In our view, notwithstanding the existence of several extant, vital concerns, there, unfortunately, is inadequate assurance that our citizenry is not merely, sleepwalking through its existential problems. Global warming may be perceived by many, as no more than an academic, long-term concern. Even more troubling, is our view that insufficient action has taken place relative to the clear, and present danger of a decline of our Democratic Republic to an orange iteration of a Trump dictatorship.
Rational and responsible inhabitants of our Planet share the concern about the existential danger of the “greenhouse-caused” increase in global temperature. Changes in seasonal phenomena, storms and major flooding, tsunamis, and other catastrophic events have already demonstrated that such tragic phenomena have now become a matter of empirical experience; and that adjustment and amelioration have irresponsibly been allowed to become the new relevant pragmatic goals. Reports have been broadcast today, that certain Mid-Eastern Nations have signed treaties to limit the production of “fossil fuels.” This, indeed, is a significant and needed development. However, we cannot avoid doubting the empirical effectuation of such agreed limitations, bearing in mind that the singular basis for the wealth and major international influence of such nations is their singular and fortuitous possession of oil.
Regarding, arguably, a more time-emergent concern, citizen sleepwalking seems to be manifested, as well, regarding the current political decline in humanistic democracy despite the tsunami-like growth of autocratic despotism, presently flooding the Globe. Such pervasive tidal currents of autocracy have, of late, been alarmingly percolating into the channels of our Democratic Republic, courtesy of a substantial horde of populist citizens in deep thrall to former President, Donald Trump.
There is no shortage of illustrations of such a dreaded decline throughout history. Research, alarmingly, informs us of the contemporary existence of no less than eighty-eight autocratic nations; many of which, due to analogous populist influence, had morphed into dictatorships. The illustrative example, often cited by us is that of Germany’s early 20th Century Weimar Republic, which, in the space of merely a few years, fully declined from the status of a legitimate democratic polity, constituted by Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches, to the murderous autocracy of Adolph Hitler.
A painful blow to our normative optimism was dealt by recent media reports that the historically liberal Netherlands, of late is evincing a rightward tendency. Holland, the classic venue of Man’s developmentally crucial, “Enlightenment Movement,” had eternally been the avatar of freedom and unfettered personal liberty of action. Such revelation constituted, for us, alarmingly the proverbial, “canary in the coal mine” and, incidentally, was the personal stimulus for this essay.
An alarming trend of the rightward decline of democratic liberty by the populist perversion of established democratic government has, notably, sought to inject its malicious toxin into our free and liberal Republic. Under the malign, egocentric tutelage of the past Republican President and, his numerous acolytes, a veritable “cult,” of Trump supporters, not unlike the past, Nazi “Black” and “Brown Shirts,” has fully metastasized in its vile systemic growth and remains readily amenable to his toxic assertions of “alternate facts,” “racism,” derogation of the public media, rejection of our societally normative systems of law and the American Constitution, itself.
Officially confirmed revelations have surfaced, that Russia covertly and self-interestedly assisted in the successful election of former President Donald Trump, which documented charges rationally and pragmatically, speak precarious volumes. The recent discovery of the existence of a substantial incriminating binder, documenting such Russian election interference, blatantly denied by Trump, has been ominously, declared, “Missing.” One of the underlying tactical motivations for Putin’s sub-Rosa support of Trump was his strategic expectation that Trump would withdraw the United States from NATO, thus enhancing the power of Russia and other autocratic nations. [We have just learned that, at the time of this writing, a united Congress has, providentially, passed a seasonable Bill, restricting a sitting President’s authority to withdraw the nation from NATO.]
The visibly, self-serving, cynical Evangelists support Trump and his autocratic agenda, and strategically, “turn a hypocritical blind eye,” to his all-pervasive immorality since they perceive him to be an existentially needed opponent to “left-wingers,” intellectual secularists, and minorities, whom they see as posing a vital threat to their existence. (See: Blogpost # 994: “The Existential Hitman”)
The scores of ardent “White Christian Militias” support Trump, because of his perceived support for a white, Christian America, as purportedly, “intended by the Founders.” However, history more accurately relates the intention of the Founders (based upon Religion’s tyrannical history in Europe) to specifically exclude the role of a Deity in governance; there is, by their prudent design, no mention of the word or concept of “God” in their drafted Constitution. It was specifically stated by our Founders: “If we put God in the Government (Constitution), we then eliminate Man.” Further, such inadequately schooled, ardently patriotic bigots may be surprised to learn that the most prominent of the Founders, Alexander Hamilton, was not “White,” being the ( legally mulatto) son of a Scottish father and a Native East Indian Mother. But, as has eternally been the case, right-wing, religious bigots are far more inspired by their fervent “patriotism,” and sincere “faith,” than factual reality.
MAGA cultists and general run-of-the-mill atavistic xenophobes, selfishly and thoughtlessly, oppose immigration, depicted by the mendacious Donald Trump (who, himself, has demonstrably shown to be entirely lacking in moral compass) as “criminals and rapists.” This populistic, ignorant, trope is mindless, selfish, and irrationally inappropriate in a nation whose entire population virtually, consists of immigrants and their progeny. Opposition to refugee and general immigration, nonetheless, appears to be a salient ingredient in universal right-wing bigotry.
To comfortably and with moral satisfaction, internally revel in one’s rectitude, sense of equality, and empathic consideration of the democratic rights of others is understandingly commendable, but standing alone is not pragmatically effective. To appropriately and successfully, counter the aggressive, loud, and vocal anti-democratic efforts of the sizeable, cultish MAGA crowd and other narrow-minded fellow citizens, we need to be expressly, more vocal, and manifestly energetic. We need also to vote strategically.
-p.
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