Solution or Existential Threat

There are many reasons people back Donald Trump and are willing to ignore his “issues.” Let’s call them issues for now to not get bogged down with his problems while trying to fathom what to do with our own. Donald Trump, the man, is not the real threat to the survival of our democracy, it is the ambitions of his clever enablers that should keep us up at night.

One of the main ambitions of some on the extreme right is the shift of control from Congress to the executive branch. This group seems to believe an almighty president with more power could right the ship. When asked where they see the “checks and balances” on that power, they point to Congress. That is the same Congress that is the subject of their ire for its inability to get anything done. How would that work?

Another message from this alt-right group with roots in the Heritage Foundation of the 1970s, is their pro-business anti-government policy. Their mission is the elimination of much of the federal government. They believe many professional federal employee positions should be eliminated and the remaining employees should lose their job security and protection.

One current Heritage Foundation leader believes that our government employees are communist agents of the Russian and Chinese governments. Joseph McCarthy would have loved this group had he not died in 1957. Joe would have also loved our current demagogue, Donald Trump.

José Clemente Orozco's painting The Demagogue]

Demagogue defined: A popular leader in a democracy who gains that popularity by arousing the common people against the elites often using oratory that appeals to the emotions of that group, scapegoats minority groups, and exaggerates their fears for emotional effect. A demagogue’s rhetoric will numb the crowd to reasoned deliberation and encourage fanatical popularity. They regularly overturn established norms of political conduct. They will use false flattery and will evade discussing vital issues while promising anything they believe will garner support. They will appeal to racial, religious, and class prejudices. Demagogues thrive in democracies since power is derived from the people, they can appeal to the crowd’s baser instincts to have them relinquish the power they crave. They regularly advocate violence without deliberation and admonish those with more moderate considerations. Anyone not supporting their violent course will be labeled as weak and disloyal. They will seek to expand their power by diminishing constitutional limits and justify the power grab as mere expediency necessary to a proclaimed end.

The Heritage Foundation and others who follow its mandates are a threat to our continued existence as a democracy. While some of their founding initiatives were sound, they have devolved into an almost unrecognizable agent of its former self. They initially (1989) developed and supported the basics of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and Mitt Romney’s health care plan in Massachusetts (aka Romneycare). Today they abhor the ACA. Things changed in 2012 when Jim DeMint left the Senate to head the Heritage Foundation. A 2013 report on the costs of amnesty was based on their position that “Hispanics and Blacks are intellectually inferior to Whites and have trouble assimilating because of a supposed genetic predisposition to a lower IQ.”

This group occasionally gets things right. When Donald Trump was merely “candidate Trump” in 2015, they stated on a Fox News panel, “Donald Trump’s a clown.” When he surprised them and won the presidency, they changed their tune and became his mentor helping him with his transition into the presidency and assisting him to staff his administration. Over 66 foundation employees and alumni got positions in the Trump administration.

Some see Donald Trump as an existential threat and others see him as a quick solution to what they believe to be wrong with our current government. The assertion that our current government is broken will find agreement on both sides of the aisle. How it got broken is less important than the proper fix. Now is not the time for the abandonment of our democracy in the hope that an authoritarian replacement will be the simple answer. Strychnine can cure the common cold, but it is hardly the right treatment.

Florida's Witch Doctor General

Dr. Joseph Ladapo was handpicked by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to be his Surgeon General because he supported the anti-vax and anti-mask efforts that the governor wanted. DeSantis had national political aspirations and wanted to be seen as the champion of the anti-government restrictions brought about during the Covid pandemic. Dr. Ladapo had good paper credentials but having a good education doesn’t guarantee sanity.

Dr. Joe had no experience in public health policy and his support of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug, to fight Covid had limited anecdotal support and only limited emergency authorization from the FDA which was later withdrawn. Ladapo had been among 20 doctors who wanted to stop all COVID-19 vaccinations until they had been tested for a full two years. Luckily, this rogue ultra-right-wing medical coalition known as America’s Front Line Doctors (AFLD), was ignored and an estimated 14.4 million deaths from COVID-19 were prevented in the first year.

Most of this is old news but the foundation of Dr. Ladapo’s anti-vaccine stance was not fully understood. He promoted hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria pill that had no scientific evidence of effectiveness but opposed the mRNA vaccine. Why would he take such a stance?

We may now know why he objected. The mRNA vaccine contains genetic material that provides instructions to our immune system on how to fight the virus. It would seem that Dr. Ladapo’s anti-vax stance was based more on voodoo medicine than science. His objections were based on religious beliefs, not medical beliefs.

