It rained in the upper midwest election U.S.A. night. If one were a poet, they might say the gods were weeping. If a student of cultural history, P.T. Barnum crying, because having lost his crown as America’s biggest con man. If a student of America, Abraham Lincoln, distraught over having been proven wrong: “You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all the time.”
Or, Lincoln weeping having seen his concerns of January 27, 1837, come to fruition: “At what point, then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us; it cannot be from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”
Or, perhaps foreign friends weeping. As described in Damien Cave’s 11/9/22, New York Times article: “World watches U.S. democracy lose its way.” Friends from Asia, Europe, Canada, Africa, Australia, Latin America bemoaned what they saw in the one-time world champion of democracy, steadily worsening since 2000. What did this mean for THEM?
It”s often said, in war the first casualty is truth. A war against American democracy has been waged for 50 years. A series of corrupt presidential administrations in one political party. A well-financed and orchestrated plan to corrupt the federal judiciary succeeded – a fact mentioned by foreign observers. An alternative universe of reactionary forces in information produces “alternative facts.” “Torrent of lies coalesces into suspect vote” said the Stanley-Becker and Harwell article in the 11/9/22 Washington Post – itself echoing numerous findings by American intelligence organizations, police forces, investigative journalists, statements by ordinary victimized Americans.
The torrent of DEFINITIVELY debunked lies, internet idiot rumors, media moron mistruths has, with Madison Avenue professionalism, so saturated America many swear these obvious falsehoods are gospel truths. All that is in addition to Russian and Chinese trolls building upon America’s own paranoia and fears.
Lies are the dagger that kills democracies.
Perhaps the skies are weeping because recent two decades’ worth of CARTOON CHARACTER CANDIDATES one party has nominated. If these people had been running for office elsewhere, it would’ve been said “only in a banana republic”; or only in a sinking European “democracy” in the early 1930s could a Charlie Chaplin played character become dictator. No more. it HAS happened in America
Perhaps weeping skies are coming from the Founders, because their four worst fears have become true: corruption, slavery, religion, mobs. Their hopes for a “virtuous republic” dashed. Corruption of government and law financed by reactionary billionaires, carried out by corrupt politicians. Slavery transformed into hatred and discrimination against women and various minorities. Religion weaponized by right-wing forces to control people’s lives and pervert laws. Mobs trashing the U.S. Capitol and injuring 140 police; armed mobs everywhere intimidating innocent civilians.
America has, supposedly, survived the 1850-1865 slavery struggle – but – the area that demanded slavery has not mentally/politically changed. We survived the 1940s-1950s anti-communist witch hunt, sort of – a favorite right-wing accusation is somebody/something is “socialist” or “communist.” Still!!!!!!!!!!!!
Perhaps we will survive the current 50-year attack on true democracy. Attackers are determined, very well financed. They’re at war with post-1900 American civilization. They’re armed with religious belief in the rectitude of their “mission to save America.” They’ve demonstrated anything goes to accomplish this sacred self-imposed “mission.”
Aristotle: “The society that loses its grip on the past is in danger, for it produces men who know nothing but the present, and who are not aware that life had been, and could be, different from what it is.”
Later Orwell: “Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.”
Reactionary anti-democratic American forces have tried to control the past – by numerous bogus “history books pushing lies; by numerous “scholarly works” twisting principles and events; by bogus “Supreme Court” statements purporting historical and legal “truths.”
Perhaps weeping November, 2022, skies are IN FACT fears of the gods, the Founders, Lincoln, foreign friends. If so, it will be remembered this occurred.
If America ceases to be a democracy IN FACT, not reactionary rhetoric, it will be said its death struggles lasted over 50 years, 1970-2020s.
As in Soviet Russia, Nazi Germany, Putin’s Russia, Xi Jinping’s China – appropriate lies will be constructed to provide official “history” and dogma explaining democratic America’s death.
Web sites like this will be deleted.
I also will be deleted.
With Justice For All 