Stephen Altschuler

thoughts on environment, politics, health, life issues

democracy

Left wing anarchists?

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The protesters who took to the streets of Portland last night once again, have been termed left wing by the press. Yet they broke windows at the Democratic headquarters there, and expressed opposition to both the deposed Trump and our current President Biden. One man had a sign saying “We are not governable!”

I would suggest that these are not left wing, they are no-wing: neither left nor right. They are anarchists or people who ironically are closest to fascists. Historical fascists have smashed all institutions of government upon taking power, replacing them with totalitarian structures where it’s their way or the guillotine. They change the system of laws to suit their own chaotic ideals. They have no plan on how to manage a society, and are invested in no management at all. Democracy? That’s just another scheme of the elite ruling classes, these anarchists maintain. Tear down ICE. Tear down the police. Tear down the Presidency itself.

Last night, the police countered with tear gas to disperse the mob. That is a short term answer, but doesn’t solve the root problem. Surprisingly the answer is similar to that for white supremacist groups. Since these are not going away on their own, the FBI must infiltrate these groups and build files of names, numbers, contacts, and plans. Inside information is critical for understanding and ultimately deterring these men from committing violent acts. Peaceful protests are always fine in our country. But the kind of violence and lawlessness these groups can engage in must be quashed before they act.

We are a nation of laws. Throwing frozen water bottles, setting fires to buildings, breaking windows, harming or intimidating others [Read more…] about Left wing anarchists?

How we got into the bind we are in; and how to get out of it

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In order to determine how we got to where we are with our democratic republic, we need to acknowledge where we are and work our way back from there. Currently, we are in a tenuous and fragile spot, having just experienced, on 1/6/21, a barbarous insurrection against our Capitol and its elected representatives by pro-Trump thugs. It was, arguably, the most serious attack on our way of government in our history, and it has our foreign enemies licking their chops as to how they can take advantage of our cancer from within.

In a few days we will inaugurate our next president, Joe Biden, along with our next vice president, Kamala Harris. A large number of people who voted for Trump still believe the election was fraudulent and that he actually won. However, Biden’s win has been definitively proven in the courts and by election officials, many of whom were Republicans, and elsewhere by reputable media sources. Further violence against our government and the election results has been threatened.

So how did we get to such a dangerous crossroads in our nation’s history? My contention is that Donald Trump [Read more…] about How we got into the bind we are in; and how to get out of it

I am Deeply Concerned…about QAnon

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I am deeply concerned with the violent direction our country is taking, led by a once fringe digital Frankenstein called QAnon. This toxic monster is currently proliferating like oxalis, and as hard to pull out. How they got this powerful, I don’t completely understand. But like Trump’s incendiary rhetoric, QAnon feeds on suppressed anger, fears, personal frustration, and an unacknowledged touch of insanity. QAnon envisions a world of devil worshiping pedophiles, mostly Democrats and left wing media elites, all part of a deep state that only Donald Trump can root out, prosecute, and destroy.

Yes, it is bizarre, irrational, paranoid, and psychotic but thousands, if not millions are drawn to its iconoclastic and cryptic messages and dogwhistles. Someone with the moniker of ‘Q is fueling the fire with supposed codes from Trump that the time has come for action—violent action against the corrupt status quo which has stolen the election away from Trump, despite the confirmed fact that that has all been investigated and debunked by the courts, reporters, legislators, and every sane source in America. Still QAnon supporters insist on their interpretation of facts, twisting and distorting the truth into manifestoes for actions as violent and seditious as 1/6/21—the insurrection at our Capitol building, causing legislators to hide and cower in fear for their lives.

QAnon must be stopped cold in its tracks or it will [Read more…] about I am Deeply Concerned…about QAnon

At this time of extreme national emergency, what to do?

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We now have a madman as president. He has nine more days to serve out his term. But a madman with control of the nuclear codes can do a lot of damage. He could conceivably end human habitation on this planet. Oh, it’ll never happen, you might say and go on sipping your morning coffee. But only 85 or so years ago, many didn’t think Hitler would amount to much. He would certainly fade away and life would continue as usual. Millions of those people were soon exterminated in Nazi concentration camps. Today, the stakes are even higher. The fascist Trump is in charge for nine more days after a bloody coop attempt on our Congress, a coup he instigated. No sense sugar-coating it as he and his supporters are trying to do. He incited his rabid followers to violence and they responded with mayhem including the murder of two Capitol police officers.

So what now to do with this deranged meglomaniac, this fascist ogre? Impeachment? 25th amendment? Resignation? None look particularly promising in the short view. None look like they will solve the immediate national emergency of an extremely unstable man controlling the nuclear codes and the ability to easily launch nuclear missiles at the touch of a button. A coup has been attempted and it looked like it may well have been a conspiracy involving those in the present government. Trump may well have had knowledge of this planned coup and made sure his Pentagon chief delayed in sending any auxiliary troops to quell it. After all, he reveled in the sight of the violent mob tearing the Capitol apart and made no attempt to call the appropriate heads of the national guard to send troops immediately. That tells me he was complicit via omission. Trump has a knack for sequestering himself against responsibility, chronically casting the blame onto others. Well, this time, his circled wagons have run out of cover.

