America is under attack in an unprecedented way
On January 1, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Contrary to poular belief, it did not end slavery immediately, but made clear that ending slavery was a central goal of the US government in fighting the Civil war. In January 1865 the US Congress approved the 13th amendment officially abolishing slavery in the United States .The end of the Civil War was followed by a period that has been known historically as reconstruction. The central goal put forward for reconstruction initially was to protect the civil rights of former slaves in places still hostile to the very idea of freedom for black people. By the end of the period generally recognized as reconstruction, that goal had been manipulated to primarily become to insure that the Republican Party would be in permanent control of certain southern states under the widely accepted notion that only they could guarantee that the result of the Civil War could be insured long term.
It took from 1866 to 1884 for the new freedom of Black Americans to be changed into a system of terror and apartheid so shameful that most of the details have still been kept from succeeding American generations.
Today we see the reemergence of the principles that led to the undoing of reconstruction. It seems clear to me that among the underlying motives of the so called social conservatives of today is to return as much as possible to the kind of localized control of government that guaranteed the ability of those who created and maintained the system known as segregation in America free of federal government interference. What I find most disturbing is the lackadaisical way most Americans view what is taking place; Blacks, Women, Gay people, Immigrants seem to be totally unaware how easily this goal can be accomplished if social conservatives and Libertarians realize success in their efforts to return America to good old days that were never very good for anyone, not even most whites. Even some Black Americans are seduced by the seemingly pro-American rants of people like Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Scott Walker, Palin, Bachmann, O'Donnell and others of their ilk. But if you look carefully below the surface, if you look carefully at the actions of these people when they have been given power, and listen to the things they say when talking only to those they consider their own, you see a picture that is clearly American only if you think America is white, male, wealthy, straight and stingy. These are people who shamelessly cast themselves as basing their goals on Christian values while violating every tenet of the teachings of Christ. These are people who, when given the chance, seize every dollar and benefit for themselves while fighting valiantly any effort to extend those same benefits to the vanishing middle class and the despised lower classes.
Nothing I can think of would ever cause me to vote Republican. I, just at the bottom of my heart, cannot support the basic tenet of Republican politics that government should be diminished in order to increase the coffers of the obscenely wealthy when I have seen over and over in my life what happens when average Americans are left without adequate protections from those who would rig every aspect of life for their profit. I have paid the price repeatedly in my life for opposing the unfair treatment of those who are powerless in my own jobs in management, clearly understanding that if I don't stand up for the rights of others, mine cannot be guaranteed. But I submit that this trend we see taking hold of the Republican party goes far beyond the basic disagreement I have with Republican politics. It is no less than tyrannical and anti American in its desire to limit its guarantee of freedom to the chosen few in opposition to the very purpose of the establishment of the United States of America.
America is under attack in a way unprecedented in its scope and ability to mobilize nationally. It is under attack by those who will tell any lie and make any misrepresentation to achieve their goals of limited government and unfettered ability to manipulate markets. Just as every great civilization in history has faced decline at some time or another, it would be a mistake to underestimate the cross roads we have come to, the wrong path will render Americans version of freedom just another topic of history books, and cause it to join the fond memories of the good old days that never really were as good as people remember, but not nearly as bad as times will be.
On January 1, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Contrary to poular belief, it did not end slavery immediately, but made clear that ending slavery was a central goal of the US government in fighting the Civil war. In January 1865 the US Congress approved the 13th amendment officially abolishing slavery in the United States .The end of the Civil War was followed by a period that has been known historically as reconstruction. The central goal put forward for reconstruction initially was to protect the civil rights of former slaves in places still hostile to the very idea of freedom for black people. By the end of the period generally recognized as reconstruction, that goal had been manipulated to primarily become to insure that the Republican Party would be in permanent control of certain southern states under the widely accepted notion that only they could guarantee that the result of the Civil War could be insured long term.
It took from 1866 to 1884 for the new freedom of Black Americans to be changed into a system of terror and apartheid so shameful that most of the details have still been kept from succeeding American generations.
Today we see the reemergence of the principles that led to the undoing of reconstruction. It seems clear to me that among the underlying motives of the so called social conservatives of today is to return as much as possible to the kind of localized control of government that guaranteed the ability of those who created and maintained the system known as segregation in America free of federal government interference. What I find most disturbing is the lackadaisical way most Americans view what is taking place; Blacks, Women, Gay people, Immigrants seem to be totally unaware how easily this goal can be accomplished if social conservatives and Libertarians realize success in their efforts to return America to good old days that were never very good for anyone, not even most whites. Even some Black Americans are seduced by the seemingly pro-American rants of people like Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Scott Walker, Palin, Bachmann, O'Donnell and others of their ilk. But if you look carefully below the surface, if you look carefully at the actions of these people when they have been given power, and listen to the things they say when talking only to those they consider their own, you see a picture that is clearly American only if you think America is white, male, wealthy, straight and stingy. These are people who shamelessly cast themselves as basing their goals on Christian values while violating every tenet of the teachings of Christ. These are people who, when given the chance, seize every dollar and benefit for themselves while fighting valiantly any effort to extend those same benefits to the vanishing middle class and the despised lower classes.
Nothing I can think of would ever cause me to vote Republican. I, just at the bottom of my heart, cannot support the basic tenet of Republican politics that government should be diminished in order to increase the coffers of the obscenely wealthy when I have seen over and over in my life what happens when average Americans are left without adequate protections from those who would rig every aspect of life for their profit. I have paid the price repeatedly in my life for opposing the unfair treatment of those who are powerless in my own jobs in management, clearly understanding that if I don't stand up for the rights of others, mine cannot be guaranteed. But I submit that this trend we see taking hold of the Republican party goes far beyond the basic disagreement I have with Republican politics. It is no less than tyrannical and anti American in its desire to limit its guarantee of freedom to the chosen few in opposition to the very purpose of the establishment of the United States of America.
America is under attack in a way unprecedented in its scope and ability to mobilize nationally. It is under attack by those who will tell any lie and make any misrepresentation to achieve their goals of limited government and unfettered ability to manipulate markets. Just as every great civilization in history has faced decline at some time or another, it would be a mistake to underestimate the cross roads we have come to, the wrong path will render Americans version of freedom just another topic of history books, and cause it to join the fond memories of the good old days that never really were as good as people remember, but not nearly as bad as times will be.
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