I needn't tell you the adversary I spoke of in Part 1 is the unpresident, Donald Trump.
He has declared war on absentee voting, because he rightly sees it as a threat to his re-election. Between now and November 3 he will be trying every dirty trick imaginable to win the election. Trump is amoral, and will see this fight as business as usual in his twisted universe.
We are fighting for control of our government. Lincoln said the American government is Of, By, and For the American people, and Trump wants to take it away from us any way he can.
Voting is the single most important thing we do as Americans, and any attempt to tamper with any citizen's ability to vote freely must be met with extreme resistance.
Trump, his allies and his minions may have means to cause trouble with in-person voting systems, but absentee voting is beyond their filthy grasp. It must remain so. The number of absentee voters will no doubt be much higher than usual this year due to the isolation and quarantines resulting from the threat of COVID-19. And that has the Criminal-in-Chief terrified.
The man has no shame, no sense, and is willing to destroy the very fabric of the nation if it could get him re-elected. His overinflated ego could bring about the collapse of democracy, and that's not hyperbole.
Absentee voting has been around a long time, beginning during the Civil War when it was offered to soldiers stationed far away from their home states. Military personnel have continued to be major users of absentee voting. Would Trump disenfranchise those in uniform who he calls "great people?" You bet. To him they're just cannon fodder.
Who else votes by mail? The elderly and disabled and others with mobility limitations; people isolated by the pandemic, which is likely to be most of us; and potentially all 13 million voters in the states of Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, where voting by mail is the primary means of casting ballots.
Finally, the supreme hypocrisy, the most shameless mockery, the most sickening casuistry: The Hypocrite-in-Chief and members of his family routinely vote by absentee ballot.
Donald Trump is more dangerous to this country than Russia, China and North Korea combined. He must be stopped by any means available before "Of the people, by the people, for the people" becomes an odd, empty phrase uttered by an unremembered Republican politician.
--- Diogenes, 6/26/20
Bonus link to an important defender of free elections: https://www.brennancenter.org/
U.S. Constitution
The voice of the people
26 June 2020
25 June 2020
Of, By, and For, Part 1
When Abraham Lincoln succinctly defined American democracy as "of the people, by the people, for the people," he was indirectly referring to the one great power Americans had, that no other people at the time could claim: the power freely to elect their leaders.
We the people still have that power, and there has seldom been a time in the history of this nation that we have had more need to use it confidently and wisely.
We now face a ruthless adversary who would reduce our power by denying it to as many of us as possible. He seeks to accomplish this foul act covertly and subtly by targeting communities of voters who are already marginally disenfranchised.
He believes, and there is reason to fear, that he has the means to suppress in-person voting in communities and regions known to be inimical to him.*
There are several ways such an action could be engineered. Intimidation and misinformation about voting requirements and polling places and hours are blatant examples, but voting machine tampering, system hacking, and poll worker espionage are his more likely tools.
The unexpected spread of COVID-19 threw the country into chaos, and had a dire effect on election planning. One outcome of the confusion was the reduction in polling places, which played right into the foe's hands. As an example, consider Kentucky, the home of Archdemon Mitch McConnell, which cut its number of polling places statewide by 80%. That's not a typo. 80%.
One result of such reductions is that some voters may have to travel to vote, creating a barrier to voting for those who lack transportation. Kentucky's Jefferson and Fayette counties, two of the state's most populous, and with the largest African-American populations, were reduced to one polling place each in the June 23 primary.
As if in response to the threat of suppression both counties saw record voter turnout, a sign of hope that the American people understand the importance of voting in a crisis.
Another sign of hope is the increased use of absentee voting. No ballot box, no waiting. Just fill in the ballot, put it in the provided envelope and send it via U. S. Mail to the elections department.
The adversary hates this. He fears absentee balloting because he cannot control it. We must guard it assiduously.
Continued tomorrow.
---Diogenes, 6/25/20
*Several books and articles discuss this threat. I suggest One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy, by Carol Anderson: The Bloomsbury Press, 2018.
