Every newspaper in the US will, undoubtedly, publish an editorial about the shocking mob assault on the US Capitol yesterday.
The event will be one of the searing moments in US history when we will remember exactly where we were, like when President Kennedy was shot, when the Challenger exploded, and when the 9/11 assaults took place.
The main difference, however, is that some of our fellow Americans have not only encouraged the cult of a dangerous madman, but are even now applauding what it has reaped. For them, there is no hope of redemption. They cannot even be engaged in rational discourse. They have been hopelessly brainwashed, like Tom Cruise, and the followers of Jim Jones.
But, berating those who brought us here is not the answer. So, what to do?
The US government will handle Trump. Schumer and Pelosi are calling for his immediate removal.
But what can we do?
First, for those who voted for Trump and stood by him, now is the time to look hard at those choices, to try to figure out what it was about him that was appealing, and why all the negatives went unheeded. This is important self-reflection.
Second, a good exercise is to look around to see if we can spot another one in the making. We can educate ourselves better. What early signs can we see in other leaders that have the hallmarks of tyranny?
- Condemnation of the media
- Persecution of dissenters, real or made up (or even worse, imagined)
- Admiration of other tyrants
- Subjugation of the justice system
- Nepotism, and placing lackeys in high positions in order to centralize control
- Constant barrage of lies meant to alter our sense of reality and truth
Sound familiar? It’s not just Trump. It’s AMLO.
Just as with Trump, there’s nothing we, as individuals, can do about AMLO now – except be aware, and learn to see clearly. Resist conspiracy theories and “alternative” media. They’re hoping you’ll be gullible.
A democracy demands an informed populace. Otherwise, we’ll lose it, and we will have deserved it.