Understanding The Will of The People

When people like FBI Strzok and his fellow anti-Trump conspirators think that it is their job to obviate the will of the people, it shows their lack of understanding of our democracy.

To recap:  Peter Strzok is the highly placed FBI agent who was a key player in both the Clinton investigation and Mueller’s investigation of alleged collusion between Trump and Russia until he was removed after emails surfaced between him and his then mistress and fellow FBI anti-Trumper.  Those emails suggested not only his bias in favor of Clinton and against Trump in his use of the now debunked dossier against Trump, but also emails suggesting his desire to undermine and even unseat a Trump presidency.  His emails indicate that he believed that “we can’t afford to leave this in we the people’s hands.”  This from a well-placed member of the intelligence community who is sworn to protect, not subvert our democracy.

This is truly frightening. This sort of thinking, that one knows better than the full voting public what the outcome of an election should be, is a danger to our democracy.  This is the thinking that allows a dictator to “win” by unanimous vote following a show election.  This is the thinking that denies power to the people and places it in the hands of a select few, a group whose interests may or may not include the best interests of the people.  To ignore the implications of this thinking is to ignore the fragility of our democratic Republic and sow the seeds of its demise.

Now, I will be the first to admit that there are times when I wonder how the voting public can be so uninformed, how they can fail to think or to understand the full implications of a particular policy decision. I have often over many years wondered how the people could possibly have elected this or that candidate.   And when it looks completely hopeless I have momentarily thought that perhaps we would be better with a benevolent dictator.  But no, we would not!

My parents’ generation were fond of saying that the “country is going to hell in a handbasket.”  Generations before them had similar phrases.  Yet here we are.  Somehow, at the darkest moments the people come through, they do what is right and good, and the country continues and moves forward.  Sometimes what we thought was a good choice was not, or what we thought was a bad choice turns out in the end to be quite good.  We learn, and we grow.  And that is the beauty of our form of democracy. 

We are not subservient to the mind or the will or the limitations or the whims of a dictator or other elite class who believes that they know what is best for all.  We are not subservient because we are, through our elected representatives, our own government.  We have the freedom to select and direct our government, rather than submissively complying with an authoritarian regime.

Those who would negate our democratic process to implant their views, policies, and candidates are not working for the good of the country.  Their actions would destroy it and replace it with an oppressive regime, for any dictatorship, even a seemingly benevolent one, reflects a disdain for the people and their voice.  

In this country we the people speak, and we are governed according to our own voice.   Our voice is not unanimous and those whose voices were not as loud must understand that when another view prevails their voice continues to have the opportunity to be heard.  They must have patience, and if their views are truly better, the people will eventually hear and recognize that. But speaking and being heard in a democracy does not include overthrowing the will of the people in order to immediately foist one’s own views upon them.

Since Donald Trump became the Republican candidate for president, the Democrats, their supporters, and other anti-Trumpers have been trying to insert their will for that of the people.  Hence, we had the apparent plots to destroy his candidacy.  One might chalk that up to hardball campaigning, but once Mr. Trump became President Trump, elected by the will of the people according to our Constitution, it was everyone’s duty as good citizens to support that president and in so doing to support the will of the people.  Yet, what many have done since the first day of his presidency is try to invalidate and delegitimize that presidency.  Shame on the Democrats for thinking that their will should supplant that of the people. 

Sadly, it seems that the Democrats have forgotten that the people are the government and that the government only exists through the will of the people.  We see this in their words about the tax bill that just passed – things like the bill is “stealing from the government” or that the people are “looting the federal treasury.”  Do they not understand that the government is the people, that its money came from those very people who they claim are stealing it? Any money that the government has, the funding of its services and programs, all comes from the people.  If the people choose to fund fewer government bureaucracies, then they are simply retaining their own funds, they are not stealing or looting their own treasury.  Yet, the Democrats seem to believe that the people are subservient to their own government, a government which the Democrats seem to believe only they and their ideas should control.

