Now that President Trump is outside the United States and is insulting our British allies, it might be a good idea to remind ourselves that his administration has continued to slow walk its way towards the very "coup" Trump himself claims was attempted. But this coup is real, it is not fake like Trump. The coup I am referring to? The slow, constant and incremental erosion of liberty and democracy currently on full display by the GOP both in Washington and across the nation. Although it may have really started under Ronald Reagan's demand for "Smaller, Limited Government", the rhetoric has continued to this day with the universal design to shift our Constitutionally based government into a unitary dictatorial one. How so?
When Reagan was president, one of his pet statements, repeated by his followers was; "The most terrifying words in the English language are; I'm from the government and I'm here to help." Of course, history has shown us time and time again, that the GOP took the reigns of hypocrisy from Reagan and exploded it into a national sport. Want to talk about coups? How about the GOP's embracing of Citizens United, which allows unlimited dark money to influence our elections (See Koch Brothers, US Chamber of Commerce channeling Billions of dollars in secret campaign spending). How about a GOP Senate Majority Leader refusing to allow a Supreme Court nominee from even getting a confirmation hearing, all under the guise that the election was too close to grant the sitting president a choice on who should be confirmed for a seat on the High Court - only to have that same Senate Majority Leader state emphatically in 2019 that if a Republican president makes a nomination to the High Court during an election year, he would have no problem confirming that nominee? A slow, creeping erosion of our political norms has been hiding in plain sight and we the People, seem to have become blinded to its reality. (See: www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/not-obama-ok-trump-mcconnell-now-says-he-d-confirm-n1011166).
This real coup has been taking shape lately under Trump's watch. He rides roughshod over our laws on Obstruction of Justice as well as empowering the United States Attorney General to act not as the highest law enforcement officer of the nation, but as his personal attorney dedicated to protecting his lawlessness. How else could one describe William Barr's disingenuous description of the Mueller Report Conclusions? How else could one explain why the Department of Justice now is defying a Federal Judge's orders to reveal the transcripts relating to conversations between former Trump National Security Advisor and the Russians during an election and then during the post-election transition? How else can you describe members of the GOP in Congress demanding that all investigations into Donald Trump end immediately because Mueller found no "collusion" - when they readily admit they did not even bother to read the Mueller Report? (See: www.politico.com/story/2019/05/07/mcconnell-mueller-report-case-closed-1307390).
And now we have sweeping efforts by the GOP nationwide to turn legal abortion into a crime punishable with life in prison? When polling shows an overwhelming majority of Americans favor the Rule of Law, rights of women to choose and the need for equality in the workplace, efforts by the GOP to ignore the will of said people and to legislate from a "Big Government" position while claiming interest in small government is the height of their hypocrisy. What does it say about the Americans that support the GOP? It says nothing very nice.
With "Conservative Judges" using the courts to impose their religious beliefs, regardless of the existence of the Separation of Church and States, it is obvious that the CONservatives are only really interested in Constitutional government, as long as it suits them. And this is enough to make THINKING Americans shudder!
(See: www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2016/07/14/gop-platform-encourages-teaching-about-the-bible-in-public-schools/?utm_term=.d396d59b4942).
On my way home today, I sat behind a car with a bumper sticker that read; "We The People, Trumped!" Huh? Just as I started pulling away from that car, I saw two Mormon Missionaries on their bicycles with big signs along the sides of the rear wheels that read; "Abortion is NOT a Right!" Where are the bumper stickers attacking the GOP for their hypocrisy? Where are the Americans needed to make it loud and clear that CONservative values are not values at all - they are only concentrated efforts to control our way of lives, our thinking and our patriotism. It's now more important than ever that Americans wake up and realize that the slow-walking efforts to change America against the will of the people, is the actual coup engineered and implemented by the GOP and their right-wing supporters. And when CONs want to quickly point out they "ARE NOT RACISTS", ask them why they support a man that has adopted policies that favor White Nationalism and an effort to politically limit minorities form having equal representation in our government? (See: www.huffpost.com/entry/thomas-hofeller-census-citizenship-question_n_5cefd3ece4b00cfa1967135e).
Now that the Media has proclaimed most Americans oppose any impeachment of Donald Trump, they seem to have lost track that more Americans every day are realizing the President did obstruct the Russian investigation AND the GOP aided in that obstruction. Do we really have to wait until the 2020 election to decide what to do with Donald Trump or are we willing to risk further erosion of our political norms and the Rule of Law in the interim? (See: www.yahoo.com/entertainment/poll-support-impeaching-president-trump-163639045.html).
America is reaching a turning point in our democracy. Do we sit idly by while the Trump Administration acts wholly outside the rule of law or do we demand accountability? Seems the GOP has no use for a Congress having oversight authority (as long as "their guy" is in the White House). Perhaps America needs new political parties? Perhaps we need a renewed will to preserve our democratic-republic? We definitely need a new President and hopefully a new Congress in 2020 that respects the rule of Law and its role under Article I of the Constitution. As Benjamin Franklin once wrote; "Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn." We've got a lot of work to do to make up for the comfortable ignorance our nation now seems to enjoy. Democracy and Liberty demand our people wake up and realize that no one is above the law and that without Separation of Powers, Church and State and individual freedom to all, we are indeed, at significant risk of losing our moral compass and our democracy. Have a great week!
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