Ladapo’s reasoning was laid bare during a Jan 4, 2024, Steve Bannon podcast where the good witch doctor claimed that these mRNA vaccines were the "work of the devil." He called the vaccines, “the Antichrist of all products.” He claimed they showed “disrespect” to the human genome, “and that is our connection to God.” WTF?

Steve Bannon Podcast with Dr. Ladapo
Florida's Surgeon General
January 4, 2024

While mainstream Christian leaders have urged their followers to get vaccinated, a small splinter group has twisted Biblical references to make their argument against vaccination. They claim that the vaccine is “the mark of the beast,” as referenced in the Book of Revelation, predicts the second coming of Christ. In this final book of the New Testament (author unknown), the writer discusses prophetic visions that include a Seven-Headed Dragon, the Serpent, and the Beast.

Equating the Covid-19 vaccine and other mRNA shots as “the mark of the Devil” is to say that during the end times of the Apocalypse, the Devil will rule the earth (not Trump, but the really, really scary one) but only for a short time (damn term limits) and he will then be vanquished by Jesus. During the Devil’s eviction from the earth, Jesus will know the evil ones as they will have been marked, hence the “mark of the beast.” Since Dr. Ladapo has told us from his official position as Surgeon General for all of Florida that the COVID mRNA vaccines are the mark of the Devil, only the unvaccinated will get into heaven.

DeSantis admits to getting vaccinated for COVID-19 early on so he could “keep doing his job.” He took the Johnson & Johnson vaccine so he wouldn’t risk being “out of pocket for two weeks because I got infected.” I guess he will be staggering around during the Apocalypse marked like the rest of us and damned for eternity. He now advises against vaccination unless you are over 65. His macho stance against masking and vaccinations saw Florida suffer double the death rate of the rest of the nation, adjusted for age, during the 2021 Delta variant wave of July through the end of October of that year.

If you want to do a deeper dive into the netherworld of this Mobius strip medical-religious logic I suggest jumping into the Google rabbit hole with a search of America's Front Line Doctors and their belief that lizard people run our government and demon sperm cause gynecological problems. Two of the AFLD leaders were ophthalmologists but only one was still licensed, and one was arrested in the mob on January 6th.

Political Violence in America

 In interviews in Iowa leading up to the caucus vote on January 15, 2024, discussions involved fears of WWIII and Civil War II.  A New York Times article covering the event was titled “On the Ballot in Iowa: Fear. Anxiety. Hopelessness.”  Bill Bradley, a former NJ senator who ran for the Democratic nomination in Iowa in 2000, remembered his time in that state.  Back then they debated health care and taxes; today it is a more violent story.

The lead Republican candidate was doing his campaigning outside courtrooms away from Iowa as he defended himself against 91 felony counts across two state courts and two federal districts and civil trials in New York.  The violence and threats of violence are real.  The mob boss who would be president (again), uses outright threats and thinly veiled threats against all those he perceives as enemies.  

His own party fears him, not politically as might have been the case years ago, but they fear for their personal safety and the safety of their loved ones.  Bulletproof vests and private security details must be considered for any who dare to speak ill of the man who would be king.  Judges and prosecutors and their staff have become targets of the minions within Trump’s evil empire.  He survived his second impeachment vote partly because Republicans feared reprisals from his supporters.  One commented that, had the ballot been secret, he might have been found guilty.

Ten Republican House Representatives did brave the wrath of Trump and voted to impeach him for his role in the insurrection of January 6th.  The House vote was 232 to 197.  He was impeached and the case went to the Senate.  While the majority of the Senate voted to impeach, the count was 57 guilty to 43 not guilty, they needed 67 guilty votes to impeach (he had already unwillingly left office).  Seven Republican Senators had voted for his conviction.

Since that House impeachment vote on January 13, two Representatives (Gonzalez-Ohio, Kinzinger-Illinois) who voted to impeach were forced to announce retirements after death threats from Trump supporters.  Liz Cheney lost her seat as the House Republican Chair in a behind-closed-door meeting with no recorded vote.  She was then ousted from the Wyoming Republican Party.  She was also censured by the RNC for investigating the Capitol assault because they deemed January 6, 2021, “legitimate political discourse.”  Apparently, Cheney’s political discourse was not deemed legitimate.

Others who also voted to impeach are now facing the wrath of Trump with challenges to their tenure with Trump endorsements to rivals for their jobs and, those not up for election, have been silenced.  Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader discussing the January 6th insurrection claimed that Trump was, “practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day.”  He later did an about-face and actively worked on Trump’s acquittal on impeachment charges.  Was the fear of Trump the reason for this change of heart?

