ARE YOU BEING BAMBOOZLED? ©
"Bamboozle" originally a slang or cant word, perhaps Scottish from bombaze: "perplex," or Fr. embabuiner: "to make a fool (baboon) of" (Online Etymology Dictionary); "to deceive or get the better of (someone) by trickery, flattery, or the like; hoodwink; to practice trickery or deception (Random House Dictionary). This Blog is one citizen's attempt to speak forthrightly and to question those who would bombastically deceive and mislead the public.
2/19/2022
ANARCHY is NOT FREEDOM
2/08/2022
Is TYRANNY Our DESTINY?
Tyranny is found in many forms . However, it can be said to exist wherever some individual or group seeks unauthorized power in order to exert control over what others say and do. Thus, it shows up as a boyfriend or girlfriend attempting to control whatever the opposite gender or partner believes or proposes. Often, it seeps into marriage relationships where one partner seeks control over the other in ways too numerous to mention.
Or, it can simply be displayed by persons who are in helping professions who suddenly discover the power they have to influence people’s lives because of their client’s dependence on the help or services being delivered. Thus, people living with poverty or limited resources may be found making every attempt to avoid the over-bearing helper who tries to control their lives through the very help they are meant to provide without extra strings attached. It could be like having a social worker tell a client living in poverty that they must do something extra to “earn” their benefits, such as disciplining their children as the worker believes they should; or, by taking an inappropriate action that is to the worker’s benefit rather than that of the client.
And then, of course, there is that whole area of private enterprise where control is sought mostly in hidden ways that too often remain hidden until someone blows a whistle of knowledge and truth.
The tyranny of private enterprise is the bane of our existence because every day it impinges upon our lives, and we are prone to ignore or deny it simply because it is too much to contend against. AND SO, WE TEND TO ALLOW business, and advertising, schools and professionals, technocrats, repairmen and salespersons to take advantage of our ignorance, our apathy, our uncritical demeanor or our willingness to just “get through the day” all of which can be invitations to exploit, swindle, access our private information, and make enhanced profit for themselves or their businesses without a whimper from us. AND WHAT IS AMAZING is the propaganda that capitalism has produced over decades that this form of tyranny is good for us!
The growth of privatization of governmental functions is
moving ahead in the form of grants, vouchers, and contracts that are being
swallowed up by private enterprises more than eager to be paid with taxpayer
dollars instead of having to raise capital from private sponsors, bank loans or
by other private means of funding. The earnings
at taxpayer expense are kept quiet but
what we do know from www.crimereport.org is that
“A few businesses are involved in
almost every aspect of prison life, taking in billions of dollars every year
for products and services, often with little oversight, Axios
reports. Taxpayers, incarcerated people and their families spend around $85
billion a year on public and private correction facilities, bail and prison
services, says the Prison Policy Initiative.”
For-profit prison companies started in response to the
government’s incapacity to handle the skyrocketing incarcerated population.
As for private
schools pocketing federal dollars, www.corpwatch.org
comments:
“ In Jefferson County, Colorado,
Pepsi donated $2 million to build a school football stadium-in exchange for
exclusive rights to sell soft drinks in all 140 district schools and to
advertise in school gymnasiums and athletic fields. That deal is estimated to
earn the company $7.3 million over seven years. It doesn't end there. Education in the U.S.
has become big business. The "education industry," a term coined by
EduVentures, an investment banking firm, is estimated to be worth between $630
and $680 billion in the United States. The stock value of 30 publicly traded
educational companies is growing twice as fast as the Dow Jones Average.
Brokerage firms like Lehman Brothers and Montgomery Securities have specialists
seeking out venture capital for the 'education industry’.”
BUT we buy into it! For example, we actually allow pollution of our air, water, and earth – indeed our whole planet – managing to pay exorbitant prices for things that tyranny says are good for us like gas oil, over-priced drugs, unhealthy foods and drink, etc. We literally BUY IT ALL because it is engrained in us that opposition or protest of business, big or small, is hurtful to our economy and will somehow ruin our lives. And thus, the destruction imposed upon us by such tyranny goes “by the boards” consequences be damned. Just often enough, someone is punished for their miscreant behavior, and we are convinced that all is well, even though our planet keeps crying out to us that it is dying and needs our dramatic and dynamic help against the tyrannical owners who control our daily actions and reactions. We demur, we delay, we fail to hold tyrants responsible, and we elect leaders who have no business in public office because they don’t give a damn about public welfare; they only care about their own welfare, seeking public office as their chance to gain a sense of power and control over others to reap gain for themselves.
