Pep rally politics distract Americans from the loss of their democratic freedoms. 

So, it’s the opening game of the season, and it begins with your favorite part.

The fans rise and the National Anthem begins. It’s a time when everything in the world is eclipsed by the heartfelt passion for America’s democracy. “… Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Happy tears streak your cheeks. That moment is like a recurring epiphany, the realization that the Founding Fathers did something great, both for their countrymen and for the world.

Sadly, the nagging problems that have plagued our country are not going away, but our minds are sidetracked by those moments of pride that act as a sort of opiate, giving us that warm tingly feeling that all is well.

It’s not, and the sad thing is that all—Democrats, Republicans, and the others—must face the fact that our so-called democracy has been hijacked by the corporations and special-interest lobbies that own our political candidates. The differences between parties and their agendas have been blurred.

The reality is that America’s powerful commercial, social and religious interests have bought up the candidates of all parties—so, in a sense, it’s not important who we elect. If you were to look at the lists of big donors, you’d see that they're hedging their bets on all sides.

That includes the powerful Jewish lobby. It supports most of the candidates, with the understanding that America will continue to fund the horror of Israel’s ongoing genocide, providing an unlimited supply of the equipment and munitions that are destroying the Palestinian people—all in the name of “Israel’s right to defend itself.”

As so, many Americans have decried the slaughter of Palestinians. Many have had the thought: Biden seems like a warm, conscientious and moral human being, so why does he swear his undying commitment to the mayhem and destruction that has destroyed Gaza and seeks to obliterate Palestinians in the West Bank?

The gouging of American wallets is no different. America’s most powerful businesses can charge you whatever they like—at the grocery store and gas station—because they’ve bought off your legislative champions, and they will continue to refuse to enforce the antitrust laws that could bring relief to the consumer. Fair competition is the key.

Instead, it's all about the purchase of political loyalties.

Biden may be a nice guy, but he has also been the top recipient, for years, of donations from the pro-Israel lobby—the documentation is there, and it’s there for the contributions to the rest of our politicians. Somehow, Biden’s been able to live with himself, but I can’t imagine how. Any moral foundation he may have had as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed young man has been displaced by the all-eclipsing need to stay in office and retain power.

Lives of Palestinians don’t appear to matter. And no matter how many constituent’s foreheads are blessed with Biden’s kisses, his allegiance to the war industries and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an utter disgrace.

Only a small handful of our legislators have had the guts to speak out. Bernie Sanders and a few fine human beings in Congress, bless their hearts, have been the moral outliers. But it is only the money that drives the mouths and pens of the others. The reality is that withholding Israel’s arms could, and would, almost immediately bring an end to the carnage.

Ah, yes. But another rah-rah rally and the refreshing repeat of our National Anthem bring us that euphoric swell-with-pride sensation, renewing our faith in America and its precious institutions.

And thus, over and over, the drugging of Americans continues, as we’re lulled into the pleasant nonsense of the American Dream.

I’m not saying that that dream no longer exists. I’m saying that the defining truths of our Constitution and Bill of Rights are being whisked away while we laud our country’s virtues. It is only the rah-rah-rah, wildly energizing pep rallies, highly-inspiring promotional speeches and articles, and other patriotic extravaganzas that allow us to overlook the fact that our freedoms, though so well-conceived, are largely gone.

Look at the values that have created our nation; you see a list of the human rights that we hold so dear and you smugly consider how unfortunate the dire plight of so many other countries and regions.

Yes, but wait a moment. The most essential human rights are not exclusively American. And sadly, we are failing as a nation to define ourselves on the moral high-side.

We can complain loudly about the suppression of free speech in Russia; we can lambast the extremist Muslim orthodoxy that has overpowered some previously prosperous nations; we can look back at the massacre of Tiananmen Square, when protesters were gunned down by their own government; we can cuss the world’s most notable dictators and advocate for a new flurry of necessary regime-changes. But the reality is that America’s corruption of what could have been a wonderful, democratic model has become a disgrace to those with conscience.

Years ago, we could have been proud—proud that our country valued those inalienable rights. Though it was never perfect, corporations were at least partially kept in check by strong anti-trust laws that ensured fair competition; the press was a national treasure that served as an integral “watchdog” of government; whistleblowers were honored as heroes; free speech was a respected God-given right; the right to peaceful assembly was sacrosanct; doctors could base their treatment decisions on their best medical conscience; and there were campaign donation laws to limit the power of donors.

Look at what’s happening, Americans. Those inalienable rights weren’t so inalienable after all.

Well folks, I am not suggesting that your November ballot choice isn’t important. The problems of our nation are deep and pervasive, but it’s essential that we not deliver the “crown” to the man who would take away what freedoms are left. That said, when our new president is inaugurated, it will be the time for a thorough house-cleaning—and high-time to fix the damaged remnants of a truly troubled America.

The author is a retired businessman, novelist, columnist and former Vietnam-era Army assistant public information officer. He resides in Riverton with his wife, Carol, and their adorable and ferocious dog “Poppy.”