Political Violence

ENOUGH!

These are contentious times.

America has been polarized by hate and division..

We used to have responsible political discourse.

We listened to each other and politely disagreed.

Sometimes, that disagreement would lead to a great compromise that moved us forward to solve the problems of the day. The US Constitution was such a compromise. To gain agreement, one really horrible thing called the 3/5ths Compromise was added. slave states got 3/5ths credit in apportioning seats in the US House of Representatives for each slave they owned. Who among us would sign on to that today?

A better compromise was the Bill of Rights, the first 10 Amendments. States wanted these assurances before they would ratify the Constitution.

My favorite right enumerated in the Bill of Rights is the First Amendment. It gives me the right to voice my opinion without fear of retribution. It also gives you the right to tell me when I’m wrong.

I lived through an era of political assassinations. JFK, MLK, Medgar Evers, and James Meridith, to name a few. Each one broke my heart, but I was curiously unmoved when Governor George Wallace was seriously wounded in 1968. Why? I saw him as a racist who was running to overturn the hard-won progress in Civil Rights. Though I still don’t like him, it was awful that someone shot him.

We moved forward as a nation from these terrible events in the 1960s..

We came together to stand up for what is right. We got rid of a Vice-President who turned out to be a crook. Then we conducted a thorough bipartisan investigation of a President who had exceeded his authority and lied about it. We argued about big vs small government and found ways to keep the economy running while taking care of the least of us. Presidents from both parties provided us with good leadership and inspiration.

When 911 hit us like an atomic bomb, we quickly pulled together in a show of unity not seen since WWII.

Then, we let ourselves get polarized. We formed tribes, each accusing the other of being extreme. Some of the accusations were more true than others. We stopped short of demonizing each other for a while and the country continued to function for all.

In 2026 America fell apart. Those who wanted to blame all their problems on others found their champion. The country immediately became catastrophically divided. Too many of us learned to hate those who are different. The way we handled Race, ethnicity, national origin, and diversity had once made America a shining light. Suddenly, we were bitching about which bathroom to use. Hateful rhetoric was normalized because one man in a position of power used it. Fortunately, our guardrails held as he became increasingly despotic and self-serving.

The end of American democracy came on January 6, 2021. You might have seen it on TV. “Stop the vote!” “Hang Mike Pence!”

Those of us who foolishly thought democracy had survived that day were mistaken. A partisan Senate refused to hold the instigator to account. Four years later, the fools who followed his direction were pardoned.

Let me return to Charlie Kirk. He was a polarizing figure who seems to have angered some folks. He was even a target of criticism by such right-wing figures as Laura Loomer and Nick Fuentes. He was not killed by an immigrant, a Muslim, a Transvestite, or a liberal. Lower your flag if you wish. He deserves to be mourned. Let us not make his unfortunate death at the hands of someone who appeared to look a lot like him further divide us.

We have now arrived at the point where we have one party rule with a Unitary Executive. He is accountable to no one but his narcissistic self. There are no checks and balances. Those who love freedom and democracy are doomed.

The angst has generated a new wave of political violence. We should deplore all of it, not just when it happens to our champion. I fear our Unitary Executive will use these events to solidify his power. Hitler got the Enabling Act after the Reichstag fire. Don’t be surprised if elections are cancelled or the results overturned. This leader loves to declare a crisis so he can rule by Executive Decree. The court has put him above the law. He faces no consequences for destroying our decency, democracy or the Rule of Law.

Buckle up. We appear to be screwed. Hopefully, the next voice that is silenced won’t be yours.

On a personal note, my retina appears to be detaching, so this post may be my last for a while.

Godspeed America.

I hope to see you on the other side, but probably won’t live long enough to see a resolution to this nightmare.

Main Menu http://www.azrockdodger.com

Larry