A nation in crisis.

The White House went dark while the tough-talking President hid in a bunker.

I've not posted for a while for a number of reasons, but primarily because I've been watching the reports from across the nation -- the scenes of cities burning in a manner similar to 30 years ago, after the police beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles, or even as far back as 1968, perhaps the most tumultuous year in this nation's history during my 66-year lifespan.

This is bad. This is really bad. And even though the experience may be somewhat muted here in the relative safety of suburbia, there is a perfect storm brewing that could have horribly tragic ramifications for our nation and everyone that lives in it.

What are we facing, in a nutshell?

•  An unresolved pandemic that has already claimed more than 102,000 American lives and wounded our economy because of the closures of workplaces and reductions in services. And I underscore "unresolved," because it clearly is not finished.
•  A climate of fear and anger among minorities over police violence targeted at them, which boiled over following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by four of that city's police officers, just the latest in a long series of violent attacks upon minorities under the guise of law enforcement.
•  An undercurrent of racism that has found a nurturing kindred spirit in the President of the United States.
•  Targeting of legitimate, credentialed news media by police for shooting with rubber bullets, tear-gassing or other forms of violence, most likely encouraged by the President's constant demonization of the media.
•  In my opinion, the participation of undercover operatives of an extremist nature, who have infiltrated otherwise peaceful protests to undermine the credibility of their cause by participating in looting and vandalism.
•  And finally, also my opinion, the participation of opportunistic criminals in the looting and vandalism, individuals with no stake in the issues at the root of the protests and with the singular intent to get some while the gettin' was good.

I don't have the answers that would stop this and return our nation to a more peaceful state immediately. To claim that we were "at peace" before this would be wildly naive. Racism has existed in America since it was founded. It was not cured by the Union's victory in the Civil War. It was not ended with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And it didn't disappear with the election of the first African-American president in 2008.

Trump derided state governors for being "weak." But he hid

inside a White House bunker as protests took place outside.

It did escalate, however, with the election of Donald Trump in 2016. Trump's hollow bluster and tacit approval of white supremacy (some would say "open and enthusiastic approval," I might add) has resonated with the angry segregationists that cower beneath their Confederate flags and their erroneous interpretation of the Second Amendment -- and not just in the deep South, or in rural backwaters. From the evidence of comments made to local newspapers in the past few days, these reprehensible souls (Hillary Clinton accurately called them "deplorables") may live next door to you. And Trump's obvious racism, xenophobia and misogyny has enabled their open expressions of anti-social behavior.

Today, Trump staged a conference call with the nation's governors, whom he called "weak" in their dealings with the violence that followed the overwhelmingly peaceful protests. CNN got the audio of the call, and Trump came off as totally unhinged and full of empty bluster -- probably because he was shuttled off to a bunker inside the White House last night by Secret Service as protest groups became unruly outside the executive mansion's gates.

People have wondered, why doesn't the President talk to the nation amid all this unrest, and offer a message of unity? 

Seriously? Trump calling for unity? His version of "unity" can be found in old "Ozzie and Harriet" reruns, where people of color either did not exist or made brief, stereotypical appearances as comic relief. There is nothing Trump could say now to unite the nation, except possibly, "I shall resign the presidency." And that's not going to happen, and may not happen next January even after Joe Biden is inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States. Trump has already sewn the seeds of discord by claiming that mail-in ballots (a helpful tool if the pandemic is still raging) is a Democratic Party scheme to promote voter fraud.

No, my friends, we are in deep shit right now. Sorry for the vulgarity, but I think it best fits the situation. We have to look into our own hearts and try to find the America we want, instead of the one that exists in the mind's eye of the most divisive president ever to be elevated to that office, and then decide at the ballot box in November whether we want his concept of "America" to continue unabated.

Until then, be kind and be smart. Be like the people I saw at the Foxboro Town Common yesterday, about 100 persons ringing the green at the center of the roundabout holding placards and offering their support for social justice. (For the purpose of context, Foxboro's population of roughly 16,600 is 97.1 percent Caucasian as of the last census -- although one of its largest businesses is the New England Patriots, of which the roster [at 90 players at this time of year] is comprised of about 70 percent African-American athletes.) So, of course, the people that gave of their time to protest were derided in the comments area to the local newspaper's Facebook post -- either for not social distancing (they appeared to be doing so when I saw them), or for gathering without a permit (one woman complained that she had to get a permit to get married on town property, but these people got a free pass), or for being hypocrites, one bright light saying "they left their $700k house, stand out for 30 min to look cool, grab a Starbucks on the way home to their lily white neighborhood."

That is what we must combat -- ignorance and selfishness. I wish I knew how to do that. But I do know that a start will be to get rid of the angry, bitter and prejudiced individual that sets a horrific example for the nation from inside a bunker deep below the White House.