We are increasingly a nation at the mercy of the few. Minority rule has been crafted by those whose will to power knows no bounds. They have lied, cheated, gerrymandered, bribed and tricked their way into every conceivable board and political position available. They are driving the bus. There is no equivalence, no “both sides” or “fair and balanced” argument that can address the destruction of democracy at this moment by extremists with an unapologetic, fascist and openly racist agenda. Republicans have abandoned all reason, all civility and the rule of law in favor of a race toward dictatorship and oppression of the majority of citizens. Their poster boy, Mr. Trump, has brought out the worst of these tendencies, cheering on a mob of terrorists and uneducated folk who believe that ‘white is right’ and that somehow they are victims of a far-reaching plot to take away their freedom. What they fail to realize is that they have already handed over their freedom willingly to these thugs who have no interest in helping them in any way. By failing to listen to reason, to science, to the idea that as Americans, we’re all in this together, they have yielded their rights to tyrants who manipulate with lies and deceptions. They are weak, brainwashed and vulnerable. They are dying and killing others from a clearly preventable disease, because they’ve been told that getting a vaccine or wearing a mask is too much to ask of them.
What happened to sacrificing a little for the benefit of all? What if, during World War Two, a sizeable number of people had simply refused to ration, to “use it up, wear it out, make it do” for the war effort? What if a significant number of people had been really greedy? We could have lost. We can lose now. We can become a dictatorship where citizens have little or no say over their lives, like North Korea, or China. We could end up in fear that every word out of our mouths is cause for imprisonment- that every move we make is being monitored and we may not even know if or when we step over some invisible boundary that means arrest, jail, torture or death? We could be “disappeared,” as many are under such rule.
Being asked to get vaccinated, to wear a mask or stay home, is not equivalent to being asked to send your kid off to war. It’s not even close to sacrificing materially in order for society to keep functioning, as people did in WW2. Cheering on an insurrection and aiding the needless deaths of thousands is not patriotic. If you can’t do these simple things for your country- getting vaccinated and wearing a mask to get us through this crisis- what are you willing to do? Are you willing to be jailed for violent acts, while those who instigated them go free? Are you willing to trash the rule of law in favor of vigilantism and terror? Are you willing to see our country crumble, to see climate disasters ruin your homes and jobs for the sick idea that only some people deserve a chance? You are going to be disappointed, because selfishness is not sustainable in this environment. The only ones who will benefit are the very wealthy overlords who see you as pawns and dupes.
I’m not sure what this country is any more. I still believe most people are decent and want to cooperate with their neighbors. But cooperation requires two parties, and when one is set on destruction, has the keys to the bus and is drunk on power, we’d better get those keys by any means possible, before it’s too late.