This country is in a lot of trouble. And, I’m not convinced that the damage inflicted by Trump on this country can be undone. Yesterday, I saw the following Letter to the Editor in the Bozeman Chronicle. I read it multiple times because the author and I must be living in two completely different countries – or maybe on two completely different planets. [I have not edited the letter in any way and I have not included the author’s name]
“Chronicle only out to smear our great president
So why is the chronicle looking for donations to fund journalists? Never mind, I know the type of your so-called journalism. Nothing more than another editorial to fit your political agenda to smear my president, Donald J. Trump. He works and works for all people in this great nation.
Upwards of 72 million American’s voted for his re-election because we need him to keep fighting for the people. You, on the other hand, want to divide our country while you promote hate, violence, community oppression, socialism and fake power.
Republicans across our nation are standing up to expose this 12 year hate culture in social media outlets and the elite’s incessant power grabs that hurt all Americans and does not unify our country.
Stop the hate, please, and step into American values of truth, justice, fairness and respect.
The call for public donations to fund journalists for your newspaper indicates to me that, indeed, your stabs at journalism was not fulfilled in the last 12 years.
Bitter about the Chronicle.”
I don’t even know where to begin. There are so many statements in this letter that are provably false if someone were willing to look logically and rationally at facts and data. But, in the case of this author, a train load full of facts, is not going to even make a dent in this belief. It’s like trying to use scientific data to try to convince a member of the Flat Earth Society that the world is a globe. It’s a waste of breath.
I have seen a number of elections in my life time but the unquestioning, rabid loyalty to Trump reminds me more of a cult than adherence to some political doctrine. As a reminder, the Republican Party did not put forth a party platform at their convention earlier this year. It was basically, ‘whatever Trumps wants to do.’
In addition to this letter that I saw yesterday, someone who used to work for me (who shall remain nameless) posted a comment on one of my Facebook posts that was nothing short of a hate filled rant – ending with ‘I HATE DEMOCRATS.’ [ I deleted it and blocked the individual from further posts on my page] What’s next? Am I going to start getting death threats for calling out Trump for what I believe to be are assaults on our democracy?
I have stated on numerous occasions in these posts that I really don’t care if a candidate is a Republican, an Independent or a Democrat as long as they exhibit a level of integrity and the ability to put this country before their own self-interests. I am not wedded to a particular party. I am not wedded to a particular candidate. What I am wedded to is a belief in the rule of law that is applicable to everyone, the principles of democracy including free and fair elections and the peaceful transition of power, people telling the truth, people exhibiting character and people who treat others with respect and dignity. And, by all of these measures, Trump fails miserably, which is why I have continued to argue that he is not fit to lead this country and, in fact, is the biggest threat to democracy in my life time. The fact that he espouses to be a Republican, is of little consequence to me.
The reason that this is so disturbing is that these rabid Trump followers have gone way beyond political discourse and the ability to have a reasoned, logical discussion and clearly articulate different points of view supported by facts and data. Inconvenient facts are immediately labelled ‘fake news.’ And rationalizing corrupt behavior has become a fine art form. If that weren’t enough, there are Trump supporters who are actively advocating violence. Even Trump’s former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, retweeted a post calling for martial law and discussing a ‘civil war.’ This is not politics.
So, in the whatever it’s worth department, I will not stop posting my opinions against Trump, against racism, against corruption, against abuses of power, against incompetence, or against anything else that I believe is a threat to our democracy. When I started these posts, I said that I was doing so because I could no longer remain silent. And, in light of what I have discussed above, I feel it even more important to refuse to be silent. This country and the democratic ideals under which it was founded are under assault. And if any rabid Trump supporter wants to throw hate my way for what I say, that’s fine. If any of these idiots choose to threaten me because of what I write, that’s fine to. I don’t intimidate easily and I won’t stop posting. That, ladies and gentlemen, is not fake news. It is a fact.
“Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.” (Noam Chomsky)
I also believe that Trump created a cult. Our country is suppose to be known for our “rugged individualism”. So, why have 72 million got their identity by all of them conforming to wear red hats? Trump must have studied on how to be a dictator from Mussolini and Hitler. First the Black Shirts, then the Brown Shirts, and now the Red Hats. This type of identity goes hand and hand with Fascism.