Why all the fear?  Just ask Paul Pelosi, the 82-year-old husband of Nancy Pelosi.  One of the Trump faithful, indoctrinated by Trump conspiracy claims of a stolen election, beat the elderly Pelosi with a hammer and put him in the hospital.  A 2020 study by ABC News found 54 cases of violence, threats, and assaults where Trump was claimed to be the inspiration.  A review of over 500 federally prosecuted cases for menacing behavior against public servants showed a 178% increase during Trump’s presidency. 

The former president doesn’t have to do any of the dirty work himself.  The mere hint that he is displeased with someone or doesn’t like what they are doing is enough to inspire violence against that person.  In true mob boss fashion, he uses “sleep with the fishes” type hints that provide just enough vagary to avoid direct connection with any legal fallout.  Even those directly connected with Trump, like Rudy Giuliani, have such power by proxy.  Rudy just suggested that two election workers were “swapping USB ports” to rig the election and they were hounded and threatened with violence.

Trump, as capo di tutti i capi (boss of all bosses), commands an army of underbosses, and soldiers.  In this mob, there are no “made” men as everyone is expendable, except the “don.”  They are all “volunteers” in this army as it is also a cult and loyalty is a one-way street.  Even those he hires are likely to be left wanting if they try to get paid.  Trump is notoriously tight-fisted with his own money.  Some, like Sidney Powell, are true nut jobs.  These people blindly follow his bidding, perhaps hoping some of his wealth and fame will fall their way.

Throughout the “reign of Trump,” we have heard comparisons with mobsters and mob jargon.  Trump himself likened the plight of Paul Manafort to Alfonse Capone.  Roger Stone said he would never “roll on Donald Trump.”  Trump’s former attorney, Jay Goldberg compared Michael Cohen to Sammy “The Bull” Gravano who brought down Gotti.  Trump was worried that Cohen would “flip.”  Trump himself has been compared to John Gotti, “The Teflon Don,” who got acquittals in three big trials that had been influenced by jury tampering, juror misconduct, and witness intimidation.  While Gotti eventually died of throat cancer in prison, Trump’s fate is still uncertain.  The mob references, however, still seem appropriate.  He has brought the charisma of Charles Manson, the Blackshirts of Benito Mussolini, and the mob mentality of John Gotti to American politics.

With such rhetoric and threats of violence, will a truly free election ever again be possible?  Will the 2024 election be free of intimidation?  Can volunteer poll workers feel free to fulfill their civic duty?  Can they still support democracy, or will they be intimidated and replaced by those who might have questionable motives?  Election boards and election supervisors will not be risk-free positions in the future. 

We are well beyond the era of the “hanging chad,” made famous during the Florida election debacle of 2000, and more in the era of hanging Chad, if Chad happens to get targeted by Trump or one of his anointed.

Twisted Christianity; Where Did It All Go Wrong?

Christianity, like most religions, is well-intended and has goodness and kindness at its core. The Golden Rule of treating others as we would like to be treated is a good thing. People who follow any religion that adheres to the basic tenets of goodness and kindness to their fellow man have my full support. While I no longer follow any religion, I respect those who do. I also respect those who do not follow any specific religious doctrine but live their lives with decency and respect for others.

The question raised in my title has to do with what now passes as “religion,” but abandons the teachings of their faith. They ask, What Would Jesus Do (WWJD) but ignore the truthful answer. I speak of the “religious” movement labeled White Christian Nationalism (WCN). As one might deduce from just the title, race plays an important role in this movement. It has, using assimilation, many within the evangelical movement. According to a Pew Research poll, 24% of Americans identify as evangelical, and 68% of those are avid Trump supporters.

Some would trace the White Christian Nationalism movement back to 1954 and the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision that deemed racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. That decision was 9-0. Part of the backlash following that decision was the expansion of private religious schools that relied on the constitutional separation of church and state to continue with their brand of “separate but equal.”

Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
the first televangelist

While the Brown decision may have provided the initial impetus for Christians to begin twisting the teachings of their Bible to protect their racist beliefs, it was the movement of televangelism that brought money and power to the equation. The first such “televangelist” was the Catholic bishop, Fulton J. Sheen in 1951, who enjoyed a wide following. I watched him at his blackboard as he explained Catholicism and, between takes, his invisible angel erased that board for his next segment. He preceded the likes of Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, Jerry Falwell, Jim and Tammy Faye Baker, Pat Robertson, and Kenneth Copeland. There was money and power in preaching with Kenneth Copeland said to be worth over $750M.

Kenneth Copeland and his $36M jet
that brings him closer to God

Copeland and Trump have a few things in common. They both like money and will do anything to get as much as possible. Copeland, in one instance, promised relief for Haiti and solicited donations for that purpose. He then spent that money to repair one of his airplanes. Trump has similarly conned people with his scam Trump Foundation “charity” that was nothing but a slush fund for him and his children. Both Copland and Trump have been married three times.

