WS Chronicle

By James B. Ewers Jr.

All of us live in weather-challenged states and are familiar with the terms “warning” and “watch.” It doesn’t matter where you live as these weather events happen, albeit at different times of the year.

When you hear the word “warning” attached to the weather, then it’s coming your way. The word “watch” is less severe and thus it may not come. Just be on the lookout. A phrase I am familiar with is to be “weather aware,” as I watch the weather reports every day.

Now living in a world with changing political dynamics each day, we must become politically aware. The media brings us breaking news almost daily. This breaking news could be at the local, state or national level. World breaking news is also influencing the way we live in this country. Just look at the stock market these days as it is going through an uncertain period now. There are more lows than highs.

The political terrain has breaking news in it at unprecedented levels. It is my opinion that we are in a period of political warning. Appointees and associates of the current administration are falling like dominoes. Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn have already fallen to misguided allegiance.

Both Manafort and Flynn believed in one man and not their country. Manafort is in jail waiting on a presidential pardon that in my opinion is not coming. Flynn is cooperating with the special counsel’s office trying to avoid jail time. Both were once powerful, but now have fallen to minion status.

The latest of the president’s men to fall is Michael Cohen. Mr. Cohen served as the president’s personal lawyer, but now is on his way to jail for three years. Cohen said that he did some “dirty deeds” for Individual 1 in his testimony. We know who Individual 1 is. I am reminded of the song lyrics, “I fought the law and the law won.” In the case of Manafort, Flynn and Cohen, it should be, “I broke the law and the law won.”

If you are a supporter of the current administration, get prepared for the storm because it’s coming. You can’t cover up the truth with a blanket of lies. The current administration is being slowly walked out of office and beginning in January, it is only going to get worse.

When he entered office, I realized having a conversation with one of his supporters was fruitless. His admirers can’t handle the truth. Their definition of the truth is fake news. Is it fake news that many of his direct appointees have either been fired or left with a cloud of doubt hanging over them? Is it fake news that children are still separated from their families at the border? Those of us who think in a rational way know this is not fake news.

There are citizens with no healthcare and they still sing the praises of the current administration. Wake up before it is too late. If not, you will have to evacuate your homes because you won’t be able to afford them. You will have to evacuate your jobs because tariffs will consume them.

I remember a line from a story I read when I was a boy. It read, “All the king’s horses and all the king’s men …” You know the rest of it.

James B. Ewers  Jr. Ed.D. is a former tennis champion at Atkins High School in Winston-Salem and played college tennis at Johnson C. Smith University, where he was all-conference for four years. He is a retired college administrator.  He can be reached at ewers.jr56@yahoo.com.