Anger and Hate are NOT the Voice of America

The Democrats are consumed by anger and hate.  Anger seems to be all they know; hate is all they can do. 

This became fully apparent following the 2016 election when they did not get the prize to which they thought they were entitled, but their hatred was there before.  Hillary was not the first to disparage those who she and other Democrats felt were somehow beneath them. Beyond her basket of deplorables we can remember Obama and his supporters dismissing middle American values as if they were something left over from the dark ages.

But, once Donald Trump was elected President, the Democrats’ anger and hatred have become overwhelming.  The Democrats are unable to understand even the possibility that the people could elect someone other than them when they are so confident that they are smarter and better than the rest of us and therefore should be given power over us.  So, since that is an impossibility, since the end result – their lack of power – is in their minds clearly incorrect, then they will use any means to correct that end while at the same time feeding their insatiable anger.

So, we had (still have) Russia-gate, proven to be a witch hunt; we have had (still have) attempts to find one or another scandal, still unsuccessful; we continually have name calling (racist, white supremacist, Nazi, etc.) without evidence of the epithet; we have daily spin on everything the President does to make it seem somehow negative or, if impossible to create a negative spin then credit is given to any and everyone other than the President. 

The anger and hatred are not directed exclusively at the President.  Any and all of his supporters are fair game.  Not just those who work within his administration, but the common person on the street who seems to be a supporter of the President or his policies is a possible target for the Democrats’ hate.  Those who are still brave enough to exercise their free speech rights and do such things as wear a MAGA hat do so with the knowledge that they may be the target of both verbal and physical abuse.  This, of course, is a certain way to chill if not completely silence such speech which the Democrats do not want to hear.  (The fact that this so clearly reveals their lack of respect for the founding principles of this country along with our Constitution is a topic for another post).

The anger and hatred consume the Democrats in Congress as they demand hearing after hearing on lost causes in their attempt to remove the President from office.  It consumes all the 2020 Democrat candidates as the focus of debates and stump speeches is to verbally condemn Trump – that is, Trump the man, because it is hard to condemn his policies which are all benefiting this country and its citizens.  But it is, indeed, the man that they hate because, though not one of them, he was able to fairly and honestly beat them in an election that they still believe they were entitled to win.

The press, of course, is a part of this parade of hate.  Indeed, the Democrat politicians, not to mention their supporters, often seem to be nothing more than the lap dogs of the press.  Thus, when the NYT prints a bogus story intended to dredge up again the bogus allegations against Justice Kavanaugh, even without a thought the Democrats jump and begin a new campaign of hate against the Justice.  (And, this is no less horrific than the first campaign which was intended to ruin a man’s life along with that of his family simply because he was not one of them.  For detailed thoughts on this disgusting attack on the man and our country’s values the first time, see my earlier posts from September and October 2018, most of which address aspects of the Kavanaugh hearings. Here are a few links: LINK 1, LINK2, LINK3, LINK4,  LINK5, LINK6, LINK7, LINK8,  LINK9,  LINK10.)

This is all terribly pathetic, and one wants to dismiss this behavior as simply that of spoiled children who did not get their way, for that is all that it really is.  But one cannot do that, because in this instance the children throwing the temper fit have enough power in their hands that they can truly use that fit to destroy our country and our way of life.

That destruction has already begun.  As noted above, the strength of our First Amendment rights is being diminished.  People are berated into keeping silent if they do not spout the words and beliefs that the Democrats demand.  The Second Amendment is not even acknowledged as a right when Democrats believe they can simply create an absolute ban on all arms.  Our whole electoral process is not respected by the Democrats when every time they do not win they believe they can simply attack the result along with the winner in any and every way possible hoping to get somehow the result that they want.

When the strategy is silence the opposition, take away their rights, remove those with whom you disagree by political force rather than political process, ignore facts that are inconvenient or restructure them to support your narrative and your claim to power, then we are moving away from our Democratic Republic and toward some sort of Totalitarian system in which the people have little say in their own lives.

It is sad that the spoiled Democrats are willing to give up what makes this country great in return for holding and expanding their own power.  It is sad that the Democrats believe that they have a right to do this, based on their seeming belief that they are somehow superior to the rest of us.  The Democrats did not get the prize they wanted in 2016, but their behavior since then is proof positive that they do not deserve it.

While the Democrats seem to have chosen to be fully consumed by their anger and hate, we as a country do not need to let it consume us as well.  We do not need to accept their ugly allegations about the President, his policies, his supporters; instead we can understand that these are nothing more than their temper weapons designed to gratify their anger and give them the power they crave. 

The elected Democrats are not doing the peoples work but their own work – the sole goal being to eliminate all opposition to their power.  The media is their partner in this means justify the ends campaign.  We do not have to join in.  Their rhetoric may be persuasive, but that does not make it right or true.  We can believe it and go like sheep to the slaughter of all that our country stands for, or we can refuse to be a part.  We can continue to stand for the principles of this country that are not those of anger and hate but of fairness and justice and rule of law, of freedom and liberty, and of a voice for all the people.

