Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Spirit of '76 And Consent Of The Governed


(Fellow patriots. We're all familiar with the fife and drums version of "Yankee Doodle", as portrayed in the "Spirit of '76" painting, right? Please put that on repeat in your mind's ear while you read this.)

In the USA today, (Not the paper) we celebrate the Fourth of July. But what do we really celebrate? For years it wasn't celebrated at all in the South. Today for some, it's nothing more than a day off work. Others may even celebrate freedom, if they’re lucky enough to have it. 

We know millions of Americans were not set free on that day in July 242 years ago. They had a long wait.

Our nation, the United States of America, was born that Fourth of July in 1776, through the words of the Declaration of Independence. From our nation’s infancy we rebelled against the abuse of power and unaccountable rule by monarchy. We rebelled against “a long train of abuses and usurpations” including:

“He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury.”

It’s as if King George III thought he was Donald Trump!

Our cause, our mission and our duty are the same as then. NO kings! Rule of law, not rule of man.

Yes, as Ben Franklin warned, look at what has happened to our “republic, if you can keep it”.

The republic was flawed from the beginning, and the Founders knew it. Women couldn’t vote. Only male property owners had that right. Slavery was not only tolerated, it was expanding. The Electoral College was forced onto presidential elections by slave states. The Founders understood that our Constitution would need to be open for amendment for a more perfect union.

Little could they foresee how those flaws, even after some critically needed civil rights and voting rights amendments, would infect our republic.

The triumph of the Party of Trump is the most pronounced and dangerous symptom of a diseased republic. The Party of Lincoln, the one led by a man appealing to “the better angels of our nature”, is extinct. The Party of Trump has become the home of resentment, blame, anger, false accusations, racism, cruelty, hate, and division, all sown by far Right politicians and their media. (Not to mention Putin’s thumb on their side of the scale.)

The Electoral College, the legalized corruption of campaign finance, the gerrymandering of House districts, and the Senate itself represent serious flaws in democracy and a structural bias against majority representation.

In case the fact still eludes some people, let me say it clearly.

What we have in the United States is not a democracy. When a minority seizes power over a majority, it also not a representative republic, founded on the consent of the governed. It is a corruption of the Founders’ dream, and for most Americans, a failed state.

This is what we have now. Consent of the governed has been replaced by the rule of an increasingly unaccountable minority.

First let’s get this straight. The Right needs to know this: The majority is NOT on their side. Although they are not losing morally or socially, there is a reason moderates and Left are losing politically.

The reason is clear.

Moderates and the Left are losing politically only because democracy is losing.

First there is an imbalance in money and power. Through the legalized bribery endorsed by the Supreme Court in cases like Citizens United v. FEC and McDonnell v. United States , Wall Street and other corporate elites have more Republicans than Democrats in their pockets, corrupting public service into their private service. (Tax cuts for the rich, healthcare cuts for the poor.)

Second is the significant over-representation of conservative rural and suburban whites, aided of course by gerrymandering racial minorities out of their due proportion of representation. And there’s the Senate giving equal power to rural White Wyoming and Iowa as New York and California.

Then there's the electoral college...

No wonder this so called representative republic is diseased almost to its death.

If, or when, democracy is restored and the majority regain their fairly proportioned representation, the Left and moderates will be winning politically, morally, and socially again.

As Martin Luther King Jr. understood, "“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice”. And it takes centuries, even in the “Land of the Free”.

In direct contradiction of the Founders’ ideal of “consent of the governed”, the very reason for the revolution, we have a system of government that allows the government to be unrepresentative of the popular vote. 

In 2012, House Democrats won about 1 million more votes nationwide than Republicans, but that wasn't big enough to put them anywhere near retaking the chamber. Democracy lost.

In 2016 Trump LOST the popular vote but won the election while crying it was “rigged” against him. Democracy lost again.

Democrats also got more votes for the U.S. Senate than Republicans, and yet Republicans maintained their Senate majority. Democracy lost again.

To be a modern American conservative is to reject and obstruct democracy. Just as they rejected and obstructed the Constitutional duty of the Black president to appoint a Supreme Court justice, they rejected and obstructed the majority's legitimacy and moral right to representation in state power,. They oppose the concept of consent of the governed and support a tyranny of the minority. And again, they are NOT the majority.

