Let’s
be thankful this day for our right to speak truth to power. But we should know this
may not last. We either use it or lose it.
Our
First Amendment right to free speech is being reduced to the right of corporations
and the wealthy to unlimited speech and influence. We the people need to speak out. Voting is our most important political speech.
Let
us be thankful for what representation we have remaining, but we should also know this
may not last either. We use it or lose it.
Our
founding document, the Declaration of Independence tells us:
“That
to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their
just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of
Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to
alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.”
How’s
that been working out? More Americans voted for Democratic senators, yet the Republicans
hold the Senate. Only an amendment to the Constitution can remedy this inequality.
Democracy
is being suppressed across the states as well.
In
the state houses of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina Democrats
got more votes than Republicans. Republicans still control them. Voters in
Michigan have had enough, and passed a ballot proposal to end partisan gerrymandering.
The sooner the rest of the country follows this example the better.
The
time has come to draw the line and speak the clear truth that few dare to utter.
Trump
the self-proclaimed nationalist is a racist. He is a tyrant who has sought to pervert
our civil law enforcement into imprisoning political opponents. Half the
country knows this. What most of us need to learn is who the enemy of the
people really is, and it is not our free press, despite the corporatized
lap-dog it has become.
Trump
is doing what the founders rebelled against.
“But
when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same
Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their
right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new
Guards for their future security.”
The
Declaration also states:
“The
history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries
and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute
Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid
world.”
In
our time, the history of the present Party of Trump is a history of repeated
injuries and usurpations.
The
corporatist/nationalist Right are the enemies of democracy, enemies of truth, and
enemies of our right to life and liberty, for health care is essential to life.
Clean air and water are the essentials of life.
They are betraying the
founders' ideal of consent of the governed. It is
obvious these extremists do not love our country. They love only power and
wealth, and democracy is in their way.
Trump
has bent the knee to Putin and given a green light to more assassinations of
journalists. This was all blatantly in defiance of our security agencies. His
is the face of treachery, betrayal, and evil.
Trump
and the Party of Trump are the worst threat to democracy this country ever
faced. And that makes them all evil. This is the bottom line, folks. Just as
there are no good Nazis, and no good white supremacists, there are no good
Republicans. Not anymore.
The good among them have left the party. Their denial of Obama's Constitutional duty to appoint a Supreme Court Justice has proven this. The
confirmation of Kavanaugh has proven this. Their loyalty to Trump has proven
this. Their exclusive fealty and service to the economic elites have proven
this. Their war on voter rights has
proven this. What more evidence do we need?
“Let Facts be submitted to a candid
world.”
This
truth must be repeated as urgently and as frequently as their lies are
repeated.
Those
who support Trump and his party are wittingly or unwittingly supporting evil.
Period.
In
order to act on the truth, we must first speak the truth. And the Right is at
war with the truth. We need to be aware that our ability to act on truth is
threatened each and every day by the Party of Trump.
Let’s
exercise our rights and take up our founders’ cause to form a more perfect
union, and establish their dream of consent of the governed.
Let’s
be thankful we have the wits and ability to identify the enemy of the people,
the tyranny that is upon us. Patriots must now take a stand, and continue to
stand, against the white nationalists and corporatists in power.
We
must never forget we hold these truths to be self-evident. And we must always remind
the enemies of democracy we know who they are.
Posts
23 comments:
Is Trump the only evil this country has produced?
I won't depress your well written post by posting my opinion. You can read my blog post today.
You quote the founders and their written words, but they were much more bigoted and murderous than Trump. It's the kind of white supremacy Trump's MAGA stands for.
Jerry, you're correct. Having the benefit of seeing their world and culture through our more enlightened eyes, the founding fathers could be seen as the racist and murderous bigots of their time.
I'm not completely sure they were.
I'm guessing, depending upon which choices we make today - and whether or not we're destined for a dystopian or progressive time - future generations will look back upon many of our present culturally norms and predominately
acceptable practices as equally repugnant and distasteful.
I believe the progression of the human spirit mirrors the same of the collective human experience, and each helps to shape and steer each other.
Humankind continues to take baby steps toward full enlightenment. It's up to us to step around, and over, the impediments left in our way. I think sometimes, like today, we have to step through the obstacles in our way.
Jerry,
Of course Trump is not the only evil this country has produced. As you noted, "There are many things to be thankful for, but our character and behavior as a country should not be held as the ideal."
I agree. The human character and behavior of the founders, all the way up to modern leaders, was, and is, often quite separate from the founder's ideals. I think most of us are guilty of the same sin, but to a far less socially destructive and brutal degree.
