These days, you’d have to be a mantra intoxicated monk on a mountaintop NOT to think about politics. This country is about 240 years old, depending on when you start counting. It only takes a skimming of it’s history to know that politics in this country has never been a textbook clean process. That being the case, what you see going on today is beyond the pale.
When I went to high school I had to take a class in civics. It left me with nice rosy warm feeling inside that this political process that I just learned about would insure peace and tranquility in my lifetime. Uh, well – not really. It left me feeling rather numb. Phrases like checks and balances, representative government, free elections and ideas like a true participatory democracy floated around from which I took a confidence that my government had my best interests at heart. Well, naiveté has always been easy for me.
Now we find ourselves in a situation that no one ever dreamed would happen – not in this country. A major contender for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination is proudly advocating mob rule that presents itself as above law, decency and respect. Mr. Trump openly encourages his followers to beat up protesters while his response is a pouty mouthed adolescent posture more appropriate to a delinquent teenager or a street gang capo, than a front runner for the Republican Party.
Everybody knows, or should know, that the rule of law and mutual respect are the only forces that keep these thugs, wannabe criminals and proudly ignorant people in check. These are the looters of our democratic form of government by consent. They are willing to trash the constitution for selfishly uninformed reasons. When it becomes dangerous to oppose hate mongers and advocates of violence in the political process the very fabric of democracy is torn.
When you look closely at the Trump Platform you don’t find one. Making American great again and building a wall between Mexico and the US do not constitute viable programs to benefit the American people. They make no sense. They are mob epithets and crowd pleasers if, that is, your crowd came only for a fist fight.
More is needed than the “summer soldier and sunshine patriot”. We must reject mob rule. We must demand character in our leaders. We must demand reason, respect and the rule of law. And above all – we must vote. If we loose this battle, we will have lost America.
Speak up. Don’t be shouted down. America is worth it. You’re worth it.
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