Like a bolt, the truth gets out. Tell it like it is, tell it like it was, the past tense is appropriate, unfortunately. The old way was better, respect and taboos, dignity and shame. God or country? It's no contest, line up the fools, the patriot parade is over there on the patriot parade field.
Any union must be both ways, the governed and the government, implicit trust and light, to the end, without escape, without injury, without betrayal. By the book, out of the grey areas and mushy middle. Have some courage, these proxies are for cowards and tools. The downside must be harsh, otherwise, it's too easy to abuse power. Might end up funding a dubious Eastern European War or might solicit bribes or might become a pigment pimp.
Our baseball is boring. Our apple pie is sour. Our Chevrolets suck. Let's be real, reality ain't taboo no more. Nothing is.