Greg, this is a mighty fine bit of writing. You should pour yourself three fingers of the good stuff, raise your tumbler, and give yourself a solemn "Well done."

Here's a stray thought. When I joined the Navy in June of '74, I did "solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States...So help me God.” Nixon was president, his disgraces were well known, yet I felt no reluctance to swear that oath. I trusted our governing institutions to restrain him.

If I was an eighteen year old today, I could not in good conscience swear an oath to obey the President. Not while the possibility exists that it may be Trump.