That makes me think of another option that has always been anathema to the American ways of solving political problems: the use of the military. With other options too weak, impractical, or untimely, military intervention may be the only way to resolve this national emergency and pave the way for a smooth transition to Joe Biden’s ascendancy to the presidency. The military could immediately enter the White House and do one of two things: arrest Donald Trump for suspicion of treason or simply take away the nuclear box and codes under his control. Whichever the generals felt most comfortable with would be fine with me.

Once Trump and/or the nuke codes were secured, I would guess Pence would then invoke the 25th amendment and take power until Biden was inaugurated. The military has never been inclined to get involved in politics so would not, as they did in Brazil in 1964, be tempted to remain in power. Biden would transition to his duly elected position as President.

Do I want this to happen? No. I don’t think the Constitution provides for this, although I am not an expert on what this complicated document says. But I think it very well must happen to solve this current urgent national emergency.

The only other solution is prayer, but the angels are already quite overwhelmed with other matters.

May peace and healing arise from the ashes of 6 January.

 

 

 

The Last Gasp of Trump and his Republican Enablers

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I think of how it must have been for the dinosaurs dying and breathing their last gasps on the land masses of our planet 60 million years ago. I think of this as I read the news of a Capitol police officer murdered while defending our representative congresspeople from a pro-Trump and Trump incited mob who invaded our Capitol building, a building steeped in the history of our democracy. That murder should be as catastrophic as the asteroid which struck Earth leading the death of all those predatory dinosaurs.

The murder came as the result of the rioters breeching the halls of our Congress, which came as the result of incendiary Trump rhetoric over the past five years and most recently at a rally just before the attack and breech, which came as the result of Republican congresspeople naysayers questioning the legitimacy of an election proven fully legitimate by the courts and election officials from every state in the union, which came as the result of right wing sources such as Fox News, Newsmax, AON, which came as a result of false and scurrilous conspiracy theories such as QAnon, which came as a result of extreme right wing white supremacist groups such as Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer which rose to prominence as a result of Trump giving tacit, and often open, approval of these grotesque and dangerous people. Trump’s base of voters who acted with cult mentality believing, lockstep, in all of Trump’s lies and misinformation and [Read more…] about The Last Gasp of Trump and his Republican Enablers

Beware the Ides of January 6th

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In what should be a ceremony that the press always ignores, the certification of the Electoral College vote on January 6th is morphing into another Trumpian spectacle of Sturm und Drang. It seems some Republican senators, with the support of Trump, will mount a challenge to the Electoral College vote, trying to reverse its outcome in several battleground states that went for Biden, giving him the victory. Trump has exhausted all legal paths to change the outcome. All failures. He still denies Biden won. He is, indeed, in denial, as we mental health counselors say. Big time. Why won’t Trump concede his loss?

Is it that he is afraid that once he is out of power, his wrongdoings will catch up to him and he will wind up in prison? Perhaps. You and I would assume that, but Trump has evaded so many attempts to cripple him through the courts that I think he thinks he is invincible. Just hire enough lawyers who issue enough legal roadblocks and his accusers get tired of the time and money it costs to continue accusing. Even tax evasion, that misstep that finally caught Al Capone, won’t catch him, he surmises. Never has and never will.

So now, he has one more ploy. Actually a series of ploys. First, he has his traitor Representatives and Senators vote to deny certifying the Electoral College tally in certain states. When that fails he has Pence fail to certify the final tally (Pence has no constitutional authority whatsoever to do so). When that fails he instigates his radical, armed supporters, such as various white supremacist groups who he has dogwhistled to “Stand by,” to take to the streets and perform enough acts of violence and chaos to allow him to declare martial law (He has already called for such violent rallies on the 6th!). Police, many of whom are either members or sympathizers of these White Supremacist groups do nothing to restrain the violence, effectively being complicit in a violent takeover of the government. His cult followers also take to the streets screaming and creating havoc. The final ploy in this string of ploys? Trump remains in power, declaring himself President for at least another four years.

Impossible? Improbable, perhaps, but not impossible. Trump is desperate enough to try this. He has nothing really to lose since he’s already lost the prize he thought he had all along: remaining in power. His ego cannot and will not tolerate a loss. You must not be a loser, his father drummed into his skull. Of course all of the above must succeed for the final Trumpian outcome to come true. If it doesn’t work, Trump will leave office but declare himself the victim of a fraudulent election, making himself a martyr, still beloved by his cult followers. This might encourage him to run again in 2024 to continue his onslaught against our government and way of life.

Is there anything you and I can do to stop this insanity? I’m doing what I can do by writing this post. We are past the point of “calling our representatives.” We are past the point of voting or sending in our donations. Our democracy has voted Trump down hard, but our democracy still teeters on the brink of [Read more…] about Beware the Ides of January 6th