We the people still have that power, and there has seldom been a time in the history of this nation that we have had more need to use it confidently and wisely.
We now face a ruthless adversary who would reduce our power by denying it to as many of us as possible. He seeks to accomplish this foul act covertly and subtly by targeting communities of voters who are already marginally disenfranchised.
He believes, and there is reason to fear, that he has the means to suppress in-person voting in communities and regions known to be inimical to him.*
There are several ways such an action could be engineered. Intimidation and misinformation about voting requirements and polling places and hours are blatant examples, but voting machine tampering, system hacking, and poll worker espionage are his more likely tools.
The unexpected spread of COVID-19 threw the country into chaos, and had a dire effect on election planning. One outcome of the confusion was the reduction in polling places, which played right into the foe's hands. As an example, consider Kentucky, the home of Archdemon Mitch McConnell, which cut its number of polling places statewide by 80%. That's not a typo. 80%.
One result of such reductions is that some voters may have to travel to vote, creating a barrier to voting for those who lack transportation. Kentucky's Jefferson and Fayette counties, two of the state's most populous, and with the largest African-American populations, were reduced to one polling place each in the June 23 primary.
As if in response to the threat of suppression both counties saw record voter turnout, a sign of hope that the American people understand the importance of voting in a crisis.
Another sign of hope is the increased use of absentee voting. No ballot box, no waiting. Just fill in the ballot, put it in the provided envelope and send it via U. S. Mail to the elections department.
The adversary hates this. He fears absentee balloting because he cannot control it. We must guard it assiduously.
Continued tomorrow.
---Diogenes, 6/25/20
*Several books and articles discuss this threat. I suggest One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy, by Carol Anderson: The Bloomsbury Press, 2018.
24 June 2020
The Trump Sickness
There are times when I approach writing this blog with the same sense of avoidance many of us feel when we're tired and not in the mood to work out but lace up our trainers and go to the gym anyway.
It's not that I lack for subject matter or ideas. The daunting factor that strikes me every time I sit down to write is the knowledge that I am going to have to read something that Trump, or worse, a member of his family or a follower, has said.
Just looking at their words on a screen makes me feel ill with what I have come to think of as the Trump sickness.
Trump is all the things I hate and despise, not only in politicians, but in anyone: racist, dishonest, corrupt, unethical, intolerant, xenophobic, cruel, mean, misogynist, bully, threatening, megalomaniac, demagogue, irascible, disrespectful, champion of violence and inciter of unrest, and I'll stop there; it's a very long list.
I find most of the same behaviors among many of his followers and family members, plus stupidity, moral blindness, slavish acceptance of lies, bigotry, violent urges, lack of imagination, inability to distinguish between fact and fiction, and between right and wrong.
Trump spends a lot of time insulting people by running them down and calling them names, which only means he's inviting others to do the same to him. Most of us like to think we're above such behavior, and if you are you're a better person than I, as this rant demonstrates.
The United States is a government of laws, and its society is based on that of Great Britain--arguably the most civilized nation of its time. Even before Trump became president he has been spreading hate and division, defying the laws that govern us, flouting the norms by which we live, and sending the country into a downward spiral toward third-world brutality.
This need not be a death spiral, but every one of us needs to rise up and take political action to save the nation. Be righteously angry. Be Proud. Be American.
--Diogenes, 6/24/2020
It's not that I lack for subject matter or ideas. The daunting factor that strikes me every time I sit down to write is the knowledge that I am going to have to read something that Trump, or worse, a member of his family or a follower, has said.
Just looking at their words on a screen makes me feel ill with what I have come to think of as the Trump sickness.
Trump is all the things I hate and despise, not only in politicians, but in anyone: racist, dishonest, corrupt, unethical, intolerant, xenophobic, cruel, mean, misogynist, bully, threatening, megalomaniac, demagogue, irascible, disrespectful, champion of violence and inciter of unrest, and I'll stop there; it's a very long list.