WE FAIL TO LISTEN or INVESTIGATE. WE FAIL TO CRITICIZE. WE FAIL TO EXAMINE. WE FAIL TO HOLD ACCOUNTABLE –our economic, political, and public leaders. INSTEAD, we buy into their ideologies, their falsehoods, their excuses, their schemes and their supposed leadership and understanding of issues. What we also fail to do is to demand effective representation, including their full attention to our needs and desires, their loyalty to the Constitution and their complete responsibility to represent us, not to act for themselves or for their monied sponsors. We fail to call them to account, to measure their performance with strict evaluation criteria and then to vote based on the gathered facts rather than on impressions or fantasies, propaganda and made-up negativities and conspiracies. Most of all, we need to know what proportion of our problems have been addressed and resolved by them. We then become disillusioned and vote on a false unfounded basis instead of on research, facts, and truth – on CRITICAL ANALYSIS. And we end up changing parties-in-power but do not necessarily end up with men and women who have a better sense of governing than those we just threw out. We buy the myth that change is adequate in itself, but that only starts the tyranny of power-grabbing all over again. We rarely change the system itself to guard against the tyrannies of personal aggrandizement and personal ignorance and their avoidance of sacrifice, the general welfare and the superiority of service to humanity rather than profit for the few.
Tyranny comes to us in many forms; let us mention a limited
number for context.
·
Children treated as pawns, possessions, and
numbers with little concern for their life needs; schools are ‘hotbeds’ of
little tyrannies imposed on children
·
Domestic abuse on the rise, and women kept in
subordinate roles both by administrators and staff
·
Shooting of innocent persons of color during unwarranted
confrontations; sentencing of minorities to lengthy and unjust prison sentences
·
Landlords who ignore laws and regulations and
the rights of renters;
·
Unnecessary rules, regulations, fees or fines,
licensing, paperwork and a myriad of government requirements that do little
more than force uniformity and conformity upon citizens under the guise of ‘streamlining’ administration’; too often the motive is not to enhance
service but to ease administrative workload;
·
Voluminous Personal Information-gathering about
consumers/citizens by mostly unregulated websites with tie-ins to government
·
The tyranny
of elected representatives having access to inside information that enables
congresspersons to profit; and, using government to enrich themselves as with
farm subsidies; plus, having special privileges as with health care choices and
free surgery
We have fallen prey to the tyranny of the individual versus
the welfare of the many. We are falling prey
to the tyranny of one person having power to make and enforce law as she/he sees
fit. We have fallen prey to the false
idea that social welfare is the horrifying hobgoblin that is the lead-in to
socialism and communism. Many have
bought the false idea that asserting the will of the minority and the elite few
is healthiest for our country when a greater unity and enhanced community are
what our Constitution is founded on.
We have been seduced into believing that certain people are
not worthy of full citizenship or of the right to decide matters of import that
come before us as a nation, but have instead chosen to elect leaders who tend to
disown their oath of office by not defending our constitutional form of
governing in favor of a regime that will balance a budget (to what end?), settle
for smaller, weaker government (and lack of performance ) support an elite few millionaires rather than
the multi-faceted population. We are
bamboozled by people who support violence as a tool of control of others’
thoughts, words and deeds so that only what they say and do matters. And now,
many labor under a flawed concept that only a tyrannical leader of white supremacists
should possess the power of absolute control.
WE have bought the ultimate falsehood that truth is unattainable; facts
are fiction, and people who disagree with leaders are disloyal and
unpatriotic. The tyranny of untruth and
violent control has begun to tyrannize public officials.
Moreover, we are facing the shocking truth that some (a
sizeable portion in some districts) forces ostensibly dedicated to citizen safety
and protection are some of the very forces who are threatening certain citizens
and officeholders with harm and are thus threatening our whole system of
equality and unity of laws which constitute our justice system. Legal forces being
used to intimidate and threaten citizens is the essence of tyrannical
governing.
Finally, the designated plotter against our whole form of governing, Donald J. Trump, has for years used the tools of government and the legal system to undermine that system. That is the ultimate way that tyranny prevails-- by looking like and acting as though it is a legitimate organization with legitimate structure, rules, policies and programs . It is the followers of that leader who are the tools used to commandeer and control every aspect of government as though government’s parts are their personal possessions with the gleaning of profit from them theirs to take without remorse or punishment.
Tyranny is on our doorstep.
A man who was essentially allowed tyrannical behavior from childhood and
who grew into the role of bully and narcissist; a man who was raised to admire strength,
revenge, and unemotional demeanor; topped off with an ability to control others.\—that man now
controls a political party, the Supreme Court majority, and has a base of
followers ,who accept without examination the ideology and behavior of a man
with absolute accumulated power over others.
And they stand ready to vote
against our democracy and in favor of his tyranny.
There is precious little time left to counteract the tyranny
that we face. The one Party dedicated to
make the effort has failed because of the lack of a specific detailed Plan and
the lack of the use of forceful persuasion over the two Senators responsible
for voting against the welfare of their Constituency and the welfare of society
in general. They should be expelled from
the Democratic Party, from committees of Congress, from receiving party funds,
and from access to sponsors .
Negotiations with them are futile as they have only their own
futures in mind and are acting to enhance their positions. They need to be held accountable for voting
for a tyrant and not for democracy. And the White House needs to exempt them
from federal aid whenever possible private funding and backing from
traditionally Democratic party sources .
It may mean they will go Republican to win re-election, and that is a
risk, But the bigger risk is their support for anti-democratic principles and
ideals. Time to get tough on their fake bipartisanship and call it what it is
which is-- the tyranny of personal attention and aggrandizement. They epitomize the tyranny of using public
office for personal gain.