One who actually understands our democracy does not go about conspiring to reverse the will of the people.   To do so is horribly arrogant in its complete disrespect for the people and the government that they elect.  If we let it, our democracy works.  Yes, sometimes it makes mistakes, but it is also able to correct itself and to move forward.  A true American supports our democracy rather than trying to subvert it, regardless of who is currently in office.  

The Democrats need to accept the will of the people, understand that there may actually be some good in it, and that we the people may very well know what we are doing.  In the words of Keith Richards and Mick Jagger: “You can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need!”

The Costumed (Superficial/Shallow/Artificial/ Posturing) Society

People confuse appearances with deeper reality.  Perhaps it comes from misconstruing popular memes and sayings such as “If you believe it you achieve it,” “You can have anything you want if you dress for it,” or “If you want to be noticed, dress the part.”  Perhaps we are simply trained to focus on the superficial and to believe that if we get the superficial right, then we have succeeded in getting that which lies below the superficial right as well.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.

First example:

When someone has denied sexual allegations, does his resigning, being fired, or even committing suicide as a result of those unproven allegations make the women who made them feel empowered?  Perhaps it makes them feel momentarily powerful, but they are anything but empowered.  Instead, they have revealed a lack of empowerment in their absence from coming forward  or taking appropriate action at the time of the offense and more importantly in their inability to use the legal system or other procedural means that provide them the ability to prove their allegations definitively and receive true justice.  Instead of their own empowerment, they simply rely on the current nurturing of such claims by media and others, sometimes for their shock value alone and sometimes as a way of removing or destroying those whom are disliked.  That has nothing to do with true empowerment of women.

Second example:

People are encouraged if not often required by school, job, etc., to do some sort of good work and then broadcast their good works to others as if this is some sort of proof of their inner goodness.  It is not.  Yes, some people who do good deeds in the form of some sort of public or community service are good people within their souls, but that is not necessarily so.  Others may do good works because they are required to do so or because they believe that their good works are a way to advance their own agendas or simply their own popularity and acceptance.  That has nothing to do with true inner goodness.

You may ask “Really what difference does it make?  The “me too” allegations (even if some are less than accurate or taken out of context) are making people aware of the problem of sexual harassment and even good works done with less than good motives still serve the people to whom they are directed.” 

While that may be true, it is also an acceptance that ends justify means.  But in this case the perceived ends are only that – a perceived reality that sees only a superficial and whimsical truth.  There is a huge difference between outer dressing and truly meaningful actions.  Just as fashions change, so too do societal trends; what is meaningful today may be insignificant tomorrow.  Women who are feeling powerful as they see their allegations have major impacts on the lives of the men accused may not feel so powerful when society takes a different view of such allegations.  But, if the focus of “me too” was instead to truly empower women with an inner strength that is not dependent on the whims of society or the strength of others, then that empowerment would remain regardless of the current posturing of society. 

Similarly, while any good works are helpful at the time they are done, if they are only done because that is the current fashion of society, then they can end when the designs of society change.  If we encourage good works only for superficial or selfish reasons we are doing nothing to create good persons within themselves who would choose to do good works regardless of the current trends and whims of society.  Hence those good works and their benefit to those served could easily end, whereas if we were more concerned with creating truly good people then those works would be far more likely to remain permanently ongoing. 

Posturing is not Being.  I can put on costumes that make me most anything, but who I am is the person with all the costumes removed.  It is who I am in my soul.  That inner being is what gives me strength, not the clothes I put on; it is what gives me whatever goodness I may have, not the clothes that I put on.  Yet, society seems to be dazzled only by the clothes, the costumes.  We think that they are the definition of whom we are.  We think that our costumes alone will define and sustain our world.  Yet, at some point those costumes fall away and we are all left with a deeper reality that we must face.

It seems that today so many fear facing that inner reality, and so they simply don more and more costumes, costumes that make themselves and others feel good, but which can be discarded anytime at their own or society’s caprice.  The souls of so many in society seem empty, yet they do not understand that superficial costumes and actions will not fill them up.  And so, society itself begins to lose its soul.