I find most of the same behaviors among many of his followers and family members, plus stupidity, moral blindness, slavish acceptance of lies, bigotry, violent urges, lack of imagination, inability to distinguish between fact and fiction, and between right and wrong.
Trump spends a lot of time insulting people by running them down and calling them names, which only means he's inviting others to do the same to him. Most of us like to think we're above such behavior, and if you are you're a better person than I, as this rant demonstrates.
The United States is a government of laws, and its society is based on that of Great Britain--arguably the most civilized nation of its time. Even before Trump became president he has been spreading hate and division, defying the laws that govern us, flouting the norms by which we live, and sending the country into a downward spiral toward third-world brutality.
This need not be a death spiral, but every one of us needs to rise up and take political action to save the nation. Be righteously angry. Be Proud. Be American.
--Diogenes, 6/24/2020
23 June 2020
Words Acting Badly
Some of the biggest words in the English language actually have relatively few letters. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is undeniably a big word in terms of letters, but the "big" thing I'm talking about is meaning.
Many words in our culture are overused, misused, and misunderstood. Being something of a logophile, I thought I would attempt to rescue a couple of the more persecuted ones.
Hero: We sometimes say a person is "our hero" because they have done something nice for us, perhaps getting our broken-down car started, or finding a lost dog.
The term rightly refers to a person who displays exceptional courage, especially in a dangerous situation. Today the term is frequently, and wrongly, applied generally to police officers, firefighters, and military personnel. Anyone in any of those professions could be thrust into a situation requiring genuine heroism, but not everyone who dons a uniform is a hero.
In the United States military the highest award is the Medal of Honor, awarded for conspicuous "gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty." During WWII 473 military personnel were awarded the medal out of some 16 million who served. That's how rare true heroes are.
Desecration: This is a terribly misused and misapplied word. It means "to make unsacred," and usually pops up in reference to a flag or other national symbol.
The problem is, you can't desecrate something that wasn't sacred in the first place. "Sacred" and its related words have very narrow definitions, all related to religion. Neither the flag nor any national emblem nor the Constitution is sacred because they were not created for the purpose of worship. The Founders would be horrified by the thought that someone might venerate the flag as a sacred, that is to say, holy, object.
Owing allegiance is far different from expressing reverence. This nation was created "in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty" for those who live here, whom the not-very-religious Founders believed deserved "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
We salute the flag. We do not bow to it. We pledge allegiance to it as the primary emblem of our country. We do not pray to it. It is a symbol; nothing more.
--- Diogenes, 6/23/2020
Many words in our culture are overused, misused, and misunderstood. Being something of a logophile, I thought I would attempt to rescue a couple of the more persecuted ones.
Hero: We sometimes say a person is "our hero" because they have done something nice for us, perhaps getting our broken-down car started, or finding a lost dog.
The term rightly refers to a person who displays exceptional courage, especially in a dangerous situation. Today the term is frequently, and wrongly, applied generally to police officers, firefighters, and military personnel. Anyone in any of those professions could be thrust into a situation requiring genuine heroism, but not everyone who dons a uniform is a hero.
In the United States military the highest award is the Medal of Honor, awarded for conspicuous "gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty." During WWII 473 military personnel were awarded the medal out of some 16 million who served. That's how rare true heroes are.
Desecration: This is a terribly misused and misapplied word. It means "to make unsacred," and usually pops up in reference to a flag or other national symbol.
The problem is, you can't desecrate something that wasn't sacred in the first place. "Sacred" and its related words have very narrow definitions, all related to religion. Neither the flag nor any national emblem nor the Constitution is sacred because they were not created for the purpose of worship. The Founders would be horrified by the thought that someone might venerate the flag as a sacred, that is to say, holy, object.
Owing allegiance is far different from expressing reverence. This nation was created "in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty" for those who live here, whom the not-very-religious Founders believed deserved "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
We salute the flag. We do not bow to it. We pledge allegiance to it as the primary emblem of our country. We do not pray to it. It is a symbol; nothing more.
