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Stephen Altschuler

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Abraham Lincoln

America’s Moral Compass

February 25, 2022 by Stephen Altschuler Leave a Comment

Everyone’s got a moral compass, though everyone may not realize it. From the Christian evangelical to Ron Reagan’s atheism everyone adheres to a moral code in some way or another. Even the prisoners I used to counsel at Walpole Prison in Massachusetts had such a compass, though the glass broke from time to time. One even took meticulous care of all the stray cats in nearby Norfolk Prison. And the suspected Boston Strangler, Albert DeSalvo, whom I met, made jewelry which he sold in the prison store under the label Chokers by the Boston Stranger, revealing, I suppose, his own moral compass, tinged with a sense of humor (BTW, Albert was never convicted of being the Strangler, and to this day, to my knowledge, the case remains unsolved. He was murdered in prison in a drug deal gone wrong.).

Abraham Lincoln had a moral compass, and thank goodness he did, for it helped him win a Civil War that seemed hopeless at times. Lincoln got his bearings from the Declaration of Independence ironically written by Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father and slaveholder from Virginia, one of the states that seceded from the Union. “All men are created equal,’ wrote Jefferson, “entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” It was a relatively new and revolutionary concept at the time and became the basis of a form of government, of, by, and for the people, called democracy. And to this day, until recently at least, it remains the basis of our country’s moral compass and the legacy of Jefferson and Lincoln.

Distressingly, this moral compass is now under serious attack by the likes of Donald Trump and his supporters. Thankfully, that attack is being resisted by those who uphold the sacrifices that Lincoln and millions of soldiers in many wars paid in defending democracy from authoritarian regimes over the decades. In our country the fight continues against the bloviated extremists on the far right who are intent to push their fascist and racist ideas onto the entire country and change our moral compass to an immoral one.

Now we are faced with yet another foreign leader also intent on attacking the basic values of democracy and the right of an independent country to choose its own way. Vladimir Putin of Russia is, as I write, waging an invasion of neighboring Ukraine for no valid reason except to protect Russia from unsubstantiated threats from this much smaller country. He knows he can act with relative impunity since Ukraine is not aligned to NATO and so has no treaty assurances that other democratic countries in Europe will come to their assistance militarily. And Putin continues to pummel innocent, peace-loving people with missiles, bombs, tanks, and about 190,000 soldiers in an effort to bring this country to its knees, “demilitarizing and denazificationing” it, as Putin puts it. But, like his ally Trump, it’s Putin who is displacing what is needed to himself onto others.

I propose the U.S., now under the leadership of Joe Biden, change its essentially non-interventionist policy, to one that is more in line with Lincoln’s moral compass, which was to protect the viability and sanctity of democracy wherever it may be. And precedents for this change are already in place. The U.S. is not sending troops into Ukraine because it is not a NATO nation. But the U.S. has and will defend other countries in the world not protected by treaty such as Taiwan, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and perhaps Finland and Sweden who are not in NATO, but could be attacked by a Hitler-infused Putin.

It’s too late to defend Ukraine militarily (although air support could still be considered, as they have requested of the EU), but perhaps Biden should consider a Democracy Doctrine where the U.S. will defend militarily any democratic country from attack by another expansionist-minded country. This would give potential invaders cause to reconsider their intentions and pull back. The Doctrine would of course contain operational and conditional details and would make it clear that actions, such as the present unwarranted invasion of Ukraine would well be met with military intervention by the United States and other willing allies. If such a doctrine had been in effect in 1939, Hitler’s invasion of Poland which started WWII could have been averted, possibly saving millions of lives.

Of course, my proposal will be opposed as the decision to fight Germany was opposed by ultra-conservatives in the U.S. Congress at that time. These were similar to the America Firsters around today–isolationists who wanted to keep America out of any foreign fights. But in this highly complicated and dangerous world of today, such a doctrine would be a strong deterrent against any potential Hitler, as Putin now represents. Ours is a world seeing an alarming rise of authoritarian leaders who have solidified their power through fear, intimidation, violence, and apathy. This includes Putin, of course, but also Xi, Un, Erdigan, Orban, Lukashenko, Castro, Bolsonaro, Duarte, the military junta in Myanmar, Palestinian Hamas, and the ayatollahs of Iran, among others in Africa and South and Central America.

Such a Democracy Doctrine, backed by the world’s most powerful military, would establish the United States as the unquestioned champion of Democracy, which we have been until the Republican Party turned into a bunch of racist, insurrectionist sycophants. Bipartisanship has been tried by Biden and, once again, rejected by, ironically, the former party of Lincoln. It’s time for President Biden to take a significant tack against the winds of authoritarianism both here and abroad.

