View From Here
By David Mark Greaves
Let’s see, there’s a real threat of an authoritarian takeover of the United States: we have the Omicron Covid variant to deal with, the real threat of an authoritarian takeover of the United States, climate change is wreaking havoc across the country and around the world, the real threat of an authoritarian takeover of the United States, the oceans are holding more and more plastic endangering all life there, and there’s a real threat of an authoritarian takeover of the United States of America.
This is spooky stuff and we never thought we’d be here, looking into an impossibly dark future. How do we change the course? Fight back more effectively that the Democrats are doing now. It feels as though the Democrats are following Marquise of Queensbury Rules and the Republicans are fighting with brass knuckles, Kay-Bar knives, and flame throwers.
They are gerrymandering districts to ensure their dominance, suppressing the vote in every conceivable way. They are installing election officials who will make decisions to their liking and enacting legislation to give legislators the power to name the winner of their state, no matter what the vote count is.
The Select Committee investigating the January 6th insurrection will be holding open hearing early next year, and the indications are that the gloves will be coming off, the extent of the conspiracy will be revealed and the question to be answered will be how most voters will take in the information, reject the conspiracy, and punish the Republican party for it. Right now, it’s not looking good without voting rights legislation.
If the Republicans take back the House of Representatives, the Select Committee will be disbanded, and the path will be cleared for Donald Trump to regain the presidency, mete out his vengeance on the constituencies that voted against him, and pave the way for the next authoritarian to continue his legacy and the destruction of the American Promise.
How do we fight that battle here in Brooklyn? Send money to Democratic candidates like Stacey Abrams running for Georgia governor and US Senator Raphael Warnock fighting to keep the Georgia seat he just won. Once you do that, trust me, you’ll be hearing from candidates across the country who are in the trenches and already in the hand-to-hand combat that will be the election next year and in 2024.
We must get in this fight. If we don’t, the risk increases that there will be a dictatorial takeover of the United States and we will be in a world we never imagined.