But we already know that. So let’s remind them of this:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. 

The majority of Americans need to exercise the “Right of the People to alter or to abolish it”. Not by the hateful violent means of the Right’s “Second Amendment remedies”, but by voting.

Complacency, apathy, resignation, ignorance and cynicism need to be resisted and overcome as much as the Party of Trump itself. The deck is stacked against democracy, against the consent of the governed, against we the people.

It's time for real Americans to take our country back from minority rule, from the tyranny of usurpers, and from the enemies of democracy. Since the system IS rigged by structural bias in favor or the Right, it will take more than a mere majority, but a landslide, to win back the consent of the governed.

The choice is now between democracy through a revolution of conscience and consciousness, or of an autocratic far Right tyranny by the minority of economic royalists and their American aristocracy. Their regime is dedicated to the suppression of democracy. And they don’t need to dupe a majority into voting for them. They have the blind loyalty of the FOX(R) and Trump cult.

And remember, if we want a democratic representative republic, if we want to restore the consent of the governed, it is imperative we go out and vote. It is imperative we convey the will of the people to our politicians and it is imperative they be held accountable.

It is imperative we be active as American citizens for the cause of democracy, and self rule, and the consent of the governed. We need to exercise our "Right of the People to alter or to abolish any Form of Government that becomes destructive of these ends". If enough of us do so, the extremists of the far Right  and Party of Trump will be defeated, and even the Democrats dancing on corporate strings will have to listen to We the People again.

Feel the Spirit of '76! Happy Independence Day! 

Now, EARN IT!

50 comments:

Bill said...

An inspiring message to those of us who do vote, but still feel beaten down by a Supreme Court that appointed a president and an electoral college that usurped the popular vote. Under the same circumstances in future elections, no doubt the results would be the same.

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"The Party of Trump has become the home of resentment, blame, anger, false accusations, racism, cruelty, hate, and division, all sown by far Right politicians and their media. (Not to mention Putin’s thumb on their side of the scale.)" ~~ Dave Dubya

Fascism has arrived in America, wrapped in red, white and blue and shouting, "Lock her up!...lock her up!"


"...this so called representative republic is diseased almost to its death." ~~ Dave Dubya

Diseased and crippled and mangled beyond recognition. All the normally associated ideas of a democracy are in a death spiral.

Our elections cannot be trusted to hand us legitimate winners, we're attacked from within under the auspices of terrorism, and our rights are usurped by corporate and wealthy interests.

The erosion of our rights and removal of the safety nets and environmental protections started to become apparent under Reagan and accelerated under each administration since -- going into hyperdrive under Trumpism.

This administration is intent upon placing the mourning wreath upon the grave of American democracy.

This may very well be the end of the great experiment. Let's hope we're fortunate enough to get to celebrate 250 years of independence. The likelihood is looking less promising with each July 4th.

On this Independence Day, continue to resist and defy.

Majormajor said...

"The judicial branch was never meant to act as a superlegislature, using the verbiage of the Constitution in order to implement preferred policy prescriptions. In Federalist No. 78, Alexander Hamilton expressed the idea well: “The courts must declare the sense of the law; and if they should be disposed to exercise WILL instead of JUDGMENT, the consequence would equally be the substitution of their pleasure to that of the legislative body.” Substituting will for judgment would make the case for utterly dissolving the judicial branch.

Yet according to the Democrats, the Supreme Court should exercise will instead of judgment. The role of the court, according to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, is to help expedite change in our society: “Our society would be strait-jacketed were not the courts, with the able assistance of the lawyers, constantly overhauling the law and adapting it to the realities of ever-changing social, industrial and political conditions.” Justice Elena Kagan believes the same thing, which is why she constantly describes the Constitution as “abstract,” leaving her room to interpret it as poetry rather than statute."

Ben Shapiro

This is why the anti Constitution Left sees the courts as their source of power. Court rulings can not be over turned by a vote of the people, as the people never got to vote on the ruling, despite all the screams from the left about authoritarianism in the right, it is the left who wants through the courts to take away the liberty under the Constitution that our vote grants us.

