Rejecting lies and hate needed for democracy to thrive
Editor:
Honorable, informed and discerning people understand that President Biden won the election by a large majority in the fairest election ever. (Not one precinct changed after full and repeat audit of every allegation.)
A distinguished group of Conservative Judges – including the former Bush Solicitor General which is the nation’s highest legal position – have just published a report evaluating the lies to the contrary. Click here to see “LOST, NOT STOLEN: The Conservative Case that Trump Lost and Biden Won the 2020 Presidential Election.”
Will the report or any series of reports and investigations make a difference? I fear not but it depends on people rediscovering the meaning of “honor.”
Politics – particularly in the Trump/MAGA (RINO) era – has degraded from discussions of best middle of the road alternatives into hatred posing as politics and radical conservatism. We all know that friends and families are fractured as never before. There is nothing to be proud about there.
It’s as “If you do not support MAGA, your thoughts, whatever they are are, are bogus, bad and we do not care what the objective facts are.” This is incredibly self-destructive thinking but it is where things are.
The fact so many are frustrated because so much is not working well is proof this is a shortsighted and inflexible approach – wrong headed at a granular level. It devalues listening, patience and truth. Those virtues are honorable.
Look at dictatorships, autocracies, and Banana Republics with militia groups – with people dedicated to carrying out the antidemocratic dirty work of intimidation or death. At MAGA rallies and in public speech violence and intimidation are openly urged. These strong-arm tactics are exactly how the enemies of democracy work and MAGA has stolen part of that play book to use on us. That’s low.
Threats, false and misleading claims about the other’s side’s beliefs and positions, enlisting armed violent people to induce people and officials to ignore legal and constitutional duty all are used to advance antidemocratic enterprises. Each helps enforce what is not working and preserve the influence of ineffective leaders.
Indeed on Jan 6th, MAGA and its leaders proved small, cowardly, and craven when advance warnings were intentionally ignored and police and others died. No informed and honorable person can rightfully ignore there was advance planning, people with guns in trees, caches of explosives? This is fact, not fiction. There was no honor there except for the valiant capital guards.
Ultimately how a person deals with these hate, lies and intimidation tells you how intellectually facile and honorable the person is. A well working democracy is frail as it relies on honor and smart hard working people pulling together. But try we must.
The KKK era and “Know Nothing” party of the 1830s were similar stains to our everlasting shame – both similarly crude, paranoid, bigoted, delusional, hate dominated movements. They too failed only because the best of democracy won.
So how we stop mindless hatred this time around? If we look at the history of countries, nationalities, religions, political beliefs, and ethnic groups in conflict, the answer is we have NO sure way to simply force self destructive hate to stop, rebut baseless rumor, and cause acceptance of good ideas to cure oppression.
It requires people open their eyes, see their lot, take stock, and unlock their souls as well as their minds to find what is true. First take on lies and then violence and intimidation can be stopped. Good people do that.
Hate, ruin and running with a crowd are easy. Understanding, open mindedness and working towards success are hard.
As with the writers of this new report, we have to stand up to speak the truth and hope it falls on ears which are ready to listen to their better selves.
Conrad F. Cropsey
Albion
