THE POINT  OF  INFLECTION

Over the past two decades and particularly over the past six years we have seen a major shift in the political tide. We have, in that time,   suffered through a political era unlike any at least in our history as a nation. One could go on  in a diatribe about   “ he who must not be named “..  his coterie of enablers, his total disdain for every one and all institutions,  all conventions and all laws and all the havoc wreaked by him and them. But it is more than that. Far more than that.  Covid-19 is not the only virus plaguing this country and it did not just all start in 2015. The mindless extremism, adherence to outlandish conspiracy theories and widespread anti-intellectualism up and down the social strata, from up on Capitol Hill to down on the  street corner, have infected every day living in one way or another across the board and the 2016 election and its term was a symptom rather than a cause. While dangerous, dysfunctional conduct has always been out there on the fringe or in the background, it now has found a pathway to the forefront, finding its way even to the halls of congress with the rise of the Tea Party and later, the Freedom Caucus. It has provided a pathway for groups like QAnon and others of like mania. It also, by virtue of that pathway, provided not only a road map for the resurgence of like minded extremist groups and proponents of far beyond fringe messaging but also a certain level of validation for the cult followers of that crime family who once were camped in the West Wing. It has even deeply infected at least three major so called news outlets,  which spew their poison nightly with no regard for fact or even intelligent discourse whatsoever.

The underlying current of racism, which has been there since our beginning, has now become almost accepted behavior and, in fact, is actively supported in some circles . The tide of white supremacy  has risen to flood stage level, adding fuel to the fire of already widespread xenophobia – as the hatred for immigrants –  illegal as well as legal  – grows in intensity and provides another fear mongering message point for the far right.

But, aside from all of this, there is yet another disease – a most destructive cancer, that is spreading far and wide and it has  far more serious indeed fatal  consequences for us as a  republic. While the chair of the Republican Party continues to insist that the riot at the Capitol by seditionists was merely “ ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discussion “, the GOP and its followers have been  full scale engaged in the deconstructing of the structure of government on all levels. Of special attack target has been the right to vote. Yes, we are seeing the seeds of fascism grow and grow. We are witness to widespread disinformation campaigns, book burnings, hate mongering and, voter suppression strategies.

What is evident is the fever growing in the ranks which spouts the myth that “ …all our freedoms are being attacked..” and the only solution is to overthrow the government and replace it with what is clearly an authoritarian idea of governance. Evidence the cheering for the Russian president at a recent  white nationalist convention – one by the way at which members of congress spoke. Amazing as it is, almost half of the voting population not only is demonstrating its ignorance of history but also its complete lack of knowledge of government and the consequences of really not having any say in it.  

One cannot say anything more except that the American Experiment is in deep peril and if the ignorant and arrogant hold sway, we shall see the end of what was, along with all its faults, the most utilitarian system of government in history.

Inflection is loosely defined as a change in course and we, as a nation, are at that point. We have traveled down that road to perdition and have finally, as feared, arrived at the fork at the end of that road. It is now imperative that a choice be made as not only has the road ended but we are likewise out of time . Is it to be a representative republic or an authoritarian dictatorship – we must choose !