Tag: Opinion

Opinion

Moving forward

The Democratic controlled House of Representatives and Senate is where the action is for rebuilding the base of the republic. Joe Biden has told us what he wants to do, but he needs congress to make it a reality. Trump has been impeached but now should be convicted and banned from ever holding office again; unless we want to see more like him in the future. The COVID19 pandemic threatens to morph into a new threat with variants overtaking vaccines if we do not act quickly to finance the fight against it. Assistance for people financially damaged by the pandemic and the rest of the economy is needed sooner to prevent more damage later. Civil rights for all Americans to be treated with dignity is urgent as our society battles extremism and hate. Climate change has it’s own timer and does not care if we respond or not, but if we care for future generations the time is now. Democrats have been given control and now must show supporters that they really care about the issues important to voters. I am hopeful that we will see boldness from congress and the Biden administration. Stay focused and be ready to provide feedback and support to your representatives and the administration.

Opinion

New Day

It is a new day in America and you can feel the energy. So many people have shared their renewed hope and energy from the inauguration. Joe Biden’s words and record project that he is a decent and empathetic man. Importantly, Joe also knows hot the system works. He is fortunate to be elected at a time when so many citizens are aware of the need to be involved and not take our republic for granted. Joe’s strength or weakness will be the people. If the administration can get the majority of Americans behind it’s policies, we will all be moving toward a brighter future. Continue to pay attention to what is going on in every branch of government, and expect results that you can support. Use the 5 Calls app or other tools to let your representatives know how you feel and keep them aware. Let’s make our republic work as it should.

Opinion

A New Beginning?

The calendar shows that we are in a new year, but it feels like 2020 continued after the sacking of the US Capitol. America has put itself through a lot with bad decisions and lies taking the country to the brink of disaster. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in soon providing new direction and hope to millions of Americans. Meanwhile, millions of other Americans believe that evil cannibals are taking over the government, the country is being overrun by minorities, and their savior has been removed from the power. Our country has been turned against itself by the love of power and money while mass and social media companies knowingly spread lies that created havoc to gain audience. We have become addicted to having everything our way including “reality”. America’s challenge going forward is to make the truth widespread, and lies shameful or at least unprofitable. The United States has been a beacon for democracy and human rights around the world; now the light has gone out and we are an unstable country. I am hopeful that the Biden-Harris administration will have the support to make truth normal, to turn the lights in our hearts and souls back on. The struggle between good and evil is eternal; America on the right side of history is relatively recent, our strength is the truth.

Opinion

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” “Why America may go too hell.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On this MLK holiday every American needs to reflect on current events and where we go from here. The two quotes in the title of this post are great words to ponder. I don’t want my country to go to hell, but we seem to be drifting in that direction. Our culture has become toxic to the decency and dignity of the average citizen. America has media empires built on consistently lying to advance a viewpoint that some people are better than others, and democratic government is a problem. We are far away from believing that all men are created equal, or that the truth will set us free. Evil and selfish people believe that they should control other people while getting a pass for themselves because they are part of an entitled group. We used to believe that some people were royalty and they had special entitlements, now we are fighting the racist lie with the same foundation. There is nothing that says we will make it to a better future for all humanity. Dr. King and great leaders have tried to save us from our worst impulses, but we live in a world where people are fine with supporting evil. The rationales for supporting treachery, corruption, and authoritarian creatures like Trump are increasingly absurd, but Republican majorities of citizens continue to do it. The level of degeneration in our country is dangerous, it will take every decent person to protect our democracy and hope for a better future. Dr. King said that we will get to the promised land; I pray he is right. Be ready to support American institutions, the dignity of your fellow citizens, hold evil accountable, and protect our republic.

Opinion

Accountability

The American legal system has to capture and punish the terrorists and criminals who assaulted and sacked the US Capitol. The mere fact that this must be stated is an indictment of systemic white supremacy in America. Many Americans think the Capitol assault was not a big deal, and a few people got out of control. The same people would be ready to declare war and invade another country if the same assault had been staged by Iranians or Chinese. If the attack had been staged by Black Americans the death toll would have been tremendous. America has an issue with racism, and it threatens to become a lot worse if white supremacist terrorism is not dealt with appropriately. The focus of the attack was to take the defeat of Donald Trump and create victory by deleting unwanted votes (both minority and white votes). The plan was a repeat of what took place in 1876 to end Reconstruction, beginning the Jim Crow era of racial marginalization and segregation. The lies about the election being stolen were not challenged by most Republicans or the conservative media echo chamber. Truth and justice were not even speed bumps in the pursuit of a reinforced system of white supremacy. Whether people claimed to be evangelicals, QAnon, proud boys, or Klu Klux Klan, the truth was not deemed to be worthy of consideration to keep a lying Trump in office for four more years. Four more years of corruption, abuse, and lies to create a revised America that no longer respected the Constitution. For America to move forward in strength we must believe and act as if ‘knowing the truth will set us free’ to paraphrase Jesus.