This use of the courts by the left is not a new thing, FDR tried it in February 5, 1937 when he attempted to "pack the court" with 15 judges instead of the Constitutionally called for 9. An example of just how extreme the left was even 80 years ago.

It is clear from comments here and by the actions of the left that they view the Constitution and those who support it an obstruction to their goal of a no border, one world government.

Calling for the over throw of our Constitution is TREASON!

Thanks leftists for wearing your red hooded sheets in public.

Dave Dubya said...

Majormajor,

Thank you for NOT reading the post, and taking the authority to accuse, lie, blame, deflect, and obfuscate.

There haven't always been nine justices on the court. The Constitution established the Supreme Court, but left it to Congress to decide the number of justices.

How does it feel to be so wrong so often? This shows how the Right is amazingly arrogant in their wrongheadedness. Thank you for sharing your hate and ignorance.

"Red hooded sheets"? LOL! What choice do we have? Your guys have all the white ones!

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"...when [FDR] attempted to 'pack the court' with 15 judges instead of the Constitutionally called for 9." ~~ Majormajor (aka "constitutionally ignorant" Chuck)

The U.S.Constitution does not mandate any specific number of justices. Did you learn that "alternative fact" from Fox News? LOL


"There haven't always been nine justices on the court. The Constitution established the Supreme Court, but left it to Congress to decide the number of justices." ~~ Dave Dubya

Correct.

Chuck says all "leftist" (he doesn't know the plural version of the word) want to "over throw" the Constitution (and he isn't aware overthrow is one word). How could be possibly know this when he doesn't have a clue what it does and what it doesn't contain?


"How does it feel to be so wrong so often?" ~~ Dave Dubya

I often wonder what Chuck's embarrassment threshold is, also.

I suppose when one's choices are based solely upon emotion -- and reason and logic and critical thinking skills are never considered, or worse, to be avoided at all costs -- than possibly one's embarrassment quotient can actually be quite high.

Majormajor said...

A federal judge on Tuesday tossed a lawsuit claiming that the Trump campaign and former adviser Roger Stone colluded with WikiLeaks and the Russian government to publish hacked Democratic National Committee emails during the presidential election.

U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Huvelle said in a ruling that the allegations of conspiracy were insubstantial to proceed in a court, Politico reported.

Speaking of wrong, Jg is your red hooded sheet back from the cleaners?

Majormajor said...

Dave, So FDR wanted to go around Congress and the process set by the Constitution, still sounds like treason.

Majormajor said...

Jg,,

How does it feel to be a spelling and punctuation Nazi?

Dave Dubya said...

JG,

Our emissary from the Trump Cult has no embarrassment threshold. Bless his closed mind and twitching amygdala. Social decencies, integrity, and honesty are irrelevant. Their Leader has shown them their way.

The Cult of Right-wing Authoritarian Personalities' belief system allows no shame, other than disloyalty. We have learned this after years of observing their holy C.R.A.P.

You're right, they operate mostly through negative emotions like fear and anger. The world is either with them or against them. They see themselves in a holy crusade to dominate most Americans. When they win, they gloat with a gleeful cruelty at the loss of others. (Thanks, Jon Stewart)

Americans are more ashamed of our country than ever before, as the authoritarian regime recklessly insists on alienating our country around the globe, except with dictators!

Their elite masters' only goal is to hold the power to suck the wealth and health out of our people. They care nothing about our country, and its ideals like the rule of law, checks and balances, democracy, and consent of the governed. Those ideals and truth itself are willfully abandoned in service to their authoritarian Party of Trump. Every lie, every accusation, every demeaning and derisive and divisive thing their Leader spews is their goddamn gospel.

And for such tough guys, they are pathetic crybabies. NOBODY whines more, playing their Victim Card, as they project all their hate, anger, and racism upon the rest of us.

Their character becomes that of a willfully ignorant sociopath as emotionally developed as a toddler. Loyalty to their authoritarian leaders and cult is their highest value.

And that's our boy!

Dave Dubya said...

"sounds like treason"

There's that little Trumpette voice again.

I'm going to politely request Majormajor to address the content of the post topic, and eschew obfuscation, distraction and deflection.

Let's see how that works. Is he up to it?

