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Truth and Reconciliation: An Orwellian Strategy
When I first heard the proposal of a “truth and reconciliation” process in the United States, I felt my hair stand on end. Robert Reich, formerly of the Clinton Administration, proposed this kind of commission be established, and I knew that he was up to no good. I actually felt outraged when he used the term because I knew that these commissions were established internationally to deal with the outcomes of devastating upheavals in 40 countries. I am very familiar with events in Rwanda:
The Justice and Reconciliation Process in Rwanda— During the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, up to one million people perished and as many as 250,000 women were raped, leaving the country’s population traumatized and its infrastructure decimated. Since then, Rwanda has embarked on an ambitious justice and reconciliation process with the ultimate aim of all Rwandans once again living side by side in peace.
Justice after the genocide—In the years following the genocide, more than 120,000 people were detained and accused of bearing criminal responsibility for their participation in the killings.
Following this kind of horror—one million people killed in one month—Rwanda knew that steps had to be taken in an effort to unify the country.
But Robert Reich’s proposal borders on evil:
‘When this nightmare is over, we need a Truth and Reconciliation Commission,’ Reich tweeted. ‘It would erase Trump’s lies, comfort those who have been harmed by his hatefulness, and name every official, politician, executive, and media mogul whose greed and cowardice enabled this catastrophe.’
Seriously? Does Reich truly believe that a commission of this type will unify the country? Do we need to execute people’s reputations or even lock them up because people’s feelings have been hurt? Not alone in his ruthless commitment to take revenge, he followed Chris Hayes’ recommendation at MSNBC who proposed a similar commission for those who questioned COVID-19 protocols.
It’s clear that Reich and other Trump-haters are determined to punish Trump and anyone associated with Republicans. All the positive outcomes of the Trump administration are irrelevant: improved foreign policy, a thriving economy, reduced regulations, energy independence. None of those achievements matter. The only goal that matters is destroying the political Right and the Republican party.
The columnist at the Chicago Tribune, John Kass, has taken the punishment for his positions as well. Here’s what he said recently about Reich’s proposal:
Among Republicans, the outraged hot take on all of this is to bring up George Orwell’s ‘1984.’
‘It’s Orwellian,”’ they say.
But Orwell’s ‘1984’ was a soulless world ruled by dispassionate intellects. Their terror was numbing and methodical. These Reich/Hayes Truth Commissions are tinged instead with the angry passion of the zealot seeking revenge. It’s rather French. No, not the France of today, but of the French Revolution, of tribunals and trials and the Reign of Terror, the France of the Jacobins.
That prominent Democrats feel free to propose a Truth and Reconciliation Commission is unnerving, even frightening. We must assume that they are deadly serious.
Let’s hope more than ever that November 3 is a Trump victory.
Published in Politics
And they weaponized the FBI to try a coup on the President.
Show me one example of Q Anon violence.
I don’t know anybody who embraces the Q Anon conspiracy theory, but I know a lot of liberals who see nothing disturbing in a Democrat politician with lifelong close connections to Communists, terrorists, islamo-fascists, etc. And then there are the liberals who, when a violent thug is shot while attacking police (or his victim), see only a martyr–and who seem to see nothing wrong with rioting leftists destroying the livelihoods of hard-working Americans but do see something wrong in police and citizens using force to stop the rioters.
If Trump wins, I fear we will see a truly terrifying outbreak of mindless violence. And if Biden wins, we get (metaphorical, I hope) guillotines in the public square.
I don’t know about how the world ends, but pace Elliott, American democracy will go out with a bang.
It’s going to be ugly for a while, but I’m not quite ready to give up on our democratic Republic.
I know a person who’s at least Q-adjacent. If I had to choose between living next to someone who believes in Q-Anon and someone in antifa I’d choose the former. At least then all I’d have to worry about is extended rants about black helicopters and such.
In that case Trump should fire Esper and invoke the Insurrection Act.
He should also consider busting a few generals down to private.
My nature tends toward pessimism. I hope the American experiment isn’t over, but it’s hard to see how we continue, considering our tribal hatreds. A house divided, and all that. Still, we can hope for the best.
If “we” win, there will be no problem. All we want is complete control so we can repeal a lot of laws, leaving only those that are necessary for a society to function, and then ruthlessly leave everyone alone.
Yes, but “we” won’t be allowed to leave everyone alone because of the violence and general civil unrest I predict. Riot police and National Guardsmen going up against rioters is a big problem. Not a happy thought. I don’t have a crystal ball, but that’s what I fear we are in store for with a Trump win. What a Biden win will mean for everyday life is hard to say, but I’m thinking it’s not so good, either.
Michelle Obama was more right then she knew in 2008 when she made this speech.
I just threw up in my mouth a little re-reading that.
Good Lord. I don’t remember that speech. It concerns me that large swaths of the population nod approvingly at that sort of thing.
I am surprised – that speech chilled me to the bone when I heard it. Thank God Barack Obama is a fundamentally lazy man surrounded by sycophants and couldn’t be bothered to do it.
My ability to forget things is truly awesome.
He seems to have lost his charm. When he campaigns today, he gets 19 attendees if he’s lucky. The act grew old. There will be more problems to deal with, but Barack and Michelle are history.
We need an overwhelming presence in Washington DC on election night and the next day demanding a peaceful response to the election, no matter who wins. We need hundreds of thousands of peaceful citizens there to displace the violent anarchic revolutionaries. We need to take up the space and preserve our republic. We need twenty patriots for every America hater. Michelle Malkin has written an article outlining the plans of the rioters. we need to overwhelm them.