By James Revels
Around this time of year, historians, journalists, political watchers and others will spend considerable time looking back at 2025, a year renowned for historic events and actions.
“History is the torch that is meant to illuminate the past to guard us against the repetition of our mistakes of other days,” Claude Bowers wrote.
James Revels
The past year will be remembered as one of the most disturbing in our history, made possible by the election of the most unfit individual ever to the highest office in the land. This event was made possible by the refusal of Republican senators to impeach Trump for unlawful behavior. When the U.S. Supreme Court granted him immunity from prosecution, an era of corrupt complicity became reality.
Years ago, renowned artist Bob Snead would create artwork from the headlines of the El Paso Times during the year. It is hard to capture the past year in words, but outrage, disappointment, anger, loss of respect for those called politicians and a loss of faith in what this nation once stood for are few that come to mind.
Those seeking answers to the questions raised by the historic events of the past year will try to explain why these events occurred. For me, it is clear. We all are left with one truth: Racism, hatred and bigotry run deeper in our souls than we care to admit.
I am especially concerned for our future, because all the institutions established to protect the nation from corrupt leadership have failed.
Elected officials, Congress, the military, the media and corporate America, all became complicit during the year. Only the courts offered a limited resistance to the unlawful behavior of the current administration, while their rulings were sometimes ignored.
To chart a path to the future, we all must look back to the past.
The hateful results, now a reality, played well for Trump supporters, but the world is watching and we are no longer respected. The United States of America is no longer the shining beacon of hope and freedom once enjoyed. As a result, we all must now re-examine what it means to be an American.
Years ago, President Lincoln wrote: “If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we live forever or die by suicide.” The enemy within is our greatest threat.
The events of the past year prove the wisdom of William James when he wrote: “The deadliest enemies of nations are not their foreign foes, they always dwell within their own borders, and from these internal enemies, civilization is always in need of being saved.”
The events of 2025 are a symptom of deeper problems and challenges ahead. How we address them will determine our future.
The author Octavia Butler wrote: “Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all the coward fears. To be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists who control the fool. To be led by a liar is to ask to be lied to. To be led by a tyrant is to sell yourself and those you love into slavery.”
The price of honor is truth. Happy New Year.
James Revels is a retired Army colonel and former columnist for the El Paso Times who lives in East El Paso.
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