Those who follow astrology are familiar with the term “retrograde.” It means going backwards, in particular a planet appearing to be moving in a reverse direction than its usual orbit. Little Mercury is typically the main culprit and “Mercury in retrograde” has become a standard metaphor to excuse things going south. If the car doesn’t start, the puppy pees on the rug or your spouse runs off with the Reiki instructor to a weekend at Omega, then you can blame Mercury in retrograde for your current woes.
Nations, too, can go into retrograde. Upon celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it’s a dismal reality that the great experiment of democracy might be upended, not by a dangerous foreign foe or its warped ideology but by a racist, narcissistic New York City real estate predator who has spent his entire life swindling and abusing people. One might say that Donald Trump is America’s well-earned karma for its past sins.
The United States has always had a schizophrenic history of committing some of history’s most egregious crimes while remaining a beacon of hope and freedom for people around the world. Both dichotomies are true and need to be acknowledged. One doesn’t cancel out the other; they exist side by side. It’s not “woke,” a misused term, but historical truth.
Yes, the nation was founded and initially built by the unspeakable evil of African slavery and every agreement made with the Native nations was violated by theft. America began the atomic age by annihilating two Japanese cities with nuclear weapons. We suppressed the liberation movements in Central America, Asia and the Middle East for corporate greed and put our own citizens into concentration camps during World War II. Racial segregation was a blight plaguing our society while the government initiated numerous wars, including the current Iran fiasco, that were both unnecessary and catastrophic in terms of lives and resources lost.
On the other hand, the signers of the Declaration created a system of representative, participatory government — inspired by the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederation) “Great Law of Peace” — at a time when most of the world was ruled by kings, emperors, sultans and assorted authoritarians. The constitutional guarantee of separation of church and state allowed all faiths to be welcomed because the Founders recognized the oppression of a Christian state religion. During the great age of immigration, millions came to our shores, welcomed by Lady Liberty in New York City harbor, including the ancestors of most of you reading this. During World War II, G.I. Joe was indeed the “liberator”; hailed by millions of Europeans and Asians brutalized by the Nazis and Japanese militarists. After the war, we created the most prosperous society ever seen on a national level.
But now we are going backwards. White supremacy is making a comeback as the progress made by the Civil Rights movement is being rolled back by Donald Trump, Pete Hesgeth, the Supreme Court and state governments. Non-white immigrants are terrorized along with the cities that give them refuge causing the promise of the Statue of Liberty to be defamed and denied. Freedom of religion is threatened by “Christian” extremists who practice hate and intolerance towards others. The prosperity of past decades is now a myth as billionaires squander their obscene wealth when Americans struggle to make ends meet. Our government is currently ruled by a crime family whose blatant corruption would embarrass the Sopranos. The majesty of Washington D.C. is being degraded by the kind of vulgar décor one would imagine if Las Vegas were designed by North Korea. Our traditional allies are spurned but our enemies are encouraged by the utter waste, incompetence and sheer stupidity of those currently in power. Instead of leading, Republicans in Congress have been reduced to a herd of cowards. The greatest irony for the 250th anniversary of our democracy is that it is under direct threat since Trump and his allies will do everything possible to prevent a free and fair election during the coming midterms.
The good news about retrograde is that it ends. Mercury decides to behave and move correctly. The car is repaired, the puppy is housebroken and the married couple reflects and recommits to the agreement they once made. Likewise; at this historic milestone of the American saga, our country will move past the cancer of MAGA to once again reclaim its moral footing to be the beacon of hope, equality and freedom that we proudly proclaimed 250 years ago.
Daniel A. Brown lived in Franklin County for 44 years and has written a monthly My Turn column for over two decades. He lives outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife, Lisa and dog, Cody.