We all need to step back from the daily hysteria, posturing, and shallow if not artificial interests and behaviors of our society.  We need to take some time to focus on what lies beneath the surface, in ourselves, our children, and our society.  We need to forget our costumes and nurture our souls.  For it is only that inner and deeper truth that empowers us and our society, giving us all a better and more meaningful reality.

A Note About Due Process

Dear Democrats,

Denying the basic democratic right of Due Process is not taking the high and holy ground.

To read much of the news today, the Democrats would have us believe that they are somehow representing the "good" to the Republican’s "evil" in forcing the resignation of Representative Conyers and Senator Franken.  But wait – both men deny at least some of the allegations against them.  Should they not be entitled to defend themselves, to have a fair and full hearing on all the evidence before being summarily forced from their careers?  Apparently not.

And, if one takes much of what we read today as correct, the Democrats intend to use this denial of due process to their members as a way to force the resignation of Judge Moore if he is elected and maybe even the resignation of the President, both due to unproven allegations of sexual misconduct against them that they have denied.  Democrats somehow believe that their actions have given them the moral high ground that will lead to their ability to remove opposition based on unsubstantiated allegations alone.  That is, they believe that acting as a lynch mob is somehow applaudable.

Yet, I wonder why anyone who really understands our democracy and our system of justice would or could respect a party that doesn’t respect Due Process.  For those who have forgotten what that term means, it is the right of citizens to fair treatment through the judicial process.  It is guaranteed by both the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of our Constitution.  Due Process protects citizens from arbitrary punishment and sanctions without the full procedural and substantive processes provided by the law.   Punishment on mere allegations alone and without a full presentation and examination of relevant evidence is not due process.  Acting arbitrarily against someone simply for political gain is not due process. 

These political lynchings are troubling on many grounds.  First is the eagerness with which the Democrats are willing to dismiss a basic constitutional safeguard simply for their own political purposes.  If we applaud such action then we encourage these sorts of political lynchings in the future, perhaps based on other grounds, but always to the detriment of our system of democracy.  Second, but related is the denial to the people of their right to choose their representatives; the leader of a political party should not overturn the will of the people without fully substantiating evidence that such action is absolutely necessary, and finding such evidence would require due process.  Again, the Democrats do not seem to understand the role of the electorate and the voice of the people in our democracy.

Looking now to the individual toll on both accusers and accuseds, the third ground on which these political lynchings are troubling is that the men are now “guilty” without any proof of that guilt, and no opportunity to present their side or force an accuser to come forward and prove their accusation.  Whether guilty or not, they must now carry that label with them.   This sets a very dangerous precedent.  Fourth, these punishments based on accusation alone tend to cheapen legitimate accusations that, without proof in a court of law, will always be open to doubt and that doubt will be a further and continuing wound to the victim. 

The Democrats may think they have scored some sort of victory by demanding immediate resignations of their accused colleagues.  Al Franken may think that he has done something noble by falling on his sword for his party, even while denying the allegations against him.  But these are not laudable acts.  They are instead direct affronts to, if not attacks on our democracy.  Anyone who has even a rudimentary knowledge of that democracy or how our justice system works should be completely appalled.  Even those who like the ultimate goal of these acts should speak out against them.   Certainly, there should be no support or reward for these actions or for any such similar actions in the future.  We must not allow the ends to justify the means, especially when those means deny our basic rights as citizens and are a direct affront to our Constitution and our Democracy.

Addendum:  Breaking news just now that one of Moore’s accusers has admitted to forging at least part of the yearbook inscription that was used to accuse him.  Things like this support not rushing to judgment based on accusations alone.  (And by the way, why isn’t this on the front pages of the main stream and Democrat media in the same way that the initial accusation was?)

Where is the Non-partisan Outrage?

