Clay Feet a tentative prologue

Clay Feet Prologue

This may be the beginning of a book I’ve thought about writing for twenty or more years. It won’t be my first attempt. My computer is full of dozens of beginnings such as this. The election of Donald Trump in 2016 saw a great many of them started and stalled. Ditto the 2020 race which, as I commence this on Friday, October 30th is just five days away with an outcome that Trump’s supporters claim to is certain to reelect the President if only Democrats don’t flood the voting booths with fraudulent ballots. As for Democrats and their supporters, like me a Lincoln supporter scorned by Trump’s vile narcissism, I almost can’t believe he could lose after the vote stealing exploits of Lincoln’s sorry lot of successors. I almost can’t believe that a man widely disliked and distrusted by at least 55% of the population will be defeated even though the best odds makers put his chances of victory as of today at about one in ten. Someone call Sheldon Adelson and place a bet. You’ve got five days!

What will begin to unfold across America as I continue this writing this book is a great mystery to me. Its also a deep well of fear. What will Donald Trump’s well-armed and well-propagandized groupies do should he be declared the loser? He will still have until January 2021 to continue on as President with the awesome powers that office affords him for good or ill, the latter being his preferred route of action.

I hope this book about my Kansas/Missouri/Minnesota family, race and an American war hero will help that future and play some small role in making sure another cunning, ignorant demagogue can be discouraged from running for President again any time soon.

In advance I’d like to thank the many historians and historically inclined authors who’s histories have filled my head with some confidence that America will be able to heal itself from a century of incomplete, disingenuous and ignorant history. Too many of us have sat back and allowed myth to supplant truth rather than risk censure for overturning the tables of the money lenders.

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