Times That Try Men's Souls

 “These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.”  Written by Thomas Paine on December the 23^rd of 1776.

 

The quote above was written about another tyranny, that of a king.  Those words have renewed meaning in a time of a despot who would, in a desperate attempt to illegally cling to power, inspire a mob to bring down our democracy.  Donald Trump will be remembered for many things, and patriotism will not be among his credits.  He did, as a salve for his bruised ego, try to overthrow the government of the United States of America.  In so doing, he brought lasting shame on his name.  His revered “brand” will be forever tarnished and its’ sale for prestige will carry the stigma of his wanton disregard for our American ideals.  As is the case in most cowards and bullies, he rallied his mob of supporters, promised to lead them to victory, and apparently had another flair-up of bone spurs that prevented him from providing that support.  Donald Trump will be remembered for his cowardice and his contempt for the democracy he swore to protect.  Like most words that proceed from that foul mouth, his oath of office was another lie in furtherance of more sinister goals.

Team Trump; Insurrection in Progress; Scene from Capitol mayem

 

Since the traitorous debacle of January 6^th, I have seen two friends who were once loyal supporters of Donald J. Trump, acknowledge his misdeeds.  This is not to say they have abandoned their previous ideals and sometime twisted logic, but those events on that infamous Wednesday were beyond the pale for two of Trump’s most loyal fans.  I have also seen that two of my neighbors, whom I do not know personally, have just brought down their Trump/Pence yard signs that stood long after the election.

I think most of us are realists and recognize that the idealism depicted in the movie classic, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, has to be seen as fiction.  The politics represented in the 1939 Capra film starring Jimmy Stewart, show greed and corruption for what they truly are, but the movie also provides hope for a brighter future as embodied in Senator Jefferson Smith.  We can aspire to a political future that has less corruption, but we are still closer to the election of another despot than the rise of a government where the will and needs of the people are prioritized.

The ideology of what government should stand for; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

It is said that an alcoholic or a drug addict needs to hit rock bottom before they can begin to rebuild their lives.  For me, the entire presidency of Donald John Trump that culminated in the events of January 6, 2021, represent the depths of political depravity from which we can hopefully recover.  We have long suffered the ill-winds of political corruption.  We have turned a blind-eye to the political depravity embodied in our elected leaders.  It had to come to a head at some point, and perhaps that, as much as anything else, explains the election of Donald Trump.  For those who were looking a breath of fresh air to clear the stench of corruption, you got played.  You got, not the garden variety of misdeeds that come with an established professional politician, but the blatant debasement of a grifter who knows how to “work a room.”

The storming of the capitol by pseudo patriots

 

Donald Trump played to the weakness and insecurity of the masses, stoked their latent racism, pandered to their need of self-worth, and promised them whatever made them happy to see his gross corruption as mere peccadilloes.  False patriotism and religiosity were used to disguise and excuse all manner of corrupt intent.  Like any good magician, he forces you to look at his pompous flash and never behind his curtain of deception.  He used his years of experience of hiding behind bluster and expensive lawyers to continue his grift of America.

The introduction to this piece was from Thomas Paine, a self-described, “corset maker by trade, journalist by profession, and a propagandist by inclination.”  He was an American patriot who championed revolution against the tyranny of a king.  Those who recently stormed the Capitol perhaps saw themselves to be patriots with a justifiable cause.  Their cause however was in support of anarchy and the tyranny of an immoral authoritarian despot.  Just because you wave an American flag does not make your cause just, patriotic, or beyond reproach.  Just because you can quote scripture, doesn’t make you righteous.

A true patriot

Thomas Paine was the Bernie Sanders of the 18^th century.  He abhorred slavery.  He proposed a guaranteed minimum income, old-age pensions, and promoted universal suffrage.  That latter term describes the right to vote for all, without regard to wealth, gender, race, or ethnicity.  When Tomas Paine noted Napoleon's progress towards dictatorship, he condemned him as "the completest charlatan that ever existed.  You can only imagine what he would have thought of our newly minted Napoleon-wannabe, Donald J. Trump.

 

A Boise, Idaho man, Josiah Colt, claimed to have gotten “caught up in the moment” as he clung to a ledge bearing the inscription, Annuit Coeptis.  This is Latin for “Providence favors our undertakings.”  If the quote looks familiar, it should.   These words represent one of two mottos that are part of The Great Seal.  You see it regularly on the back of the one dollar bill.  The juxtaposition of an anarchist hanging below these words is ironic.  His undertakings will not be favored by Providence