Hypocrisy, Back Channels, and Hypotheticals

For those who are not already aware of the unrelenting hypocrisy of the Left, here is a little example that may help you to see the problem:

Behavior that the Left thinks is OK, nothing wrong, nothing to complain about

Behavior that the Left finds intolerant and perhaps even treasonous

·         During the 2008 campaign, candidate Obama sent retired ambassador William Miller to Iran to open a back channel with our sworn enemy and to let them know that if he won the election he would be a friend of Iran. ·         This was done before Obama was elected president, and had the potential to affect negotiations between President Bush and Iran as Iran might wait to enter agreements to see if Obama might be elected and give them a better deal. ·         Presidents Roosevelt, Kennedy, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, Bush, and Obama, as well as Hillary Clinton have used back channels.

·        After the 2016 election, Jared Kushner inquired about setting up a back channel with Russia in order for Trump to discuss Syria with the Russians.  We don’t know if he did this on his own or on someone else’s orders; there is no evidence of any specific promises or deals made. ·         At the time of the alleged actions by Kushner, Trump had been elected president; although not yet sworn in, Russia knew he would be president and what his positions were. ·         President Trump may or may not have used a back channel.

I don’t think there is any need to explain this.  Everyone can see for themselves the complete hypocrisy of the position of the Left, the Democrats, and other anti-Trumpers.   

So, instead, let me turn to hypotheticals.  When caught with their hypocrisy showing, the Left turns to hypotheticals.  They create a “what if” scenario and then explain how that condemns President Trump, shows his evils, and demands his removal.  They will make the current situation different from those they are willing to accept by creating hypothetical facts.  For example, with no facts to support it, the Left suggests that Kushner, via the back channel, was trying to negotiate business deals with the Russians for Trump.  They suggest the back channel proves collusion between Trump and his campaign with Russia, despite absolutely no evidence to support this.  They pose that this was some sort of attempt to derail the Russia investigation and that it was an attempt to undermine the intelligence services (conveniently forgetting that it was Obama’s intelligence service at the time, the same service that was unmasking and revealing identities of numerous people including private citizens and sometimes leaking that information to the press).  Ignoring the fact that back channels have been used by most presidents in recent history, they assert that Kushner’s back channel attempt is a serious break from white house protocol and thus supports action against President Trump.  Yet this hypothetical is blatantly false since back channels are a not uncommon form of communication used to avoid having sensitive information or conversations become public in a way that might jeopardize negotiations.   No matter – the Left will nonetheless take the hypothetical as true and then use that narrative to condemn President Trump and his administration, to assert that these “uncommon actions” are evidence of treason.  They assert that if candidate Trump had a back channel it would be very serious because he had no reason for such a channel; yet, they accept candidate Obama’s back channel with Iran, as well as many other back channels of other presidents, as perfectly normal and not out of bounds.

The above is just one example of hypocrisy run wild.  Sadly, we see this behavior daily and in connection with every issue as the Democrats, the Left, the anti-Trumpers desperately attempt to destroy the Trump presidency and to persuade everyone that they are justified in doing so.  Yet their arguments are based on air; they have no substance, no facts to support the ever more histrionic hypotheticals.  So, lest we all fall into their trap, let’s remember that hypotheticals create a world that is not the one in which we live.  Hypothetical is imaginary, theoretical, conjectural, and suppositional; it is not real.

We Are Being Gaslighted

“Gaslighting”is a manipulation tactic used to gain power.  The term derives from a 1944 movie Gaslight, in which a man manipulates or “gaslights” his wife to the point of her believing she is going crazy. (In the movie, the manipulation is in large part accomplished through the use of actual gas lights, hence the term and the movie title)  According to Psychology Today, “It [gaslighting] works much better than you may think. Anyone is susceptible to gaslighting, and it is a common technique of abusers, dictators, narcissists, and cult leaders. It is done slowly, so the victim doesn't realize how much they've been brainwashed.” Essentially, the gaslighter makes the victim question their reality so as to then accept the reality proffered by the gaslighter. 

