I Think Our Democracy is on the Eve of Destruction

 

    Pixabay

 

 

I’m not a person who looks at life through rose-colored glasses, and I don’t consider myself to be an extreme pessimist. I guess I would call myself a realist. But I can’t join the chorus of revelers espousing hope for normalcy and happier times after the defeat of Donald Trump.

Many of my fellow citizens breathed sighs of relief after both the election and the January 6th insurrection. On January 8 I published a story here on Medium called “Don’t Think for a Moment the Insurrection is Over” expressing my views of the election. It didn’t get much traction, either because no one was interested or no one cared. It’s been 11 months since I wrote that and I’m more worried than ever.

During this time the FBI has been arresting and prosecuting the foot soldiers of the insurrection. You know, little people like us. Most of those already prosecuted have received pathetically light sentences for their part in the violent attempt to overthrow the government.

Meanwhile, the bi-partisan January 6th Commission empowered to investigate the insurrection is slowly peeling back the layers of the organization of the attempted coup. So far numerous subpoenas have been issued, but only two referrals to the Justice Department for Contempt of Congress have been made. Only one person, Steve Bannon, has been arrested and his trial date has been set for 7 months from now. Trump’s closest allies who have been subpoenaed have refused to cooperate and have used the very judicial system they tried to bring down to stall the proceedings.

Unlike the Watergate investigation, which many of us remember viewing on prime time television, we are receiving small bits of information via the internet or if we’re lucky, news channels, except, of course, Fox News. In the past few days, we have learned that many members of Congress and also Fox News celebrities have been involved, in the organization or coverup. All Republican members of the House have continued to spread the “big lie” and defend their fellow Representatives who were involved in the coup. Not all of those members of Congress who took part in the insurrection of January 6h have been publicly identified, as yet.

At the same time, the shit show of Trump suing everyone to prevent the release of his tax returns and to prevent the National Archives from turning over the records surrounding the insurrection continues. As each court denies his case his lawyers appeal to a higher court until the decision is left up to SCOTUS. In other words, Trump is trying to run out the clock, in hopes of a midterm Democrat loss of the House of Representatives. Typical Trump legal strategy he has used his entire pathetic life.

As far as the Department of Justice is concerned we have heard little from them. Attorney General Merrick Garland has been conspicuously silent on anything concerning Donald Trump’s actions and the insurrection in general. He either does not believe Trump can be held accountable for his illegal actions or he is afraid to piss off Trump and his followers.

The MSM does not appear to show an interest in what the investigation is uncovering, even though it is becoming more obvious that Trump was personally involved in obstruction of congress, a felony. Instead, they are focused on blaming Biden for the Republicans not supporting his legislation to improve the lives of middle-class Americans. You and me. Every single Republican has voted against any type of relief for American families. They are denying relief for Americans in need and trying to take away their right to vote.

Instead of the media reporting what the Biden administration has actually done for Americans they are predicting the Democrats will lose the House and the Senate in the midterms. Historically the party in control of the White House loses control of either the House or Senate of both. The media would like nothing better than this to happen because it would help improve their ratings, or so they hope.

The reality of the current political situation is starting to stare me in the face. This is what keeps me up at night. In 2022 Republicans gain control of Congress. The January 6th investigation comes to an end under the Republicans. In 2024 Trump or another GOP traitor is elected. In 2025 blanket pardons are issued for all of Trump’s minions previously convicted. Bam! The Coup is complete!

I hope I’m wrong!

 

Originally published in Rogues' Gallery on Medium.com

Infrastructure or Intimidation? Republicans Approve of the Latter!

 pxhere.com

Today Arizona Republican nutjob representative Paul Gosar was censured by the House of Representatives for posting an anime video in which he killed Democratic representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and threatened President Biden. The vote to censure followed along party lines except for Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. Every other Republican in the House voted to approve of Gosar’s behavior.

It has been 10 days since Gosar posted his violent threat on social media and not one single Republican member of the Senate or House has criticized or condemned him, except for Cheney and Kinzinger. The Republican leadership not only didn’t condemn him, but they also defended his right to threaten a fellow member of Congress and the President of the United States, calling his action “a joke”.

While the Republicans were supporting Gosar's threats of violence they were condemning the 13 members of their caucus who voted for Biden’s infrastructure bill. I guess it’s okay to threaten to kill your fellow congressmen and the President, but it’s a crime to help the American people!

Gosar’s family has been very vocal concerning his actions, calling for him to be censured and expelled. They have called him dangerous, a traitor and in need of psychiatric help. But his fellow Republicans hold him in high esteem.

This is not the first time Gosar has gained notoriety for his extremist views. He is known as a staunch Trump supporter and a strong promoter of “the big lie”. He has offered support for the January 6th insurrection as well as the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville that turned deadly. He makes no bones about his support for white supremacists. It makes absolute sense that Gosar would violently threaten Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, being that she is a woman and she is a person of color.