Interestingly, the following facts are barely reported in the main stream media; I have culled them from some less popular news sources as well as from some right leaning news sources.  I do not understand why the following is not being fully reported by sources such as ABC, NBC, CBS.  Nonetheless, here is a summary of recent facts revealing potential bias within the FBI and the Mueller investigation:

            During the campaign an FBI agent Peter Strzok was given wide authority to investigate Hillary’s use of a private server for classified information and then to investigate possible collusion between Trump and the Russians to affect the 2016 election.  In the Hillary investigation he let pass statements by Huma Abedin, and Cheryl Mills that were contradicted by their own emails.   It turns out that Strzok is the one who changed the description of Hillary’s actions from “gross negligence” (a legal term of art with criminal implications) to the less significant “extremely careless.”  Then, days after closing the Clinton email case, Strzok signed the document opening the investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.  The authorization of FISA secret surveillance monitoring of the communications of Trump advisers were based at least in part on the anti-Trump and now discredited dossier that was produced for and underwritten by the Clinton campaign; there is strong evidence that Strzok was aware of the dossier and likely involved in the requests for FISA warrants based on the dossier. An informant has charged Strzok with obstructing a probe into the dossier.  Strzok was also one of two agents who interviewed then National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and received the statement that resulted in the charge of lying.

In August Strzok was removed from the Mueller investigation, but only in the past few days has it come to light that during the investigations he sent numerous anti-Trump texts and that there is other evidence showing his ongoing bias in favor of Clinton and against Trump.   The DOJ is now going through 10,000 texts between Strzok and Lisa Page, with whom Strzok was having an affair and with whom he apparently shared a strong anti-Trump and pro-Hillary sentiment.  Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer, participated in meetings about both the Hillary and the Trump investigations.  

It has also been revealed that Andrew Weissmann, a deputy for Mueller in the Russia probe, wrote an email in which he praised then DOJ official Sally Yates for refusing to enforce a legitimate presidential order with which she and many anti-Trumpers disagreed.  Yet another DOJ lawyer, Bruce Ohr, has been demoted due to contacts with the anti-Trump dossier firm.

Mueller did not inform the congressional oversight committee about the Strzok texts or about his reason for removing Strzok.  The Senate Judiciary Committee had to demand that the FBI turn over documents related to the removal of Strzok, noting that “Strzok, the deputy assistant director in the FBI’s counterterrorism division, was removed both from that position and the Mueller team over the summer, and reassigned to the human resources division, after it was reported that he ‘engaged in communications demonstrating political bias while handling matters in two sensitive, high-profile investigations’”.

The above should disturb each and every American!  Here is seemingly obvious and ongoing bias staring us in the face.  Of course, the Right presents the above information fully, perhaps making it seem even more important than it is or making assumptions of even further bias beyond that for which there is evidence.  Meanwhile, the Left tries to ignore it or put a good spin on it (what a great man Mueller is because he removed Strzok in August). 

Each and every one of us, regardless of our political views, should be saying this sort of activity and bias by the FBI is simply not acceptable.   Are we really willing to overlook such obvious bias when it leads to decisions with which we happen to agree (ending Hillary investigation; continuing search for evidence against Trump costing taxpayers millions).  To me, the fact that there is not universal disgust and outrage about the apparently out of control and biased FBI is what is really troubling.  Have we completely lost our sense of justice and fairness?  And, how can anyone be satisfied with, let alone trust the accuracy of any conclusions reached by these investigations?

Let’s consider the two key pieces.  First, an investigation of Hillary Clinton, the Democrat presidential candidate, by Left-leaning members of the FBI.  The investigation ends with no charges.  Then an investigation by the same Left-leaning members of the FBI against the Republican president whose election horrified the opposition.  That investigation has gone well beyond its charge, yet after a year has still found no evidence of collusion by the Trump campaign with the Russians.  Yet, we encourage the fishing expedition to continue, at great taxpayer expense. 

I certainly don’t feel comfortable accepting the final conclusions of either of these investigations and their many off-shoots.  To me they seem more like something I would expect from a banana republic than the democratic government of one of the greatest nations in the world.  To others these seem like the actions of the feared and nebulous web of the deep state, or evidence of a sitting political party using its resources against the opposition.  Yet others who like the results because they further their own political agendas find nothing wrong here and fully support these questionable investigations.