Today we all need to realize that we are being manipulated by the information that we are being fed.  There is a coalition made up of Progressives, Democrats, much of the main stream media, as well as some establishment republicans and a miscellany of others, all of whom are attempting to manipulate our opinion of President Trump and his administration.  They do this by focusing on idiotic details (did Melania hold his hand?; how many scoops of ice cream does he eat? etc.), by magnifying every mistake or inconsistency (e.g. yesterday he said something is “great”  but today he said it is“good” so how can we possibly trust him?), by stating their opinion or wish as if it were factual truth (Trump colluded with the Russians; Trump has alienated our allies, if you don’t see this you are simply wrong), by refusing to acknowledge any positive accomplishment at all (keeping many campaign promises, retaining jobs in U.S.; successful  first trip abroad, to name only a few; the most recent Harvard study shows the extent of the anti-Trump bias of the news media), and by telling us that they and we have the duty to impose their opinions as rules upon us and to remove the duly elected president simply because he is not one of them (and in so doing essentially asserting that it is our duty to ignore our constitution and our representative form of government in favor of installing them as our “big brother” administrative state).

They are indeed gaslighting us.  Bit by bit they assert their opinions as facts.  They drill day upon day about the evils of Trump,  pushing us to accept their reality.  Slowly but persistently they move to brainwash us.  And  if successful they would have us relinquish our representative and democratic form of government to their power.

Psychology today tells us there are certain techniques used by gaslighters (11 Signs of Gaslighting in a Relationship by Stephanie Sarkis Ph.D., Psychology Today, Jan. 22, 2017).   First, they tell lies.  They know it is a lie, often a blatant lie, yet they tell it in order to set up a precedent. (Just think about their hyperbolic assertions about the Russia-Trump-Election connections) Even if you realize it is a lie, you will be kept off balance because you will not be sure what they say after that is true.  Also, they often deny they said something, even though there is proof that they did. (Think about their calls for Comey to be fired before Trump did so).   Gaslighters use what is near and dear to you as ammunition (consider the exaggerated and erroneous claims about children dying with Trump's tax and health plans). 

An important technique used by gaslighters is that they wear you down over time.  “This is one of the insidious things about gaslighting—it is done gradually, over time. A lie here, a lie there, a snide comment every so often...and then it starts ramping up. Even the brightest, most self-aware people can be sucked into gaslighting—it is that effective. It's the "frog in the frying pan" analogy: The heat is turned up slowly, so the frog never realizes what's happening to it.”  It is hard to deny that this technique is in full force by the anti-Trump brigade.

Related is that gaslighters know that confusion weakens people.  They try to make you question everything so that you will look to them to help you feel more stable.  Yet, “their actions do not match their words….What they are saying means nothing, it is just talk.  What they are doing is the issue.”  In looking at the words of the anti-Trump brigade, one would believe they are acting to protect America and its people, but if one looks to their actions one can clearly see that everything they do is an attempt to tear apart if not completely destroy our democracy. 

Gaslighters will also throw in positive reinforcement to confuse you.  If you begin to question their actions, they will throw in something that will make you think that they are not so bad.  So, too, the anti-Trumpers will from time to time find something good to say about the “deplorables” and will assert they have their best interests in mind.  Gaslighters will also project, accusing you of their faults, so that you are distracted from the gaslighter’s behavior as you instead focus on defending yourself.

In their continuing war of manipulation, gaslighters will try to align people against you.  They find people who will stand with them no matter what and use those people against you, asserting such things as “this person knows you aren’t right.”  Those people may never have said that, but, a “gaslighter is a constant liar. When the gaslighter uses this tactic it makes you feel like you don't know who to trust or turn to—and that leads you right back to the gaslighter.”  This is just another way of gaining power and we see it every day from the anti-Trumpers as they assert that anyone who knows anything knows those who support Trump are not right, not American, but are, racist, bigots, homophobes, islamaphopes, or even Nazis.  And, with this comes one of the more effective tools of the gaslighter – they will tell you or others that you are crazy and, as you or others begin to question the sanity of your world view, nothing you say will be believed.

Finally, gaslighters will tell you that everyone but them is a liar which makes you question your reality.  We hear a lot today about world views.  If you are persistently told that your view or the populist view or the conservative view is wrong and based on lies, then you will naturally question your view, falling for the gaslighter’s manipulation technique and ultimately turning to the gaslighter for the “correct” information, the “correct” world view, the “correct” reality.

The gaslighter who has mastered these techniques is a master of manipulation.  It causes the one being gaslighted to first question their reality, then to believe the gaslighter’s reality and ultimately to act accordingly with those beliefs, thus giving the gaslighter ultimate control over the life of the one being gaslighted.  Let me restate: “Anyone is susceptible to gaslighting, and it is a common technique of abusers, dictators, narcissists, and cult leaders. It is done slowly, so the victim doesn't realize how much they've been brainwashed.”

