Thoughts on July 4th

July 4^th is an amazing day. 248 years ago today, a group of extraordinary men signed the Declaration of Independence, creating the country we know and cherish today. For the next seven years, they fought with everything they had and more to defend this country, and I’m proud to say that at least three of my ancestors were among these great patriots. Successive generations have fought to defend us, and while we haven’t always lived up to our ideals, we’ve continued moving forward in the hopes that we will achieve these ideals in time. And as a patriot and a member of a family that has fought to preserve this country and its ideals since its founding, I have always celebrated this day with fervor and glee.

But I don’t feel very celebratory today, and I can tell that feeling is shared by many. A new poll shows that American pride is now at a record low, and it’s not hard to see why.

Our country is careening towards Christofascism, and it feels more and more like there’s nothing we can do to stop this march.

Election Parallels

After the presidential election of 1800, Alexander Hamilton, the former Secretary of the Treasury under George Washington, faced a dilemma. President John Adams, a fellow member of the Federalist party, had lost his re-election bid. Hamilton and Adams had never much liked one another, and had always been rivals, but Hamilton, despite his dislike of Adams and reservations about his character and competence, had reluctantly supported him simply because the alternatives were, in his mind, infinitely worse.

Unfortunately, despite Hamilton’s attempts to sway electors (some of which were highly dubious, both legally and constitutionally), the Electoral College ended up with a four-way split in its vote. As a result, Adams didn’t just lose the election; he came in third place, with just 65 votes, five short of the 70 needed to win at the time. His running mate, Charles Pinckney, came in just behind him at 64 votes.

Running against Adams was Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican who had served as the Secretary of State under Washington, and, due to a quirk in the electoral process that was later rectified with the 12^th Amendment, was also Adams’ own Vice President, despite being from opposing parties. Jefferson and Hamilton had long been bitter rivals, and had a mutual, strong disdain for each other. Hamilton’s tepid endorsement of Adams was borne out of his hatred for Jefferson, as well as fears that Jefferson might do great damage to the republic if elected. However, though Jefferson fared better in the electoral vote than Adams, with 73 votes, he hadn’t technically won the election; rather he had tied with his own running mate, Aaron Burr, another bitter political rival of Hamilton’s.

Two Convictions, Two WILDLY Disparate Reactions

 

After the weeks of chaos around Trump’s “hush money” trial, I have to say that Hunter Biden’s trial for lying on a gun application has been a palate cleanser, to say the LEAST. But I also find the stark differences between the way political parties have reacted to these trials to be as fascinating as they are telling.

We didn’t have endure weeks of Hunter Biden, his family, or the Democratic Party screaming at every TV camera and social media platform they could find that the trial was “rigged” and that it was a “political witch hunt”.

We didn’t have to listen to a barrage of baseless attacks against the judge or the prosecutor about how “biased” and “corrupt” they are, nor did we hear endless demands for the judge to recuse themselves, even though many question his decision to throw out a reasonable and lawful plea agreement and whether a judge appointed by Hunter’s father’s main political rival should oversee such a case.

The Two Dangerously Disparate Faces of American News Media

Vladimir Putin has won re-election in a landslide.

Shocking, huh? Who’d have thought a guy who routinely has his opposition imprisoned and/or killed (a lot of people in Russia seem to “fall out of windows”) would so handily win a fifth term as president?

No one who knows anything about how craven and bloodthirsty Putin is expected anything different. This election was decided before the polls even opened, and everyone knew this. Even the media has been calling this out for what it is: a sham.

Even American news media, which is horrifically corporatized and polarized, has been mostly unified in clearly stating that this election was pure theatrics. I’ve actually been rather surprised by just how pointed some of the news coverage has been; many outlets have moved beyond simply quoting the opposition and are now clearly stating that Putin staged his re-election.

MAGA's Subliminal, Anti-Democratic Messaging

Our democracy is in a dire and fragile state, facing a threat the likes of which hasn’t been seen here for nearly a century. The leading contender for the Republican nomination for President, Donald Trump, tried to overthrow our democracy three years ago by orchestrating, inciting, and aiding a violent insurrection and coup attempt against our government. Political discussions are naturally focused on this now, with many people, myself included, very concerned about what this year will portend for our democracy, particularly if Trump returns to power.