1/07/2022
January 6th Challenge: A CRITICAL CHOICE
January 6, 2021 – call it what you will, but it is now a “Day that will live in Infamy” on a similar level with December 7, 1941, and September 11, 2001, when attacks upon the United States of America were carried out by people intent on bringing permanent harm to our nation, our people, our form of government, and our way of life.
Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution of the United
States defines treason rather narrowly as “levying war against the United
States, or “adhering to their enemies giving them aid and comfort.” In my opinion, and that of others of greater
note, that definition is narrow and too vague, leaving us with an inability to
call to account some who intended, and who have brought, permanent harm to our
nation that might be described as ‘treasonous.’
It may well be too early to talk of treasonous actions, but
it is not too early to use the term “treachery” in talking about the planners,
sponsors, and participants in this horrendous domestic terrorist attack upon
our seat of government.
The New World dictionary defines Treachery and Treacherous
by use of such words as: “betrayal of trust or allegiance; disloyalty and
unfaithfulness in regard to one’s country…’”
And then points to other words
that might carry relevant meanings such as ‘Traitor’ -- defined as: “a person who betrays his country, cause,
friends, etc.” mentioning ‘faithlessness’ and ‘disloyalty’ as likely synonyms.
ONE particular word definition remains useful in this
context, and that is ‘Insurrection’ -- “a rising up against established
authority; rebellion.” While such action
might be appropriately used against abusive or oppressive government (as in our
own American history), such action demands and requires that adequate
proof/evidence of its necessity be presented to its citizens and to the world
(as in our own Declaration of Independence).
It is not acceptable to
institute rebellion against one’s government based on lies, misinformation,
made-up conspiracy narratives, or especially on one person/leader’s narcissistic
words or directions that are nothing more than results of personality
disorders. If the participants in such
rebellion are involved to satisfy the overwhelming need of one man to escape the
self-imposed indignity or stigma of being a ‘loser,’ then the term ‘insurrectionists’
must give way to the more accurate terms of ‘treasonous traitors’ for they have
acted to harm their fellow-citizens and their legitimate government, and, in fact,
to OVERTHROW the legitimately certified election of a new government on the
lone basis of a lie.
That is why the work of the Justice Department and of the Congressional
Special Committee on the Jan. 6th action is so important. We must know all the facts in order to decide
whether or not the punishment fits the crime; whether or not there is a broad
conspiracy afoot to takeover or to destroy our form of government; whether or
not there needs to be legislation that addresses the situation; whether or not
voting rights will be protected, democracy affirmed, and accountability assured;
and whether or not conspirators should be barred from holding public
office. WE NEED ANSWERS and no excuses
or whitewashing of this incident will ever be acceptable.
Each citizen and every voter have the awesome responsibility
to make a decisive choice between dictatorship of violent extremism or the
continued pursuit of truly representative democracy. It is the one issue we must face in upcoming
elections for nothing else matters – do I vote for dictatorship or democracy?
From many of the discussions
of the one-year anniversary of the attack upon the Capitol, its occupants and
its protectors, we heard many things that should not be forgotten, like the
following primary causes of this terrorist brand of political dissent.
§ Conspiratorial planning – we have pretty good evidence
already that this was not a spur-of-the-moment idea or event. Planning went into it, and members of the
White House and the Congress were undoubtedly part of that planning
§ This may have been only a practice
for a much larger coup d’état still to come in 2022 and 2024
§ Fundamental to this happening in the first place
are at least these factors:
o
Donald
Trump’s inability to accept defeat on any level because he was ingrained
with his ‘father’s principle’ that defeat is a sign of weakness, unbecoming in
a ‘real man,’ a real estate developer or in a leader of men.
o
A
continuous element in American politics of rebellion against
government (especially liberal or ‘socialist’ government) with the added
concept that the use of unethical and illegal means of achieving control from
that government is not only acceptable but preferred, like lying, the use of
propaganda or misinformation to lure others, the use of guns, violent threats,
mayhem and intimidation to coerce adherents and to discourage opposition
o
The
absolute ruse of a fraudulent election in 2020 in which various
invented scenarios claim that the election was ‘stolen’ from Trump by Democrats for Joe Biden (although more
than seventy court cases never presented credible evidence to prove such
cheating ever occurred)
o
That
at a very fundamental level, the loss of an electoral majority of white
Republicans has so frightened that cohort of voters that they have
seized control of local election infrastructure (school boards, town councils,
state legislatures, election boards, commissions that draw voting districts,
etc.) to promulgate laws, rules and procedures that will block multi-racial
minorities from exercising their sovereign right to vote
o
And
equally complicit in this whole matter is a Republican Party apparatus
completely controlled by Trump and his followers; a group of toadies unable to
speak up or speak out against Trump along with his leading congressional sycophants
who bow to his every whim (or who inspire his more bizarre and horrendous
actions)
o
But
finally, are the Trump voters who continue to treat their Donald
as a savior, their hope for a better future, and their answer to controlling
perceived forces that are attempting to take over their lives and their livelihoods. It is this group of Trump cult worshippers
that are integral to preserving and promoting past and future
insurrections. The culture wars are real
for them, and they plan to stay at war if they must to preserve their power and
their control.