Yet, when one is aware of the techniques of the gaslighter outlined above, one can become less susceptible to the manipulation.  I don’t understand why everyone is not aware of the blatant use of these techniques by the anti-Trump brigade, yet the fact they are not simply shows what expert gaslighters the anti-Trumpers are.  

Resist the Resistance

Making that demand does not mean that I think that President Trump is perfect or that I do not see his faults.  Nor does it mean that I agree with his position and policy on every issue.  But, it does mean that I see the destructiveness of the anti-Trump movement due to its lack of understanding of and disregard for our government and its institutions.

Trump is our duly elected president.  As such, he is deserving of support and respect from all Americans.  That does not mean that those who disagree with his positions should not use every legal means available to disagree.  It does not mean that those who favored another candidate and are disappointed in Trump’s victory should not work hard to put forth a candidate who can win in the next election. 

But, in America, we have elections and sometimes someone we do not like wins.  That does not mean that we place that person under constant and unrelenting attack.  It does not mean that we use or encourage the use of political power to unseat someone based not on fact but on innuendo, hyperbole, and simply dislike.  What is going on with President Trump is that there has been a witch hunt since the day of his election.   Those leading the anti-Trump brigade simply cannot accept defeat.  Yet that is what this country and its elections are all about – there is one winner and the other candidates lose.  And, if we want to maintain our democracy then we need to accept that basic fact.  And, the response to that fact cannot be an unrelenting attempt to destroy the duly elected President and his administration.

The anti-Trump resistance seems to have one sole purpose:  to remove Trump from office.  And, while that is a legitimate goal if done via the elective process, via campaigning for a different candidate in the next election, in a democracy it is not done by simply not accepting that the duly elected president is the president or by working to create chaos, delay and obstruct his work, and name calling using distorted and unproven facts in an attempt to garner support for his immediate removal.  To demand his removal beginning on day one is not the act of people who understand and support our democracy.

I think that we all know that.  So what I don’t understand is why this resistance movement has so much support.  I see that it asserts its justification as some sort of means of dissent.  Of course dissent is a part of our democracy and should always be allowed.  But dissent does not mean destruction.  Dissent means speaking out against particular issues with which one disagrees and working to change current policy on those issues.  It may include peaceful demonstration; it may involve casting votes in a particular way, it may simply involve speaking out to any and all that will listen.  But it does not involve creating crises where none exist.  It does not involve an attempt to destroy the very institutions that comprise our government.  It does not involve refusal to listen to other views along with an attempt to silence them. 

Some point to the obstructionist Republican Congress during the Obama administration as justification for “the resistance.”  That involved congress people voting against Obama’s agenda.  It did not involve attempts to completely destroy his presidency.  And it certainly did not have the media in its pocket as a full co-conspirator and collaborator in its work.

Dissent is a necessary part of our democracy.  We expect and need people to come to the table with differing views on every issue.  It is only with a mature presentation and discussion of all views that we can develop the best policies surrounding each issue.  It is the dissenting voices that insure that a democracy does not become an autocracy or dictatorship.  But the resistance movement is not that form of constructive and democratic dissent.  Rather, it is a destructive movement filled with hate that attacks not only President Trump but the very democracy that tolerates their current actions.

I get it that people wish Trump were not president.  That happens in a democracy where the people vote and decide.  I get it that there is a 24-hour news cycle and people seem addicted to needing a new crisis every day to keep them entertained.  I get it that for many it is easier just to passively accept what one is told rather than take the effort to explore the truth of that telling or to discover if they have the complete story and all the facts. (I do realize it is hard to discover the objective truth when most of the media has become more of a propaganda machine than a purveyor of truth). But I don’t understand why people don’t see what is going on, why they don’t realize that they are letting others shape their opinions and their very view of reality, and that in so doing they are not only giving up their freedom of thought, but threatening our very democracy.

We need to resist the resistance.  We need to stand together as Americans and make it clear that we will not allow our democracy to be destroyed.  We need to support our institutions, including the office of the president, even when the man holding that office is someone we cannot tolerate.  For the best way to support our democracy is to come together and work together to reach compromise on those things about which we disagree.  It is to work within our systems to change policy, to vote for those whom we believe best reflect our voice, and, when our candidate loses, there are ways to make our voices heard, to dissent, while still supporting, not resisting, our democracy.