--- Diogenes, 6/23/2020
21 June 2020
A Tale Of Two Tyrants
Listed below, from the Declaration of Independence, is a handful of the 27 grievances the representatives of the 13 American colonies made in their case to dissolve the ties that held the colonies to the British Empire. The original spelling and style are retained. "He" is King George III.
"In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people."
The 18th-century prose, vocabulary, and style of argument may seem foreign, but are applicable to our 21st-century situation if reduced to their simplest terms.
How might these grievances relate to the actions of unpresident Trump?
He has consistently vetoed Congressional resolutions that would remove American military personnel from harm's way in war zones in the Middle East; that would block the exportation of arms and military services to other nations including some potential adversaries; that would relieve closed and/or bankrupt postsecondary schools of the burden of repaying student loan debt; and that would lift his emergency declaration to provide funding for a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
He has repeatedly sought ways to close the country off to immigrants and to deport many individuals and families who have lived in the United States for years but who have not sought naturalization.
His actions clearly show that he has no interest in the welfare of the American people--only in furthering his own agenda, which includes suppressing rights and freedom. The clearest and most-witnessed recent abridgment of rights was the arrest in violation of First Amendment rights of Sheila Buck on June 20, 2020, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
He has several times threatened to bring the U. S. military forces to bear against Americans, contravening the wishes of governors. He has urged the National Guard to ever-increasing offenses and police forces to barbaric acts.
He has divided the nation by glorifying combat and violence, setting those who believe violence to be the answer to everything against those who would seek peaceful conflict resolution. He spews hate and racism at every opportunity, vilifying people of color and those who differ with him.
And, as the Founders stated, "We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury."
King George III was a tyrant whose military forces fell to a force lesser in arms but greater in the belief of their cause. Donald Trump is of the same ilk.
We the people must demonstrate our belief in our cause: to dethrone Trump. We have the ultimate political weapon in a democracy: the vote; we need to work to be sure all our brothers and sisters whose voices could be suppressed have the opportunity to join us at the ballot box.
--- Diogenes, 6/21/2020
- "He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
- He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
- He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
- He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
- He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us.
"In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people."
The 18th-century prose, vocabulary, and style of argument may seem foreign, but are applicable to our 21st-century situation if reduced to their simplest terms.
How might these grievances relate to the actions of unpresident Trump?
He has consistently vetoed Congressional resolutions that would remove American military personnel from harm's way in war zones in the Middle East; that would block the exportation of arms and military services to other nations including some potential adversaries; that would relieve closed and/or bankrupt postsecondary schools of the burden of repaying student loan debt; and that would lift his emergency declaration to provide funding for a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
He has repeatedly sought ways to close the country off to immigrants and to deport many individuals and families who have lived in the United States for years but who have not sought naturalization.
His actions clearly show that he has no interest in the welfare of the American people--only in furthering his own agenda, which includes suppressing rights and freedom. The clearest and most-witnessed recent abridgment of rights was the arrest in violation of First Amendment rights of Sheila Buck on June 20, 2020, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
He has several times threatened to bring the U. S. military forces to bear against Americans, contravening the wishes of governors. He has urged the National Guard to ever-increasing offenses and police forces to barbaric acts.
He has divided the nation by glorifying combat and violence, setting those who believe violence to be the answer to everything against those who would seek peaceful conflict resolution. He spews hate and racism at every opportunity, vilifying people of color and those who differ with him.
And, as the Founders stated, "We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury."
King George III was a tyrant whose military forces fell to a force lesser in arms but greater in the belief of their cause. Donald Trump is of the same ilk.
We the people must demonstrate our belief in our cause: to dethrone Trump. We have the ultimate political weapon in a democracy: the vote; we need to work to be sure all our brothers and sisters whose voices could be suppressed have the opportunity to join us at the ballot box.
--- Diogenes, 6/21/2020
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