Thoughts by Richard Bleil
Most Americans find the concept that this nation is only temporary hard to believe. After almost a quarter of a millennium, surely this government will last forever.
It will not.
Keep in mind, I’m not advocating for the end of the nation. We have a good thing going here although obviously it needs to be improved. We need to face the systemic racism and get out boot off of our brother’s necks. We need to start worrying more about our infrastructure and taking care of our most vulnerable and stop emphasizing who we should bomb next. No, our nation is not perfect, but for the most part we have been free of the destruction and carnage of civil war (at least for nearly the past couple of centuries) and relatively free of terrorism attacks. Yes, we’ve had terrorist attacks, but they’ve largely been isolated, as opposed to weekly (almost daily) attacks and bombings seen in other parts of the world. This has allowed us to build great infrastructure, architecture, and live more or less free from fearing for our lives and the lives of our loved ones.
Unfortunately, there is an increasing number of people who don’t seem to appreciate this freedom and wish to import terrorism, or even civil war. We have Americans carrying out terrorist acts and insurrection in our very capital.
I have friends who believe that the American experiment is nearing its end, not because of these insurrectionists and acts of terrorism but because, historically, even the strongest governments fall eventually. At one point the Roman empire covered much of the known world, and yet it fell. The problem is that any political system, be it democracy, fascism, a monarchy or any other form you can think of eventually becomes corrupt. People discover how to take advantage of the system for their own gain and exploit those weaknesses. Over time, this selfish exploitation leads to the end of the government.
Like it or not, the fall of America is destiny, but that also means that there is no need to rush it. Maybe, just maybe, it can be replaced by a system that’s even better, although it’s difficult to see how. Honestly, I hope I see the end of my days before I see the end of this nation, but I’m not so sure I will. Democracy is under assault from within right now. Today I read a report that seventy-five percent of Republicans believe the results of the last election are not legitimate. Three out of four who believe the election was somehow rigged, despite the fact that experts have declared it one of the cleanest and corruption free elections in history.
Democracy is more than just voting. Democracy also dictates that citizens must accept that vote, even if the election did not go the way they desired, and yet, here we are with millions of American refusing to accept the election results. Beyond even this, dozens of laws are being considered in a variety of states to restrict voting rights, making it harder to vote and often with laws that will disenfranchise minorities far more than it will Caucasians. This is a double-edged assault on voters and the legitimacy of election results. Ultimately, both of these actions are not just un-American; they’re actually anti-American, and anti-Constitution.
It might seem ironic that the people in this movement see themselves as patriots, pro-American and pro-Constitution, but it’s actually very reasonable. The way for fascists to build a following is to convince the gullible to believe they are fighting for the way of life they already have. If I’ve offended you, then consider this; suppose the election results from this past year are overturned. Who would ever again believe any election again? And if nobody believes in elections, why would they be held? And without elections, how would you ever have a voice?
This is modeled by so many brutal regimes around the world. In Russia and North Korea, they hold regular elections, and every time, the dictator wins the election with better than 90% of the vote. Do you believe these votes? I know that I do not. Here in the US, with the exception of George Washington, James Monroe won with the greatest landslide victory of any presidential election (according to my source), and he only had a 65% margin.
So, we find ourselves on the edge. Approximately 40% of Americans are registered Americans. If ¾ of these are unwilling to accept the results of the election, that’s approximately a third of our population who are not participating in Constitutional democracy. One in three. Can we survive? I’m not so sure.
Bleil's Banter 