So, Resist the Resistance.  Show those who are resisting that Americans do it differently, that they do not make changes by destroying the very system that allows them to speak out.  Be patient.  Do not demand to have what you want immediately.  Take time: time to obtain all the facts; time to sort out the falsehoods; time to wait for election cycles to play out.  Take time to understand, and then to support, American democracy.

Please, America, Wake Up

Well, it’s working.  Make enough noise, obstruct until nothing can get done and then claim the president is ineffective/does nothing.  Leak enough documents and other information with no proof of their accuracy and then complain not only about the content of the leaks but also that there are leaks.  Rant, rave, create hysteria and then claim that there is hysteria due to the one you are ranting against.  Clever.  But also very destructive.

I really don’t know what the end-game for the Democrats is, other than to restore their own power.  But I do believe that their end game has nothing to do with me or my best interests or those of any one else in this country.  Sure, they claim they care about the people, but they are only using them to restore themselves to power. Can no one see this?

I am troubled by the fact that the Democrats cannot accept election results, cannot accept that there are views around the country that disagree with their own.  I am troubled by the fact that their concerted effort to bring down the Trump administration seems to be working or at least moving forward.  I am troubled by the fact that they believe that only they have the right answers for the country and its people and that they are unwilling to work with anyone who represents or was elected by those with differing views. 

Why is this troubling?  Because it reflects a complete lack of understanding of our democratic republic.  It reflects a desire to turn our government away from the principles upon which it was founded.  It represents a restrictive view of democracy that, while claiming freedom and diversity, in actuality further and further restricts the democratic freedoms to which we have been accustomed in this country while forcing us into a non-diverse nation of people who all must hold the same views and behave in certain dictated ways. 

Is that the America that those who so blindly follow the leaders of the “resistance” seek? For isn’t that “resistance” ultimately a resistance against the basic tenets of our democracy?  An attempt to bring the current administration down by questionable leaks, by innuendo, by unproven allegations, by a refusal to work together and across the aisle for the good of the country, all of those are ultimately a refusal of our democracy itself.

I am not only tired of the Democrats and their hysteria, but I am also terrified of what is essentially a coup that is occurring.  This is a coup not only of the current administration, but of our democracy itself.  And, perhaps the most troubling, if not a sure sign that it is working, is that the media is a full participant as it presents the innuendo and allegation as fact, as rather than simply present news it editorializes in a way that fully supports the “resistance,” and as it fails to fully report all, including positive, actions of the administration, and fails to present stories that cast negative light on anyone involved with the “resistance.”

Our republic, as founded, is certainly not perfect, but it is pretty darn good, and far superior to most other forms of government.  It allows us to be individuals, not only with external and identifiable diversities, but with diversity of values, thoughts, and ideas.  In return it asks us to work together for the common good.  We have done this in the past and  we can still do this, but not when faced with a massive “resistance,” a resistance that refuses to accept opinions other than its own and rather than work together to solve problems would simply silence, in any way possible, those who disagree.  Without tolerance of other views, including tolerance when those views result in the election of leaders not of the “resistance,” there can be no democracy nor the necessary working together for a common good.  There can be no country, or at least no country as we have known America until recently.

So, sadly, the attack of the “resistance” continues to gain momentum.  The 24-hour news cycle keeps things energized.  Facts are no longer important as hysteria energizes the crowds.  People believe the hype and the innuendo.  Those who do not are silenced, by screaming voices, by actual violence, or simply by fear.  And, if the “resistance” wins, what then?  Will everyone really be so pleased to have their lives, not just external, but internal views and thoughts, under the full control of their leaders?  And even if they agree with those leaders today, will they still be so happy when those views do not agree and their individuality is no longer tolerated? 

This is a very bad nightmare for American democracy; I pray that it is only a nightmare from which we will soon awake.  While I have little hope for the leaders of the “resistance,” I hope desperately that the minds of their supporters and followers will awake and think, that they will begin to see and understand the real end game of the “resistance,” and the consequences if it succeeds.

“If True…”

So, the latest attacks on President Trump once again begin with the phrase “if true.”  Democrats, Republicans who dislike Trump, and the media begin with that or the similar phrase “if proven” and then follow those words with paragraphs that attack Trump for the unproven allegations.  “If true this is impeachable, Trump must be removed, Trump has obstructed justice and we are in a constitutional crisis, he has offended our allies, he has done x,y,z all of which are despicable.”  The attacks go on long enough that it is easy for one to forget that opening phrase “if true.”

