Americans who hoped for a return of normalcy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have been disheartened — and shocked.

The trajectory of that which is not normal, and overall dysfunction, continues trending up.

The results are unprecedented demoralization — and suicides — in America.

Our governing authorities have contributed to people’s estrangement by their lack of transparency, blatant dishonesty, unprecedented corruption, disrespect of the Constitution (especially for its provisions for equal justice under the law), and engaging in a total Ponzi scheme-like fiscal irresponsibility.

The Biden administration’s Ukraine policy — sadly backed by many in the GOP — does nothing but invite escalation, as well as a potentially catastrophic war with Russia, if not a nuclear one.

At home, most Americans now find that many virtues and norms they had honored for generations are being demeaned, if not shredded.

As many as seven million people have entered via our southern border in the last two and a half years. This catastrophic event has contributed to Americans being subjected to record levels of crime, over-taxation of schools and healthcare facilities, and unprecedented levels of rural and urban decay.

The explosive box-office success of the new film “Sound of Freedom” (Angel Studios) is waking up people to the fact that America is now the number one destination for child and sex traffickers.

Thus, President Biden, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and others assisting them, in maintaining an open-border policy, are effectively facilitators and accomplices in this large-scale, horrendous, capital-level crime.

The most important corrective to all these intractable problems is the sunlight of truth.

But often truth, which used to be objective and based on factual reality, is blocked by powerful forces benefitting from corruption, and by others whose subjective perception of reality is governed by narratives — political and otherwise: group think, self-interest, and preservation of power and status, or a combination thereof.

The pursuit of truth used to be encouraged. Not so much now.

Many vitally important topics fundamental to the survival of the United States are simply verboten to talk about.

The Constitution guarantees citizens’ fundamental rights, and the government’s constitutional legitimacy comes from the people.

But in our present environment, people’s First Amendment Rights are violated with no consequences, and there are seemingly no pangs of conscious on the part of those engaging in those violations.

Consider how much more able Americans would be in solving our most pressing problems if there was freedom of speech, debate, and media attention on topics such as:

• Sources of wealth that congressmen, senators, and U.S. government officials accumulate that exceed their public service salaries.
• The agendas of international organizations such as the United Nations, World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Economic Forum (WEF) that threaten the sovereignty of the United States.
• A full accounting and cost-benefit analysis of the Green New Deal and its attendant goal of net-zero carbon emissions.
• The funding and organizational infrastructure of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Antifa — the primary organizations that wrought $2 billion of property destruction on Americans — the most costly in our history.
• An accounting of all U.S. funds sent to Ukraine, presently estimated at some $113 billion.
• Exposure of actions taken by Big Pharma and the myriad of government healthcare regulatory agencies to block public awareness of safe and effective therapeutic drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 to create a monopoly pathway for unproven and risky emergency-use-authorized vaccinations.

The truth on these subjects and others, such as the previously mentioned child-sex-trafficking crisis in America and the accounting of vaccine injuries and deaths, is very hard for many to handle.

But facing truth is as necessary for the survival and recovery of America as a constitutional republic as the Nuremberg trials were to the recovery of Germany and the soul-searching restructuring of Japan following World War II.

Many may be familiar with “The truth will set you free,” as found in Scripture: John 8:32.

While this may be so, not everyone is ready for the full truth at the same time.

Consider the difficulty that Japan faced at World War II’s end.

Previously, for centuries, under the influence of Shintoism, the Japanese people universally believed they were a superior race, invincible and destined to rule globally because their emperor was a descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu.

Their shocking military defeat left the Japanese utterly despondent and demoralized.

Suicide rates rose dramatically.

With time, an orderly and benevolent post-war U.S. occupation and restructuring occurred, administered by General Douglas MacArthur.

He arranged for a huge increase in Christian missionary presence and the distribution of 10 million Bibles translated into Japanese.

As a result, gradually, a spiritual regeneration began to take root.

Ultimately, Japan became a vibrant democracy; within 30 years it became the number two economy globally.

It’s become self-evident that there is a greater concentration of corruption among American elites than among the people; this reassures us of the virtue and inherit strength of the American government system “of the people by the people and for the people.”

What’s now desperately needed to save this great country is the rediscovery of the conviction and courage of our nation’s Founders — each of whom were willing to sacrifice everything to defend life, liberty, and happiness.

In closing, the advice that Paul gave to believers in Corinth nearly 2,000 years ago, who were experiencing a spiritual-culture war similar to ours today, to “stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong,” as in 1 Corinthians 16:13, is what is needed today.

For without God, it will surely be tyranny that awaits us.

Let us not just push the envelope on this point.

Let’s act.

Now.