It must be
said that it is much clearer how we got to this point than how we will get
through it. Here are some personal
thoughts along with a few garnered from today’s discussions and events:
1. There is a top priority and that is
the passage of the Voter rights bills in the Senate. We must reform certain practices while
maintaining equal access to our right to vote.
There is no place to compromise here.
2. Minority rule must be curtailed quickly and decisively. The filibuster in its present form must
go. We cannot allow a few legislators to
continue blocking major legislation by a procedural vote of closure. Likewise,
it is time to rid the Senate of “member privilege’” which allows just one
member to obstruct passage of a bill.
3. There must be a halt to electoral
college voting – it is another accommodation to the rule of an elite minority
and carries with it the shame of history -- trying to rule with a white elite. It
can be disabled by state laws or by constitutional amendment
4. And that brings to the forefront the
necessity of a change of attitude about representation. In spite of the Preamble to the Constitution
and several of its articles) placing the People in the driver’s seat of this
government, we have clearly reversed the roles, making elected officials the
primary leaders of government rather than the people, strikingly evidenced by
the special privileges accorded members of Congress and the ignoring of overwhelmingly
favorable polling of citizens on major issues. The majority of legislators and
other elected officials see their role as one of leadership on national issues,
rather than representation of constituent views and opinions on all
issues. We must work to change that, and
I have suggested several methods to do so:
a. Change and strengthen the
qualifications and nomination procedures for elective office;
b. Require every elected officer to meet
regularly with one or more Advisory groups of ordinary citizens to solicit
input on major issues and to arrange at least an annual evaluation of that
representative’s performance
c. Involve ordinary citizens in advisory,
people advocacy, and evaluative roles in every Inspector General’s office
d. Establish local oversight commissions
of ordinary citizens to evaluate and recommend policing and judicial techniques
and practices in every appropriate authority
Finally, it
is of prime importance that accountability for miscreant and immoral
behavior be addressed as soon as it occurs.
We must not delay justice for “leaders” anymore than allowed for
ordinary felons. The DOJ rules
protecting a president from arrest and trial while in office must be
abandoned. Likewise, the constitutional
privilege for congresspeople to escape arrest or questioning while in session is absurd and must be
eliminated as well. It is exactly this sort of privilege that leads us astray
from equal justice before the Law. Officials
should bear the same burden of accountability that applies to ordinary
citizens.
If we are
going to come through this dark time in our history, we must address
fundamental changes and stop talking about “doing something.” And above all, refrain from wanting to return
to normalcy or to ‘build back better.’
Neither is adequate to the problems and threats being presented. We have no choice but to go ABOVE and BEYOND
where we have been before to build new approaches and to sculpt more creative
solutions to long-standing issues and problems.
January 6, 2021,
is a tragedy, a day of infamy, a failure and a threat; as well as a challenge,
an opportunity and an opened road leading in a new direction. We must not fail
to make the choice it places before us: to build or to destroy a proactive
democracy dedicated to the well-being and fulfillment of its People’s hopes and
dreams. Every voter faces that one
critical choice in 2022 and in 2024.
12/24/2021
A Christmas Story and Universal Truth
It is a tough time in which we are living. There is little doubt that the COVID19
OMICRON strain is creating a crisis that is crippling our public health system,
including physical and mental exhaustion of the personnel who provide direct
care in our hospitals. The over-crowding is an extreme concern as is the politization of vaccinations,
mask-wearing and other mass societal responses needed to fight and to subdue this
virus. It is tragic that our democratic
system is so infected with narcissism and individualization of freedoms that the general welfare is thrown
aside as though there is no such thing as community rights or human relatedness
and interdependence, or mutual responsibility for each other.
The democratic ideals of equality, fraternity, and community
are being ripped apart as we speak, not only in terms of health and well-being
but in terms of the most fundamental values of its own Constitution and
governmental systems.
We are living in a time when too many misinformed and
misguided leaders and voters are touting the basic flaws of our system to
threaten the entire structure of democracy.
We are rapidly losing that fundamental idea on which our democracy was
founded, and to which we are called by our Founders and our foundational
documents to not only maintain, but to strengthen in each generation. We are called to seek and to strive for “a
more perfect Union” and by means of that Union “to establish Justice, ensure
domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general
Welfare and secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…” And that is why the Constitution was ordained
and established, according to its Preamble.
And that is the guiding principle, the ideal and the promise to which
each generation of citizens must aspire to maintain and to strengthen this
government “of the People, by the People and for the People.” This “last great Hope of Mankind.”
But here we are amid not only a viral pandemic but a
pandemic of division that threatens the very existence of our democratic system
of governing and the hope and the promises that it portrays. Let us count some of the major causes of
those divisions, in brief:
1.
Voter suppression and oppression
2.
Racism
3.
Sexism
4.
Class or caste system; segregation; apartheid
5.
Unequal justice and selective law enforcement; lack of
guardianship
6.
Political Partisanship
7.
Corporate control
8.