I honestly don’t think our democracy can survive another Trump presidency. He tested the absolute limits of our checks and balances three years ago when he attempted a coup and was allowed to walk free, and he’s made it clear that, should he return to power, he will focus all of his efforts on political retribution against his enemies, and that he’ll stock the entire federal government with sycophants who will do whatever he tells them to do without question. There’s a word for this: fascism.

Walking Forward, Looking Down

While waiting for the microwave to heat my lunch today, I was standing near one of the doors to the deck, looking out at the snow and ice that covered it. But I wasn’t looking *out* so much as I was looking *down*, at a corner of the deck just barely in front of me.

There was nothing in particular that grabbed my attention there; I was simply looking out the sliding door while waiting for my lunch to cook, as I often do. But when my mother walked into the room to fill a water bottle to water her plants, some subconscious instinct kicked in, making me move my gaze upward and outward.

I normally don’t put much thought to such things, but for some reason, I found myself wondering why I’d suddenly changed the angle at which I was looking. A few seconds later, the microwave beeped, signaling that much food was ready, so I grabbed the plate and started heading back towards the basement (my “office” is in the basement, and I often eat lunch at my desk, provided it’s nothing messy).

As I walked towards the basement stairs, I found myself again looking mostly downwards, instead of forwards, and it suddenly dawned on me that I do this almost *constantly* when I walk, and even when I’m just gazing into space. And, in the second that I realized how often I do this, I also realized exactly *why* I do this.

Trump Must Be Impeached

 On January 6, 2021, while Congress was counting the electoral votes for president and vice president, an angry mob of supporters of Donald Trump descended on the Capitol building. They forced their way past Capitol police (some of whom appear to have simply let them go by) and into the building.

They kicked in doors and broke windows.

They defaced busts and artwork.

They stole documents, furniture, and even a podium.

They waved guns around and threatened to kill people.

They instigated an armed standoff just feet from the door to the House chamber *while members of the House were still in the chamber*.

Why I Cannot Respect Choosing To Vote For Trump

As Americans, we have the luxury of living in a country where we get to vote for our leaders. Unlike many countries, we have a representative government, and gerrymandering and other shady tactics notwithstanding, we have the privilege of choosing who we cast our votes for. This was a truly revolutionary system when our founders created it 244 years ago, and it has generally served us well. Despite its flaws, it has been a model to countless countries around the world, and I am deeply thankful that we have such a system.

Like most Americans, I cherish being able to go to my polling station to cast my vote, to the point of considering it a moral obligation. I have the freedom to vote for whichever candidates and issues I want, which is something I truly treasure. Part of exercising this right, however, is respecting that not everyone will vote the same way you do. We have a fantastically diverse country, and a wide array of political ideologies is naturally present. I gladly respect peoples’ right to vote for candidates and issues I disagree with, even when my opposition is vehement.

Why Democrats and Liberals Don't Support Trump

Since Trump declared his candidacy for president in 2015, the opposition to him from Democrats and Liberals has been nearly unanimous.  He and his supporters paint this opposition as the result of partisanship, and while that is undoubtedly true for some, they represent only a small fraction of the group.  We are a diverse group, and, as such, we have a wide variety of opinions and beliefs.  I identify as Liberal, but in terms of politics, I’m an Independent; I refuse to join a party on principle (I believe that, as Washington foresaw, political parties are the source of 95% of our country’s problems), and while I happen to align more with Democrats currently, my political ideology is closer to that of the Republican Party (which was once the party of Liberals) under Eisenhower (sans his disgusting racism); I believe in individual liberties, small government, and fiscal responsibility.  Most Liberals I know fall into this same category, which means that the argument that our opposition to Trump and the Republican Party is based entirely in partisanship is logically impossible.

Trump's Anti-Military Actions and Rhetoric

My family, like many, has a deep, rich heritage of serving this country.  In researching my roots, I’ve found ancestors that fought in nearly every major war our country has been involved in.

 

At least three of my ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War, and one of them went on to fight in the War of 1812 (through this particular line, I’ve also discovered that I’m distant cousins with George Washington!). 

Numerous ancestors of mine fought in the Civil War; at least two fought for the Union, and a half dozen or so (I still haven’t figured out the exact number) fought for the Confederacy. 

Trump: God's Chosen Candidate?

“God wanted Trump to become president.”

“Trump was chosen by God to protect religious values.”