I am beginning to think that such statements are not just reactions to new allegations, but are themselves part of the ongoing and very calculated attempt to destroy the Trump presidency.  Most people know that if one repeats something enough times, people will believe it to be true, even if it is not.  So, we have the most recent allegation from unnamed sources that Trump disclosed classified information to the Russians.  That has been denied by people actually in the meeting.  But, no matter, we have the “if true” statements beginning immediately, so that by today, less than 24 hours later, people are talking about how Trump must be impeached for this. The “if true” qualification has been all but forgotten.

This constant barrage of innuendo and speculation to support attacks on Trump’s presidency is simply part of the concerted attack against Trump.  Democrats, much of the media,  and many career politicians cannot tolerate President Trump.  That have yet to accept that he is really the President.  And their focus is nearly exclusively on destroying him.  They are not interested in being a “loyal opposition” that works for the country while opposing specific policies with which they disagree.  Their goal is simply “resist.”   They want everyone to join “the resistance.”  Their every action seems to be to keep their followers riled up against Trump.  While that may be good for their own sense of power, it certainly is not good for the country.

So, before we listen to any more attacks that begin with “if true,” let’s find out what indeed is true.  Let’s stop, take a breath, and gather facts (even though that takes time).  And let’s demand that the media objectively report facts, not opinion or innuendo.  With facts in hand, we can then respond to what is true, not to what might be or to what is being alleged only as the latest means of disruption and “resistance.”  

Truth vs. Theory

Both words begin with T,  and I fear that far too many confuse the two.  Politicians and the media seem far too often to think that their Theories – what they wish were true – are indeed the Truth.  Or, at least they would like us all to believe that is so.

Let’s just look at the Comey firing for a demonstration of this.  The Truth is fairly simple and straightforward, yet the Theories abound.   The Truth (the proven facts) show:  President Trump fired FBI Director Comey by sending a termination letter to his office while Comey was out of town.  Prior to the firing Trump had asked the Justice department for its assessment of Comey.  Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein wrote a letter that well lays out the justification for firing of Comey.  Many Democrats, up until the time of Comey’s firing, called for the removal of Comey and asserted his ineffectiveness and worse.  President Trump has stated he had decided to fire Comey regardless of the recommendation of the Attorney General or Deputy Attorney General. 

Beyond these facts, there are some additional facts that may be related to or explanatory of the underlying reasons for the firing.  These include that over the past year and a half Comey has struggled with a difficult and political situation.  He has made some decisions/taken some actions that were improper and beyond his authority, the most notable being that he overstepped and announced his decision that Hillary should not be prosecuted.  His justification seems to be that he had to do that because of Bill Clinton’s secret meeting with the then Attorney General.  Whether one agrees or disagrees with that decision, and regardless of his justification for it, it was a prosecutorial decision that was outside the scope of Comey’s authority.  Since then he has made other decisions, taken other actions that are arguably not his to make.  After his most recent testimony, the FBI had to send to Congress corrections for Comey’s misstatements.  

It is also a fact that the President has the power to fire the FBI director and that President Trump exercised that power.  He did so shortly after more testimony about the Russian investigations (the testimony in which Comey made erroneous statements requiring correction).  We also know that the Russian investigation continues, that the acting FBI director has stated his commitment to provide all the necessary resources for that investigation.  

In general we know that President Trump tends to be a man of action rather than words; that is, when he decides to do something he does it rather than agonize and form committees to discuss it.  We know that Trump stated that at a dinner with Comey he asked if he personally was under investigation and was assured he was not, that there is another version of that conversation that asserts that Comey was asked for a loyalty pledge to the President, and, the President has implied that there are tapes that would disprove that allegation.  We also know that the President has stated his intent to quickly replace Comey with a well qualified individual and that interviews for that replacement have already begun. 

The Theories drawn from this Truth, from the above fairly straightforward facts, are many, complicated, and clearly supportive of agendas that go well beyond any interest in the Comey firing.  There is the theory that Trump has done this to stop the Russian investigation; that he has done it because of Comey’s failure to swear to a loyalty test; that this situation is worse than Watergate; that this proves the need of a special prosecutor; that it proves that Trump is unstable, mentally unfit, or simply a demagogue; that this demands impeachment; that we are full in the middle of a constitutional crisis; etc.; etc.   Those who dislike Trump, because of his policies and/or because he does not act like the typical politician, are proclaiming as fact the conclusions to which they wish the facts would lead, the conclusions that would allow them to rid themselves of President Trump.  Yet, those proclamations are not fact, not Truth; they are Theory based on wishful thinking, on conclusions that might be possible if there were indeed facts to support them. 