With that much money at stake, it is no wonder that some of these individuals would seek to maximize their impact with appeals to some of the baser instincts of their followers. This would entail a further twisting of the teachings of Jesus and a headlong move into politics. It was no more about “spreading the word,” it was about motivating people to part with their money. Separation of church and state was no longer convenient; separation of people from their money was paramount. It is a one-way street where religion can be intricately involved in government and politics but the government must keep their hands off their religion, especially their money.

Many leaders of the religious right promoted fear and talk of Armageddon. Their followers were told that their American way of life was under attack. Their only recourse was to wrap themselves in the flag, carry a Bible, a gun, and a cross, and defend with violence if necessary those who oppose their will. The angry militant extremists we saw in Washington on January 6th had received the message from their leaders and were willing to overthrow our democracy to ensure that this nation would be run as a Christian-based society. They falsely claim that America was founded upon Christian beliefs and a return to that ideal may require violence.

This group would have its followers believe that America was the “Promised Land” for Europeans and want to ignore the fact that these same people were fleeing religious persecution. They no longer wanted a mandated national religion as had existed throughout Europe. They eventually drafted our Constitution that expressly outlined that objective. The white Christian nationalists would have you believe the Constitution gives them the mandate to enforce Christian beliefs as laws governing all Americans.

Perhaps they have their personal Delorean time machines and have rediscovered the mandate of Pope Nicholas V in 1452 that granted Portuguese king Alfonso V the right, “To invade, search out, capture, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens [Muslims] and pagans whatsoever, and other enemies of Christ wheresoever placed, and the kingdoms, dukedoms, principalities, dominions, possessions, and all movable and immovable goods whatsoever held and possessed by them and to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery.” This decree, a so-called Doctrine of Discovery, justified African slavery and a form of white supremacy for lands yet undiscovered.

Pope Nick V

I’ve read our Constitution and I see no reference to the Pope Nicholas V decree. I do see, however, the First Amendment that states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Even with that level of clarity in the opening line of the First Amendment, a recent Brookings Institute survey asked people if they agreed or disagreed that, “God intended America to be a new promised land where European Christians could create a society that could be an example to the rest of the world.” The response was that 30% of Americans agreed with that statement. This figure was even higher (52%) among Republicans and higher still (56%) among evangelical Protestants.

With the specter of Armageddon threatening their way of life and the manufactured religious mandate of outlawing all abortions without regard to consequence, this new White Christian National movement has slogans like God and Guns, borrowed from the Lynyrd Skynyrd album of that name. Violence is an accepted response to that perceived threat. People died and many were injured in the violence surrounding January 6th with much of it done under the guise of religious fervor and misguided patriotism as directed by their appointed Messiah, Donald Trump.

Many within this movement believe that Donald Trump is devout. They can ignore what he says and does. Infidelity, rape, sex with porn stars, lying, cheating, stealing, conning students, etc., are minor character flaws that can be overlooked. We know he held a Bible once and had his picture taken outside a church. What more proof do you need of his religiosity?

All WCNs would consider themselves evangelicals but not all evangelicals are WCNs. Some evangelicals are merely devout followers of “the good news” of salvation or the gospel. The term evangelical comes from the Greek word euangelion which essentially means good news. Evangelicals are important in the political arena as they are the essential core of the Republican base. In this new age of extremism, politics and God are equals.

Evangelicals are well represented in the Bible Belt that is most prominent in north Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, southern and western Virginia, West Virginia, upstate South Carolina, and east Texas. There are other strongholds of evangelical support outside the traditional Bible Belt that includes Missouri, Oklahoma, and Florida.

Twisted Christianity? Yes, the Republican Party now has a White Christian Nationalist component that promises its unwavering support as long as that party does its bidding. White Christian Nationalist Mike Johnson is now the Speaker of the House and could be the poster child for the WCN movement.

If you are anti-Black, anti-immigrant, antisemitic, anti-Muslim, and/or anti-LGBTQ, you can put on your MAGA hat, put on your American flag shirt, wave your Bible, and your message may not be challenged because you are a patriotic Christian. With Trump as your savior, the shield of infallibility is yours. As long as you profess that you are a white Christian conservative, your views may not be challenged. You have God on your side.

WWJD has been replaced by WWTD

The MAGA Collective

As a fan of the sci-fi series Star Trek, I find one of the more fascinating antagonists from this fictional universe, The Borg, bears a striking similarity to what we identify as MAGA. Perhaps it would be helpful to reflect on the defined structure of this fictional nemesis.

