"The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil; but because of the people who don't do anything about it." Albert Einstein
This is the most important election ever in the history of America. We are at a crossroads; we have a choice to contribute to a potential autocratic ruler’s rise in power, or choose to preserve our democracy. Donald Trump has repeatedly thumbed his nose to our government processes and has a blatant disregard towards our Constitution. To vote for Donald Trump is to allow his breach of constitutional powers to remain unencumbered, and will very likely result in America becoming an autocratic nation.
Donald Trump has repeatedly operated outside the bounds of our Constitution and even our legal system since taken office. Make no mistake - the foundation has already been laid by him and his administration. If America votes for Joe Biden, we will see a restoration of our democracy. Even if Biden is not your preferred choice, don’t you think saving our democracy is worth it?
Although we all have things we feel strongly about, sometimes life boils down to something far more basic; the choice between good and evil. I say this not to be dramatic – it is what it is (sorry Trump, I stole your coronavirus euphemism). There should be something inherent in all of us; a conscience that desires to do good, and an overall sense to avoid harming others. I do not particularly enjoy labeling a given person as good or evil, and although not many, there are people in this world who simply are evil. Donald Trump is one of them.
He is a sociopath. A sociopath is incapable of caring about others. A sociopath who consistently engages in wrong behavior or evil acts has no conscience to connect to. Donald Trump knows full well what he is doing and he is as premeditated as it comes. He is without excuse - period. Being a sociopath is a very dangerous psychological condition for one to have as our president – and unbeknownst to many, it places our nation in a very precarious position.
Any person can pay lip service to something; to a particular political party, to a socioeconomic group, to a given race, to the people they work with, to one’s family, or to the American public. You can even pay lip service to God, and deceive others around you or even yourself. As in most things in life, the proof will ultimately manifest in one way or another. Below is an example; see if you can identify who said the following (try not to look ahead for the answer):
Lord God, let us never hesitate or play the coward.
Even today I am not ashamed to say that, overpowered by stormy enthusiasm, I fell down on my knees and thanked Heaven from an overflowing heart for granting me the good fortune of being permitted to live at this time.
In these three decades, only love for my people and loyalty to my people have guided me in all my thoughts, actions, and life. They gave me the strength to make the most difficult decisions, such as no mortal has yet had to face. I have exhausted my time, my working energy, and my health in these three decades. I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator."
Do you have an idea which world leader in history said this? The answer is Adolph Hitler.
The forces of evil will always beckon you to think only of yourself at the expense of other people. It wills always make your own needs paramount over the needs of everyone else. It will prompt you to disregard other’s feelings, disregard their beliefs, disregard their well being, and will always make you seek what a person can offer you, and never the other way around.
Everyone in Donald Trump’s sphere is only present based upon what he or she can offer him. It is a zero sum analysis – if you have nothing to offer him, you are discarded with the trash. Ultimately, Trump is the only person to get something out of it. There is a cost to this. Not just in this world but the world to come. But at this very moment in America, that cost is here – right now. It is staring us in the face. But you have the power to do something about this before it is too late.
Do you really want a president who has repeatedly referred to our veterans and those serving in the military as “losers” and “suckers?” Don’t the people who are putting their lives on the line for us deserve better than this? I am going to honest here – I was disheartened by the lack of outrage Americans exhibited when this story first broke in the news. I thought more Americans would have a visceral reaction to the vile, disparaging comments made by Trump. Our military and veterans deserve better than this.
Nevertheless, if you have a commander in chief who does not value the lives of those serving in the military and our veterans, how can you have confidence when he makes decisions that put our military in harm’s way? For Trump; the military are simply narcissistic appendages to him – they are in essence, an extension of himself. It is dangerous for a president to make life and death decisions when he holds a particular group of human beings in such low regard.
Even if you are a Republican or Independent, if you vote for Joe Biden you will at least know you did what you could to preserve our democracy. An autocratic leader does not care whether you are a Democrat or a Republican. Consider the former members of the Trump administration lining the pathway towards the White House like road kill. Consider how Trump is willing to let his Republican constituents in blue states suffer, just because he does not like their democratic governors. Trump can care less who he hurt or damage in the process, in order to get his own selfish needs met.
Whether you realize it or not our democracy is truly at stake in this election. Have you really stop and thought for instance, about Trump’s premeditated assault and intricate planning to wage war on our voting system? Donald Trump hired Louis DeJoy back in June (who gave over $700,000.00 to his campaign), so he could undermine the mail in ballot system. DeJoy has come through for Trump big time, but not without totally crippling USPS. Trump did not experience any consequences from this, but the rest of America did. Trump placed his desire to win over Americans who rely on the postal service every day.