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"How does it feel to be a spelling and punctuation Nazi?" ~~ Majormajor (aka "always feeling; never thinking" Chuck)

I'll tell you once you tell me what it's like to be a real, actual, Nazi.

Majormajor said...

Happy 4th of July, Independence Day, how are you lefty's celebrating?

Hot dogs, ribs, watermelon, potato salad, corn on the cob? Reading the Federalist Papers or anything written by Thomas Paine or either of the Adams for the first time?

I am addressing the topic, the content of your post by calling it what I perceive it to be, a call to over throw the Constitution, our government and treason.

Happy 4th of July!!

Now I get banned, to close to the bone I guess.

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"...calling it what I perceive it to be, a call to over throw [sp] the Constitution, our government and treason." ~~ Majormajor (aka "confused about Trump's intentions" Chuck)

You've defined the administration of Donald Trump perfectly.

Majormajor said...

Hey Dave, you gonna ban Jg for not being on topic?

LOL

Dave Dubya said...

Well done! He didn't even have to play his "banned" Victim Card, but he did anyway.

Majormajor still didn't read anything beyond the first sentence or two apparently. He did get as far as seeing something about the 4th of July, so that's a small step.

But what matters is he "perceived" a call to "over throw" (Is that a wild pitch?) the Constitution, our government, and "treason", of course. The Trumpette bleats. Treasonously deflecting from Putin's interference in our election and shielding Trump from collusion and obstruction is patriotic in these dark times. Disagreeing with Trump is now treason. Heck, simply not giving him applause is now treason to our new dictator.

So what exactly are my words that formed the message that he "perceived"? Perhaps that is far too much to ask. He'd have to go back and read the post. That's a lot of words for him to absorb and process. "Perceiving" is so much easier than reading and discussing.

To stay on topic, he will need to cite any sentence than formed his unique and special perception. Nobody else perceived what he did, so it's all up to him to enlighten us.

He seems to think we pose a threat to the Constitution and government. He flatters us with his fear of our imagined, but somehow threatening, power. And it makes him angry too.

He perceives with his amygdala, of course, the primitive emotion response, fight or flight center of his brain.

(I told you it was twitching.)

Happy Fourth of July to Majormajor!

Sorry if it was asking too much to discuss any points made in the post. That's OK. We know why.




Jefferson's Guardian said...

"'He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury.'” ~~ King George (as more recently played by Donald Trump)

See, Chuck, still right on topic. If you haven't figured it out, which you obviously haven't, we're discussing the tyranny of the Trumpist GOP.

Right.On.Topic

Majormajor said...

Here you go Dave,

I don't agree with the point you are trying to make that it is Constitutional to overthrow our government because a man was elected as our President that you hate.
I like the direction America is going under President Trump. The reasons you hate President Trump is the minority view in America...anytime the minority calls for the overthrow of the majority ruled government by any means other than elections is a call for TREASON.
Treason Dave, treason. That is what you support. Because you don't like the outcome of a legal election. That is not the old fashion tradition American way you claim to be a part of.

Dave Dubya said...

Here you go Majormajor.

In your style:

Because a Black man that you hate was elected as our President, and because you didn't like the outcome of a legal election, you wanted to overthrow our government. That is treason.

I don't agree with your point you are trying to make that America loves a racist president.

Just because you and Trump love Nazis doesn't make them very fine people.

Calling for Russia to hack Hillary, and inviting Putin into our election was TREASON. You support that treason. You hate America and love fascism.

See? This is what your comment looks like. It refers to nothing you said, just like you dismissed and distorted what I said.

That game is over.

And here's something I "perceived" based on your words:

Because you lied about the Constitution and the number of Supreme Court Justices, you obviously hate the Constitution.

What can a liar say when caught in a lie? See Authoritarian Rules and Tactics of Discourse.

You failed to cite any of my words to support your "perceived" conclusions. That is trolling, not discussion. You've show no indication of reading the post or discussing any points within.

But you did provide evidence supporting all my statements about authoritarians and their CRAP.

Your use of the Authoritarian Rules and Tactics of Discourse paints a clear picture of American neo-fascism.

Thank you for proving my assessment is correct.

