Our saga’s valiant, metaphoric hero, was born by the political creativity, of a small group of optimistic and exceptionally gifted, idealists, identified in the “ancient lore” of American History, as “The Founders.” These foresighted and elegant Colonials, sought to bravely launch a bold, historically radical, experiment in the creation of a unique State, that would eschew the traditional social and political injustices, eternally manifest in European History. Their bold and creative project, our Democratic Republic, declared that, “All men are created equal,” thereby eliminating the injustices of privileged birth, and, importantly, promulgated an authoritative Constitution, assuring basic rights to the citizenry, and defining the legal relationship of the Federal Government, and the constituent States.
The experimental nation has, in its brief 300 -year history, faced and bravely overcome, so many existential challenges, which we suggest, well qualify it, metaphorically, to heroic, Protagonist status, comparable to those appearing in classic literary sagas such as, “The Odyssey,” “The Labors of Hercules,” and the legends of Old Norse Mythology. These vintage tales, involve brave and determined Protagonists, beset by numerous, ostensibly undefeatable, challenges, who, nevertheless, by reason of strength, heroic courage and grim determination, attain ultimate victory. Their slaying of mythical monsters, such as, the 9 headed hydra, the Nemean Lion, and various and sundry terrifying creatures, are permanently enshrined, among the various, celebrated feats of the many, divine-like, Protagonists, in classic, legendary reality.
Our elective, metaphorical Protagonist, America, has similarly, and valorously, confronted many seemingly, insurmountable dangers and threats to its successful existence, including the Civil War, the perilous, Reconstruction Period, The War of 1812, The Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, two World Wars, the McCarthy Era, the Assassinations of Kennedy and Martin Luther King, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The resilience, strength and the valor of our citizenry, in the preservation of freedom and the American way of life, from the existential threat of autocratic rule, were, inarguably, legendary, heroic victories, successfully won, by our metaphoric Protagonist, America.
In the case of the traditional, ancient literary Protagonists, cited earlier, the danger, eternally, emanated from external sources, sirens, sea monsters, multi-headed predators, angry gods and the like. By stark contrast, our Protagonist, is confronted with the grave danger of insidious, internal threats.
The success and continued existence of a democratic nation, is manifestly, dependent upon a literate and informed society, as declared by one of its founders, Thomas Jefferson. Accordingly, Freedom of the Press, among other mandated rights, was protected by the Constitution’s First Amendment. The dissemination of accurate, truthful facts, is a vitally essential ingredient, in any free Nation, which dedicates itself to the principle of “a government for, and by the people.” This, however, is the area presenting the greatest existential peril, at the present time, to our valiant Protagonist.
The optimistic Founders, assumed that the dedicated citizens of the new Nation, would, in good spirit and amicable fashion, constructively debate the issues of the day (of which they would be properly informed, by virtue of the Freedom of the Press) and that the result, of such civic-minded debates, be taken up by the legislature; leading to the stated goal, of a representative government, “by and for, the People. However, antagonistic relationships, unforseeingly developed, concerning differences of opinion, rendering such friendly and constructive debate impossible, as sadly described, in our earlier writing, “The Death of Civic Amity.”
A truly threatening, fearful monster, dangerously challenging our Protagonist-nation, is that unforeseen and utterly antagonistic, diversity, exacerbated by the ominous metastasis of “tribalism.” In the latter complication, certain citizens decided to band together, respectively, in insular, divisive, groups dedicatedly casting identical votes to qualify with a compliant, “groupthink,” and seeing, like groups, but of divergent views, as enemies; in order presumably, to satisfy a perceived need for mutual acceptance. The serious challenge, posed by such divisiveness, was not anticipated by the Founders of our Protagonist, and still persists, as an ever- present, peril to its proper administration. This problematic, phenomenon, has been, in large part, caused and tactically encouraged, by a non-mythical, Orange Ogre who, in fact, evilly, thrives on exacerbated citizen division.
It is the same Orange Monster, who has consistently launched, unmitigated attacks on the press media, as, allegedly publishing falsity, thereby engendering intended confusion, as to the accurate facts, and, for some people, a perilous reliance upon his factual distortions. This dangerous and fearful ogre, known as, “The Trump,” is known for a personal and insatiable lust for power, accumulated riches, and a neurotic hunger for admiration. Like a fire-breathing dragon, he issues forth smokescreens or fog, to hide his reprehensible actions, by repeatedly demeaning democracy’s required source of investigative information, its institutional press, and its other reliable media. The detestable creature seeks, thereby, to avoid critical scrutiny, predictably revelatory, of his gross acts of immoral behavior and complete professional incapability.
By means of his daily, consistent, practice of unashamed mendacity, while thus accusing the traditionally reliable media of falsehood, this sinister threat has succeeded, in putting the very life of our Democratic Republic in mortal peril. A dangerous, existential challenge to our protagonist nation, he has successfully misled his deluded followers, to accept his false, delusional, and often, inconsistent, representations. This is a similar tactic, to his natural inclination to misrepresentation, which misled the uninformed, flat-earth voters who, in large part, installed him in office, in the first place. Many of his distortions, actually, go beyond inaccuracy, and are shamefully, corrupt.
The intentional encouragement of tribal divisiveness, disparagement of the media and all of our democratic institutions, are consistent with a despot, or an autocrat; a political monster, and not a President of the United States. Reports indicate that the divisive, tribal phenomenon, exacerbated by the monster’s disparagement of the media, has metastasized to the point where many (tribal) American citizens, will believe legitimate and accurate news reports, only to the extent, that such information is in accord, with their fixed and inflexibly established, personal opinions.
In this modern day saga, of courage and deliverance, the protagonist, itself, predictably, will not, as usual in such sagas, be the triumphant hero, achieving victorious deliverance. The awful beast will be the mortal victim, of millions of citizens who, performing as legendary heroes, will accomplish the laudable task, of soundly defeating the foul Orange Monster, by means of a divinely inspired, all- conquering sword, known as the Vote.
-p.
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