Welcome to my A to Z this year where I am covering the theme of democracy.This is your trigger warning. If you are going to be bothered by my descriptions of what I believe America should look and feel like, please stop reading and come back next year when my topic may go back to music or scrapbooking or interesting tidbits. Please respect my space and DO NOT leave disinformation or inflammatory statements in the comments. It's my blog and I will delete them. Thanks for your cooperation.
C is for Constitution over Cult
Constitution | Cult |
We the People Freedom Rights Rule of Law Separation of powers | Great devotion to a person or idea. Worship Extreme Beliefs Psychological Manipulation Brainwashing |
It is true that our constitution was written many years ago and has had to have a few revisions over time but the basic principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have always been at the core. We the People is a powerful phrase. It signifies that we work together as a collective and not just blindly following one person or ideal. We have a say in what those changes need to be and we vote to make them happen.
If there is any question about whether a cult has now invaded the country, these words from Representative Troy Nehls shortly after Trump won reelection are pretty cult-like. He said, "If Donald Trump says jump 3-feet high and scratch your head, we should all jump 3-feet high and scratch our head." And have you heard any of the cabinet meetings? Every single one of the cabinet members continue to heap praise on #47 and tell him what wonderful things he is doing.
I don't know how many times I have heard "they drank the Kool-aid." Granted those who were closely involved in the Jonestown massacre probably don't appreciate being reminded of that tragedy but it is a common connection describing people who follow someone blindly. So many times the Republicans in office have bowed to his wishes when clearly "We the people" do not approve. It seems they have no mind of their own.
I don't think there will be too many pictures in this A to Z but I did come across something that I think perfectly fits here. I was on my way to visit my daughter who lives in the area around the Facebook/Meta buildings. This is one of the street signs:
I know which direction I'm going.
If you want to see Speaker Hakeem Jeffries' speech which is where I got the idea for this year's challenge, you can see it here. Also make sure to visit some of the other participants in this alphabetical endeavor. See you tomorrow!
Hi, Janet!
ReplyDeleteWhat's happening in America today demonstrates the power that can be wielded by a cult leader, the Svengali-like influence a single individual can exert over masses of people, separating them from reality, causing them to abandon their humanity, their values and their common decency. Under this dark spell, their thoughts, words and deeds are driven by fear, anger and hate. This nightmare scenario reminds me of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It is as if we awoke one day to discover, to our horror, that millions of our fellow citizens had their minds reprogrammed, their hearts blackened, their humanity stripped away, and that they are now hellbent on the destruction of our country. They are ready, willing and able to abandon the U.S. Constitution and the principles it espouses, the collection of noble ideals that generations of our forefathers fought so long and hard to defend and preserve. Rejecting the words of Abraham Lincoln and "government of the people, by the people, for the people," they have given themselves over to one man, a slick, power hungry showman who seduces them with false promises and simplistic solutions to complex problems, who uses divisive language to fan the flames of hate and cruel actions to impress his base and bring out the very worst in people. They worship him blindly. Indeed, even as this Pied Piper they follow inevitably leads them into the river to drown, they will still think he's great, still be totally devoted to him. That, my friend, is a cult.
I would also propose that "C" is for Cory - man of the year Cory Booker, who literally stood up for the American people for 25 straight hours speaking truth to power and enduring great personal discomfort in doing so. If I may, "C" is also for AOC - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - who had been doing the same alongside fellow activist Sen. Bernie Sanders in their joint Stop the Oligarchy tour of America.
Hi my friend. YES YES YES to your added "C's." It does give me some hope for the future, although I am deathly afraid we'll be too far gone to come back. The win in Wisconsin by Susan Crawford helped too! I hadn't though of Invasion of the Body Snatchers but you are right there too. Great movie by the way. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteWell we're not jumping 3 feet high but we are scratching our heads wondering how the US got to be where it currently is. I hope you haven't had any horrible comments Janet.
ReplyDeleteYou got that right, Wendy. It is quite unbelievable. No bad comments yet thank goodness.