Why has the Republican party descended into a hateful, immoral, crime-supporting cesspool? Is it because the Republican leadership and rank and file are terrified of Trump and his psychopathic degenerate followers? Or is it because they value power over morality and service to their country and their constituents? It’s probably a combination of both.

It is not really a surprise that Republicans have acted like a cabal of immoral, slithering vermin, in tacitly supporting violence and criminal behavior on behalf of their party members. But what is surprising and frankly terrifying is that a majority of the American people are viewing this as normal for our times.

For those who think that Gosar has learned his lesson or that Republicans will take this as a warning to clean up their act, you are wrong. As I was writing this article Gosar retweeted his violent video! If anything ever happens to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, it will be the fault of Gosar and all of his Republican colleagues who allowed it to happen. It will also belong to anyone who ever votes Republican again.

 

Originally published in Rogues Gallery on Medium.com 

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WTF Does That Mean?

 

Pixabay

I just came back from my gym located in a small strip mall near my home. As I was exiting the mall I saw a bearded elderly man in a motorized wheelchair holding a cardboard sign. The sign read “need guns and ammo”! WTF?!

I Don’t Consider Myself a Superhero, But give me a break!

 

Pixabay.com

In all of my 73 years, I’ve never considered myself to be courageous. But lately, I’ve had to rethink that because of the present Covid-19 pandemic.

When I was a child I suffered from asthma, often landing in the hospital. I underwent testing for allergens to ascertain the correct treatment. This involved injecting substances such as ragweed, timothy, etc, under the skin and waiting to see if there was a reaction. If a hive formed at the injection site, I was allergic to that allergen. I had 25 injections in each arm. After lunch, I had 25 more in each arm. I was found to be allergic to several substances and subsequently had to have 5 shots a week to desensitize my body to these allergens. Eventually, the number of shots decreased as I build up immunity. From the time I was 5 years old to 14 years, I had to endure these shots, every week.

I had no idea what was in those injections and neither did my parents. They trusted my allergist and believed the shots would alleviate my constant suffering. And they did. I still had asthma attacks, but the severity slowly decreased and I didn’t end up in the hospital with each attack. It took a long time and a lot of faith in my doctors, but I finally could breathe better.

Asthma wasn’t the only illness I had to worry about when I was growing up. I was born in midst of the polio epidemic. I had no idea what polio was back then, but I remember seeing pictures of people in “iron lungs” and children with braces on their legs. This was what polio was to me. When I was 4 or 5 years old the polio vaccination became available and I got it. My parents didn’t have social media to study about the vaccine. They wanted to protect me, so they made me get the vaccination. I had no choice. They trusted the medical experts. I never got polio. Today, most people don’t even know what polio is.

Did I mention that I also went to school as a child? My parents didn’t just dress me up, give me pencils and paper, pack my lunch pail and send me off to school. They made sure that I would stay healthy while attending school. They didn’t have a choice. To attend school I had to be vaccinated against a series of diseases that ravaged children during my childhood. Even though some of these diseases were not fatal to everyone, they often caused permanent disabilities, as well as financial hardships. I was vaccinated against smallpox, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis and I never got sick from either the vaccination or the disease.

Because I was accustomed to receiving frequent injections for my asthma, and later, hay fever, I didn’t think receiving vaccinations was a big deal. And my parents, as well as the parents of all of my classmates, didn’t give vaccinations a second thought. There were no school board discussions, no protests, no violence, no attacks on the healthcare professionals, no politicization of the vaccine requirements. Everyone wanted to protect their children and each other.

I can remember standing in line at school with my sleeve rolled up, to receive my vaccination. I don’t even remember any of my classmates screaming or crying. Do you want to know what else I don’t remember? I don’t remember any of my friends or classmate getting sick from the diseases we were protected from!

I find it very confusing to see the younger generation whining and acting like complete pussies because they are asked to wear a mask or get vaccinated. It’s upsetting to watch parents attack teachers and school board members who are trying to protect the children in their care. It’s amazing how some of these people, who probably just managed to pass high school biology suddenly become immunologists after attending Facebook University. Thank God they weren’t my parents!

Having made it to my 73rd birthday and hoping for many more, because my parents cared enough and were intelligent enough to have me vaccinated, I continue to take preventative measures to keep healthy. This includes getting a yearly flu vaccination, the Covid vaccinations, and others such as the shingles and pneumonia vaccinations. I’m not being brave. I’m not a superhero. I’m just smart. It’s time for all Americans to smarten up and grow up!

You can follow my other writings, as well as read works from many other talented writers by becoming a member of Medium. If you would like to sign up for a Medium membership (I will receive part of your membership fee) please click here.

The Eight Beatitudes as Interpreted by Fox News

Photo courtesy of thinking faith.com

On the rare occasion where I have seen Fox News I have noticed that whenever anyone was in the news doing good for society, the country, climate change or anything that would benefit society,  Fox would attack them mercilessly.  The latest attack was on Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, where Fox condemned them for flying on a private jet to attend a conference on climate change held in New York City.  When is the last time you saw Fox's savior, Donald Trump fly commercial?

