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In a recent post I mention that Mrs Rodin was reading Kerry Howley’s book,
Howley ... surveyed the enormous surveillance tools developed by our government and the whistleblowers who have revealed its presence and/or government use of those tools.
In that section of the book is a detailed history of the growing surveillance state that predated President Trump. And then Howley launches into the story of Reality Winner. Howley places Winner as an extension of the line of whistleblowers starting with Assange and Manning. But here comes the twist, Winner is a whistleblower because she hates Trump, Howley sees the Deep State as a creation of Trump not that Trump was a victim of it. And so the story related by Howley both condemns and exonerates the intelligence community!
The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist—Charles Baudelaire The second greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he is the good guy—Ken Ammi
I had that in mind when I read Johnathan Turtle's piece, No, Democracy is Not on The Ballot in 2024. I admire Professor Turley very much, but I have problems with the following:
While I do not believe that the Jan. 6 riot was a true insurrection, I immediately denounced it as a desecration of our constitutional system. I criticized Trump’s speech that day as he was giving it. I also supported Vice President Mike Pence’s actions at the Capitol and rejected the legal basis for opposing the certification of the election.
Jan. 6 was many things, and all of them bad − save for one vital thing: Our system worked.
The Capitol riot was only the latest stress test for a system that has survived wars, economic collapse and social divisions. Despite an assault inside our Capitol, the system held and functioned as it was designed. And despite the claims of some partisans, we were never “dangerously close to losing it all.”
It was a desecration of our system but also the triumph of that system. [emphasis added]
Did our system work? Did it triumph? Yes, there was a transfer of power. Yes, the courts refused to review claims of election fraud. Yes, the calendar triumphed. But have we had constitutional government since January 6, 2021?
It seems to me that the evidence is running in the other direction. Due process and equal protection are in tatters. The border has been functionally wiped out except for persons who are trying to lawfully enter or re-enter the country. The government money printing press is nearly melting down. Censorship is being sold as both virtuous and essential to "democracy".
There seems to be an incoherence that attaches to any observations about President Trump. It's like some science fiction type warped space where none of the usual rules apply. And that absence of rules does not create curiosity about the effect, rather, those fully in the effect seem to either believe (a) if you simply destroy Trump the Universe will revert to "normal" rules, or (b) the Trump phenomena reveals nothing fundamental about our society that needs to be confronted or examined, i.e., the system "works".
I realize that just penning the words above I could be under some "force field effect" and so it forces the question: Where can we get enough perspective to examine the phenomena dispassionately? Recall the story of The Enchanted Cottage where two individuals (one disfigured, the other homely) see themselves and each other as perfect and lovely so long as they remain in the cottage. Are we all in some form of "enchanted society" when it comes to President Trump, occupying the same space but seeing things so incredibly differently?
I don't know whether democracy is on the ballot, but reality is.
Discussion (15)
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Awesome, dead on.
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We don't know yet. So far, we cannot conclude it has not worked. Our constitutional process is still in place. That does not mean there are not points of failure, we always have had those. The question remains, will they be identified and overcome?
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This is the only viable force many of us who support Trump see as having the potential to right the ship of state from its tilt. We have this debate regularly here on R>. Trump supporters do not see the stamina (committed staying power) within the other 2024 Republican candidates and that leaves doubts. Some of those who also see all of the unconstitutional acts by Democrats are of the opinion that candidates other than Trump will do what is needed to right the ship. Others know the Democrats are doing wrong but just are focused on not having Trump.
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The people wanted the system to work but it failed them. They protested. The system went after them. The system said that isn't how you voice your disagreements with the system. The people replied that they had voiced their disagreements peacefully for years and had been ignored. The system said of course we ignored you. You are idiots and we know better than you how you should live. You are forbidden to say anything more. The people then.... To be continued.
I love history. Most of my life, I have looked on events as news, not history being made. There have been a few exceptions, but rarely have I saved newspapers to document history being made. These last few years are different. I have a file folder for the coup against Trump. I have thousands of screenshots because technology has greatly boosted my ability to document history being made. That is how I feel about the events today. Like the "prime directive "on Star Trek, I have no intention of physically interfering with the history being made. I just intend to sit, watch, and document. I might even sit out the election if I feel it is just another "purple finger” election where we all feel good about voting and wear our "I voted" sticker when the effort was useless, the outcome predetermined.
Our country is in decline. If people wish to let the left remake the country, I won't stop them. Freedom isn't free. If they won't earn it, they don't deserve it. Right now, all I hear is at least half the country isn't seeking to preserve it. People tell me not to believe the polls. Then they validate the polls by telling me Trump can't win. This post by Rodin nails it.
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As I see it, most of the people who traveled to Washington to hear Trump speak were doing their best to earn their freedom. They left homes, jobs, family, and other commitments, they spent untold dollars, and made the effort because they felt their way of life was being threatened, and their voices were forcefully being obliterated. Yes, there were bad actors in the crowd --- whether government, antifa, or some other group --- they were determined to cause turmoil. But grandma holding her American flag and camera wasn't one of them!
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