoming President of the United States rather than complete the job for which he assumed in 2005, U.S. Senator. He knows that he must give the public a reason that he should be President.. He finds two “politicians,” Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, who convince him that his “hope” and “change” “suit” will be magnificent for his realm but invisible to those who are either too naive or not fit for his position. The Emperor becomes nervous and sends for his ministers, Reverends Wright and Moss, to view the material for the suit. Even though they see nothing, they praise the material. When his handlers report that his material is ready and the suit of “Change We Can Believe in; Yes We Can Stand for Change” has been fashioned, he allows himself to be dressed in this empty slogan. As he parades throughout the land with his suit being eloquently presented, a voice from the crowd gasps and says, “but he has nothing on…there is nothing to the suit.” The Emperor has new clothes but they are invisible. But, his chamberlain, Oprah, continued straight and upright carrying the invisible suit train as though it really existed. 

Barack has become convinced that the American public is too naive to realize that the suit is invisible. Like the emperor in the fairy tale, he believes that he is fit to lead the nation, even though he does not have a proven record to back his claim.

However, Barack “wears” the suit, with pride, as he “parades down the avenue,” but those who are not mesmerized by his style and rhetoric realize that the words are empty promises because they aren’t backed by any substantive ideas to add clarity. They are invisible!

It is quite apparent he has become convinced by his “ministers” that he is qualified to be the leader of the world and to hold the most powerful position as President of the United States. 

Here are his credentials. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School. Obama worked as a community organizer (?), university lecturer (?), and civil rights lawyer before running for public office and serving in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. After an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U. S. House of Representatives in 2000, he announced his campaign for U.S. Senate in 2003. He has been a U. S. Senator since 2005 and has been campaigning for the Presidential nomination since the beginning of 2007. 

What is most interesting about Obama’s recent history is that he could not get elected to the U. S. House of Representatives in a district in which he lived which is in the general area of the church that he has attended for twenty years. That church has a reported congregation of 8,000 to 10,000 parishioners and is the residential area of his minister who convinced him to wear the “invisible suit”. But, they would not elect Obama to represent them. His senatorial experience, over the past three years, includes writing two books and campaigning for the presidential nomination while becoming the most liberal U.S. Senator, based upon his voting record. He has not chaired any committee as a U. S. Senator.

So the emperor has new clothes but, for many Americans, they are invisible. As we approach the Democrat Party Convention in August, it seems apparent that his “nakedness” will become even more real. Will his ministers tell him or will he remain convinced that he is clothed but are the "clothes" invisible to those who are either naive or not fit for his position in life?