Let’s look again at the facts.  There is no Constitutional Crisis.  The president has the Constitutional authority to fire the director of the FBI and the president did so.  The Russian investigation that was under the direction of that FBI director continues:  the FBI is fully functional.  Senate hearings are ongoing and continue:  Congress is functioning.  There is a process for requesting the production of any tapes that might exist.  The judiciary is capable of enforcing any such legitimate requests.  The government continues as intended under the Constitution.  If any investigations were to turn up some actual facts supportive of the many theories being thrown about, the Constitution provides ways to handle that as well as remedies for wrongs. 

There is no Constitutional Crisis.  Nor is there any evidence of any of the other Theories that are being thrown about in the latest anti-Trump hysteria.  One may not like the manner in which Comey was fired, but that does not make it some sort of evidence of evil action by some autocratic leader.  And, it does not make the firing itself a bad decision (indeed, it is the decision that many politicians on both sides of the aisle have essentially been calling for in the months, days, hours preceding the actual firing). 

Creating Theories with no factual basis is not far removed from playground name-calling.  So, everybody, let’s just calm down and use another T word:  THINK.  Stop making up stories to suit your narrative.  Recognize that Theory is not Truth.  Put the hatred and emotion aside and calmly assess reality – the Truth as it is, not as you would like it to be.  Go ahead and dislike the facts – dislike that Comey was fired; dislike that Trump is president – but don’t try to change this reality with unfounded theories and name-calling that tear our democracy apart.  Reflect upon what is Truth and what is self-serving Theory and, if you are unhappy with the situation Think about ways to actually make it better, understanding that none of those ways include name-calling, hatred, hyperbole, manufacturing facts, or asserting unfounded Theory to be Truth.  Name-calling accomplishes little; separating Truth from Theory (fact from fiction) and the Thinking that such separation requires accomplishes much.

Ignorance or Purposeful Action?

Sometimes I think that the Democrats actions are the result of simply lack of education or understanding about how our government works.  For example, that must be why they urge the courts to overstep their bounds and act as if they were the legislative branch, or that must be why they think that legislators, rather than working together and across the aisle, should act as dictators who demand everything be done their way, despite the voice of the people that should echo in the election of these representatives.   Based on the way the Democrats have behaved since the election of Donald Trump as President, it is easy to assume that they know nothing about our system of government, its three branches, and how they are intended to work.

But then I read statements like “Dems say Trump must meet their demands or face senate slowdown” (Real Clear Politics, 5/12/17) referencing this well sourced statement in The Daily Caller:  “Democrats continued their efforts to slow down business in the Senate Thursday in order to pressure the Trump Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor for the Russia investigation and to give into other demands.”  I see how they twist and distort every word from the Trump administration.  I see how they use hysteria and hyperbole to characterize every action.  I see how they do everything in their power since President Trump’s inauguration to stall and put roadblocks in the way of the furtherance of the agenda he was elected to pursue.  Then I realize that the actions of the Democrats are not based on ignorance of our governmental system, but on a disregard for our democracy and an attempt to override it and the voice of the people which it represents.

Let’s face it.  The Democrats cannot, will not, will never accept Donald Trump as the President of the United States of America.  People can write their many analyses of the many reasons why, but that is the bottom line.  And, their inability to accept that fact reveals an underlying inability to accept our form of government.  Our democracy demands that we accept the will of the people, even when we personally might wish to have it some other way.

The Democrats are used to getting their way; they have gotten their way for the past 8 years.  During that time they have built an intolerance for anyone whose views differ from their own.  Now, they are behaving like little children being told “no” for the first time.  But, these are not stupid people; they do understand how our government works and they understand how to use it against itself.  They understand how to destroy it.

I have to believe that it is not ignorance of how our government is supposed to work that drives their actions.  Rather, I tend to believe it is a dislike of our very form of government that is the driving force behind the attempts to thwart every action taken by the current administration.  I think that the Democrat and Progressive leadership knows full well that there are three branches of government, each with defined roles; they know what the Constitution says and that it protects free speech; they know that their role as elected representatives is to act for the people who elected them, not for their own interests; they know that their duty is to uphold the Constitution and to work for the good of the country.  But, they are not really interested in that system, because it also means that they, as members of the government, must support voices other than those in absolute agreement with their own; it means that they must listen to other views, work with those who hold differing views, and reach compromises on a variety of issues, all for the good of the entire country and all its people, not just their own select groups and their supporters.  