They were known as The Borg Collective and exhibited traits with a beehive-like parallel. The Borg Hive consisted of a collection of drones who had been assimilated from other alien species linked together as cybernetic organisms functioning as a single body. This body was ultimately governed by a Borg Queen. The Borg Queen was the only entity within this collective with complete autonomy. The Borg were driven by a single objective which was to conquer without mercy or compassion.

Functioning like an organic computer, each alien species component is connected via a subspace network toward a common goal. Through this collective consciousness, they share the same thoughts and speak with a collective voice. When they target a new subject for assimilation they will state, “Resistance is futile.” That target and its biological and technological information are then added to the collective.

In today’s environment, we find the singular head of over one-third of the Republican party has used his own version of mind control. He parrots their fears, desires, and spiritual goals as his own. His objective is to conquer all obstacles without mercy or compassion. As a sociopathic narcissist, he is singularly suited to this role as he will do whatever it takes to benefit himself while assimilating others in his mission. They submit willingly to his spell and will do his bidding even at the cost of their own freedom or well-being. As a spoiled billionaire, his minions are truly an alien species but one he understands how to control. He cut his teeth mesmerizing the masses over fourteen years of hosting The Apprentice. In the series, contestants are divided into two teams pitted against one another. In the political arena, he has split our nation into two groups and pitted them in a battle threatening our democracy for the first time since the Civil War. If you have gotten this far and don’t see the parallels within our current MAGA Collective, with its groupthink connected through its own subspace network, perhaps you should lower your shields and surrender your ship.

What Is Really Behind Donald Trump?

We all know the bluster and the seemingly absurd “everyman” language he uses that endears him to many Americans, even the blue-collar set.  Much of it is unclear, vague, and often contradictory.  Each of us thinks we understand what he means.  Perhaps that’s the point.  Speak with “fill-in-the-blanks” vagueness and let the listener hear what they want.  He is the carnival barker of our time.  He can whip an audience into a frenzy and they will do his bidding.

Some might ask, how is it that a wealthy tycoon is relatable to such a wide audience?  He has easily carved out a solid base of hard-core followers estimated to be about one-third of the Republican party. 

He promises simple “magic bullet” solutions to complex problems.  Paint a picture of immigrants as drug-crazed pedophiles and rapists coming to take your jobs, then promise to “build a 2,000-mile steel wall on our southern border and have Mexico pay for it.”  The crowd will cheer.  The crowd won’t see the lunacy in this, or the fact that it still doesn’t solve the problem of immigration.  They just see a simple “solution.”  People understand walls and fences.  People don’t understand that others, facing death and starvation, are highly motivated.  Immigrants will see such a barrier as just another obstacle in a long line of hazards they have already faced.

Trump’s appeal is further enhanced by citizens feeling their government is in chaos and unresponsive to their needs. Who can blame them, it’s true.  You don’t have to be a political scientist to see the dysfunction of our government.  Politicians fight, not just with the opposition, but among themselves. It’s not a pretty picture.  Trump is still seen as an outsider and he is now an “outsider” with four years of experience.

This part of the Trump equation is easy to understand.  What worked for Il Duce (Benito Mussolini) in the 1930s is working for Donald Trump.  Mussolini too was originally a socialist who promised the working class a better life before making a hard turn to the right.  We must remember that Donald Trump was originally a Democrat before his hard right turn.  Mussolini asked to be allowed to ignore existing laws and to be allowed to become a dictator for just one year.  Trump, in recent speeches, promises that his dictatorship will only last one day.  If you believe that, he has some classified documents he will sell you along with pieces of the suit he wore for his mug shot.

The term fascist was created to describe Mussolini’s paramilitary groups which were called “fasci di combattimento” or fascismo.  The word is from the Latin word fasces which is described as a bundle of wooden sticks topped with an ax head used by Roman authority figures to express their rank.  This symbol has been adopted by the alt-right as a favorite icon.  The Charlottesville killer who drove his car into protestors used this symbol.  In ancient Rome, the ax was to be used for punishment when needed.

Mussolini supporters wore black shirts at rallies, not red MAGA hats.  Il Duce spoke theatrically, often in a repetitive manner, expressing opinions that were contradictory and not based on facts.  He was malicious and often used metaphors emphasized with vigorous repetitive gestures.  He inspired the creation of independent militias who terrorized those who might oppose his agenda.  Does any of this sound familiar?