After seeing this fact I thought of how Fox would interpret The Eight Beatitudes from Christ's Sermon on the mount.  Here is the way Fox would present the beatitudes.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they are lazy and deserve to be poor.

2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they should get over it.

3. Blessed are the meek, for they are losers.

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they are socialists.

5. Blessed are the merciful, for they are weak.

6. Blessed are pure in heart, for they are fake.

7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called suckers.

8. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for they are not real Americans and deserve it.

Thank you Fox News and the Republican party for telling us what Christianity really is all about!

Don't Think for a Moment the Insurrection is Over, It's Not. They'll Try Again.

                                                                      Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay 

Like millions of people all over the world, I watched in horror, sadness, and disgust as the United States Capitol building was taken over by insurrectionists goaded on by the President of the United States. For the first time since the War of 1812 the Capitol was captured, not by a foreign enemy, but by domestic terrorists. For the first time since the Civil War, the confederate flag, a symbol of racism, hate, and insurrection was present in the Capitol, where the bodies of patriots like John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, John McCain, and John Lewis have lain in state.

For hours Trump’s militia roamed, ransacked, and even urinated and defecated in the halls of the people’s Capitol, without opposition. While this was happening, Donald Trump and his family and most ardent supporters watched gleefully from the confines of a secure bunker in the White House. This is what Trump wanted. Chaos and violence. 

Trump’s coup failed, but it came so shockingly close to succeeding! How in the hell did this happen? With the hundreds of millions of dollars this country spends to defend our country and Capitol, a bunch of deplorable, ignorant, deluded, cult followers was able to invade and occupy the seat of our government, with ease. They did not do it alone. Someone financed, planned, assisted, and encouraged this coup. At the top of this list definitely are Trump, Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani, Michael Flynn, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and all of those Republican members of Congress who have enabled Trump and spread his lies about election fraud. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the rioters were aided by some members of the Capitol police and other governmental law enforcement agencies. Even the acting head of the Department of Defense had a hand in preventing the calling up of the National Guard.

Amazingly at the end of the day on January 6, only a handful of rioters were arrested. Had this been a BLM demonstration hundred of correctional facility buses would be overflowing with prisoners and dead bodies would be littering the ground! Ah, the wonders of white privilege! Two days after the attempted coup more arrests have been made, but the Justice Department has declined to investigate the speakers who incited this unforgivable violence. It appears the instigators will go unpunished. 

One would think that with this violence and the attempt to overthrow the electoral process the Republican members of Congress who helped encourage this insurrection would realize what their support of Trump had done to our democracy and support the Constitution. But no, they continued to spew their lies and conspiracy theories in an attempt to give Trump another term. They knew they would not succeed, but they grandstanded to please Trump’s base for political gain. Eventually, Biden was certified as the winner of the 2020 election, as expected.

Two days later investigations have just begun into how this attempted coup could have happened and who is responsible. Calls for the removal of Trump, either from invoking the 25th Amendment or another impeachment, have been growing. But only the Democrats are calling for Trump to be held accountable for his failed coup. Only one Republican has joined the Democrats in calling for Trump’s removal. Cowardly Mike Pence has refused to invoke the 25th while some members of the Cabinet have resigned, so they would not be forced to vote against Trump. Republicans in the House and Senate have stated that they would not support removing Trump through impeachment. They would rather risk our democracy and the lives of our citizens than to go against Trump!

People have argued that there are only less than two weeks before Trump leaves office and it is a waste of time to attempt to remove him before then. They say, “what can he do in 13 days?”. The answer to that should be clear looking back to January 6th. He still has the nuclear codes, he still is Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, he can still start a war, he can still incite his cult members to attack the Inauguration. And he can run again in 2024. 

Trump will be out of office on January 20, but he won’t be gone. In the next few days, if he is not impeached or removed he will pardon himself for all crimes he has committed during his tenure and for those he could or will commit before Biden becomes President. In other words, he will be free to continue to wreak havoc upon or country. 

We must remember that Hitler or any other dictator did not succeed in their first try at seizing authority. They did not give up and admit defeat and neither will Trump. He and his followers will always be with us unless they are held accountable. Those in public office, those in the Republican party, and those in his administration must be held accountable and imprisoned for treason. And yes, I also hold those people who have voted for him and continue to support him partially responsible for laying the groundwork for this attempted coup. And just as guilty, are those of our citizenry who “don’t like to get involved in politics”. You are also responsible for Trump and Trumpism. Your silence was and is a form of encouragement for Trump. 

Sadly I don’t believe that Trump and his enablers will be held accountable. Trump will not resign or admit defeat. Those reprehensible insurrectionists who took over the Capitol will know that in reality, they had gotten away with an attempted coup and lived another day to fight again. The next time they will succeed.

 

Originally published in Rogues' Gallery on Medium.com