Entitlement and the Negation of Patriotism (and how it destroys a country)

A Minnesota city council decided to stop reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of its meetings because it was not welcoming to everyone in their diverse community.  How, I wonder, is not saying the Pledge more welcoming to anyone except those who despise America?

Soccer star Rapinoe states that America was/is not great for everyone.  In a recent speech to high school students, Rep. Omar denigrated America for not meeting her expectations.

What all these statements and activities reveal is a complete lack of understanding about our country and a replacement of such understanding with a selfish need for immediate gratification.  This entitlement, this expectation and demand that everything be perfect is not realistic nor is it the way that a great democracy works.

In this country perfection does not exist (nor does it or will it exist anywhere; it is something to aspire toward, but not likely achievable).  There are inequalities; people desire things which they do not have; hard work is usually rewarded, but sometimes it is not.  Life is not always fair.

What these people who despise and disrespect America do not understand is that this country, its government, its way of life provide avenues for improvement.  Our Constitution allows us to voice our concerns and our representative form of government allows us to make our voices heard and to create, amend, and abolish laws to further our aspirations toward the more perfect world that everyone seeks.

This is something to admire, not trash.  One can certainly have a personal grievance with or dislike of a particular policy, but that does not mean that the entire country and its system of government merit scorn, contempt, and disrespect.   In very few countries is there an avenue for peaceful change and improvement such as we have here.  That is not something to lightly toss away.

Individuals come and go in our government not by coup or civil war but by election by the people.  While each of those individuals will be more or less liked by each individual voter, they will have been elected by the people of this country and they represent the office that they hold.   Those offices, those elected positions, are key to our democratic way of life.  Even if one did not vote for or does not particularly like the current office holder, if they care at all about this country they will understand that the office itself deserves respect for its necessary place in our democratic system.

But, in this era of entitlement, too many do not understand this.  A selfish feeling of entitlement does not allow room for appreciation or respect.  After all, how can anyone appreciate anything if they believe they are yet entitled to more?  How can they respect a system or a country that refuses to provide them with the immediate and total gratification that they seek?  Like children, they want it and they want it now, and all else be damned.

Do those who spend their days speaking about how awful America is even begin to realize that this may be the only country in the world where they would be allowed to be so disdainful?  Do they even begin to appreciate that it is only because this country is what it is that we have progressed to a place where the grievances they assert are even relevant?  Do they understand that they would be far more successful in achieving the improvements that they seek by working within our democratic structure rather than by tearing it down and trying to destroy the very country that allows them to behave as they do and to seek what they seek?

I think not.  When one has been conditioned to believe that they are entitled to all that they want and that it should be provided immediately, that the world revolves around them, it is hard to understand that real change takes time and work.  One must work not to destroy what one has, but to improve it, and must have the patience needed for real changes to occur.  America allows for that, and this is one of the many reasons why America is great, and yes, great for everyone. 

But, one cannot appreciate America if one does not understand what it is:  its government, its history, its place in the world, its distinctions from other forms of government.  And, when one is only concerned about one’s own selfish and personal interests (however couched in terms of grander political issues), one is not going to care about respecting anything, including the great country that allows them to behave like children, wanting to destroy things because they aren’t getting what they want.  It is the child that needs immediate gratification and will hate and tear apart all that does not give it to him.  The mature mind and emotion will appreciate what one has while at the same time speaking out and working to make it even better. 

So, we are losing an appreciation for our country.  We see that in a lack of national pride, of refusal to respect the symbols of our great country:  the flag, the National Anthem, the White House, the Constitution, the legal system, the offices of government.   We are losing the patriotism that is a necessary part of any country’s existence.

To be clear, patriotism in America does not mean never criticizing or pointing out flaws or working to better the country.  Indeed, America expects and needs its citizens to do that.  But one can do that while still respecting the freedoms that this country already provides, respecting its history and its ability, through its people and its Constitutional rule of law, to evolve, moving ever closer to its asserted ideals.

Patriotism does mean seeing beyond oneself:  seeing oneself as a part of a great country where the citizens are able to work together to improve it.  It means being able to distinguish between criticizing a policy to which one objects and criticizing the entire country and all that it stands for as somehow worthless.  But, of course, the ability to do that takes more than a selfish, childish mind.

Feeling entitled, needing immediate gratification means that one cannot make the fine distinctions between a particular demand and the country in which that demand is being made.  It means that one cannot appreciate or respect anything positive about a country that is not gratifying one particular demand.  If they don’t get what they want, they will simply despise the entire country, not unlike a child who will scream hatred for the mother who will not provide candy that is being demanded, never mind all the other positives that the mother may provide.

So, these America haters will despise all symbols of this great country and try to silence patriotism and ultimately the country itself.  They simply cannot understand that only by respecting all that this country stands for do they even have a chance to make the changes and obtain the gratifications that they seek.