US history if full of villains, racists, gilded aristocrats, slave masters, and proponents of brutality against our indigenous people. Many were even presidents.
It is also full of reformers, progressives and visionaries.
I was emphasizing the ideals in the foundation of our republic, proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence. The colder realities of our nascent Constitution that included the horrors of a racist based "three-fifths compromise" and the electoral college only proved how flawed the founders were.
Remember not all of them were pro-slavery, and they understood amendments would be necessary.
JG has noted the arc of progressive history, and we are in a better place with slavery, and child labor, and institutional racism being slowly eradicated. This doesn't mean we don't have a long way to go. The corporatist neo-aristocracy and undercurrent of white nationalism are serious toxic flaws that impede democracy, equality and justice.
"All men are created equal" and "We the people" are the ideals. Trump's white nationalist tweets do not reflect the values of most Americans. This is why we Patriots must always understand that democracy is always under attack and in need of protection and defense.
JG,
Very true.
It's sad the amount of suffering the minority has to endure while we wait for the majority to accept inclusion.
Dave,
I think way to many Americans accept Trump's values, which were the original values of most of the founders of this country.
I certainly have a problem with the turtles pace of progression and these steps backwards (represented by Trump's election) are more than upsetting.
Part of the genius of the founders was them understanding the values they practiced were wrong and created laws and a government that worked against their own values. I don't see any leaders today that have that kind of insight.
Many say the Constitution needs a rewrite. I would agree, but no way in Hell would I trust our current politicians (including the last 50 years) to do that rewrite.
Jerry,
"...no way in Hell would I trust our current politicians (including the last 50 years) to do that rewrite."
There's the core problem. Corruption has become more institutionalized than ever. There are only the "Owners' Parties" in power.
"...the Constitution needs a rewrite. I would agree..." ~~ Jerry
and...
"Corruption has become more institutionalized than ever. There are only the 'Owners' Parties' in power." ~~ Dave Dubya
I'm starting to believe our only way out from under the "Owner's Parties" is through both a new declaration of independence from corporate power and private monopolization in our political processes, followed by a new constitution which articulates these limited powers through a new bill of rights.
T. Jefferson's thoughts were ignored when he asked that no standing armies and no monopolies be included. I can't help but think we'd be in a much better place today if these were included in, or within, the first ten (or "original twelve").
We're on the precipice of a major paradigm shift. Let's hope it shifts in a progressive direction regarding human rights, democracy and decency.
Trump's "values" are only his ego and his money. He cares about nothing else.
Dave, your favorite whipping boy is back on WB (Ryan), if you would like to do some slapping!
"WB"? What is it?
Email, if you want to keep cultist eyes from knowing.
JG<
Writer Beat at www.writerbeat.com is a writer forum with a lot of free-for-all rants. It was a fun waste of time for a while, but it's just more of the same fact v. belief, left v. right arguing back and forth. It's an arena, or playpen of sorts, of sane voices and racist righties going back and forth to nowhere. Imagine several white nationalists like Vern swarming around patting each other's backs and regurgitating cult hate and ignorance.
Bill H is one of the voices of reason there.
Writer Beat...certainly a conclave of rightwing and fundamentalist politics and Christianity. Whew!
Vern would fit in very well.
...and Ryan. That guy's wound really tight! Amazing...
JG,
Ryan is a hoot. More "Christian" than Jesus himself. He's very concerned with other people having sex, using drugs or having fun. None of that for him. The "Incel" type comes to mind.
Others are of the Proud Boys ilk and racist to the core. It's really a kind of mud pit for ideological wrestling. It was fun for a while, but quickly became a waste of time for me.
There are still some sensible folks over there, so good for them.
According to the Daily Beast, the mobster-in-chief has conveyed to aides that he's not concerned about the national debt blowing up because, and I quote, "I won't be here."
Isn't that nice? The asshole knows (and knew) the Republican tax cut of 2017 would cripple the American economy, yet still gave his uber-rich friends and buddies a gift.
Still, T.Paine and Timmy Trueblood continue to support and revere this criminal. As I noted over on Tom's latest post, the racist hate that keeps 'em under the mobster's wing keeps paying dividends.
Donald Trump has taught the world exactly what the coalescing element is for Republicans and conservatives alike, and it ain't fiscal responsibility. That's a given.
JG,
TP is annoyed at all the "leftist hate" and "liberal lies" and decided to tell us what liberals really think.
Since I disagreed with his indoctrinated view of progressive thought, TP accused me of hate, of course. Then we got a lecture from "Mr. Constitution". Always a treat.