Religiosity and intolerance
9.
Fear and loathing of strangers and ‘aliens’
10.
Exclusionary nationalism; patriotism
11.
Authoritarianism
12.
Elitism
13.
Dishonesty and misinformation; propaganda
14.
Lack of training in critical thinking
15.
State nullification of federal law
16.
Lack of fundamental and exemplary qualifications
for public officials
17.
Lack of citizen training, participation,
advocacy, and oversight/evaluation of ‘politicians’
18.
Poverty and homelessness particularly centered
on children
19.
Unequal heath care
20.
Donald J. Trump and his captured Republican
Party
Twenty causes for divisiveness are enough for now but do not cover all the
divisive characteristics of our current society. There is more but time and
space dictate a halt at this juncture.
It is necessary now to take a different direction on this bumpy road to
a more perfect union. It pains me to
have to say it, but as we have done in the past when imperfections and crises
threatened our grand experiment is to recall our fundamentals, our ideals, our
promises and our values to once again make that vision of a ”more perfect
Union” come alive for the greatest number, not just for the few.
We already know what it takes to make that happen. It takes courage and fortitude; it takes
honesty and integrity; it takes the persistence of a Ruth Bader Ginsberg and the
‘causing of good trouble’ by a John Lewis and M.L. King, Jr.
But it also requires something we don’t emphasize enough –
it takes Individual initiative and actions that promote the virtues we always
need to strengthen ourselves and our Union.
Building unity, community, fraternity and equality of opportunity always
comes back to the simple actions we value and promote when we aim to advance
our version of democracy. It always
comes back to practicing what we preach; valuing others, protecting others,
caring for others, advocating for others, mentoring others, and more.
It comes down to acting as though we are a vital part of a
human family destined to make it as vibrant and as all-embracing as we hope
such a family might be, respecting the worthiness of each member’s potential
contribution. Building a more perfect
Union finally comes down to caring about and for each other as family members
who are interdependent and thus mutually responsible for each other’s
well-being.
THE STORY:
Yesterday, I was aided by a stranger in a most unexpected
way. I was at my mailbox across a
moderately busy road trying to fetch some mail that had fallen out the small
rear door of an admittedly unstable backward-leaning mailbox. The box is situated on a narrow berm behind
which a drainage ditch of about 3–4-inch depth is usually actively carrying a
flow of rainwater or melting snow. A
good number of pieces of mail were scattered in the ditch and just beyond it,
including several wet pieces that had frozen together in a considerable lump in
the ditch. There I was trying my best to extract some mail pieces from that
ditch (and beyond) by using a long cane that guides my noticeably impaired and
feeble gait. I must have been a pitiful
sight hanging on to a dilapidated mailbox, standing on a narrow strip of icy
and snowy ground, reaching precariously for scattered mail that kept falling
off the multi-pronged end of a “hikers” walking stick. (Did I mention that the mailbox is close
enough to the road that one must be cautious about where he is standing
when traffic roars by).
Out of nowhere came a man’s voice asking if he could
help. Before I even answered, the young
man had jumped across the drainage ditch and was picking the mail up from field
and ditch. He even extracted the frozen
lump of mail and magazines. He then jumped across the ditch and headed for my
driveway asking where I would like him to put the mail. I answered, “on the porch chair will be fine”
and he proceeded up our lengthy driveway to put the mail on the porch rocking
chair. By that time, I had hobbled
across the road into the driveway as he was on his way out of it. He smiled and
said he was glad to have happened by at that time and hoped I was okay, and then
wished me a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I thanked him profusely and told him I appreciated what he had just done
after which I returned his holiday greetings.
He disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.
He did not get into a car but simply walked away up the road which heads
up a gradually steepening incline to the North.
He was out of my sight in a few moments.
He never shared a name or anything but a bit of unexpected human
kindness to an older disabled man on the side of a road. His kindness and benevolence were neither
solicited nor expected. It was freely
given with no strings or payments attached.
It was simply the act of someone who knows the value and the essence of
living as a caring member of a larger family.
People are wondering how we will work our way out of the divisions that have been created by the selfishness and the non-caring attitudes that engulf us in these desperate and trying times. Most of the answers involve complicated political, philosophical, or economic theory and social engineering.
But underlying all those machinations there
is something we know is necessary and some say is an imperative without which
we are diminished as a group and as individuals.
We know from experience and teachings and from leaders of
special note that it is our attitudes and behaviors toward other human beings
that matter and that create and recreate a vibrant and meaningful existence for
all of us. The gifts of Unity, of
Kindness, of Beauty, of Peace and Tranquility, the Well-being of every member
of family and community matter, because without them there is no Peace and no movement toward a more perfect Union.
Our Purpose as individuals and as a nation should be clear: we must act with the freely given compassion of family members and perform neighborly Acts of Kindness toward friends and strangers. It all comes back to a question of morality; to behavior; to bringing something good to others.
However, we cannot heal divisions and promote more perfect Union by ignoring accountability for acts and rhetoric that lead us far away from those ideals. We must not confuse accountability with divisive actions. They are quite different. Voting to reject those who act contrary to our Constitution and who act as if the law does not apply to them, who act to corrupt or to deny our votes, must be held accountable for their illicit and illegal offences.