While this perhaps explains a little about Trump and his appeal with some of his hard-core group, it doesn’t explain why he is even in politics beyond his own ego, which is another topic altogether.  What’s in it for him and, more importantly, for others in his class?  What motivates big business and other extremely wealthy people to support the likes of Trump?  What are their motivations and goals?  Using the current chaos in government as cover, and using popular empty rhetoric about lowering the national debt, this group wants to overhaul the constitution, install an authoritarian government that they control, and add to their coffers on the backs of those unaware of their tactics.

ALEC, or the American Legislative Exchange Council, formerly called the Conservative Caucus of State Legislators, was founded in 1973.  The newly anointed Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, was their keynote speaker this year.  Their current initiative is to use Article V of the Constitution to amend that document to benefit businesses.  It all sounds rather innocuous on the surface but their call for an Article V Convention has an agenda that may benefit the rich at the expense of the poor.  This financial shift would be paid for by those who aren’t owners of private Boeing 757s like “Trump Force One.”  [aside-Trump’s jet was formerly a Mexican airliner based in Mexico City]

To invoke Article V, they need 2/3 of the 50 states to support a constitutional convention.  Those living in the conspiracy netherworld should note that 2/3 is point 666.  They need 34 states to call the convention and 38 to ratify any amendments.

The overall objective seems to be to enforce a conservative agenda by changing the balance of power from the federal government back to the states where they feel they can make changes.  Such changes would be more difficult at the national level.  Currently, 25 states have a conservative advantage with 19 of those having a significant advantage.  At the national level, voter registrations showed Democrats outnumbering Republicans in 2020 by around 12 million.  The count in October of that year was 48.5M Democrats, 36.1M Republicans, and 34.8M fence-sitters.

So, if ALEC can get enough states to back their call for a convention, they can then amend our Constitution to suit their needs.  This can be done through the individual state legislatures and Congress has no say.  They currently have petitions circulating with innocuous language that few could find egregious.  Terms like, “impose restraints on the federal government, limit its power and jurisdiction, and calling for term limits for members of Congress,” all sound like the only question should be, “Where do I sign?”  If you expand the details of their petition, you will see that it also calls for the elimination of “crushing regulation.”

American Legislative Exchange Council

If you go further into their plans and read their brochure, you will see that they feel businesses are being forced to comply with onerous regulations enacted by agencies that are not directly accountable to citizens.  While I would agree that this is the case, I would question the sanity of having everyday people voting on how much E. coli O157:H7 is safe in our ground beef. 

Some might argue that, if you cook all your hamburgers well and make them look like charcoal briquettes, it is not much of a problem.  Certainly, the meat packing industry would like those regulations to go away.  It costs them money to comply with these rules.  They could make larger profits without regulations.  In fact, most businesses could see larger profits if government regulations went away.  Let me pollute that stream with my industrial runoff because everyone can switch to bottled water.

This group also sees Social Security and other so-called “entitlement” programs as part of a problem that they need to fix.  I’ll leave it up to you to figure out how billionaires would decide to fix Social Security.  I seriously doubt that they would like to eliminate or raise the current $160,200 cap beyond which income is no longer subject to that FICA tax.  The current tax rate is 6.2% for employees and a similar amount for the employer.  Big business, and the very wealthy, don’t see much benefit from Social Security and view it as a government intrusion into their ability to make maximum profits.

The “Article V Convention of States Pocket Guide” further identifies their goal as shifting more control to the states.  The 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision would be an example of such a shift.  The conservative SCOTUS ruled that since the Constitution did not specifically list abortion as a right, that issue must be decided individually by each state.  It apparently did not matter that, until the mid-19^th century, abortion was legal as established by common law.

ALEC supports the NRA and the expansion of “stand-your-ground” laws.  They want voter ID voting requirements to limit access to the polls, laws that require all immigrants over 18 to “carry their papers” of alien registration with them at all times, and laws that would outlaw the filming of livestock farms by animal rights activists where violators would be placed in a terrorist registry. 

ALEC wants to privatize prisons as profit centers for the penal-industrial complex.  They want to limit EPA restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions and limit access to environmental agencies’ right to track fracking contaminants that may leak into drinking water.  They want to penalize homeowners who install private solar panels and want to sell electricity back on the grid.  They support the total privatization of education.  They would outlaw public broadband services in favor of big business control by the likes of ATT and Verizon.  They want to eliminate the Affordable Care Act.  They promote the idea that homosexuality leads to pedophilia and recruitment.  [Russia just outlawed gay]

ALEC supports all these things and actively writes the legislation and bills that participating officials can sponsor.  Their model legislation comes with training and assistance as a “resource” made available to legislators.  Their authorship is not disclosed, and ALEC membership is a guarded secret.  In one instance, however, a Florida-sponsored bill (by Rep. Rachel Burgin) was introduced that mistakenly included the “boilerplate” mission statement of ALEC.  This group has been called “a dating agency for Republican legislators and big corporations.”

