Trump US Syria

President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Thursday, April 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

(Alex Brandon)

Clete Wetli is a liberal political activist living in Huntsville and a regular contributor to AL.com. Email Clete at decaturclete@gmail.com or visit cletewetli. com.

The surprising election of Donald Trump happened because a large part of America has become frustrated with institutions, government, politicians, and the media. In effect, they gave Trump a large box of matches and, like medieval angry villagers, they yelled, "Burn it all down!" In the heat of the moment, it seems like a great idea until the smoke billows and they begin to realize that there will be nothing left of the village but scorched earth and ashes.

Steve Bannon's infamous advocacy for the "deconstruction of the administrative state" is nothing more than a fancy euphemism for "Hey, let's start a fire and watch this thing burn". Ironically many people called the angry rhetoric, crass behavior, and endless lies of the Trump campaign a dumpster fire, but now it seems to have spread like a five-alarm wildfire ready to consume everything in its path.

The NATO alliance- Where's the gas and the Zippo?

Freedom of the Press- Can we use that newspaper as kindling?

Public education- How about we deal with that after the book burning?

Like Trump's blatant disregard for norms and protocols, fire has no respect for what it attempts to raze. In Trump's case, it's his refusal to release his tax returns, his embrace of nepotism over experience, and his endless, un-presidential incendiary talk. Each tweet is a spark and almost every executive order is the destruction of a necessary firewall.

His recent trip abroad did nothing to diminish the firestorm he left at home. In fact, while he was away he lit new fires in Europe and the Middle East that America will have to put out before they explode. If his base wanted to see destruction, they're getting the huge bonfire they asked for. The problem is that in their zeal for destruction, they've no plan to rebuild and no plan for new construction. The healthcare fiasco is, perhaps, the greatest example of this danger.

Make no mistake; this isn't a controlled burn to get rid of the excess brush of too much government. It's not a deliberate fire line to stop the uncontrollable spread of fake new. It's also not the product of a natural occurrence that sets the stage for new growth and possibilities. This is institutional arson that has been fueled by decades of combustible rhetoric that was deliberately designed to cause distrust, discord, and division.

That's why politicians on both sides of the aisle are trying to put some water on this blaze. In the Senate, folks are realizing that burning down the Affordable Care Act might not be the smartest move. People are beginning to question why Attorney General Jeff Sessions seems hell-bent on resurrecting the Drug War. Americans are starting to question the wholesale eradication of necessary regulations that keep our air clean and our water safe. Maybe, taking a torch to public education funding won't make America smarter or more productive. Blowing up the regulations on coal won't bring back tons of jobs or make our economy run on steam again.

There will always be things in our government and our institutions that need correction or repair. However, the hyper-partisan cry to "burn it all down" doesn't make our country or the world stronger. It takes foresight, diligence, and creativity to build something valuable; it only takes ill-will and a match to see it all go up in smoke.

Rather than continually vilifying our government, it's important to remember that in America, we are the government. Let's celebrate our First Amendment and not try to silence the voices we don't like.

Let's take those matches away from Trump before we all get burned.