We must totally
reject those who seek public office to deconstruct our democracy. It is time to live out the essence
of life in a social context. We must
choose to pause what we are doing for ourselves, and act on behalf of the
family, the community, our nation. A
more perfect Union (or close-knit community) does not materialize out of thin
air; it rises from deliberate acts that we perform to bring Goodness and
Justice and Fulfillment to the rest of our human family.
The Christmas season is meant to bear that universal message. May you receive it and experience its blessings throughout the New Year!
12/09/2021
TIME IS RUNNING OUT-t-t-t-t-t-t-…
Whether On the March in Berlin or At a Trump Rally – The Fascist Mobs Support the Nihilism of Fascism
“NIHILISM” is an interesting word;
but not a word used often in our daily
discourse or our daily routine. It is a word that aptly describes what happens
when we abandon the fundamental principles of positive social interaction. One
dictionary (New World) indicates a Latin derivation from the word ‘nihilum’
that conveys the meaning of something so trivial it equates to ‘nothing.’ Three
categories of definition spell out its meanings in more depth:
(1) Philosophy a) the denial of the
existence of any basis for knowledge or truth
b) the general rejection of customary beliefs in morality, religion,
etc. (2) the belief that there is no meaning or purpose in existence (3) Politics a) the doctrine
that existing social, political and economic institutions must be completely
destroyed in order to make way for new institutions b) a movement in Russia (c. 1860-1917)
which advocated such revolutionary reform and attempted to carry it out through
the use of some terrorism and assassination
c) loosely, any violent revolutionary
movement involving the use of terrorism.”
With those definitions in mind, let
us recall statements from Trump World, which apply to his attempt to become the
first elected long-term despot of this nation in 2024. That is now the one
purpose of this man: to reclaim the office “stolen” from him in 2020 by so-called
fraudulent votes and practices. He is already using intentional strategies and tools
of politics and government to make that a reality. An extended term as
president with absolute control has been the aim of Trump ever since he
announced his candidacy in 2015. He said on that June 16 occasion that
ü
the
American dream is dead
ü
our
leadership is weak; that he was strong and successful enough to take care of
all our problems caused by those weak leaders.
ü
Now, our country needs a truly great leader.. We
need a leader that wrote “The Art of the Deal.”
We need somebody that can take the brand of the United States and make
it great again.
ü
He will be the greatest jobs president that God
ever created. .
ü
He will bring back our jobs from China, from
Mexico, from Japan, from so many places. He’ll bring back our jobs, and he’ll
bring back our money.
ü
he knows the smartest negotiators in the world and
will put them one for each country.
The announcement of Trump’s
presidential candidacy on June 16, 2015, at Trump Tower in Manhattan, told us
more than was realized at the time (see my Posts at Nov. 17, 21, 30/2015). What
has followed that event right up until today has been a litany of words and
behaviors related to those definitions of nihilism. Let us recount some of the
ways:
1) the
denial of the existence of any basis for knowledge or truth
n The
lies and misinformation surrounding his approach to the COVID19 pandemic were
all we needed to understand that Trump had fallen deep into Nihilism. He denied
that COVID19 was a deadly virus and declared his belief that it would go away on
its own; he recommended deadly remedies; he blamed China; he gave up leadership
of the fight and let state Governors struggle with the growing need for
supplies and the expanding number of fatalities. He even denied the simple acts
of mask-wearing and social-distancing would have any significant effect and he
refused to do either. Even when he tested positive himself and became ill, he ignored
the fact that he could be a spreader of the disease and he engaged in public
events and close-up interactions (with secret service for instance).
n According
to the Hollywood Reporter, an email was sent out by Extra Mile
Casting to recruit extras “to wear t-shirts and carry signs and help cheer him
in support of his (presidential-run) announcement” in June of 2015. (Truthout.com)
n Insults
flowed based on false assumptions and prejudices– toward rivals like Marco Rubio;
countries like Mexico and “Islamic” nations and people: “They’re sending
people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us.
They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists…”
n He
Demeaned reporters and the work of the media as exaggerated and full of lies;
there was talk of ‘alternative facts’ and repetitive mention of their corrupt
reporting
n Did
a similar number on election workers, election officials and election system
claiming it was all ‘rigged’ with fraudulent votes – he called his 2020 loss
the ‘big steal’ and the ‘big lie’ but could never prove anything in court
n Fully
supported state efforts to:
disenfranchise groups of voters; to gerrymander voting districts and to intimidate workers and voters and voting
officials; especially focused on people of color
n Tried
to induce election officials to find or declare votes for him (Georgia); set up bogus reviews to change or invalidate
votes (Arizona; Wisconsin)
n Called
for the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, to attempt to have Congress and Mike
Pence decertify the election results and have Congress vote for President where
he would win;
n After
the warm-up violent confrontation at Charlottesville, he spoke of “fine people
on both sides” as though truth did not matter
n It
appears he may have had an integral part in the planning for the insurrection
at the Capitol on January 6, 2021; some arrested have asserted that they were only
doing what they “were called or ordered to do” in loyalty to their president
n Six
months later, Trump praised his supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in a
violent attempt to overturn President Joe Biden’s
2020 election victory. “These were peaceful people, these were great
people,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News host
Maria Bartiromo. Recalling the events of Jan. 6, Trump claimed “there was love
in the air” at his rally earlier that day at the White House, and falsely said
there was a “lovefest between the Capitol Police and the people that
walked down to the Capitol.”
n “They are military people, and police officers and construction workers,” he added. “They are tremendous. In many cases, tremendous people.” In truth, the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol was a shocing and horrifying event, but the gap between truth and fiction had grown into a chasm.
