We will candidly confess, that until we heard the irritating, cacophonous, Germanic, sounding, “Trump,” we had optimistically, and perhaps, naively, assumed that American democracy was a permanently installed, planetary fixture. Our firm belief was that, (albeit with some defects, presently in the slow, but steady, process of repair) the Founders’ radical experiment in the Republic had permanently succeeded.
Nevertheless, since the noun, “Democracy,” signifies, rule by the people, it tautologically follows, that the nature and quality of the rule, are dependent upon the nature and quality of the people. The wise admonition of Thomas Jefferson, often quoted by us, declared that for a democracy to succeed, it requires an educated and informed citizenry.
Simultaneously, with the shocking elevation, of that ignorant, incapable, and systemically immoral, former game show host, and real estate grifter, Donald J. Trump, to the American Presidency, we came to appreciate, with fear and trepidation, the Nation’s vast number of uninformed and unenlightened citizens; and to empirically, observe, that the unhealthy existence of such a vast number of dumb citizens, is ultimately, and predictably, hazardous to the life of our Republican Democracy.
Pursuant to Trump’s directions, (during and following) his single and singular, four-year term of office they, as loyal members of his newly conglomerated cult, reliably, have been, and still are, enthusiastic participants, in the contemporaneous threat to our Republican Democracy. It is pathetically true that they remain completely unaware that such threats, ultimately, have relevance to, and impact on themselves, as well as the mainstream, more enlightened, citizens of the Nation.
Trump, a would-be autocrat, refused to accept his clear defeat, (after his singular, four-year, nightmarish term) and like an autocratic leader, created the “Big Lie,” viz., falsely and tactically, declaring that he was the legitimate winner. This was despite several official audits declaring the fairness of the election and approval of the accuracy of its computation. The vast hordes of Trump cult followers, pursuant to the express invitation by Trump, mounted the infamous 1/6/21 violent insurrection at the Capitol Building, to, stop the declaration by the Electoral College that Trump had lost, and declare, (the autocratic “Big Lie”) the election, fraudulent, and install Trump as winner. The unprecedented revolt failed, but not before until the commission, by the dedicated domestic terrorists, of homicide and grievous injuries and the causation of substantial property damage. The worst damage, however, was to the integrity of the vote, i.e., to definitional democracy itself.
The vast number of witless insurgents, apparently, were, and remain, incapable of understanding that any threat to democracy, incited by the narcissistic want-to-be autocrat, Donald Trump, or themselves, constitutes an effective threat, as well, to themselves. The attack on the democratic vote was, an attack, as well, on their own right to vote, and an invitation to autocracy. The latter, if successful, would significantly, curtail their own personal liberty, freedom and quality of life as American citizens, as well as other Americans. Their insurrection, and other anti-democratic efforts, effectively, are as contrary to their own interests, as it is, unjustly, contrary to the rights of all American citizens. Like lemmings, the unwittingly, loyal Trump acolytes, do not comprehend the danger to their way of life, and liberty, in their suicidal opposition to equality and civil rights and unwitting, self-defeating support of autocracy.
The harsh facts of the continuing, Covid epidemic, demonstrate the impact of their ignorant opposition to medical science and scientific advancement, by the demonstration of far greater numbers of infection and deaths, among those, thoughtlessly, and loyally, supporting Trump’s claim that the danger of the viral infection was minimal.
The support of right-wing efforts to eliminate government regulations (viz., health, air and drinking water quality, labor, food, transportation safety) are similarly, contrary to their own personal interest in remaining safe and healthy, by the limitation of unhealthy pollution, and other hazards caused, in aid of profit-seeking, sociopathic industry.
In a Nation, populated, 100% by immigrants and their descendants, only thoughtless, persons with lack of perspective could possibly align themselves with xenophobic opposition to refugee immigration.
An instructive comparison may be derived, between the actions of this underbelly of America, and the courageous Ukrainian defenders of their homeland and its tradition of democracy, against the illegal, and unwarranted attack by the autocratic, Putin and Russia. The leadership of the Ukraine and its citizenry are deserving of kudos for their valiant defense of their National integrity and its democratic way of life. Whatever the result of the wrongful incursion and the admirable defense, at the time of this writing, the big, powerful Russia has been halted in its military tracks, by the dedicated defenders of the Ukraine and Ukrainian democracy. We are hoping that this wrongful war will end soon and victoriously, for the defenders.
The unwarranted, siege of Ukraine by, Putin’s Russia is a textbook example of an “external” attack by an autocracy on a democracy. Ukraine’s patriotic defenders have proven themselves admirable, in their defensive protection of their homeland and its democracy.
The insidious, “internal” attack on democracy, by America’s unwitting, thoughtless and disgruntled citizens, might indeed, be more difficult to repel. There are individual rights that are capable of perversion, to serve wrongful end, and liberties, capable of being manipulated for reasons, harmful to the continued existence of democracy.
It is a matter of profound injustice, that the mainstream citizen, appreciative, of his identification as an American, with its plentiful cornucopia of rights and protections, is made to feel threatened, by this large population of inadequately educated, poorly informed (or misinformed) fellow Americans, who lack sufficient perception, to discern the underlying motivation behind the tactical memes of anti-democratic demagogues, and the “alt” facts, of errant politicians.
Like a misguided and franticly possessed herd of lemmings, they unwittingly, rush to their own, personal disaster, in their suicidal, thoughtless opposition to democracy.
-p.
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