Editor’s Note: Welcome to new subscribers on Day 177 of the Great Con II. This week, the United States showed why it remains the lone advanced country that values lax gun laws more than the lives of the next generation, the Israeli government continues to kill at will, including more journalists, the American president met with the South Korean president and used it to praise the North Korea dictator, the FBI has been told to go after former teammates (Bolton), Kennedy continues to search for his missing piece of brain and oust real public health people from public health services, and the military has been called into more American cities in a divide-and-conquer strategy. Meanwhile, Ukraine still fights, more Americans are realizing the depth of this fraud as seen through special election results, and football season is here.

Remember: the escalation of violence by the administration against Americans is a strategy. Don’t give in, or give up.

History tells us that racism has been a feature of the advancement of civilization. As people learned to govern themselves in large groups, communities developed several mechanisms to define the differences and abide by them. It could be language or wealth, but color or area of origin has always been the easy go-to.

Control through racism was even present when the great self-governing experiment of the United States began. After debate and delusion, humans as property remained a feature of a new union of states (with religion used to support it, picking scriptures that appear to sanction slavery as a norm).

To be a more perfect union, America has attempted to learn from its mistakes and be the guiding light of the world. If healthy, the country is constantly a work in progress.

It has not been that long since women could vote, divorce, or handle their own business affairs. People have only recently felt safe enough to come out of the closet and reveal their homosexuality. The Gilded Age and the pursuit of wealth for wealth’s sake led to more constraints on greed and usury and more rights for unions. Minorities in this country became more accepted (though still living with a distinct set of unwritten rules, even with civil rights and worker protections).

These combined efforts to recognize diversity, ensure some equity, and build a more inclusive society have been a foundational element of the American experiment we live in today.

Conservative media, politicians, and zombie Christians have seized on DEI as a scapegoat, painting it as divisive, wasteful, or even dangerous.

This is a completely manufactured crisis—one meant to harness the attention of low-information voters and to re-institute more racist policies of the past, masquerading as biblical. Efforts to turn the term DEI into a “dog whistle” have succeeded, suggesting it is a threat to white Americans or a form of “reverse discrimination.” These claims are not only false, they are corrosive.

DEI does not lower standards. History shows that it raises them by ensuring more candidates are considered, regardless of background or patronage. It is not exclusionary or anti-white; it addresses existing inequities that have long favored white Americans and a supporting cast. It has been painted as divisive while in fact, it fosters more social cohesion, reduces disparities, and strengthens communities—benefiting everyone.

The truth is stark: dismantling DEI is not just a moral misstep, but an economic disaster in the making. DEI is under attack, not because it failed, but because it worked. Bigly. As America grew more diverse, it became more dynamic, innovative, and economically powerful. Just look at the ethnic makeup of big businesses and tech industries across the country.

The real problem impacting America is economic. It came from a rollback of taxes and public policies that worked to ensure everyone gained and paid their fair share. It came from a lack of will to ensure American free enterprise was growing equally equitable with its massive profits. This buildup of more billionaires without public responsibilities made it all the easier to say, “Look here, these immigrants are taking up resources and crowding you out of jobs.”

It’s completely made up.

Most nations struggle to successfully create a "melting pot" of cultures, religions, and backgrounds, which is why the U.S. is the model for the world.

It only happens with good public policy, such as the Bill of Rights and everything after, to interpret it fairly and responsibly. The US now has a gene pool and cultural mix that is rare among advanced nations. Nearly four in ten Americans now identify with a race or ethnic group other than white, and America’s youth are even more diverse, ensuring that the future workforce will be globally competitive and adaptable.

Think that’s scary?

It’s exactly the path we were meant to be on. It’s why America has always worked. Other advanced economies—like Japan, South Korea, China, and even many European nations—are far more homogenous and face demographic stagnation. They may not come right out and say it, but they know that American diversity is exceptional to behold.

The real stakes of abandoning DEI are visible in labor, education, and the American dream itself. Immigrants, especially in states like California, Texas, and Florida, work jobs that others won’t do. This is not because they are “cheap,” but because the U.S. faces a chronic shortage of workers in many industries. And the new jobs coming online? It’s not an immigrant to worry about, but a robot or an AI agent.

The problem is not the immigrant worker next to you, but the equity gaps. The gap between top and bottom performers in the U.S. is among the highest in the developed world, reflecting deep disparities in opportunity. Only effective public policies will close that gap. DEI initiatives in education also aim to increase opportunity, ensuring all students, regardless of race or income, can access quality learning. When Americans gain more education, the whole economy benefits through higher productivity, innovation, and global competitiveness.

A similar public policy approach has never taken root in corporate America. Stagnant wages, less benefits, and a political system that now serves the wealthy and powerful; those are the actual issues.

By scapegoating DEI, this administration has been highly successful in pitting Americans against each other, rather than addressing the root causes of economic insecurity. When the con is over, there will be even more work to do. We will be saddled with fewer protections, less resources, and more debt.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are not threats—they are the very things that have made America great. They are the reason the U.S. has led the world in innovation, prosperity, and cultural influence. Rolling back DEI is not just morally wrong; it is economically foolish. If you care about a strong America—one where your children and grandchildren can thrive—then you should care about DEI. Not because it’s “woke,” but because it works.

I ran for office twice in my life. Win or lose, it is an excellent way to learn and observe a community. One thing I advocated for is doing better with all the wasted space in a city. Once you recognize it, you’ll see it everywhere. Sidewalks and empty benches baking in the sun, military green utility boxes, blank walls, signage in all shapes, sizes, and states of repair, fenced-off stormwater ponds, vacant buildings, black and steel poles, and asphalt.

Developers aren't required to make development aesthetically pleasing, leading to a lack of art and beauty in our cities. Think that’s crazy? Americans spend billions annually visiting places they love to see and be in, whether museums, ballparks, Santa Fe, or Disney World. There’s no reason all of our cities can’t be more distinctive and attractive, less boring and lame, if we treated all of our living space as more sacred, like a living canvas.

In my recent trip to the countryside of Normandy, France, I took a tour through the hedgerows with my sons to get a more intimate view of the dangers Allied soldiers faced. On one back road, relatively unmarked, our guide pointed out into the fields and, using pictures from the time, a place where young Americans were picked off by waiting Germans.

I walked into the tangled roots of one hedgerow to get a better idea of what the German sniper was seeing some 80 years ago. As I lay there for a moment, I noticed two things. Wild blueberries were growing all around, close enough to pick and taste, and the birds, especially a crow or two, were ever present. For the soldiers who spent hours in waiting, I imagined they fed off the berries and watched the birds and wondered if any of their calls would give their concealment away.

This was an area of great sacrifice for freedom, and yet the speed with which nature took the land back is not unnoticeable.

We forget the fight against a dictator at our own peril.

This article reminded me of the importance of the birds, of nature, and of being a good neighbor everywhere we go.

And Now….

There are credible recent reports that Jon Stewart, of The Daily Show fame, and Lesley Stahl, a longtime journalist from 60 Minutes, are collaborating on a new news network. I’ll keep following this story and let you know if I hear more. Until then, keep up your regular reading regimen, and keep fighting the rollback of American principles and policies.

You do this not for yourself, but for your country and your legacy.