2)The doctrine that existing social, political and economic institutions must be destroyed to make way for new institutions. We do not have enough room or time to list all the “deconstruction” of norms, policies, institutions that the twice-impeached Donald J. Trump has attacked or destroyed in his perverted quest for “absolute power.” Let us simply remind ourselves of a few major deconstructions that have happened under his watch:
n The Republican Party in shambles and under
his control; he chooses who will run for office and what policies will be
pursued
n The Congress has lost its power to function as
an independent branch because of Trump assertion of Executive Privilege and
refusal to allow Congress to conduct oversight, enforced by those Republican
officeholders who have become his ardent followers and apologists. Trump has
captured the Congress
n Likewise,
his capture of the Supreme Court through nomination of loyal Right-wing Justices
in the majority and by appointing his loyalists to many lower court judgeships.
Trump has captured the Judiciary, but only if no SCOTUS Justice “jumps ship.”
n His
use of his power to hire and fire key administrators has taken some
independence away from Executive Departments, e.g., Attorney General and DoJ;
FBI Director, EPA Director. Some results: AG loss of independence and status as
lawyer for the People became lawyer for the President and pursued cases and
matters Trump dictated; firing of FBI Director Comey may have prevented
investigations into Trump practices; At the EPA, Trump was able to appoint
loyalists who conducted deep recission of industry-hampering regulations.
n His
use of the powers of the presidency to intimidate and control underlings,
contributors and recipients, as well as office seekers has destroyed the norm
that officeholders must not manage or control certain assets while in office
n His
many power-grabs have resulted in government being used as a personal tool to
advance his family’s business, his own wealth, and the absolute power that he
needs to satisfy his overblown ego; as dictators have always done.
n His position allows him access to world
leaders and to their country’s aggrandizement of the family business
enterprises thus deconstructing foreign diplomatic mission into promotion and
cheerleading
n He
has also damaged the approaches we as a nation need to counter dictatorial
powers which is the ability to call them to account when necessary – Trump
adoration of absolute power held by the likes of Putin, Kim Jong- Un and Erdogan
forestalled and prevented any aggressive U.S. response to invasion of Ukraine,
to North Korean missile launches or to Turkey’s capture of Kurdish rebels.
n Destruction
of our electoral system, along with lack of accountability in government, has
led to a situation where future elections may all be subject to charges of corruption
and over-throw actions. By his constant harping on election fraud and stolen
election results and on voter fraud, Trump has forever damaged the electoral
process.
n But
what’s more, he has so infected the system that he can now proceed to call the
next elections fraudulent and corrupt, opening the way to the fiction of a national
emergency by which he could extend his time in office, along with his
sycophants who would help him to sustain his absolute rule.
n If
that doesn’t work, he can command the military or volunteer militia to put down
any opposition to his coup d’état (while
he has been unable to capture the DoD, he has enough followers in that
department and in the military itself to at least call out loyal troops under
loyal commanders. Would General Milly act to disobey orders, or to engage in
battle against loyal Trump troops? In another 3 years that question could be
moot
3) any
violent revolutionary movement involving the use of terrorism
·
Charlottesville
· January 6, 2021 -- the INSURRECTION at the Capitol
·
The Lafayette Square incident of clearing out peaceful
protestors for Trump to hold up a bible
·
Use of federal staffers dressed in military garb
to control peaceful protest by Black Lives Matter activists
·
Use of isolation of children at southern border
as intimidation technique to discourage asylum seekers; construction of his
“great, great wall” to intimidate undocumented immigrants
·
Intimidation of disloyal staffers and civil
servants who are whistle-blowers or witnesses to executive abuses
·
Warnings to members of Congress that they will
be “primaried” if they ‘betray’ the President
·
Supporting threats made to local election
officials who failed to de-certify (overturn) Biden election of his votes
· Increase in societal violence in Trump’s name and under his tutelage or perceived ‘permission’
·
Threatened use of the ‘second amendment
solution’ to intimidate and terrorize school board members, election officials
and other public officeholders or followers who stray from supporting Trump
·
Intimidation by threats of violence against
demonstrators or hecklers at rallies or other venues
·
Use of budget cuts to intimidate or punish
disloyal offices, programs or people; especially people of color.