This is appalling, yet it fully reflects the low to which we have sunk.  It reflects our inability to be objective, to think rather than be driven only by group politics and emotion.  Left approves, Right does not.  What more do you need to know?  How about objectivity and fairness, not to mention justice?  No one seems to consider the danger of allowing if not applauding such an apparently biased investigatory force to continue.  Are we ready to allow our FBI to determine whom to acquit and whom to go after based upon prevailing political views within the agency?  How will you feel when your party is on the losing side?  Allowing these so clearly flawed investigations without question sets a very dangerous precedent for future use of state-sponsored intimidation that is a direct assault on a fair and democratic justice and governmental system.

Everyone, regardless of party or political views or like or dislike of President Trump or his policies should stand together and demand better.  We should all be outraged and demand that the FBI give us the fair and objective service to which we are entitled.  We must understand that even apparent bias weakens our democracy while true objectivity strengthens it.  Instead of taking to our respective partisan sides we should all be standing together in non-partisan anger as we demand the fairness that our democracy promises.

Critical Thinking - A Lost Art

There are plenty of topics for a blog in today’s news:  the bias of the top people in Mueller’s investigation; their special treatment of Hillary and their being instrumental in the initial allegations of Trump’s collusion with Russia; the use of the FBI by a sitting administration to conduct opposition research against political opponents;  whether the Mueller investigation has overreached; whether it has any legitimacy at all given the revelations of the past few days; Time’s choice of the hysteria-driven and victim-creating #MeToo as its person of the year;  recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel; the hypocrisy of the Democrats outcry against Trump moving the embassy to Jerusalem when they supported it in the past; Conyer’s retirement and who will take his place; what SCOTUS will decide about whether a cake artist can be compelled to create a cake that violates his religious beliefs and whether his refusal to do so is unlawful discrimination against members of the LGBT community; the Tax bill; immigration; the actions of the deep state; and on and on and on.

But, today, this being my 100^th blog posting, I will talk about something else.  Something more important than even the most hysterical hysteria of the day.  Something the lack of which underlies much of the hysteria and news-as-entertainment we see today.   Today I will talk about thinking:   deep thinking, CRITICAL THINKING.  This is something that seems to have been lost in our country, and without it I don’t see how we can ever stop the daily hysteria and the havoc it causes to our country and our lives.

Critical thinking is simply the ability to objectively analyze facts or evidence in order to reach a conclusion or form a judgment.  The key here is the word “objective” meaning unbiased, unprejudiced, impartial, detached, dispassionate, and fair.  Critical thinking is performed by the one reaching the judgment or conclusion.  It requires clear and rational thinking.  And, it is sadly lacking today.

Critical thinking means that one questions everything, even their own beliefs.  One does not accept something just because someone else said it was true, even if that is a someone whom one respects or with whom one always agrees.   And, it means that one is able to distinguish between people themselves and the positions that they hold.   (That is, one may find an individual repulsive, but that does not mean that the individual’s agenda is also repulsive). 

In the last few days I have heard from individuals who support Democrat policies that anyone who does not support those polices is not only wrong, but an idiot as well.  I have heard parents ask how to tell their children that their teacher is “wrong” when the teacher has expressed or explained a viewpoint that runs counter to the viewpoint of the parents.  I have heard people say they will not even consider reading new or opinion pieces from sources labeled as holding political views to the right or left of their own.  I have heard people explain that it is too time consuming to read even a full synopsis of an issue or controversy, so they simply read the highlights as selected by their favorite news source, even if things such as quotes are distorted or otherwise misleading and taken out of context.  And, I regularly hear people adopt the conclusions and judgments presented to them by their favored source without any further inquiry or research.

