When we have lost our democracy, how will we know?
Did it start to recede the moment a convicted felon swore he would defend the Constitution and — having incited an assault on the Capitol, interfered in elections, consorted with thugs, pilfered classified materials, repeated lies upon lies, and failed his first term — entered his second term as president?
Is it vanishing heretofore as he stresses the national economy? As he’s advised by toadies and quacks crowd his Cabinet? As he pardons criminals? Commutes sentences? Raids places of worship? Abrogates treaties? Alienates historic allies? Boots generals? Fakes emergencies? Terminates lifesaving research? Slashes healthcare? Jails innocents? Deports children? Ships citizens to foreign prisons? Menaces political opponents? Favors cronies? Fires librarians? Bullies universities? Investigates prosecutors? Arrests judges? Defies the Supreme Court? Threatens habeas corpus? Bends the law toward retribution?
Indeed, how will we know?
Gren Whitman
James Nick says
We will know our democracy is lost when a person cannot hold or express a thought that is contrary to the regime without legitimately fearing that masked men will arrest him/her on the street and get whisked away and isolated in a distant prison without due process. Check!
Our democracy is lost when a university or media outlet must conform to the party line or suffer government censorship and sanctions. Check!
And our democracy is lost when law firms and lawyers cannot defend clients who have offended persons in regime. Check!
Patty Heaps says
Laughable, in light of the last four years and what we are learning now. This is a prime example of accusing the other side of “that which you are doing”. It’s almost as if you were asleep the last four years. Pardons criminals and commutes sentences? Did you forget how Biden pardoned his whole family?! How much more could a political opponent be “menaced” than by accusations of Russian collusion and the Steele dossier, accusations based on false information, paid for by Trump’s opponents. Jails innocents? While you want to advocate for someone who is, in all likelihood, associated with a gang, trespassers from January 6 still have not had their day in court. I don’t recall the outrage when Kamala Harris became nominee without a single primary vote –
While the “threats to democracy” during the Biden administration are too numerous to count, the most egregious has to be the “cover-up” of Biden’s inability to do the job, aided and abetted by a more than willing media. Those who declared Biden “sharp as a tack” looked foolish then and those who want to continue the charade, outraged at how the “media” kept it hidden, look even more foolish. The next four years are going be fun.
Katy Lightburn says
I see there are still people hungrily feeding on the distortions and lies of the media. Thanks, Patty, for pointing out the hypocrisy. I am very hopefully watching as our democratic republic is heroically being pulled from the clutches of the last administration. Will four years be enough to save it?