Opinion

Article review: The American Abyss by Timothy Snyder

If you want to read a scholarly analysis of what has taken place at the Capitol and in our country The American Abyss by Timothy Snyder is at the top of the list. Timothy Snyder is a Yale professor of history and expert on fascism. Professor Snyder wrote Bloodlands an intense history of Stalin and Hitler’s mass murders in Eastern Europe which I previously reviewed. The American Abyss gets to the heart of long term issues that led us to the assault on the Capitol and the divisions in our society, but Snyder also identifies what we must look out for going forward. A key finding in the article is the complicity of the Republican Party in using racism to get votes while channeling power and resources to the wealthy. Snyder identifies two types of current Republican politicians; gamers who use Trump and racism for election and power, breakers who like having a white authoritarian in power and could care less about democracy. Armed with the insight and information of this article citizens can both understand the history that led us to near disaster, and correctly analyze what needs to happen in the coming years. Snyder identifies truth as a necessity for democracy and all parties having agreement on basic facts. I strongly recommend that every literate concerned citizen read or listen to The American Abyss by Timothy Snyder at the New York Times website.

Opinion

American vigilance

The sacking of Capitol by seditious domestic terrorists should have the attention of every American. The terrorists have different belief systems according to reporting. A good deal of the terrorists are white supremacists who want a violent civil war to achieve their goals. Another portion of the terrorists are Qannon conspiracy believers who have lost touch with any known reality, and believe the country is run by evil pedophiles (No one can explain why these people support Trump who hung around with an accused pedophile). Another portion of the terrorists are reported to be religious fundamentalists who believe our society of individual freedom should not exist, and a dictatorship controlling all behavior is preferable to a democracy. The remainder of the terrorists are apparently lost souls who believe that Trump is somehow their savior. The reality for Americans who love our republic is that we face a real and committed threat to our way of life. The common focus of the terrorists is to bring about an authoritarian government that can exert more control over personal freedom. All authoritarians promise their followers special status that others do not enjoy as long as they follow orders (See Timothy Snyder). Right now the terrorists are focused on terrorizing Democrats and our government leaders, once they win that struggle they will come after us. The land of the free and the home of the brave must be just that right now. Be ready to support President Biden, his administration, and our elected lawmakers at the federal and local level because patriotism has never been more important.

Opinion

Why Trump chose to be a Republican

After watching the Capitol building being sacked and looted by fools who were lied into a mindless frenzy; I had to pause to reflect on how we became so lost as a country. Trump’s criminal rampage was fed by the political party he joined to run for president based on the consistent use of racism to turn out white voters. The Southern Strategy (designed to appeal to white grievance) was successful for Nixon in 1968, and continued to be successful for Republicans going forward. Trump had to make a calculation that he could use the Republican’s sea of lies and subtext of racism against them, and he did. He sold himself as the angriest and most genuine white supremacist candidate for 2016, while labeling the other Republicans as the real con-artists. Republican voters bought it despite never examining Trump’s own lies because they wanted fighter who would bring white supremacy beyond the wink and a nod, to a focused mainstream. Trump is undisciplined, but he knew that he was a match for the desire of his voters and gave them what they wanted. We are now dealing with the fallout of our democracy allowing this racist demagogue to run our great nation into a ditch, because hatred and laziness do not make good leaders. People of goodwill should be vigilant and elect leaders who work towards liberty and justice for all.

Opinion

Criminal in charge?

The truth is the strength of America. When Americans elect criminals for whatever reason they strike at the heart of the republic. Trump is a criminal on many levels, and he has struck more than once at the heart of America. He started by selling lies about the first Black president, then he appealed to Russia for help in getting elected, finally he called for his followers to overthrow the republic and help him evade the consequences of losing the election and his crimes. The United States is at a crossroads. We can no longer live by a white male gentleman’s agreement. Our leaders must hold themselves accountable to the laws of the country, and not have insider’s justice (not the same as meted out to average citizens). Trump must be held accountable for his insanity or we will see more like him soon. The people who attacked the Capitol must be hunted down and brought to justice for our republic to thrive. Those who would intimidate the republic must be brought to understand the nature of justice, and the wrath of the people. We celebrate the elections in Georgia while we focus on justice for the debasement of our Capitol.

Opinion

Corrupter in Chief

It is 2021 and we are still dealing with the orange con’s criminality and madness. The nation’s first failure was to empower a racist liar in reaction to the election of the first Black president. Failure was compounded as desperate White supremacists in the Republican Party refused to confront continuous lies, corruption, and criminality for the sake of power. The result is the moral collapse of the Republicans combined with the diminished power and status of the United States. People worldwide no longer trust America along with many US citizens losing faith. The system of support for the corruption we see is able to contort on command to maintain the pretense that what we see is somehow reasonable, while rational adults recognize criminality when they see it. Every day of the current regime is a threat to decency and our Republic. If we survive these times remember what you have seen to motivate continued involvement in current events, and politics. There is not someone else out there who will look out for your interests, well-being, or freedom.