DeleteI saw a meme yesterday about protestors that started yelling "Protect the Constitution" at a crowd of Trump-supporting counter protestors. The report was that they didn't have an answering call. They're used to thinking of themselves as supporters of the constitution, so it caused significant cognitive dissonance. I hope that's a beginning to the end of the cult.
ReplyDeleteYes! I hope that little by little we are starting to chip away.
DeleteWell said, and I love the street sign, very fitting!
ReplyDeleteThanks! The sign was one of those things that just hit you at the right time, know what I mean?
DeleteThis is Birgit…this is eloquent and hits home with the Constitution which the Mega adhere to when it serves their needs, like the gun situation, but will change it in a moment when it suits him..er ..them. Once again, Shady is right on track and he is masterful with his words. Funny…my mom, who is German, always had a hard time saying, “We the people, For the People, By the people” because, in German, people means penis. That seems to suit the Mega way. Perfect street sign!
ReplyDeleteThank you, dear friend BB!
DeleteLOL about the translation. They are pretty much a bunch of dicks. I've seen the sign several times since my daughter moved down there but it didn't quite hit me until I started doing this A to Z. Thanks for stopping by, Birgit.
DeleteGreat post.
ReplyDeleteEver look up how the Lenni-Lenape (Delaware) people helped to influence the writing of the Constitution? Some good stuff.
Thank you for commenting on my blog during the A to Z Challenge this month. Please check out the giveaway on my W post.
J Lenni Dorner (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZchallenge
I'll have to check that out, J Lenni! Thanks for taking the time to come over here.
ReplyDeleteHi, Janet!
ReplyDeleteI've been waiting all day for your "C" post fo show up in my reader stream. It's 5 pm Eastern time and the "B" post has not yet been replaced. I'm glad I found your "C" before Mrs. Shady calls me away from the computer for the evening.
Last Saturday, Mrs. S and I attended No Kings 3 in a city near our home. The governor of our state was among the inspiring speakers at the rally. Thousands of people were there with their signs, their children and their dogs. I never felt so patriotic. I never felt such a sense of community. From the rally's point of origin, we marched along the streets in the downtown district, a parade of citizens that extended a mile or more. It was thrilling to hear people honking their horns and see them waving, smiling and giving us thumbs up from inside their vehicles as they drove by. However, as was to be expected, there were some haters. I saw one young white man in his car giving us all the middle finger as he rode by. Another young white man slowed down to a crawl, wound down his window and shouted a flurry of obscenities at us. Perhaps those two haters were inspired by our current president, his administration and his enablers in congress who have called the No Kings events Antifa sponsored "Hate America Rallies" and dismissed them as "Trump Derangement Syndrome Therapy Sessions." Clearly the current administration has nothing but contempt for the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law. Yet, they want to claim the moral high ground and call themselves true patriots. It is a reflection of how deeply divided we are as a nation. It is a rift as deep and as wide as the Grand Canyon. If we can turn the tide in November with sweeping Democratic victories up and down the ballot all across the country, perhaps power hungry politicians will finally see that embracing and normalizing Trumpism and all the terrible things it entails, is a losing proposition, compelling them to stop the madness, start adhering to the Constitution and fight for ordinary working Americans instead of the privileged billionaire class.
I hope you have a great month, dear friend Janet. I'm be back to cheer you on as you cross the finish line and conclude your participation in the 2026 A to Z Challenge!
My dear friend, I so appreciate your participation here. I didn't do any of the No Kings events this time as I am really having a problem with my knees. Arthritis is flaring (I have bone on bone issues in both knees) and I need to get cortisone shots in them again but am waiting until closer to our cruise in May so I can walk around the ship pain free. I did do the human banner on Ocean Beach in SF the last time and have stood on walkway overpasses a couple times. I must admit that I get a little teary both in the sense of total frustration but also because when I am there I don't feel so alone.
DeleteI am afraid that even WHEN we turn the tide in November we have a lot of work to do! We have to make it so that this can never happen again. I'll see you at the end of the month dear Shady. Hope you and the Mrs. have a great Easter.