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"Be clear - only a street fighter has a chance at displacing the 'King.' Otherwise, this country and its principles will be in pieces and non-recognizable." ~~ Michael Avenatti, via Twitter on July 4th

That's Stephanie Clifford's attorney, hinting at a possible presidential run in 2020 if it becomes clear Trump, "the clown king" as depicted on the cover of The Daily News, has no viable opponent.

Yes... "Otherwise, this country and its principles will be in pieces and non-recognizable."

In pieces...

Unrecognizeable...

This is the non-democracy that the Alt-Reich is working toward. These Trumpist malcontents want to destroy the Constitution and obliterate any semblance of the rule of law.

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"I like the direction America is going under President Trump. ~~ Majormajor (aka Trump Deplorable Chuck)

Of course you do! You're a proponent of a nation "in prices", one that's "non-recognizable", and based upon racist white supremacist rule and division.

Congratulations, Chuck. I'm sure your "Republican Jesus" will be proud. You better hope he is. 🔥

Jefferson's Guardian said...

That's nation in "pieces"...

In pieces, Chuck. Broken apart and divided. Do you know what this means? Do you really, or do I need to spell it out for you?

You're the treasonous exception on this comment thread. Only you.

Majormajor said...

Dave,

Calling anyone who disagrees with you a Nazi is a great way of avoiding the reality of how few Americans are as treasonous far left as you are.

As is typical of both you and your little buddy Jg, you since you can not argue your positions in a logical manner, nor support them using the constitution, both of you resort to the tactics of the alt-left, IE fear mongering, name calling and blasphemy.

Good luck winning the hearts and souls of Americans.

Dave Dubya said...

JG,

For icing on the cake, the day after the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released a report which stated unequivocally that Russia interfered in the 2016 election on behalf of Trump, the Party of Putin sent a delegation of ONLY Republicans to suck Putin's, um, borscht, in Russia.

That's how they celebrated the 4th this year.

Jerry Critter said...

Once again, MM has difficulty with his reading comprehension.

“U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Huvelle said in a ruling that the allegations of conspiracy were insubstantial to proceed in a court, Politico reported.”

That’s not actually what Politico or Huvelle said. (https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/03/trump-dnc-hacking-693965). They said,”...alleged actions to the nation's capital were too flimsy for the case to proceed in a Washington, D.C., court.”. He conveniently left out “Washington D. C.” It was not “a court”, which implies any court, but a specific court.

The judge went on to say, “It bears emphasizing that this Court’s ruling is not based on a finding that there was no collusion between defendants and Russia during the 2016 presidential election," Huvelle wrote. "This is the wrong forum for plaintiffs’ lawsuit. The Court takes no position on the merits of plaintiffs’ claims."

I guess there is a reason that MM rarely provides links for what he writes.

Dave Dubya said...


Bill,

Thank you. In a rigged system it takes extraordinary effort to restore the consent of the governed.

Jerry,

MM has always been a low-rent, two-bit shill and hack for Trump and the far Right.

He don't need no stinkin' facts. Only commies like facts.

Dave Dubya said...

"MM has always been a low-rent, two-bit shill and hack for Trump and the far Right."

Just the facts.

You may go back under your rock now.

Majormajor said...

Dave, I see I've hit a nerve..
Just the facts about you using your standard that if you don't condemn something you must be for it.

You have been asked to condemn the country's largest racist organization the Nation of Islam. You have yet to do so, therefore you must support their racism.

You are against the constitutional way our Congressmen are chosen, by the majority vote of the 700,000 citizens in their district. You are against our Constitutional method of selecting our Senators, by the vote of only the citizens in the State where the candidate is running. You do not support the method prescribed by our Constitutional, the Electoral College, to decided who our President will be.

Using J"Bill"G's logic you are therefore a supporter of racism and against our Constitution. I'll let J"Bill"G tell us what that makes you. But one thing for sure, by any stretch of anyone's imagination, you are not what you claim to be.

Dave Dubya said...

MM,

ALL of the Constitutional provisions you cited were the results of changes made since the original ratification.

Now you accuse me of treason for advocating amending the Constitution, the one you LIED about.

Why do you hate America?

Again you ignore what I've written.

You have been fairly warned. More lies and false accusations will be deleted.

