I’m sharing this letter I wrote to to my kids, on the eve of the 242nd anniversary of our Declaration of Independence. Who have called me late at night, fearful of what is destroying these United States.
Things do look terrible. I’m not going to make light of the situation, where hatred is promoted by the chief executive, where dictatorships and autocracies are considered superior to democracy, where the poor are made to suffer more, while the rich- especially the friends of those in power- are afforded opportunities to aggrandize their positions.
Years ago, I was accused of being enamored of the large nation across the sea. Because too many Americans lacked the knowledge of the difference between socialism and communism. Because too many folks had already latched on to a concept that was not fully vocalized- the “I’ve got mine, too f….ing bad about you” concept.
Yet, now, it’s pretty clear that the ruling class in America is the one that is enamored of the large nation across the sea. Where oligarchs take control over the economy, leaving little for the rest of the citizenry, where the leader feels entitled to do whatever he wants; the country be damned. And, that is almost exactly what is going on here, despite our Constitution, our Declaration of Independence, and the lofty ideals of those who founded this great nation.
But, my children- as is true for a good portion of this nation- are young. Their frame of reference begins with 9-11 and not the Holocaust, with the withering capability of citizens to achieve the American Dream. (It had been withering since 1976; by the 2000s, it was pretty clearly chimeric).
But, I recall (with horror) that we had a president who was almost like the current one. Who felt entitled to break the laws, to lie and cheat, to punish his enemies. Who empowered police to beat the sh.. out of those who disagreed with him.
Who, because of his actions, caused the nation to have its first encounter a special prosecutor. Who spent years trying to determine the facts of the situation. Who was lied to repeatedly, had the president declare that the investigation had gone on long enough, that no facts had come to light to justify such a crusade.
Who fired the investigator, the attorney general, and anyone else who was determining how much wrongdoing he had authorized. Who had criminals working with him in the government, aggrandizing their own wealth at the expense of the nation. (Admittedly, THAT president didn’t aggrandize his own wealth; not so true with this current regime.)
And, in the end, that president had to admit to much of his criminal activity. Despite years of lying and attempting to cover up the criminal behavior.
That is exactly what will happen to the current denizen of the White House. Wait- let me clarify that. I’m fairly certain the current president won’t admit to criminal or culpable behavior- not because the data will demonstrate his innocence (certainly not)- but because he never admits fault, demanding we believe his protestations and heaping of blame on anyone else but himself.
But it will happen. Because the continuation of the status quo will inevitably lead to yet another Civil War. Many feared that same situation would occur in the 1960’s, but those of us on the left loved our country. (Absolutely true, despite the claims of those of the WrongWing who declared, this was their country- love it or leave it. [Notice the similarity to the fascists of Charlottesville, of the Midwest, of Oregon and Montana and Idaho, who declare the same.])
No, as I told my children, the trick is to have our citizenry come out to vote. Which is what we must impress on everyone we meet. Because if we vote- and don’t quibble about a slight disagreement with a candidate and truly choose the best alternative, then we citizens can make a difference in this world. And, preserve this great nation.
Do we have the right to criticize the current government if we did not exercise our right to vote?
As I told my partner for years, you abrogate the right to complain about the results if you fail to participate in the process. I still hold that view, Huia.
I think that we always have the right to free speech but it could be that, if people discover that we didn’t vote, we might get our fair share of eye rolling.
No. If folks didn’t vote, they need to shut the heck up. Because they elected to have no role – they have no role
great post
Thanks, so much, Richa! I appreciate your sentiment.
I can cry thinking of the people who stayed home in November of 2016 because “Hilary was going to win” or “my vote doesn’t matter” or “I don’t like either of them so I’ll vote for a third party candidate.” As people lose faith in the news, in what they read online, and/or what they hear, they drift and are susceptible to the cult of personality now enveloping 45. As many parallels as there are to Nixon, these times are totally different. There were still people of integrity in government in his party. Now, I’m not so sure. They may condemn him one moment, and kiss his ring the next.
Alana recently posted..An Edible Walk #FlavoursomeTuesdays #BlogBoost
You have a different impression than I about Nixon’s cabinet. There were but two- and I can point to two in this one, as well. Most of those folks were as reprehensible as those surrounding TheDonald.
But, yes, voting is critical- if we want to have a democracy.
Hubby and I have been saying this for years, if you don’t vote, don’t complain. As for us, we vote at every election, whether it be local, national, runoffs or primaries.
Martha recently posted..My Destination
So glad you are of that opinion. Hopefully your family picked up on it and vote (and educate themselves) all the time, too!
Great post. I think it is great to empower our children to go out and vote. And not just vote, but to be educated enough to stand behind their decision and be unapologetic about it. The last presidential election was horrible and we were left with two horrible choices at the end. But, no matter, we must use our voice and be heard.
I’m with you 100% on making sure our children- and the children of others- are aware and knowledgeable of the political situations and how their lives may be affected. Oh,wait- let’s try to include adults in that grouping, too!
Thanks for the visit – AND the comment.
I couldn’t agree more, Celestial. Both major party candidates expressed viewpoints that violated my values. I chose to vote third party, and I stand by that choice.
Very nice post! I’m from Germany and the German history told us what can happen if the people do not use their right to vote…
Thanks so much, Steffen, for extending the discussion to your country.
Please come back often!
I would certainly appreciate a nation where ALL viewpoints matter. Yes, I did choose to vote for a third party candidate in 2016. That was my choice, and I stand by it. For making this decision, I was offered a large supply of non-constructive criticism and was told that Trump’s being elected was my fault. Um. No. I’m not that powerful. The sad thing is that the vicious attacks continue unabated.
Unless we can disagree in a healthy way, as opposed to stooping to personal attacks, we will always have people who are too disaffected to vote. Why should they vote when they know that other people are going to behave in such an unpleasant way. The behavior that I have observed does not give me much hope that this country has much of a future.
Alice- you may think you were unfairly criticized. But, the truth of the matter is that you were part of the problem. And, given who the third party candidate was, your stance that she was a better choice (unless we use personality as a guide)…
And, criticism is not a personal attack- generally. And, not voting? It’s a choice- that relegates their ability to make any comment on the current situation moot. Those that don’t participate have no vote in the resolution or disposition. That is a personal attack, since they elected (pun intented) to opt out. So, shut the heck up with the results that the nonvoter allowed to happen. Either way.