The undermining of democratic government by corrupt politicians is only part of the story. Our descent from democratic values and ideals to the fiery depths of the hell-bent Far Right REPUBLICAN extremists under Trump is being supported by ordinary citizens who:
- refuse to listen to history or are unable to do so;
- have abandoned critical thinking in favor of propaganda;
- are convinced that their well-being and destiny are tied to one strong leader not to a gaggle of representatives, senators, and justices/judges who have no regard for them but work only for themselves;
- are trapped inside a framework of fabricated theories, manufactured issues, and destructive myths.
We are left with a voting bloc who want their lives to
matter, their views to prevail, their enemies to be vanquished, and their
revenge to be sweet. In essence, if they
can’t cheat their way to victory or vote their way to supremacy, they will use
violence to take control of the levers of power and to install their leader
Trump as the Fuhrer who will bestow the blessings of ultimate control and the
spoils of absolute power upon them. They
can then order every aspect of living to suit their desires and wishes rather
than those of socialist and communist origin.
1.
White people of European or American origin will
bring their assumed superiority to the front of the line from which they will manage
all the functioning of society (such as law-making and enforcement, education
of the young, the capitalistic economy and personal finance that benefit the
privileged (meaning them), and their everyday concerns like sports, entertainment,
television programs and the internet.
All others will be treated as second-class citizens with limits placed
on them in every aspect of life that impinges upon their superiors.
2.
Their Leader will make all major decisions in
their best interests and will be hero-worshipped as the Savior of Anglo-Saxons and
Aryans who are meant to rule the world.
3.
An internal police force, subject to the will of the dictator, will keep law and order
by detaining and incarcerating those who
disturb or threaten the order of the new society. Judges will be necessary only to carry-out
the will of the Leader and his loyal followers, but juries will not be needed.
Certain groups—Jews, gays, people of color, immigrants, the politically
disloyal, the physically and mentally defective or disabled (and possibly:
single women)—will come under special proactive scrutiny and control.
4.
All actions of “government” will be accompanied
by a propaganda machine the aim of which will be to feed the biases and
prejudices of supremacists and their lackeys.
The beliefs of the regime and its Leader will be glorified, and their
‘leadership” will be praised in terms that are unimaginable.
5.
Bribery, cheating and influence-peddling will be
rampant throughout society as the favors of the Regime are sought, either to
enhance one’s status and/or to ward off any obstacles that might arise.
6.
All vestiges of equality will be removed, and
the inequalities of a caste system will prevail. Freedoms will all depend on the Leader’s
wishes: religion will be what he says it is, wages will be set by his decree
(there will be no more labor-organized unions); healthcare will be ordered first
for the elite and then will be parceled-out and applied where necessary to
maintain a loyal following and a healthy leadership.
7.
Political dissenters and organizers will be
known as the ‘enemy of the people’ and will be limited by severe measures of repression
and suppression. This will, of course, extend to any media that dare to speak out
against the Regime and its Leader.
8.
All vestiges of socialism will be curtailed or
removed: veterans will no longer have their own health or benefit system;
nonprofit organizations founded on principles of giving something for nothing in
return will become for-profit groups whose charters will include mandated contributions to the Regime.
9.
Functions of government – like prisons, schools,
some military functions, and first responders –will be privatized to earn
profits for the Regime.
10.
Voting will be restricted and manipulated, so that
‘elections’ will always show overwhelming support for the Leader and his
commissars
The trouble with this recitation is that it reveals only the
tip of the iceberg; there is much more hidden underneath, like the treatment of
women, physical punishment of children, recruitment of youth to fascist ideas
and practices; the denigration of other people and nations, a lingering sense
of being spied upon by police and others, and neglect of our environmental crisis.
The very people who support Donald Trump as their Leader are
the ones who cannot believe that any of these restrictive events could
happen. And they will not believe it,
even though the evidence is already showing itself. The devotees will not believe it even as it is
happening for that is how immersed they are in a world of fantasy and
conspiracy theory where planned attacks on reality and truth have left nothing
but their hollowed-out heads. All
critical thinking and scientific method have either fled the scene or propaganda
has captured and re-directed their brain functions.
It is this phalanx of militant Trump believers that stormed
our Capitol, unaware that threatening elected leaders of the people with death
or destruction is not the stuff of which democracies are made. The insurrection of January 6, 2021, was not
a patriotic protest because it did nothing to advance or enhance unity, equality, freedom,
justice or pursuit of happiness. It sought the over-turning of an officially
certified election of a new President
and Vice President. That is known simply
as insurrection or over-throw: the opposite of seeking or celebrating a greater
unity. That is de-construction, not
constructive in any sense, unless you believe that one man has all the answers
to all your problems and needs.
And therein lies the problem. Look around at history and current events. Similar beliefs and violent actions have often been the forerunners of dictatorial regimes, such as in Russia, Germany and Italy. Countries on our doorstep have also been overtaken by violence and propaganda such as Cuba in the 1950s; and several other countries like Venezuela, Chili, Argentina in the 20th century. Or look further at Zimbabwe, Haiti, Turkey, N. Korea, China, Japan, the Philippines. How about Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Saudi Arabia? Dictatorial regimes can grow in any soil, and with similar origins and results. There is a pattern to them all and that pattern is not based solely on leftist ideologies of socialism or communism, as the Far-Right crowd would have you believe. Unfortunately, that pattern of violent overthrow of legitimate governments finds its roots and fertilizer in the ignorance, complacency and lack of resistance of the citizenry coupled with the violent aggressiveness and ambitions of power-hungry provocateurs. The reality of that complacency comes through to us in the haunting words of one who experienced it; the words of Lutheran pastor, Martin Niemoller, that we should take with utmost seriousness and resolve:
“First they came for the
socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade
unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and
there was no one left to speak for me.”
·
choosing leaders to represent your life and
will;
·
discussing your views and beliefs openly with
others
·
expressing your opinions and concerns in public
forums
·
expressing grievances you have regarding
anything to do with governance
·
being able to act independently in any matter
without someone looking over your shoulder to see if your words and actions conform
to the regime’s ideology and rules
·
taking advantage of opportunities to become more
successful, happier, more educated, a leader, wealthier, since every one of
those advances must also conform to the Leader’s will and the regime’s decrees
Loss of democratic ideals, values, functions and freedoms is
not going to be what you have been led to believe. The reality of their demise will slam you
against a wall of violent change and devastating loss from which you and others may never recover. But fear
not, Branson and Bezos can always whisk you away to a livable planet where you
can escape the destruction of this one while building another representative
democracy. Believing that fantasy is as
cogent as believing all the lies and misinformation that the despotic Trumpites
have beamed your way. Good Luck…!