Have you no decency? None at all?

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"...the Party of Putin sent a delegation of ONLY Republicans to suck Putin's, um, borscht, in Russia. That's how they celebrated the 4th this year." ~~ Dave Dubya

Prepping for the "merger", I would suppose. It's become, now, commonplace for Trump to show his servitude to yet another dictator -- especially the one who hacked him all the way into the White House.

With North Korea making a fool of Trump in June -- especially with the recent revelation that they're now ramping up production of plutonium -- I wonder what demands Putin will be making of Trump in a couple of weeks? With any luck at all we'll all be treated to the infamous "pee-pee" tapes. ;-)


"Using J'Bill'G's logic..." ~~ Majormajor (aka bubbling Detective Chuck)

Hey Bill! Did you catch that! I'm you, and you're me!

Chuck, my only advice is don't quit your day job! LOLOL

Dave Dubya said...

MM once admitted to being a recovering alcoholic.

Good for him.

However, he displays as much anger and confusion as ever. This indicates he still has problems.

So, what is a "dry drunk"? In putting the pieces together from my own personal experiences as well as my clients, the description seems to be universal; one that abstains from alcohol, but is still grappling with the emotional and psychological maladies that may have fueled their addiction to begin with, and continues to have a strangle hold on their psyche.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/heartache-hope/201105/is-there-dry-drunk-in-your-life

Combine dry drunk syndrome with being a raging, alt-Right CRAP extremist and we have our boy...Bless his closed mind and twitching amygdala.

Dave Dubya said...

Major Dry Drunk has complained, "Bill is posting about Korea, that's off topic. Are you going to do something about it?"

Well, ya darn tootin' I am! For two reasons.

First, it was off-topic of Major Dry Drunk to complain about what Bill didn't do.

That won't do.

Wiki says, "Posting off-topic messages to deliberately aggravate other members is a form of trolling.

In Internet slang, a troll is a person who starts quarrels or upsets people on the Internet to distract and sow discord by posting inflammatory and digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into displaying emotional responses and normalizing tangential discussion, whether for the troll's amusement or a specific gain."


(Lucky for Major Dry Drunk, he often amuses me. And yes, I have a sick and twisted sense of humor.)

Second, he was fairly warned about lies and false accusations.

So yer darn tootin' I'm gonna do something about it.

The Troll Filter has been activated.

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"Lucky for Major Dry Drunk, he often amuses me. And yes, I have a sick and twisted sense of humor." ~~ Dave Dubya

just like Donald Trump, "DDMM" is a very sick man. No wonder he's attracted to him.

I read the Psychology Today article you provided. It explained a lot, and you're undoubtedly right.

It also would explain his cancer.

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"Major Dry Drunk has complained, 'Bill is posting about Korea, that's off topic. Are you going to do something about it?'" ~~ Dave Dubya

That Bill! He's at it again! LOLOL

Yeah, a twisted sense of humor is the only way to get through this Trump era, I agree.

G'night, all! You too, Bill...

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"The republic was flawed from the beginning, and the Founders knew it. Women couldn’t vote. Only male property owners had that right. Slavery was not only tolerated, it was expanding. The Electoral College was forced onto presidential elections by slave states. The Founders understood that our Constitution would need to be open for amendment for a more perfect union." ~~ Dave Dubya

I'm always curious when conservatives, and I'll use T. Paine as an example since he comes to mind first, always claim to be Constitutional "originalists". They reject the idea of amendments, as though they're blasphemous -- as if the Founders were flawless; composing documents written by the "invisible hand of god".

The Constitution, as you mentioned, excluded many Americans -- still does. Inarguably, it has also been bastardized to currently include non-persons -- entities created by the laws of man and not through the loins of man.

Incredibly, conservatives -- those "originalists" -- never apologize or criticize how the 14th Amendment was misused and abused to serve the wealthy and powerful, not the former slaves that it was intended.

Closing words: I see Donald Trump was campaigning again, this time in Montana. In Great Falls last night he was lying and insulting and vicious again.

Worst president ever. It's not even a contest.

Dave Dubya said...

JG,

There's a reason so many far Right conservative Christians side with child abusers and molesters. They also approve of torture more than any other demographic.