What the Democrats seem to want is absolute power.  Power to tell everyone exactly how to run their lives.  They want the power to tell us how and what to think.  And they want themselves alone to be the ones who decide what is and what is not acceptable.  They believe that they have better information or judgment than the rest of us and are unwilling to tolerate those who disagree.  This may be because they are emotionally immature and are acting like small children throwing a temper tantrum, or it may be because of some more sinister purpose.  Actually, the reason does not matter much.  What matters is that their actions are working to destroy our democracy.  And sadly, many of the people are ignoring, if not supporting this.

The Comedy that is Tragedy

Sometimes I think I must be living inside some sort of absurdist play.  I look at the anti-Trump brigade and shake my head; it would be funny if it were not so disastrous for our country.   

The Democrat reaction to the Comey firing is only the latest evidence of the absurdity.  But more absurd is that the populace, or at least the anti-Trump populace cannot see the hypocrisy or the absurdity.  They are all too caught up in their inability to accept that Trump is the president and in their belief that anything and everything that he does must be attacked (they have even chosen to call themselves"the resistance").  Combine this with their obsession with Russia, but only as a way to somehow prove that Trump is not a legitimate president.  The thought of and concern for the good of the country are the farthest things from their minds.  The focus seems to only be first to prove that Hillary did not really lose the election and then to deny that anyone might have a different view of any issue than do they.  Hence the goal is to silence anyone and everyone who holds different perspectives.  That includes shouting down, if not physically attacking, speakers with other views; it includes obstructing in any way possible the acts of the president as he tries to carry out the will of the people and the policies for which he was elected; it includes doing anything to try to show that the president is either not qualified or illegitimate.  This anti-Trump brigade is really becoming a caricature of itself.

The sad thing is that so many people fall for and support the ridiculous behavior of this anti-Trump brigade.  In part the populace might be excused because we know that the media is about 90% anti-Trump, so we must assume that the news that most people hear or view gives them a skewed view of the world and of the Trump administration. 

Here is what makes this comedy such a tragedy (this from the perspective of someone who is not part of the anti-Trump brigade).  For the last several years this country has lost its way.  It has become less a country than a place where live many people who are concerned primarily if not exclusively only with themselves and who have been taught to believe that they have a right to most everything and that it is the government’s duty to provide that.  This sense of entitlement ignores things like duty and responsibility to others and to country.  It ignores the fact that the government is nothing more than one’s neighbors: that the money to provide these many comforts comes from the taxes on someone else’s labor.  There has grown a class of leaders who believe that they know what is good for everyone and that they can and should mandate that; that they can and should govern every aspect of our everyday life including what we eat, what we feel, what we say, and ultimately, what we think.  While some people may have bought into this view, perhaps viewing it as some sort of utopia, many others have different views.  Trump was in large part elected to reset things; to return the country to a place where there are both individual rights and responsibilities, a place where more than one voice can be heard, a place where all people have the same rights, not special or different rights based on some particular identity factor.  Sadly, the anti-Trump brigade somehow sees this as a threat.  Their leaders cannot accept that people may disagree with them.  Further, they cannot accept a leader who is just not one of them, not only in ideology but also simply in behavior, speaking style, etc.

Imagine if instead of the anger and hate the anti-Trump brigade had been able to accept the election results and put the country rather than their own interests first.  Even in the face of constant attack and obstruction President Trump has accomplished a number of things.  Just yesterday the figure was released that illegal border crossings are down 70%.  Now, perhaps some believe that we should allow crossings that break the law, but for those of us that believe laws should be enforced, this is quite an accomplishment.  But instead we are still hearing (at today’s hearings) that Trump invited Putin to hack Hillary.  First, that was a joke people – a JOKE on the campaign trail.  But, what the heck, focus on that, not on anything positive that Trump has done, both internationally and internally.  Imagine if instead of this focus on destroying Trump there was a focus on working with him to bring about good for the country.

President Trump is working to put the country back on the right track.  The further off the track one is (and this country is pretty far off its democratic moorings) the harder and more painful it is to get back onto the track.  Has America, have Americans become so weak that they cannot handle this, that they cannot handle a little hardship?  Of course, righting ourselves requires being able to think ahead, to see the big picture, not just focus on one’s immediate self-interest.   Yet, just yesterday I heard the complaint that Trump expects people to take responsibility for themselves; but isn’t that what we used to proudly do in this country?

