WS Chronicle

By Dr. James B. Ewers Jr.

There is a new day in America. We can go to sleep at night not worrying about a deranged man who has access to the nuclear codes. Our nerves are a little less frazzled and stressed.

The past four years in our country have been unbelievably bad and full of torment. Never in our nation’s history has one person been a thorn in the world’s side.

Mr. T was never on solid ground. He was always on shaky ground and sinking sand.

He spoke lies to truth and had a multitude of people believe in him. In fact, over 70 million people drank the hemlock that he was serving. 

The president of the United States spent his final days in the White House with the “pillow guy,” Mike Lindell. What was he doing at the White House?

The Biden administration will be challenged on all fronts. I think the actions that President Biden takes in the coming days will be crucial.

First off, safety of government officials and the coronavirus are pressing issues. Reports surfaced that during the insurrection, the lives of congressmen and congresswomen were in danger. Fortunately, they were moved to safety.

Now police and the National Guard blanket Washington, D.C. They must remain in place until a sense of normalcy returns to the city and to government buildings.

The Biden-Harris administration has already stated there will be a more comprehensive distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. This will give the country more confidence as we battle this illness. In the prior administration, there was never a systematic plan. Now there will be.

President Biden wants to have 100 million people vaccinated in the first 100 days. That is a tall order, especially when you see the disjointed and uneven efforts thus far. He said, “We will spare no effort in getting this done.” He also wants to have a mask mandate on federal property. No longer will Republicans brazenly be able to walk the halls of Congress without wearing a mask.

Do you hear that Ted Cruz? Are you listening Lindsey Graham?

To further create another challenge for the Biden administration is the impeachment of Donald Trump. The House of Representatives passed one article of impeachment against him. This is the first time in American history that a president has been impeached twice.

So, it will be interesting to see how the Senate and the president navigate these waters. The president wants to get his nominees for various cabinet posts confirmed.

Meanwhile, the Senate will take on the impeachment trial. Representative Jim Clyburn, Democrat from South Carolina, said the impeachment trial should not happen right away. There has not been a decision made as to when all of this will happen.

America celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 18. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, the usual in-person commemorations were not held in cities across this land. However, there were a few of them held virtually. Volunteers in several cities following pandemic protocols did participate in an MLK Day of Service.

As this civil rights giant was celebrated, I wonder what he would think about the unrest in America today? I think he would see that there is power in the vote and in our democracy. I believe he would be proud of us. We must thank Dr. King, John Lewis, Shirley Chisholm, Jesse Jackson, Barbara Jordan and countless others who paved the way with their sacrifice.

We have withstood the storm of having the worst president in our lifetime, with a Pew Research Center survey showing that he had a 29% approval rating. 

At last, there is a new day ahead!

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  overtimefergie.2020@yahoo.com