They are authoritarian followers.

They are about as familiar with the Constitution as they are with the Bible. They never read either, of course, and don't care to. Their authoritarian politicized "religion" tells them to trust FOX, Trump and Republicans, as they hump the flag and pander to Wall Street, Mammon, and white nationalists.

Every American Nazi, KKK member, and white supremacist is a "good Christian", you know. And they'll tell you so.

Just look at all the hate on display at Trump's "Little Nuremberg" rallies. "Good Christians" every one of them. They are indoctrinated to believe Jesus sent Trump to save America.

Deep down they are as homophobic and fanatic as ISIS. All they need is Trump to tell them who to kill, and they would do it with zeal. He is their new savior.




Jefferson's Guardian said...

"There's a reason so many far Right conservative Christians side with child abusers and molesters." ~~ Dave Dubya

The overwhelming majority of sleeze-balls come from the simple-minded ranks of far-right evangelical Christians.

Repression does sickening things to the human animal. It creates a duality that's difficult to handle emotionally.


"They are authoritarian followers." ~~ Dave Dubya

Yes, it's those who where the first and most likely to succumb to demagogic figures such as Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler or, now, Trump. The cult process is identical. Only the population of the cultists change. It has occurred throughout history time and time again.

Personally, I believe Jesus was one of history's great spiritual teachers. Then Paul (Saul) hijacked and distorted the teacher's message and created one of the largest and powerful cults in humankind history.


"Every American Nazi, KKK member, and white supremacist is a 'good Christian', you know. And they'll tell you so." ~~ Dave Dubya

All the time. There's never a free-thinking, open-minded member among them. They're always scapegoating repressed individuals eager to blame their own inadequacies on others. Their Christian beliefs are based upon a "father-figure" who is always white, and their fantasies and fables are neatly organized to support their biases and prejudices.


"Deep down they are as homophobic and fanatic as ISIS." ~~ Dave Dubya

Absolutely. They actually have more in common with Islamic zealots than they realize. I'm surprised they haven't created a "ecumenical alliance" of some sort since they supposedly pray to and honor and pledge their undying love to the same monotheistic father-figure.

Each, though, views "their God" in their own image. More fable and fairytales. They all jumped from simple tales for simple minds and conveniently skipped enlightenment and understanding. They totally missed the point of the spiritual pathway.

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"What we have in the United States is not a democracy. When a minority seizes power over a majority, it also not a representative republic, founded on the consent of the governed. It is a corruption of the Founders’ dream, and for most Americans, a failed state."

This "failed state", where the minority (i.e., the elitist wealthy) rule over the majority, was destined toward failure when the Founders intentionally and unequivocally set up a system where minority land owners ruled. Slaves were not even considered -- only as personal property -- and of course women were also shut out of the experiment, also deemed to be no more than property themselves.

The Founders' dream was mired in systemic cultural and societal attitudes and norms of the day, and it's certainly easy to be critical of their seemingly biased decisions when we're viewing their work from the perspective of 21st century enlightened free-thinkers.

But, and Thomas Jefferson was very clear about this, when a government no longer works for the people -- and he was referring to the majority of the people -- it's time to abandon that government and create a new and better one.

Jefferson realized the vast imperfections of the government they created, as did his cohorts, and they also knew it would have to be designed to change with the times and the needs of the governed.

We have reached that point where massive overhaul is needed. The "consent of the governed" has been displaced by the greed and power of the wealthy -- and its most powerful of non-persons -- creating what has become known as the corporate state.

The totalitarian nature of this perversion, inverted or otherwise, sowed the conditions where a rightwing demagogue like Donald Trump was able to gain power -- giving us a more historically accurate viewpoint of the traditional strongman dictator-to-be.

We live in very dangerous and perilous times, and it can go either way. Let's make sure it goes in the direction of democracy and justice for all.

Sitting on our hands, and waiting to see what happens, may be the worst option of all.

Resist.

Dave Dubya said...

JG,

Too many people sitting on their hands is why we're in this situation

History has shown democracy needs an active majority to prevail. Sadly, in our circumstances that would require an active SUPER majority to defeat the anti-democratic minority.