Mail across the entire country has slowed down by 70% to 85% in most areas; hurting small businesses, people’s mail ordered prescriptions and bills are arriving late, etc. Americans reliance on the United States Postal Service has been compromised significantly. All of this has been solely orchestrated in Trump’s effort to keep ballots from being counting in time for the election. It is also just one of many efforts to cast suspicion on mail in ballots. Republicans have even set up phony ballot collections boxes in California, and I would not be surprised elsewhere. There is no extreme Donald Trump will not resort to if it benefits him.
Despite the hypocrisy of Trump voting by mail in Florida, our right to vote is under siege by his administration. By the way Trump voted twice which is against the law, but he has the impish William Barr to cover for him. No worries, huh, Trump? I am sure the only reason Donald Trump voted twice was for others to imitate him and likewise do the same.
For the rest of us commoners under his tutelage, don’t delude yourself into thinking you can vote twice and fail to be prosecuted. It is illegal, and both of your votes will be disqualified. Unlike Trump, you won’t have his corrupt Attorney General backing you up, and you will likely be prosecuted. This is an assault on our democracy and it clearly demonstrates Trump will go to any length to get what he wants.
Consider the blatant disregard for the welfare of others by those who refuse to wear masks which is encouraged by this president. It is rotten, reprehensible, and downright dangerous for Donald Trump to make wearing a mask into a political statement. It is the height of negligence, and it is a depraved and selfish thing to do. It is placing people’s lives at risk, but Donald Trump does not care. He does not care whether you live or die. He is content either way.
Who knows the number of people who would be alive today if only others around them had worn a mask. Perhaps you inadvertently killed someone by your refusal to wear a mask without even having a clue. Or maybe you could care less – like Trump. You may never know for now, but don’t’ worry - God will eventually apprise you.
Donald Trump wants to water down the coronavirus at the expense of everyone and everything else. Remember, he deliberately hid the coronavirus from the American people early on. The United States just had the highest number of cases ever since the very beginning of the pandemic; 83,000 in a single day, Scientist and epidemiologist are now warning us the number is going to go much higher.
In a Journal of the American Medical Association, Michelle Mello of Stanford University made the following statement, "The public messaging from Washington about the seriousness of the problem has been neither consistent nor accurate, and I worry it may have led Americans to take fewer steps to prevent community transmission than we should have." In other words Trump’s efforts to hide the coronavirus from the American people set back our nation several valuable months behind in fighting the coronavirus. However, equally despicable, he has crippled America by his failure to fight Covid on a national level.
Donald Trump has also intentionally fanned the flames of racial hatred to secure votes from white nationalists, and those Americans who harbor racial hatred in their hearts. Sadly, this holds true for a lot of people in this country. From a sociological perspective he has made “being racist” more acceptable. He could care less about the animus he has created. He will do whatever he needs to do to acquire votes; regardless of the lives he destroy, or whether it results in splitting this country in half. He has no conscience, no morality; just a hedonistic instinct to remain president at all costs.
The Republican Senate sold their souls to Donald Trump shortly after he assumed office. They abandoned their standard principles and protocols for operating in the Senate in the most shameless manner, and have completely thrown their integrity out the window. Our government has taken on a surreal appearance to me; almost reminiscent of the movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” It’s like well known politicians are now saying things so incredulous, that I am waiting for some kind alien morph to take over their bodies in front of my very eyes.
John McCain would have not stood for such blatant corruption, as he did so in voting against the appeal of the Affordable Care Act. If you recall his reasoning; he was against the ACA alright, but abhorred the way the Republican Senate refused to share documents with their democratic colleagues necessary for them to vote. He took a stand against the unfairness and dismissal of ethics and procedures regarding standard Senate operations. John McCain found Mitch McConnell actions simply egregious and contrary to fair senate practices.
So, it all boils down to what you will do. Life presents us time to time “do-overs,” but this is not one of them. This election will rip our democracy apart for years if Donald Trump is reelected. Our nation may take many years to recover when you consider the trajectory and course of other autocratic nations. It might be worth a glance at world history to see how dictatorships form. There is also the possibility we may never recover, if a well established autocratic leader stays in power (like Putin).
Donald Trump has taken on a role akin to being a king; but our nation is not a monarchy or a dictatorship – at least not quite yet. We have been watching the degradation of our democracy transpire in front of our very eyes for the last four years. This election is not only about winning back the soul of our nation, but preserving our democracy. So please go vote, and when you do, count the cost. It could very well be our nation and our way of life.
