Overwhelmed

The flood of bad news had me stifled. No More!

After reading an outstanding Washington Post feature article detailing the BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER of the 1/6 insurrection, I came to realize I had not posted my thoughts on Substack in much too long. 

Here is a link to the piece in three parts. An outstanding piece of journalism everyone should read. 

https://wapo.st/3GDNQqh

If this doesn’t work, copy and paste this URL into your browser.

Why have I not posted? Because I am overwhelmed by the amount and scope of the news documenting the decline of our representative republic. Each day brings another event, series of lies, distortion, and gaslighting that further deludes those suffering from disaffection and disappointment that has become the background of their lives. Each day, I endeavor to record my reaction to the numerous, overwhelming travesties, but I come up blank. 

Not today. Reading the above-referenced work brought home the stark immediacy and horror of the attack on the Capitol. There is much in this piece that is already known but also significantly expanded in depth and detail. There is also much that we did not know or fully understand. So, I urge all of you to read via the attached link to a gift article I am authorized to share. 

The damage to our Democracy is, almost daily, cataloged by many authors and commentators much more informed and astute than I. Yet, the dangers we face are somehow ignored or buried in the scrum of everyday life. We are unsure it is so severe and immediate. We are tired of the fight. Yet, as former President Obama said recently, "We don't have time to be tired." Regardless of your political affiliation, I implore you to recognize where we are headed as a country. Speak out, vote, protest, and fight for the future of our fragile system of government, for what the forces who seek to divide us are working towards is untenable and irreversible. 

Imagine a near-term future where any Democrat who wins an election is challenged with spurious claims of fraud. That election is then thrown to a faction of elected state legislators, all of whom are Republican. Those legislators would then decide who the actual winner will be and who the state electors to the Electoral College will be in the case of a Presidential election. Without intervention, this is where we are headed in states where laws codifying these outcomes are already in place. Other significant suppression laws have passed as well. These include limiting mail-in voting in various ways, reducing the number of polling places, and severely restricting the use of drop boxes. Despite the popular trope, this is not just about giving water to voters on a long line at the polls.  

What I described is not about election integrity; it is about the survival of the GOP and, ultimately, dominion over the right of the people to elect their leaders. The Republican majority in several key states can ensure the existence of their party in both state and federal governance only through bullying and unconstitutional tactics. By any legal, constitutional means, they lose their majorities over time. It may not be soon in the state legislatures, but it will happen. It could be as early as 2024 in federal elections and, that is where the initial resistance should come. That is where the DOJ has filed suit against the state of Georgia over the most egregious of the recent spate of voter suppression legislation. And that is why. Nineteen states have passed laws that make it harder to vote as of October 2021. Among those, Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Georgia are key states in presidential elections. While the legislature has not passed a bill, Michigan will likely be next. 

Indulge me once again and imagine in 2024 a Presidential election that comes down to AZ, GA, MI, and PA as it did in 2020. Now, recall the state laws that allow the legislature to dictate to whom the electoral votes go. Further, imagine Trump, as he hints, runs again in 2024. 

What does 1/6 have to do with this somewhat arcane discussion of voter suppression? The entire reason extremists attacked our Capitol was to overturn the election of Biden/Harris. They did this based on a constant stream of lies propagated by Trump and his sycophants. Those lies continue to this day, almost a year later. 

Most have heard those lies in one form or another and whether we cared to or not. We also hear virtually every official and expert in elections state there was no widespread voter fraud. Yet, the portion of the voting population that supports Trump dismiss those statements as Fake News. In previous essays, I have opined that Trump's constant accusations against the mainstream media have made him bulletproof in the eyes of his supporters. The ardent Trump supporter already held the belief that the media is overly liberal. Recognizing how some American citizens could fall for Trump's con, it is essential to understand these people were always ready to be angry at someone or something. One of the most calculated evils he has committed and perhaps the most effective is his relentless attack on the legitimate media. 

 I am not suggesting the prime media in this country does not make mistakes? They do, and they typically correct those errors, although not always in a prominent way.  

I am convinced that we are facing a time of crisis in this country. Like many, I have had moments of doubt, thinking I am over-reacting, being alarmed unnecessarily by headlines, and hyper-partisan political activists. On reflection, I am convinced our system of governance is under threat. 

If I am wrong, then we will only have made an extraordinary effort against opposition that could not achieve their goals. 

Once again, I encourage you to speak out, vote, protest, organize, contribute or march if you have to.