If you are still in doubt as to the goal of ALEC, just know that it is fully endorsed by Ron DeSantis, Sean Hannity, Rand Paul, Sarah Palin, Greg Abbott, Andrew Napolitano, Mark Meadows, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee, Jeb Bush, and Bobby Jindal.  While I support their call for term limits for members of Congress and SCOTUS, I doubt that such limits would make the final cut.

Trump’s broad appeal to the uber-wealthy and the blue-collar set, who would not seem to have similar goals, comes from his careful crafting of his pliable positions on the issues.  He has garnered support from ultra-conservatives and the religious right with his anti-abortion stance.  He has paired this with his desire to be an authoritarian strongman who could force-feed their agenda against the will of most Americans.  His anti-regulation, anti-tax, and small government posture gets the support of big business and the uber-wealthy.  His racism and xenophobia win votes from others who share those views.

There are many seemingly willing to overlook his lack of integrity and morals in the hope that their little slice of the pie will get bigger.  They are also willing to put our democratic way of life on hold to give authoritarianism a chance.  They seem to think that the examples of other countries where authoritarian rule is the norm couldn’t happen in America.  Russia, China, North Korea, Hungary, Iran, and Saudi Arabia are somehow different.  Authoritarian rule in America would be different.  Trump would only govern by fiat on “day one,” and after that, he would follow the Constitution.

Captain Edward J. Smith
RMS Titanic

I will be the first to admit that the system is broken.  Our government seems to be suffering from “locked-in syndrome” where we are conscious and aware of what is happening but are paralyzed to act on anything.  There are solutions to our problems but electing “Capt. Edward Smith,” disguised as Donald Trump, to right the ship and move full speed ahead, means it is time to start counting the lifeboats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Democracy, Do You Miss It Yet?

A true democracy is like a good marriage where major decisions are discussed, and each partner gets a vote. If this is a truly good marriage, the husband’s decision will triumph. This is because a good wife will know how to make him think that what she wanted was his idea in the first place. In government, democracy is like a food fight in a kindergarten.

Kindergarten Food Fight

We think of ourselves as a democracy here in the United States but, more accurately, we are a federal democratic republic formed under a constitution. We are a representative democracy with officials elected to govern. We “govern ourselves” indirectly by electing those who will act on our behalf, or so we think.

As declared democratic objectives go, those stated in our Constitution are laudable. In practice, however, slaves, indigenous peoples, and women were excluded from voting. Women were eventually allowed to vote (1919), and indigenous Native Americans got the right to vote with the passage of the Snyder Act of 1924, but we are not a true democracy. While most Americans can vote, some are still restricted from voting. Our political parties use legislative tactics to place a “thumb on the scale” of our electoral processes. We still must constantly fight against gerrymandering, polling location placement, polling times, voter disenfranchisement, and voter disqualification schemes meant to seek political party advantages.

As George Orwell wrote in Animal Farm, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” This is even more evident today than when George Orwell wrote his satirical fable loosely covering the Russian Revolution and Stalinist Russia. We have our own political versions of the Animal Farm pig characters Snowball and Napolean who would like to enforce their version of the “Seven Commandments of Animalism.” In Orwell’s fable, a disagreement over a new modernization plan that involved building a windmill, proposed by Snowball, has Napolean use his dogs to chase Snowball away as he declares himself supreme commander.

Napolean as Supreme Commander of 
Animal Farm

Anyone who reads this refresher excerpt of the Animal Farm plot who doesn’t see parallels in today’s political food fight may want to pay closer attention to what’s happening in the congressional sandbox. Perhaps it would be clearer if I mentioned that after defeating Snowball and taking command, Napolean takes credit for the windmill idea. When the new windmill is blown down in a storm, Napolean blames Snowball for the disaster and begins a purge of those he distrusts. Where have we seen such shenanigans lately?

Orwell published Animal Farm just a few weeks before I was born, but not much has changed in the ensuing 78 years. Corruption of power, the manipulation of information, the emergence of an exploitive elite class, and the erosion of our democratic principles are as much a part of our modern landscape as they were on the Manor Farm run by the alcoholic farmer, Mr. Jones.

The freedoms enjoyed in our hybrid democracy are now at risk. Our tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to be free are rightfully distrustful and outraged at the poor helmsmanship being provided by our elected officials. We all see the icebergs ahead and the bickering in the wheelhouse of government.