·
The use of every kind of falsehood – lies,
slanderous accusations, manufactured ‘facts or stories, conspiracy theories,
negative ads, and violent demonstrations/actions to intimidate and denigrate
anyone who is anti-Trump
The things Donald Trump has said and done bring home to us that we were warned of
his nihilistic intentions from the beginning, and we should have paid closer attention,
He said basically that our leadership is weak; that he was strong and successful enough
to take care of all our problems caused by those weak leaders. He then extolled his
brand and his business as an example for great change needed in our thinking and our
actions, concluding—“If I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before, and we will make America great again.”
It is always helpful and enlightening to consult his niece, Mary Trump, regarding her uncle’s
demeanor and intentions and motivations. In her book – It’s “Too Much and Never Enough” – she
spells out some items that fit nicely into the pattern of Nihilism evidenced by Donald’s lifestyle and
values. Consider these quotes:
“To this day, the lies,
misrepresentations, and fabrications that are the sum total of who my uncle is,
are perpetuated by the Republican Party and white evangelical Christians who
know better…true believers such as...William Barr and others too numerous to
name , have become…complicit in their perpetuation.”
“In the last three years, I’ve
watched as countless pundits…and journalists have kept missing the mark, using phrases
such as …’narcissistic personality disorder’ in an attempt to make sense of
Donald’s often bizarre and self-defeating behavior. I have no problem calling
Donald a narcissist – he meets all nine criteria…. A case could be made that he
also meets the criteria for personality disorder which in its most severe form
is generally considered sociopathy but can also refer to chronic criminality,
arrogance and disregard for the rights of others. Donald may also meet some of
the criteria for dependent personality disorder…which include an inability to
make decisions or take responsibility, discomfort with being alone, and going
to excessive lengths to obtain support from others.”
“As the pressures on him…
continued to mount…the disparity between the level of competence required for
running a country and his incompetence has widened, revealing his delusions
more starkly than ever before. His ability to control unfavorable situations by
lying, spinning and obfuscating has diminished to the point of impotence in the
midst of tragedies we are currently facing…(which) has led to a level of
pushback that he has never experienced before, increasing his belligerence and
his need for petty revenge as he withholds vital funding, personal protective
equipment and ventilators from states whose governors don’t kiss his a__
sufficiently.”
“The horror of Donald’s cruelty
was being magnified by the fact that his acts were now official US policy,
affecting millions of people. By the time this
book is published, hundreds of American lives will have been sacrificed
on the altar of Donald’s hubris and willful ignorance. If he is afforded a
second term, it would be the end of American democracy.”
Taking into account his life experiences and his own words and actions, it is difficult not to conclude that Donald Trump is a Nihilist and a
Nazi sympathizer who encourages deconstruction of government and institutions
by force and fear as his terrorist weapons. Those who support and vote for him
are therefore Nazi sympathizers and followers, like it or not. They are the fertile
soil from which Nihilism is enabled to grow to accepted normality. They are the
same ilk who spawned the Third Reich and the Holocaust. Their lack of critical
thinking and assessment is appalling. They are the abettors of insurrection and
the instigators of violent revolutionary takeover. Ignoring their true meaning
or missing their purpose is the very ingredient they cherish in others because
it enables them to put their kind in control. The list is long that includes
those nations that fell asleep while the Nihilists rose to power: Russia, Poland, Austria, Germany, Italy,
Venezuela, Argentina, the Philippines – it goes on and on.
Yet we still have some media, institutions, and leaders who fail to acknowledge the threat that this man and his followers pose to our democracy. In fact, the worst failing of the progressives elected to rid us of this mess lies in the fact that they have accepted powerlessness and infrastructure projects as their goals instead of fighting for election reform and other systemic changes to undo the ability of the Nihilist Trumpers to take over our democratic institutions. The message to them is: YOU CANNOT WIN THIS WAR WITHOUT GETTING DOWN and DIRTY.
Democrats have failed at seizing and using
government and money as tools to block and defeat the aggressiveness and dirty
tricks of these Nihilists. For instance, what did Democrats do about the re-drawing
of congressional and other districts? To say they watched would be too kind. OR,
what did they do about the bogus election audits? Objected? – not much and not
enough. What are they doing now to prepare for 2022 election? They are on
vacation!
THIS IS A WAR TO SAVE DEMOCRACY ==
and they don’t even have a plan of attack! You can’t win this war without doing
something revolutionary to disrupt and confuse the enemy. How about starting a
special ops unit that will work quietly to undermine funding for (or grab funds
from) the groups and individuals backing
Trump? Or how about a media group whose function is to overwhelm social media
with all kinds of messages about dire consequences of voting for Trump and
Trumpers? OR how about organizing college students to demonstrate at least once
a week in every college campus or college town and to produce creative ideas
for making college student votes the deciding factor in local and state
elections? Could Democratic Committees at county level be made into centers for
concerted actions against the radical Right?
Could we at least get an emergency phone line for reporting Far Right
threats and abuses?
These are just random thoughts –
someone cleverer than I can come up with more effective strategies – so why
is the effort to incorporate such strategies into an attack Plan on hiatus? Now
may be too late already. So --someone in this moribund DEMOCRATIC Party
structure better get MOVING before there is no two-party system and no Congress
but only a Nihilist Dictator who has just one goal – his own success and
absolute power!