These are all examples of the pervasive lack of critical thinking in our society.  Let’s look at these in more detail, beginning with the parent who thinks that he must tell his child that he is right and the teacher is wrong.  Not only is the parent not exercising critical thinking (not asking for details and context of what the teacher said), but the parent is not teaching or allowing his child to become a critical thinker.  Placing a child in an environment where one authority figure is always right does not teach a child to exercise her own mind and reach her own judgments.  A parent who expects a child to adopt all the parent’s beliefs unquestioned does not teach the child how to make her own judgments and decisions once the parent is no longer there.  In the instance where a parent finds a teacher or other pushing a viewpoint contrary to that of the parent, the better approach is to discuss, at an appropriate level for the child, the different ways of looking at the question. explain why the parents hold the belief they do, while accepting that others may hold other beliefs.  That allows the child to understand that there is more than one way of looking at something, that there may be a need to understand context or find further facts or evidence.  Even if the child is expected to accept and follow the parent’s view at that point in her life, it teaches the child about thinking, about the possibility of other views, and about tolerance of other views. 

Those are some notes for the parent, but I also have notes about the teachers and our education system.  From what I see, very little time is spent on teaching critical thinking skills.  Teachers seem to have no problem presenting their views and judgments as fact that the student either must accept, or will accept in order to please the teacher.   Emotional arguments and conclusions are accepted by teachers with no demand for logic or rational support.  Students are encouraged to express their feelings with little demand that their articulation be clear, organized, or well thought out.  Of course, logic, developing support, indeed, learning and thinking itself, are hard work.  There seems to be an aversion to the idea of work in school these days.  Rather, teachers want kids to have fun; they seem to seek friendship rather than respect from their students. And, we have placed upon teachers the burdens of parenting, social work, and other requirements that are not part of a teacher’s traditional duties or trained skills.

If we do not teach our children how to be critical thinkers, then we cannot expect to see critical thinking in our adult population.  If we train our children to simply accept the judgment of one or another authority figure then we cannot expect them to do otherwise as adults.  Thus, we have people who simply accept whatever superficial judgment sounds good to them without even seeing a need to do their own inquiry into the rationality and legitimacy of that position.   Looking more specifically at politics, we have people who support each and every position of their preferred party, without any thought or investigation.  We have people who support or oppose views simply because they like or do not like the individual who professes those views.  This is especially senseless in that it confuses an individual with an institution of which that individual is a part.   Every leader as an individual will have a variety of qualities that will generally be liked or disliked, but that individual’s administration and its policies should and will eventually be judged by different standards in the context of history (this assumes of course that those whose goal it is to erase history will not in the end succeed). 

Of course, the problem with all this is that we end up with two warring camps:  those who blindly accept the view of one side on an issue and those who blindly accept the opposing view.  Arguments about the issue devolve into calling the other side stupid, idiotic, or similar names because without critical thinking and its use to arrive at and thus understand the views one has adopted, one cannot really debate the issues themselves.  So, it becomes simply cults of personality and ad hominem attacks on those holding opposing views.

Sure, it would be easier to have clear cut right and wrong answers to every one of life’s issues.  But, life is far more complex.  And, in order to make sound judgments about the issues that face us as individuals and as society as a whole, we must be able to critically think about them.  We must take the time to fully learn the relevant facts and to fully educate ourselves about various and competing viewpoints.  We must each of us examine this body of evidence that relates to each issue upon with we have or would like to take a stand.  We must each arrive at our own understanding and our own conclusions, based on our own examination; we must not be content to simply accept that which we are told. 

When it comes to politics, our education must begin with a clear and objective understanding of the history and core principles of this country.  We must read and understand our Constitution as well as how it has been interpreted and applied throughout our history.  Before taking a position on a law or regulation we must fully understand if not entirely read the operative provisions of the rule and must understand the basis of differing views about the rule.  We must consider not simply the immediate effect or gratification but also the long-term consequences of what is done or not done.  And we must listen to full words and context when a politician speaks, not be content to have only the particular sound bite chosen by the nightly news or our preferred Twitter feed. 

Yes, this all asks a lot.  Making informed decisions takes time and effort.  But no one said that being a responsible citizen and a responsible adult is an easy task.  It is, however, a serious and a critical task.  Without critical thinking we are governed by emotion alone and our world becomes less rational and more angry.  Teachers and parents together must insure that children learn the skill and the joy of deep and critical thinking, and then as adults we must demand of ourselves and of others that we use those skills in making the important decisions and judgments that affect all of our lives.