“He’s on an assignment from God.”

“He was chosen by God.”

“President Trump right now has been sort of raised for such a time as this, just like Queen Esther, to help save the Jewish people from the Iranian menace.”

All of these are real quotes said in defense of Donald Trump.  Some came from politicians, some from people within his administration, and others from prominent Evangelical supporters.  Such defenses have been trumpeted since the 2016 election, and they’ve only grown more frequent.  They view Trump as some sort of savior, likening him to Queen Esther or King Cyrus.  They maintain that he saved the country from the tyranny of Hillary and the Democrats by coming to protect the soul of our country during its hour of need.

It all sounds completely ludicrous, right?

Were the CovCath Students Wrong?

I haven't commented a great deal on the incident involving the Covington students in Washington, D.C. because I hadn't had a chance to watch the videos. Until now, I had only seen the reports, and a few screengrabs and clips. Now that I've watched some of the longer videos (which can be watched here), particularly those showing how the confrontation between the student (I'm not a journalist, but I generally refrain from naming minors) and Nathan Phillips, a Native American activist and Marine veteran, I'd like to offer my thoughts.

First, the arguments from both sides contain a grain of truth, but one side is still in the wrong. The students do not appear to have started the confrontation, but they are responsible for not ending it. They are correct in their claims that the group speaking before the confrontation, called the Black Hebrew Israelites (not Muslims, as some of them and their parents have erroneously claimed; the fact that they claimed this shows they are at best ignorant and at worst blatantly Islamophobic), which is considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, did say numerous hateful things. Whether or not every single insult and slur was directed at the students is difficult to say from the videos, but they were saying indefensible things. I am a staunch advocate of the First Amendment, but some of the things they said honestly border on hate speech.

Musical Nostalgia

I often spend my evenings transcribing sheet music into MIDI files.  Sometimes I do this to create backing tracks for later use, but often, I simply enjoy being able to listen to the music.  Be it piano solos beyond my ability to play, a song I’m thinking of covering, or a choral piece I once performed, I thoroughly enjoy this process.  Music has always been a critically important part of my life, and even something as simple as transcribing it warms my soul.

Recently, I spent a couple of weeks working on a song called “The Kid Inside” from the musical “Is There Life After High School?”, and it has brought an interesting feeling of nostalgia.  I’ve not seen the musical, but the synopsis is essentially laid out within this song, which is the first in the show; it is about a group of adult men and women remembering their experiences in high school.  This song has long been a personal favorite of mine because I performed it in one of the last concerts of my high school career.  At the spring concert every year, the graduating Seniors perform a choral piece as a way of saying goodbye, and this was the piece chosen for my class.  Though it has been fifteen years, I can remember performing it as if it were yesterday.

The Death of Civil Discourse

On May 22, 1856, Preston Brooks, a Representative from South Carolina, entered the Senate chamber with two other Representatives: Laurence Keitt, a fellow South Carolinian, and Henry Edmundson of Virginia.  All three men were pro-slavery Democrats, and they had come to the Senate to confront Charles Sumner, an abolitionist Republican from Massachusetts.  Brooks was enraged at Sumner for a vitriolic speech he had given two days earlier in which he leveled scathing (and at times crude) attacks at South Carolina Senator Andrew Butler, a second cousin of Brooks.

Two years earlier, Butler, along with Stephen Douglas, a Senator from Illinois, had helped write the Kansas-Nebraska act, which created the Kansas Territory; by 1856, the question of Statehood was being discussed, with particular emphasis on whether or not slavery would be legal within Kansas.  When the territory was created, Butler and Douglas, along with the other authors and supporters of the bill had decided to let the citizens of Kansas decide the issue of slavery for themselves.  In a microcosm of the debate that was dividing the country (and would later lead to the Civil War), a series of violent and lethal clashes (now referred to as the Bleeding Kansas crisis) had erupted between pro- and anti-slavery activists.  Sumner blamed the authors of the bill for the violence because they opted to leave the issue of slavery up to the citizens instead of making a choice themselves.  In addition to attacking their bill and the institution of slavery, he attacked them personally, using lurid insults and allusions to cast them as idiots, amoral hypocrites, and sexual deviants.  Brooks was understandably furious at Sumner for berating his cousin, and he went to the Senate to seek revenge for what he deemed nothing but slander. 

