Where can I begin?

Where can I begin. Every human being wants the same things from their government. All people want a safe environment to meet the basic needs in life and be given a chance to "pursue happiness." I welcome debate on this but I think this statement covers most people's reasonable requirements from their government. John Locke was a great philosopher during the enlightenment period and his writings greatly influenced many of our founding fathers. It is against that backdrop that I begin. Locke noted that any government must provide the life to life, liberty and the ownership of property. Thomas Jefferson was probably influenced by those words when he noted in the Declaration of Independence that all people had the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." But what do those words mean in developing the structure of government. Well I believe that our writers of the United States Constitution wrote the most important words for any Democratic Republic. Those words are contained in our Preamble of that document. Preamble We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. These words, as I see it, are the specific ways that our government meets the terms of our "social contract." The preamble, again as I see it, is the promise our government makes to our people. This passage will provide the guide for this blog as I address so many issues and share my perspectives as to how we can identify challenges. Who am I and why should my perspectives matter? Well I'm just a high school United States History and Government teacher from a middle class family. My parents never finished high school but they so loved our country and were so appreciative of all the opportunities they had to work hard, raise a family and live a good life in a safe environment. I totally understand that this blog might not be read by a single human being. But this blog gives me an opportunity to address so many issues that will help me to organize informed opinions, research the facts and propose possible solutions that might be helpful in seeking solutions. What prompted me to continue this blog that I put on hold for so many months? It was the decision to remove our troops from Syria and betray the Kurds. Our preamble states that our government will "provide for the common defense." The situation in Syria in the Kurdish held territories was stable. We have lost six of our brave service members since we sent troops there in an effort to stop ISIS. The Kurds have lost 11,000 along with 14,000 wounded. They have sacrificed so much as partners in our battles with ISIS. President Trump recently declared victory over ISIS. But it was the Kurds that made the sacrifices on the battlefields. They even wore United States flags on their uniforms. We have betrayed our brave allies and deserted them. We have strengthened our adversaries and given new life to ISIS. I am not a "hawk." Far from it! But I understand that to "provide for the common defense" is extremely complicated in today's world and necessitates coalitions for the global common good. That involves honoring the word of our "government" that doesn't change on the whim of a president but rather a united foreign policy approach that includes a partnership with the United States Congress. The decision to remove our troops from Syria was a horrible mistake. We must immediately stop the removal of troops, hold onto existing areas under U.S./Kurdish control and begin damage control by starting new diplomatic efforts with Russia and Turkey to limit the ethnic cleansing that will destroy our Kurdish allies. A huge mistake was made and we will never be able to get back to the original boundaries. But we might have a chance to restore some level of U.S. credibility so that we have a chance to be trusted by our allies and possibly form future coalitions that can help us to better "provide for the common defense" in the future.