Changing my name seemed like a good idea a few weeks ago.
Following Budweiser’s lead when it rebranded as America, I tried to have a little fun emulating one of the dumber marketing gimmicks ever. I changed my Twitter name to B.J. America and my blog to “The America (formerly Smith) Compound.”
My wife never really embraced the notion of being Mrs. America, or Ms. America, but I thought it was worth a try.
My intent was to change back to Smith after Election Day 2016. That’s when America beer will go back to being Budweiser, after what the foreign-owned company’s spokesman predicted would be “the most patriotic summer that this generation has ever seen.”
How a summer can be patriotic was never really explained.
The thing is, I couldn’t wait until November. I’m not exactly proud of the way America is acting lately.
The name has become too much of an embarrassment. Our discourse, if we can even call it that, has gotten too ugly.
Some elements have gone well beyond ugly. The words toxic and unhinged come to mind.
Candidate Trump is a dangerous GOP mistake who spreads lies and bigotry and plays on the fears and prejudices of millions of Americans to further his incoherent political agenda. Congress continues to do nothing to confront our national addiction to gun violence. We are complicit by accepting their inaction.
That’s not my America.
Back to The Smith Compound.
The Smith Compound 