What followed was one of the most shocking incidents to ever occur in any part of our government. 

Trump and the Anonymous Op-Ed

Two weeks ago, the New York Times published a damning,anonymous Op-Ed by a Senior Official in the White House.  The picture the author painted is a terrifying one, showing a White House nearly crippled by an incompetent, amoral, petty president.  They confirmed all the things we feared about Trump, and they showed that those within the White House are just as afraid.  The author attempted to assuage our fears by explaining how they and others in the White House were resisting Trump’s worst urges and behavior; that they were trying to keep him in check for the sake of the country.  But I also feel that this essay was an attempt at bolstering their own conscience.

On the one hand, I think the author was very brave to publish this essay, as was the New York Times for taking the extraordinary step of agreeing to keep their identity secret.  Whoever wrote this has every right to worry about their job (and possibly more than that) as Trump has shown time and again that he is an incredibly vindictive man.  Indeed, within hours of its publication, Trump tweeted a demand that the New York Times unveil the author’s identity, claiming that national security is at stake.  But under the bravery the author showed is cowardice, born of the extreme partisanship that permeates every nook and cranny of this administration.

Trump's North Korea Deal

When I got up this morning, I turned on the news as I always do. I expected it to be dominated by the late-night developments at the summit in Singapore, but instead, it seemed like any other news day. There were certainly references to it, but little actual coverage, at least in the half hour or so I watched. But having now read the document signed by Trump and Kim, I now know why.

First, before diving into my analysis, let me say I am pleased with the way the summit went. Given Trump's crass nature and lack of anything even resembling diplomatic skills, I was terrified of him causing a major international incident. Fortunately, my fears have not come to pass, at least not yet. The summit seems to have gone fairly well, though how well is up for debate.  This summit could be a good first step towards peace with North Korea, but only time will tell this.

Are Liberals Obsessed With Trump?

Since the day Trump won the Republican nomination for president, there has been endless discussion about him.  People have examined his polices and dissected his words to understand exactly who and what he is, as well as what kind of agenda he would set.  There has been virtually constant disagreement and divisiveness about his effectiveness as a leader, the effect his policies will have, and even whether or not he is fit to serve as president.  Like many, I discuss Trump in various contexts quite frequently, both in person and online, and I admit that I sometimes do this too frequently; as a result, I have been accused of “obsessing over Trump,” as have many who oppose him and most of the major news outlets.  But is this a valid criticism?  Are we obsessing, or are those criticizing us simply missing the point?

Another Day, Another Shooting

Eleven days ago, the country watched in horror as yet another school shooting took place, this time in Parkland, Florida.  Yet again, young lives were cut short, with at least 17 dead and 15 injured as of this writing.  Yet again, the country cried out for justice, for change, for a stop to these tragedies.  Yet again, politicians around the country offered thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families while clearly showing they have no intention of actually doing anything.  So the cycle goes.

That I can even write these words shows the depth of this problem.  School shootings, along with other mass shootings, are becoming the norm.  We know exactly how things will play out in the days and weeks following them because we repeat the exact same cycle over and over again.

The Truth About Why the GOP Won't Stand Up to Trump

Since the Republican party nominated Trump in 2016, many have asked numerous questions about the GOP.  Why would they do this?  Do they no longer have any scruples?  Why are they deaf to their own constituents, who are among the growing number of people opposing Trump’s agenda?  Most of all, people ask why the GOP doesn’t stand up to Trump, particularly when his behavior is at its most egregious.  I’ve pondered this question a great deal myself, and I’ve only recently come to understand the answer.

Like many, my initial assumption had to do with the poison that is party politics.  As we are in a system ruled by political parties, loyalty to those parties is put above all else.  It is nearly impossible to rise through the ranks of a party, win an election, or accomplish anything of substance without the support of your party (which is precisely why political parties are so antithetical to the vision our founders had for this country). 

Trump Isn't a Populist. He's a Demagogue.

Populism, like so many things, is inherently neither good nor bad.  It can easily be a force for good, creating a drive towards liberty and equality, such as we saw during the Civil Rights movement.  It can also be a force for evil, such as the wave of populism that brought Adolf Hitler to power.  It is the way in which it is used that determines whether it is benign or malevolent.  Unfortunately, history shows that it is often used as a means to an end for authoritarians to seize power.  With Trump, history has clearly repeated itself.