From Hero to Zero

I’ve been voting in elections for nearly fifty-years and continue to be amazed at all the dirty tricks and fabrications emanating therefrom.

 

If you are capable of doing racist math, my voting record began in 1972, and has steadily continued ever since; the answer is 49-years.

 

In Presidential, Congressional, Senatorial, state and local elections, I have voted without fail, and mention this as both a sense of pride as well as a note of civic duty.

 

And throughout most of this half-century of elections I have noticed things getting smarmier and smarmier as the time passes.

 

Last year, 2020, questions arose about the validity of the presidential election, plus a handful of state elections. The solution to resolving these perceived aberrations has been to silence any and all references and debate about their legitimacy.

 

Social media has grown into a powerful force through which many people, world-wide, find a vehicle by which to express themselves.  This is all valid and understandable until those vehicles decide to change the rules of use.

 

Many people, including the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, found himself on the “banned” list of users because of a seemingly arbitrary set of rules that are applied fluidly, not carved in stone.

 

Excuses, often lame, include perpetuating false information, spewing hate speech, racist language, and anything someone – any one – deems hurtful, are reason enough to penalize and subsequently ban someone from participating on a particular media platform.

 

Exchanging views that may eventually be found valid, but also having merit for society, should be shared without prejudice and/or bias.  Besides, an integrated society should be run on a general consensus for ideas and thoughts by including both pros and cons to improve life in general.

 

If you don’t believe me, think back to the time lunch counters in the Deep South discriminated by not allowing Blacks a seat, or more recently, the baker who refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding.

 

Those are just two examples of varying ideas joining to resolve perceived problems.  I dare say, none of that would have been resolved if excluding one side or view from expressing themselves would prevent hurt feelings or honest dialog.

 

In any case, we are at a crossroad in society which requires us to choose a direction.  And if you’re going to sanction someone for honest opinion, everyone should be subject to that same discipline.

 

President Donald J. Trump was excoriated for expressing his opinion on the solution for keeping people safe from the infamous COVID-19 influenza.  The media twisted his speeches and outright lied about his supposed ‘telling people to drink bleach.’

 

The media did everything in its power to misdirect intelligent dialog and reasonable conversations into dangerous and angry monologues without recourse, and little truth.

 

Throughout the decades, my many voting options were chosen by information I garnered from varying ads and appearances by the politicians and their representatives.

 

Of course the information emanating there from was always positive and sunny with promises of flower-lined streets and lower taxes, pots filled with chickens and driveways with new cars.

 

Predictably, none of those promises materialized.  Not because of some unforeseen snags, rather those hollow guarantees were the result of outright fabrications to later be explained away as a result of the previous office holder, or the need for another term.

 

And so the perpetual incumbent boondoggle begins.

 

So it was with interest that I studied the 2020 elections to see just who was endorsing which candidate and why.

 

Another proud, low-intelligence voter

So many different organizations were vying for recognition, and likely a seat at the Presidential table if and when their chosen candidate won.

 

Here’s what I realized: That infamous “defund the police” movement that was ever-so-popular during the mini-race war of 2020, was suddenly embraced by “over 75 sheriffs and police officers” who endorsed Biden and called “Trump ‘lawless.’”

 

That headline taken from Newsweek magazine, adds that “over 175 law enforcement officials – including state and district attorneys general, police chiefs and U.S. attorneys – who support the former vice president’s election as well as his criminal justice reform plan,” made it clear where these criminal justice folks stand in the war on crime.

 

Remember those figures when hearing about the spike in crime rates in America.

 

But let us not forget the grand daddy of endorsements: Veterans for Biden.  Their mission: “Veterans for Biden was founded in 2017 by US military veterans seeking to get Joe Biden elected as the next President of the United States.”

 

“We believe America is strongest when it is united, and we are confident Joe Biden is the ideal candidate to bring all Americans together,” their website proudly proclaims.

 

Think Afghanistan.