I am truly sickened by the anti-Trump brigade.  Today I am listening to more Russia hearings – trying so hard to find ways to attack Trump.  This has been going on since day one, yet they really have nothing but innuendo, but innuendo that they and the press try to turn into reality.  Earlier this week they attacked the panel selected to work on the health care bill – all white males.  Well, maybe these are the best for the job.  Do we really want to select people based on identity rather than on qualification?  And the information about the health care bill itself is so inaccurate and incomplete as presented by the mainstream media as well as by many of the Democrats themselves.  The appointees of Trump are also constantly under attack, both by the Democrats in Congress and the general populace who follow them.  Yesterday the Secretary of Education was shouted down, despite her plea that we listen to all voices.    And, today the anti-Trump brigade is parsing every word since the summer of 2016 to find ways to attack Trump for his completely legitimate firing of Comey, a firing that many Democrats themselves called for until Trump took the action which they now attack and with their typical hyperbole refer to as a "constitutional crisis."

The anti-Trump brigade’s palpable hatred of Trump affects their judgement, their ability to objectively view facts, their ability to think of anything but themselves.  They cannot accept the fact that he is not them.  And their prolonged and ongoing temper tantrum over this is severely and negatively affecting this country.  I had hoped they would get over it.  I laugh at how ridiculous they and their followers are.   But the bottom line is that they are standing in the way of correcting the ruin which they have effectuated in the past several years with their identity politics, with their use of entitlement as a means of control and power, with their pandering to emotion and their ignorance of and unequal application of the law, with their intolerance for any views, indeed any lifestyle, that differs from those of which they approve.  I had hoped they would come to their senses, but I am coming to think that they have no sense and that is what makes this all so tragic.

The Real Fearless Girl

I watched a young girl on a playground climbing wall attached to the side of a slide.  Cute child, but what made me watch was that she had one natural leg and one artificial leg.  I noticed this, but I don’t really think she did.  She struggled with determination to the top, believing that she could and would make it.  Her mother waited at the top with encouragement.   When she slipped once (her real leg/foot, not the artificial one) her father was there to catch her and help her back into position, not any different than any parent would do for their child (even a child with 2 healthy legs) in this situation.  This young girl’s focus and determination were apparent and when she made it to the top her mother was there with a hug – the same sort of hug that any young child gets from loving parents when they have succeeded with one of their many simple yet profound firsts (walking, talking, etc.).

This young girl did not know she was any different than the other children at the playground; her parents treated her as any loving parent does any child.  She believed in herself and with persistence she worked toward her goal, and with hard work she succeeded.

I don’t know why this young girl had the artificial leg; perhaps she was born with one leg, perhaps it was due to accident or illness, perhaps some other reason.  But why should that matter.  It certainly did not matter to this child or her parents.  Yet, I wondered when things will change and when exactly it is that today’s society will want to teach her that she is a victim, when they will teach her that she should be angry about the fact that she has an artificial limb.  When will they teach her that she should blame someone for her condition and that she should expect special favors because of it, hence sending the message that she is somehow less than the rest of the world.  And how long will this take her to begin thinking that she cannot rather than that she can – that without those sending her these messages she could not survive?

I hope that she does not get these messages, that she is able to somehow shut out this sort of propaganda.  But truly, this is the message of the Left:  that those of you who are not like us due to some identifiable characteristic need us to take care of you because you are somehow less than us, could not survive without us, and therefore must cede to us all power over your life.  Extreme as this may sound, this is the message that underlies the identity politics of the left.  It is the underlying argument for their demand for big government, for the big government that in the end is simply a structure for their own power.

This young girl on the playground was the real fearless girl – the persistent child who believed in herself, who saw herself as whole and capable and who blamed no one for her struggle.  She did not cry, she was not angry that her condition made her climb difficult, perhaps more difficult than some other children.  She did not need or expect people to feel sorry for her (and, indeed, no one did).  She did not expect someone else to lift her to the top.  She accepted herself for who she was, not wishing to be someone else.  She relied upon herself, believed in herself, persisted, and succeeded – without blame, without anger, without expectation of special entitlement.  And her parents, there to support her, did not tell her that she couldn’t, that the only way she would get there is with their or someone else’s help – they did not send that demeaning message that she could not do it on her own, that she could not, but rather they believed and conveyed the message that she could.

Now, if only we could all learn from this simple episode in the park.