Once the authoritarian Right takes control, history also shows no easy way out from under their jackboots. Disaster must be expected because it always ensues. I fear only a severe economic collapse, natural catastrophe, pandemic, or the devastation of total war can move enough people to resist and reverse it.

Enlightened Americans of conscience must man the metaphorical barricades.

Or if we have the courage and ability of Patricia Okoumou, take a stand on Liberty herself. She may have not been born here, but in my mind Patricia is the REAL American role model. Her bravery in broad daylight was greater than the disguised members of the nocturnal Boston Tea Party.

If there's any justice, we should at least see her face on a postage stamp and schools named after her in a future democratic republic of the United States.

Until the sheep wake up and see the toxic threat of the "Cult 45", I'll see you at the barricades!

Dave Dubya said...

Another take on Independence Day.

Why is Canada more civilized than the US?

Dylan Matthews offers his thoughts:

“3 reasons the American Revolution was a mistake"

Abolition would have come faster without independence

Independence was bad for Native Americans

America would have a better system of government if we'd stuck with Britain

Dave Dubya said...

I just found out Chris Hedges understands and agrees with my point.

“America the Failed State "

”Our “corporate coup d’état in slow motion,” as the writer John Ralston Saul calls it, has opened a Pandora’s box of evils that is transforming America into a failed state...”

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"I just found out Chris Hedges understands and agrees with my point."

As you know, Mr. Hedges has been warning us of the end of democracy and the perversions of the corporate state for years. He has described each step of the dystopia we're embarking upon with remarkable accuracy.

Our nation's descending into oblivion -- at a rate accelerated by the advent of Trumpism. He's put the dictatorial face to a previously unseen array of massive corruption in the increasingly accepted joint-venture of government and Wall Street.

The right proudly carried the Trump banner and slogan of "draining the swamp". He's done nothing but open the floodgates and create an open sewer.

Jefferson's Guardian said...

Just wanted to ask, and offer a reminder...does anybody know what happened to the thousands of children abducted by Trump?

Where are they? More importantly, when will they be reunited with their parents?

Jerry Critter said...

JG,
What Trump really meant was “drain the nursery”.

Dave Dubya said...

And this:

New York Times reports: "U.S. Opposition to Breast-Feeding Resolution Stuns World Health Officials".

Corporate infant formula manufacturers joined by crusading far Right puritans make world safe from mothers’ milk.

FSA! FSA! FSA!

Jerry Critter said...

FSA! Yea! Yea! Yea!

Trump is saving babies from that rotten breast milk by ripping them away from their mothers.

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"Corporate infant formula manufacturers joined by crusading far Right puritans make world safe from mothers’ milk." ~~ Dave Dubya

To be expected from the supra-corporate shilling government of the Trump administration.

Can criminalizing breast-feeding be next?

FSA! FSA! FSA!

Jerry Critter said...

Perhaps they will outlaw breasts all together! We certainly can’t allow any nefarious backroom breast feeding.

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"'Pro-life' is not pro-women and not pro-children, and not even pro-live. It is pro-fetus until birth, then discarded with the rest of humanity." ~~ Dave Dubya

Everyone and everything is made or created to be a commodity. Another tool to be used until a more efficient or less expensive one is made or found.

Conservatives are pro-money. That's it.


TRUMP (at some rally of his deplorables in the near future): "Look at that woman in the back, breastfeeding her child! That's horrible! Disgusting! C'mon, lady, don't you have any decency?"

CROWD RESPONSE: "Lock her up!...lock her up!...lock her up!!"

Jerry Critter said...

JG,

LOL! Trump is such an authority on decency!

Jefferson's Guardian said...

"The US government has only managed to reunite two of 102 migrant children under the age of five with their families after they were separated at the southern border, and has admitted it will not be able to meet a federal district judge’s deadline for them all to be reunited by Tuesday [July 10th]." ~~ The Guardian, July 9, 2018

This is absolutely unacceptable and inexcusable. Heads should roll for this, and the first one trotted to the guillotine should be Donald Trump -- followed by Jeff Sessions.

What a miserable excuse for a United States president. In addition to his blatant corruption, could there be anybody as inept and unqualified to hold this office?

I can't think of anyone. Really, I can't...