And then I needed to present the facts, ruining everything again.
http://savingcommonsense.blogspot.com/2018/09/all-good-things.html
It's just a demonstration of The Backfire Effect.
Because, you know, when provided different or new information, it only makes common sense (which he saved for over a decade) to reject or deny it rather than to consider it. Some folks need to learn it's ok to be wrong. It's not a failing to be wrong, but it does give a person integrity when they recognize when they are.
TB3,
I like the term Backfire Effect. Here’s my pop psychology take.
I’ve always called it a cult mentality, a characteristic most apparent in true believers of a cult, religion, conservative political ideology/nationalism, or even sports fanatics to a large degree. All in service to “keeping the faith”.
It involves emotion-based beliefs held over rational understanding. It gives a sense of belonging and safety in conformity.
Primitive human tribal and social instincts had a purpose to keep the band together. Unknown phenomena, animal predators, or strangers would trigger the amygdala’s fight or flight instinct.
These were the evolutionary tools adapted to responses to threats or the unknown.
Resistance to, and distrust of, change and strangers were often key to survival.
Now this is manifested in the authoritarian ideology of the Right. Today’s authoritarian personalities’ have a more active amygdala than the general population.
In our socially and scientifically advanced cultures dangers are better understood and threats are usually less immediate, We have evolved a more rational inquisitiveness in addressing the unknown. Thus the rise of the progressives.
However we aren’t that emotionally evolved from cave dwellers. After seizing power, an authoritarian minority can wreak havoc as they react to what they see as threats all around them. The chaos they create triggers more emotional instinctual responses, even on non-authoritarians, unfortunately. War fever and other hysterias have shown this effect.
I wonder whether Michael Cohen's thankful right now, after 3-year sentencing through SDNY?
I wonder whether mobster Donald Trump will be just as "thankful" when he's ultimately handed down a sentence by the same jursidiction of - at least - as much time?
Don the Con is seething with anger and apprehension. He KNOWS he's cooked. He is going down, but who knows how much of the country he'll take with him?
Note his fuming rage in his condescending talk with Pelosi and Schumer. He's emotionally unhinged and incapable of rational negotiations with Democrats. He's learning he isn't the King after all, but simply the "Lyin' King".
This HAS to be a gut-churning day for the mobster-in-chief.
Now, in a non-prosecutorial agreement just released, AMI acknowledged that the purchase of Karen MacDougal's story of hers and Trump's dalliance was, in fact, designed to influence the election.
I wonder whether Trump can spell f.e.l.o.n.y.?
Trump's anger does highlight his irrationality, but that irrationality is there no matter what his mood. The man is nuts and the sooner we impeach him, the better for the country.
I never thought Clinton should have been impeached for lying about a consensual sexual affair and so far this is what we have. Cohen and Trump have been a team for ten years and I find it hard to believe this is the only time the two of them have gone outside the law.
I'm sure Mueller has much more on Trump and I wish he would finish his investigation, so we can get on with the impeachment.
Jerry, based upon what we know I'm not sure impeachment is the answer. With a complicit GOP, he'd never be removed from office anyway.
Although, and this is my "hope for" also, Mueller's final report will be lambasting and leave no doubts or questions about Trump's own complicity in conspiring with the Russians to steal the 2016 election.
There must be evidence that leaves absolutely no doubt, I'm afraid, and even then I'm not convinced there would be non-partisan agreement to remove him from office. This isn't 1974, unfortunately.
It might be up to the SDNY to indict and hang his sorry ass after he leaves office in 2021, but apparently he's already making preparations for that particular circumstance.
There are lots of revelations to come, so we'll have to see.
Trump should not be allowed to just walk away like Nixon did.
By not investigating and prosecuting Nixon's administration we had those crooks hanging around our politics for the next 40 years screwing things up. The ones who got prosecuted and sent to jail left politics. Guys like Cheney were around for decades.
Jerry, when I said this isn't 1974, I meant in relation to a Senate which was apparently ready to break partisan ties and convict Nixon. Nixon knew he didn't have a chance, so resigned.
We don't have a situation that even remotely resembles this today. In our hyper-partisan politically-charged environment, I truly don't think the Senate would convict him -- even if the evidence was iron-clad and indisputable to any rational mind.
Trump knows this and will not resign. If he does, he knows he'll jump out of the impeachment frying pan and into the SDNY fire. Trump will cover this inconvenience, also, by resigning minutes before noon on the day in 2021 when his term ends and then have his newly-elevated president issue a pardon for all crimes committed, before and after ascending to the presidency.
I know, it's not right, but it's the sad reality. The probability is high it will occur similarly to this.
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