One thousand days seems like a long time, and it seems like a fleeting moment. In his classic novel The Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens used a literary device known as anaphora to describe an era of conflict and contradiction that offers remarkable parallels to the American experience of today:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us …”
Dickens engaged in telling a story of opposites during the time of the French Revolution. It was a study of contrasts between life in London and Paris, which were radical in nature. Similarly, the election of Mr. Trump ushered in a radical political revolution in America. Depending on who you ask, it is the best of times or the worst of times. One might say it is the age of wisdom and another would call it an age of foolishness. Indeed, those on the left understand these last years as an epoch of incredulity and a season of darkness while those on the right view it as a season of light and a spring of hope.
And LibertyNation.com has been there each and every day to chronicle and analyze all of it.
Maxine Waters (D-CA)
What we have witnessed is a tale of two Americas. Democrats call out the president as a mentally unstable racist who must be opposed at every turn – even with violence if need be. Conservatives listen to leftist hysteria and wonder if they are living in the same country. Since the election of Donald J. Trump, the rift between Democrats and Republicans has become a chasm. A deep and profound political fissure has emerged. Everything is explosive, shocking, a bombshell, an impeachable offense.
Lost in this abyss of animosity is the middle ground of reason. We have lost the ability to even talk to those with an opposing political view. Friends block each other on Facebook, lifelong relationships end, and Thanksgiving tables are arranged with fewer place settings. We cannot agree so we seek to remove ourselves from the ugliness.
Liberty Nation entered this toxic political environment, not knowing the 2016 presidential election would throw the losers into the first stage of grief from which they have yet to emerge. This emotional state of denial belies reality and has become increasingly problematic to cover. Not merely because the goliath high tech platforms have been engaged in political shenanigans (and they have). And not simply because the legacy Fourth Estate has twisted itself into an organ of leftist advocacy (it has). No, the already demanding and arduous job of reporting and analyzing the current political atmosphere has become endlessly complicated because we have lost the importance of seeking the truth.
This value appears to have withered in this best and worst of times. Truth has been reduced, rejected, and made subjective. My truth is not yours. And so, the American electorate is forced to cower before the altar of emotion and feeling. Objective truth is no longer sought after, respected, or esteemed.
Historically truth has always maintained its significance through external attestation. That is, we objectively know the president has been good for the American economy from the evidence provided. But things like the GDP, stock market, and unemployment rate hold no currency in an environment of emotion. Liberty Nation uses the phrase “Truth is making a comeback because facts matter” primarily for the reason that we believe the truth is not subjective and does have intrinsic value.
It’s unlikely that facts which reveal the truth will, by themselves, ultimately change the poisonous political atmosphere in American politics. After all, seeking the truth is largely the activity of a logical and reasonable mind. It has been said that A Tale of Two Cities: “tells about a time of chaos, conflicts, and despair, as well as happiness. It, in fact, tells us about the time of extreme opposites without any in-betweens.”
As the American people endure this divisive political time – knowing not when and where it will end but with a strong sense that one must stay the course – Liberty Nation stands ready to record this time for all posterity. Best or worst? Light or darkness? A thousand days from now we know not whether truth or reason will triumph, but we will have a record of the journey. Lord willing, we will have Liberty Nation to report where we are and why.
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