I am reminded of a flight I took some years ago aboard a small commuter jet. Sue and I were the only passengers until one late arrival managed to make it to a seat across the aisle. The cockpit curtain was open, and we could see the two pilots at the controls. Once in the air, we went through a bad thunderstorm. Imagine how our comfort level plummeted as we watched the two pilots bickering. One was pointing to an open manual and the other was arguing and pointing at and tapping some gauges. I didn’t need to know the specifics of their discussion to know that this shouldn’t be happening as the storm was having its way with our airborne cocoon.

The problem today is that, in a blatant fight for power and control, our bickering government is causing people to rethink our commitment to democracy. Some have even expressed an openness to a more authoritarian approach. They too must see the obvious erosion of democratic norms, challenges to the rule of law, attacks on our independent judiciary, and an abandonment of support for a free press. A strongman ruler might seem like a simple solution to the chaos but much of this chaos is being orchestrated. It is being done to make the path easier for them to grab the reins of power. Cause the problem and then offer the solution that creates your advantage.

Some conservatives would point to Viktor Orbán of Hungary with envy. Hungary, like the US, is rated as a “Deficient Democracy.” They have a ceremonial President and Orbán is the head of government with the title of Prime Minister. On August 5, 2022, Orbán spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, Texas.

Viktor Orbán of Hungary at CPAC in Texas

Some US conservatives likely see parallels between Orbán’s history and that of Donald Trump. Orbán first ruled in Hungary from 1998 to 2002 when he lost his reelection bid. Then, he used a rising distrust and dissatisfaction with politicians to sweep the 2010 elections. He also got a two-thirds majority in their parliament which allowed him to make multiple changes to their constitution. He has held his current position since the 2010 election.

With his new powers, he hijacked public institutions, attacked the courts, and destroyed most independent media. He encouraged the abuse of migrants and refugees and criminally attacked any who helped them. He has banned same-sex marriages and has attacked the rights of the LGBTQ community. He has wrapped himself in a “pro-family” rhetoric while turning back the clock on the equality between men and women. He fully supports the activities of white supremacists and their “great replacement” theory. Some US conservatives envy his ability to fix elections, crush any dissent, and advance a nationalism rooted in racism.

In the US there is a trend toward a concentration of power in both national and state governments. We see governors who have already corrupted their state judiciaries and, using a party majority in their legislatures, were able to enact laws that make their power more absolute. The recent attempted coup to overthrow a national election and the subsequent campaign rhetoric that promises a major power grab if reelected, provides a clear roadmap to authoritarian rule in America.

Overthrowing our democracy, flawed as it is, would be like paving over our national forests because we sometimes have fires. Once an authoritarian takeover is allowed, any return to democracy would be doomed. These individuals are using the appeal of nationalism and populism to seize power.

An authoritarian government will quickly see an erosion of civil liberties. Free speech? Sure, if it doesn't contradict the ideology of the current leader. Tolerance of dissenting voices would be met with increased surveillance and restrictions. Opposition would be met with marginalization. With executive control of the courts, legal actions against political rivals would be too easy to resist.

This shift toward authoritarian rule has already seen an erosion of international alliances. International fences have been damaged and the current administration has been hampered by the actions of the previous one. The move toward isolationism as a political rallying point under the guise of nationalism and misplaced patriotism has been destructive. Isolation at a time when the global economy is even more important is a self-inflicted wound we should avoid.

In one ranking of democracies by quality, the United States placed 36th. The top five democracies in this analysis were Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Germany. At the bottom of their list were China, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, North Korea, and Eritrea who were all labeled, “Hard Autocracy.” The United States, in its 36th position, was described as a “Deficient Democracy.”

I, for one, would rather see us struggle as a deficient democracy than be forced to endure the rigors of living under an American version of Kim Jong Un. Quick and simple solutions may look attractive if one doesn’t assess the potential risks and consequences of the one-way street to authoritarian rule. I say, not only does Comrade Trump not deserve a second bite at the apple, but that he should also probably end up in jail. This should happen only when he is convicted of a crime under the rules of our deficient democracy. He’s lucky in this regard that we are still a democracy because an authoritarian president might have had his head on a pike on Pennsylvania Avenue by now.

At the conclusion of Animal Farm, the human farmer Jones is dead, and the leaders of the rebellion are aging. The pigs who advocated that four-legged animals are better than two-legged humans, now walk upright. Napolean holds a dinner party and invites the local human farmers to form a new alliance. During a card game, both Napolean and a human farmer play the Ace of Spades and an argument breaks out about who cheated. Animals on the outside looking at the mayhem inside the farmhouse can’t distinguish between humans and pigs. Flip on C-SPAN and see if you can see the difference.

[Postscript]

Orwell’s original manuscript was nearly destroyed in 1944 when a German V-1 flying bomb hit his London home. He luckily managed to retrieve it from the rubble.