Hard to imagine an uglier environment: the January 6th storming of our nation's Capitol, Republican Congressman Paul Gosar making an anime video of killing a Democratic Congresswoman, a rally in Charlottesville of young white men chanting "Jews will not replace us". The level of hatred in this country is scary. Does this represent the real America of today? The answer is no. Here is the plain and simple.
1. Our country has always had division and differing political viewpoints. Our system of checks and balances and a decent respect for eachother has always kept a lid on the kettle from blowing. Both Democratic and Republican Presidents have been actively eroding the checks and balances by issuing forth executive orders that overstep boundaries.
2. Our country has historically looked towards experts and leaders for policy decisions, now everyone thinks they are their own expert with the help of Google. This has dumbed down our effective responses to everything from the pandemic to climate change.
3. In the past, people could not survive without contributing to the community. Whether it was town barn raisings to quilting bees. Now everyone hides away behind their thumbs and Amazon, having everything delivered to their homes. The sense of community where people actually shared the same physical space while looking at each other in the eye is a world apart from the all caps screaming hiding behind often faceless keys.
So here is what is going on. There is deep division among us. This division is hardening. What is different now than in the past? In the past, we as an American people found our way amongst our differences over time to accommodation. The reason why this is not happening now is because of foreign influence, Russian- to be specific.
Just finished reading a book by James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence. It is important to note that he served in different capacities under both Republican and Democratic Presidents. In the wake of "The Election was Stolen!" cries, I wanted to distinguish "fake news" from facts. It does not get more dry or truthful than when it comes from our CIA, FBI and DNI. Here are two very important answers as to why our country is falling apart:
1. "We know now that the Russians had thousands of Twitter accounts and tens of thousands of bots that posted more than a million tweets. They posted more than a thousand videos on YouTube with days of streaming content. Facebook has said Russian content reached 126 million of its American users-an astonishing number, considering that only 139 million Americans voted." Facts and Fears by James Clapper, p.395
And what exactly are the Russians saying? What is their message? What is their objective?
2. "The Russians are astutely and persistently exploiting this divisiveness with every controversial issue they can identify, and regrettably, we are a very inviting target for them as they target both sides of every issue. They exploit Black Lives Matter by pretending to be hateful white people online, and they cite anger among targeted groups of whites by playing to black stereotypes, they engender fear of Muslims among Christians and vice versa; they stoke fear on both sides of the gun control debate and so on." Facts and Fears by James Clapper, p. 399-400
So going back to the solutions to the three problems (above):
1. Our leaders must stick to the law. Whether they are Republican or Democrat, executive orders should not be used to circumvent the framework of checks and balances set forth by the Constitution. On that same topic, Congress is not a football field. It's not about one team winning or losing. That approach guarantees the American people will lose. Our elected leaders must have the moral compass and conscientious courage to do right. This means you don't fly to Cancun when your constituents are freezing to death without power. It also means you hold accountable the criminals who planned, staged and attempted a coup of our nation's Capitol. It's not always about the Party's agenda (as with the current GOP), it's about upholding an oath where law and people matter.
2. Why does everyone think they are an expert? For one, everyone has access to a social media megaphone that tends to amplify with people of like mind. James Clapper cites in his book how Putin commissioned a study whose end goal was to academically dissect the best way to influence people. What he found was that in modern times, people trusted "someone just like them" more than the experts. Hence the proliferation of Twitter trolls and media bots. Putin's people perfected this art with the invasion of Ukraine's Crimea. The fake accounts were what he used to perpetuate the spin that the people of Crimea wanted to annex back to Russia. By the time the 2016 US election came into play, the Russians had entrenched fake profiles and perfected the art of media manipulation. We must read and educate ourselves on issues from legitimate sources. If not, we must defer to the true experts. We are too smart to be manipulated by the Russian trolls. Seriously.
3. In a world of instant gratification from shopping online to swiping right, people have become unsensitized to the needs of others. It was Plato who said, "Caring about the happiness of others, we find our own." The only guarantee that planet Earth has that it won't implode on itself is that mankind will continue to care about each other.
Here is my 2021 message for all this upcoming November 2022 election:
1. Incumbent Candidates: reflect back on your service. If the Party is demanding you violate your conscience, step aside or step up. Your office is an office of trust. Use it with moral courage and a respect for all.
2. Aspiring Candidates: examine why you are seeking office. If you are seeking office because you somehow feel entitled by the color of your skin (both parties), social status or are seeking riches, look elsewhere. Public office is a temporary passing torch. Only those who seek to sacrifice for the good of humanity need apply.
3. Voters: keep your faith. Sure, a lot of candidates have disappointed you. Chalk that up to the nature of the beast. No man or woman is perfect, nor can any one candidate deliver everything you want every time. Look intently on the motives of who you are voting for. There is an old saying "When someone shows you who they are, you better believe them." Remember the televangelist Joel Osteen in the wake of Hurricane Harvey? He sure could talk a good game until it came time to open the doors to those hurricane victims in need. Thank you for keeping our democratic process alive. Remember, it's all about and for you.
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