CULT OR COUNTRY

Over the past year or so, the public discussion has looked at what can only be described as, on the one side, a declining sense of the rational and on the other side, a striving to achieve a seemingly unachievable level of balance. It is no wonder, considering the continual state of upheaval both within and without the beltway that there is so much confusion and consternation. What has added to it all is that there is a lack of focus in much of the discussion surrounding it all. Perhaps one needs to contend with this panorama of insanity by distilling it down to a manageable subject.

The politics of it all, and particularly as this is a presidential election year, appears to come down to choices. Now, one would claim that an election – any election –  is all about choices. However, this time it is more about more than just choices between candidates for public office, and specifically the office of President.

It is,  in one school of thought, a philosophical choice this country has to make in the near, if not immediate future as to what does  it want to be – remain a democracy, with all its faults or opt to leave that structure behind and move toward a authoritarian or fascist form. For most critical thinkers, this is not much of  a choice but sadly for many it remains a dilemma.

However, one might zoom in, as it were , and look at what might be the driving force behind the condition in which we find ourselves – that of the rise of a cult movement known as MAGA.

By definition, a “CULT “ is that genre of group usually convened around some cause or another where criticism or questioning of the Leader is considered by that leader to be persecution, where anything the leader does is justified, regardless of how harmful it may be and that he, or she, the leader is the only source of truth. Followers must be blindly devoted to that leader and the idea of questioning of any sort is anathema.

Now what we have at present is a distinct choice not only the obvious between democracy or fascism but also the choice between  “ regular order “, as per the late Senator John McCain, and the chaos brought about by what is clearly a movement which must now be tagged as a domestic terrorist cult. There can be no question about the nature of this movement. From the days following the 2020 Election culminating with the attack on the Capitol, to the current leaders vowing retribution and revenge, there can be no doubt of the terroristic nature of not only the Cult but the supporting republican party, which, over time, has ceased to be a political party and has morphed into a support mechanism for a terrorist movement. And this is true not only for the activities on Capital Hill but also throughout the down ballot positions in state and local politics. Election deniers, conspiracy theorists and participants in the attack on January 6th, 2021 are running for office, still maintaining that the 2020 election with rife with fraud and in their mind simply not legitimate in its outcome.

So, here we stand. The voting public will need to decide and do so decisively as to the future. One the one side of the proverbial coin there  we find, with its faults and foibles, a representative republic under which platform we can live and let live to a fairly decent degree, come and go with relative freedom and even make ridiculous mistakes, allowing for a course correction in a reasonable time.

On the other side, we find an authoritarian fascist platform where books are banned, peaceful protests are to be silenced by military action, basic rights are stripped, a free press will be terminated and freedom to express opinion, be it pro or con, ceases to exist. Cruelty against opposition will be the rule and loyalty to a single personality is an absolute.

There can be no question whatsoever that this election will be far more than a choice between candidates. The voters must choose. Will it be country or cult. Will they choose between preserving our very existence as  a nation or  bring the end to the great experiment in democracy.