***

I’ve recently written and published three books (I’ve been productive during the pandemic’s sheltering in place!) which may be of interest to you. They are Into the Woods…and Beyond, The Valley Spirit: Living a Tao-inspired Life, and Golf 360: For Current Players and Those Considering the Game. You can read reviews of each at my website, stephenaltschuler.com. They are all available at online sources, including Amazon. Thanks.

Filed Under: democracy, Donald Trump, Events, Human nature, President Joe Biden Tagged With: Abraham Lincoln, Putin, Russia, Ukraine

Learning From Lincoln

February 23, 2022 by Stephen Altschuler Leave a Comment

Joe Biden and Abraham Lincoln have a number of things in common. They both lost dear relatives, especially beloved sons. They both struggled to get their party’s nomination to run for president. They both won their bid for the presidency by winning a few key states. They both entered office with considerable opposition among the public. They both had huge crises on their plate the first day into the frey: Lincoln the Civil War; Biden the global pandemic, an insurrection, and a predecessor who wouldn’t concede the election’s results, wouldn’t comply with the standard peaceful transfer of power, and who even instigated the insurrection. Lincoln went on to free the slaves, helping him to win the war and protect the Union and its democracy from white supremacist insurrectionists. And Biden…well we don’t know yet how Biden will do to protect the Union and defend the country against its militias of white supremacists and Trump-infused Republicans.

With Lincoln, it took tremendous courage, fortitude, and intelligence to accomplish what he did in the relative short amount of time he had before an assassin’s bullet put an end to his continued good and justice for “all men created equal.” As the Civil War dragged on, Lincoln was increasingly known for his focus and ability to see a solution through until he began to see the results he was looking for. He, like Biden, had members of his own party oppose him every inch of the way. But he had allies too, and he used those allies to help mold public opinion and bend the public to his way of thinking: mainly that slavery was an evil that must be stopped in its vile tracks.

I don’t see Biden using his domestic allies in quite the same way. Despite his economic successes and ability to put money in the hands of those who most need it, the public, thanks to Republican propaganda, gives him relatively low popularity ratings. He obviously doesn’t have the cognitive, oratory, and persuasive skills Lincoln had. Both men also retained key figures in their administration whom they trusted to take appropriate action in their departments. With Lincoln, it was Gen. McClellan who was agonizingly slow to attack when he had the opportunity. With Biden it is Attorney General Merrick Garland who has failed to act decisively to investigate the senior perpetrators and instigators of the January 6 insurrection–that stain on our country that almost brought down our democracy in one violent day.

Lincoln eventually replaced McClellan, after several other failures, with a more focused and effective Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. And that decision was key in finally winning that devastating war. Biden may not realize it but we are in a cold Civil War that requires the insight and courage of a Lincoln to assess the realities of the enemy and take the necessary action–though much different from the politics of yesterday–to put Trump and his surrogates down, and put them down hard.

The political atmosphere today is not that much different than during Lincoln’s time. Slavery, in the form of white supremacy and voter suppression laws, is still with us. Blacks are still denigrated and undermined and discriminated against. We’ve made some progress but not enough. There have been too many conservative operatives that have impeded social progress and civil rights. Every time we advanced several steps with Democrats–although not always perfect–unprincipled Republicans take us right back to the Jim Crow era.

Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, announced during the Civil War, was not popular among his cabinet members, the opposition party, and even members of his own party, but he was a man who acted on principles. He followed the dictates of the Declaration of Independence, the guiding set of moral laws on which our country is based. Our current Supreme Court could do just as well; as could the many state legislatures who voted in voter suppression laws; as could Republican members of Congress who continually kiss Trump’s ring and lean dangerously to a white supremacist platform that many in our country have followed since the end of the Civil War.

Our country is rife with racism, to put it bluntly. And with racism comes its offspring: authoritarianism. The crude and criminal Trump has extracted racist dogwhistles to the surface, and, yes, like Hitler, has carefully plotted his coup and takeover. The 14th Amendment, enacted after Lincoln’s murder, was aimed at Confederate leaders to prevent them ever holding public office again. But it was wisely inclusive of any and all insurrectionists for time immemorial. If Biden has the motivation, intent, courage, and wisdom he will push Merrick Garland to apply this Amendment to Donald Trump and prevent this bully from ever again holding any office from President to Animal Control Officer.

Jailing the rioters who invaded Congress on Jan. 6 is not enough. Garland, with Biden’s tacit support, must investigate and, if warranted, prosecute the big fish involved if our country and our democracy are to be protected and sustained.

***

The Midwest Review of Books has written an excellent review of my new book, The Valley Spirit: Living a Tao-inspired Life (Sacajawea Press, Vancouver WA, 2021). Check it out at stephenaltschuler.com.

Filed Under: democracy, Donald Trump, Human nature, President Joe Biden Tagged With: Abraham Lincoln

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