<a href="http://<iframe frameborder="0" scrolling="no" height="130" width="100%" src="https://www.wnyc.org/widgets/ondemand_player/wnycstudios/#file=/audio/json/1059606/&share=1">Against Democracy – from this week’s On The Media.
I remember my AVC class from my senior year in HS with Mr. Gallagher. One of the best classes I had in HS. Mr. Gallagher was a city council member in our town. He forced us to think. Oh, wait….AVC – Americanism v. Communism. I’m old. It was a required course throughout most of the country. Different school districts/states called it different things, Problems of American Democracy (PAD). You would probably equate it to an simple intro to political science.
It compared different forms of government around the world. We learned how our federalist system was set up and how we had changed it over time through constitutional amendments and changes in our societal norms.
This segment of On The Media woke me up this morning. It shows how a minority group, Republicans, view our system of government and how they are changing it. Please listen to it. It’s important and helps you understand why they are doing what they are doing. The current Republicans (probably similar to the Republican Party of the late 18th century) are moving us away from democracy. They fear being the minority party. They like the power they have amassed and are attempting to exploit our system. Maybe they fear that they will be treated the way they have treated Democrats.
Those who disagree are no longer the opposition, THEY ARE THE ENEMY. And THEY must be VANQUISHED, not just beaten.
They have set up systems in many states that disenfranchise US citizens, on purpose. The rules seem benign. They’re not that extreme, are they? That you need an ID to vote, this shouldn’t be difficult, should it? My Dad never had a driver’s license. He didn’t drive. As far as I could find after he died, he did not have a picture ID of any sort. So if he was still alive, he would not be able to vote in many states now. But I bet if he showed up at his polling place, they would let him without any hassle. (think about think about post-Civil War through the 1960s.).
The changes Republicans are making to voting, our governmental systems, they believe will keep them a dominant power, even as a minority party. Our President agrees with this. The upper economic classes are okay with it. (most of them, anyway).
To our current Republican Party leaders, THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS. How we get there is not important, just that we get there. This is what sparked my memories of Mr. Gallagher’s AVC class!
You see, this was how U.S. CITIZENS WERE TAUGHT ABOUT THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLIC (USSR). The former name of the current Russia.
Now, many of you (who make it this far in my lengthy post) will say, NO, NO, THAT’S NOT TRUE. This has been niggling my thoughts for since 9/11. I have watched as we have allowed our civil liberties and civil rights be eroded away in the name of security, safety and traditionalism.
This has empowered groups like the former Michigan Militia (Wolverine Watchmen), The Proud Boys and countless other groups. Our President calls to them to “stand back and stand by.” We have an authorized military, the U.S. Armer Forces, the National Guard, Federal police, State police, sheriffs and local police. Why do we need an outside force to “stand back and stand by?”
I don’t care who you vote for. I want you to vote. Examine all the sources of information you can find, especially those you disagree with. I do. I watch ALL the cable news networks from OAN to VICE. I watch C-SPAN, PBS, local news and read Breitbart, National Review, Washington Post, NY Times and just about anything else I can find. (I know, I’m a nerd!).
You don’t have to go this far but broaden yourself. NO ONE GROUP HAS ALL THE ANSWERS. This is why we need to preserve the “democracy” part of our government. So that we can become more equal. We are more alike than we are different regardless of what our current leaders are trying to get us to believe.