"A republic, madam. If you can keep it."
Those prophetic words from Dr. Franklin were going round and round in my head all night long. I am deeply saddened, and angry, and frustrated all at the same time.
I took an oath to preserve, protect, and defend our Constitution, but I see it being shredded before my eyes and I am powerless to stop it.
Yes, I am going to vote for Joe, and try to get as many as I can to join me. And I hope and believe we will win. If that happens, we will have four more years to fix this. But the other side won't quit. Look at the last four years; we've fixed virtually nothing, and we're closer to the precipice than ever. We, like good dems and citizens relied upon the guardrails that no longer exist, the institutions that are crumbling, the laws that are being ground to meaningless dust. They have either failed us, or seem to be in the process of doing so.
The other side, or at least those who pull the strings, have a long range plan, and money to finance that plan. They use the very institutions meant to protect us, against us. I now realize if we beat them back, it will be the same thing in 2028, only worse.
So, it seems to me that in order to finally defeat these forces arrayed against democracy, we must become, against our will, the very thing we loath and fear. We are at a crossroads and we must choose. Our leaders must use the awesome powers at their disposal in ways we would, in normal times, despise.
The leadership of this slow coup must be dealt with harshly. Its back must be broken. Whoever they are; office holders, judges, oligarchs, religious leaders, proud boys and all their fascist minions must be removed from anywhere they can do damage. This may mean suspending habeas corpus, as Lincoln did. This may mean using military power internally to detain people, as Washington did in the Whiskey Rebellion (which was far less a threat). I hate the very idea of this, as I'm sure you all do. It may prove to have serious unintended consequences. But do we have a choice, really? The SCOTUS immunity decision has taught me that the deck is stacked against us in the long term. We may very well stave off Trump, but realize that door has been opened and there will be another; smarter, smoother, and more deadly. We must slam that door shut.
The President has tremendous powers under the Patriot Act, and I do not claim to know what actions need to be utilized. I leave that for minds greater than mine. Today we hold those levers of power. Tomorrow we may not, and rest assured our enemies will use them next time, be that January 2025, or January 2029, or 2033. We know now that they are relentless. Lincoln would not hesitate. Washington would not hesitate. What will Joe do?
Early morning rant over.