American Complacency: repeating History?

American Complacency by many our citizens is looking more and more like authorities of our world’s past. There is plenty of blame to go around regarding how this happened. The leadership within the U.S. A. are doing a terrible job. I am not talking about the Democratic leadership. Don’t get me wrong they have their problems too. I am talking about the Republican parties leadership and what they have been doing over the last several years. It seems I am watching scenes from a movie unfold about WW 2 and Hitler. However, I am not. I see this real time. Today I am wondering why Trump’s followers have consumed the cool Aid that Hitler gave the people of Germany. The Republican leaders seem hell bent on believing the party is more important then our country. They demonstrated that by not upholding the US constitution in Trump’s 2nd impeachment. I believe these are the same type of people that wouldn’t have stopped Hitler. Trump is much like Hitler. There are lots of red flags about Republicans right now. However, one of the big red flags is Trump’s support for Putin. How does that fit in a democracy? I want to talk about the Republican party, world history and what it takes to have healthy leadership.

Quote:

“You can’t right a ship with your eyes closed.”
Defend that

I worry about our country because the Republicans seem really off. As I mentioned they have demonstrate the party is more important then our US constitution. For example, Trump was charged with impeachment for incitement of insurrection on January 13, 2021 by the House of Representatives. I remember listening to Trump’s speech and he had all sorts of inflammatory remarks. We have it all on video and audio. He has lied to the people and they still follow him. Why? I don’t really know. Except I do know if someone lies to people, but keeps repeating that lie continuously and often enough. Those people will believe it as the truth. Trump and others has continued to do just that. They claimed the election was stolen and It wasn’t stolen. Trump kept saying this at rallies ,. “stop the steal”. Trump repeated this any chance he got. Back when 9/11 happened I remember someone say if a lie long enough and keeps repeating it. People will believe it as truth. That was the first time I heard it. It was regarding the Pilots of 9/11 the news said they were from Iraq. And I knew from the newspaper those pilots were from Saudi Arabia. Although this is nothing really new. The Nazi party had used this same tactic. Lies become the truth. In Trump’s speech on January 6th he encourage the crowed to go after then VP Mike Pence to change the vote. First of all VP Pence couldn’t change the vote it is more of a ceremony to finalize the vote of each state and put the votes in the record books. Second, Pence doesn’t have the power to change the vote it is in the US constitution. Another lie by Trump he was telling the crowed he hoped Pence had the courage to change the vote. However, that is not all that is bad with our republic. Many of our Republican Senators dismissed their duty to uphold the US constitution and possibly dismissed our democracy.

Donald J. Trump

The Republican Senators are messing with our democracy to keep the ring of power on their fingers. We are supposed to be a country of laws with leaders who follow and support those laws. I believe the Lord of the Rings movie demonstrated the craving for power visually. When someone puts on the ring they get very addicted to it’s power as shown in this film. Yes power can be addicting for people that are not grounded. Not impeaching Trump was egregious sin by majority of the Republican Senators. It was an abuse of their power given them by the people. I believe what Trump said at that rally on January 6, 2021 made him guilty of insurrection. Even though this may not meet the legal definition. It showed a screaming red flag that he should never hold office again. However, those Republican Senators that voted to acquitted him are playing with fire because they want the votes. They want that power is my belief. Republicans are looking the other way when it counted most. They seem to be afraid of the Far right, the MEGA types and their religious slant. At least one leader spoke after the vote.

Quote:
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends than that good men should look on and do nothing.”
John Stuart Mill in an address at the University of St. Andrew 1867.

One Senator spoke out about Trump after his acquittal. Senator Mitch McConnell denounced Trumps conduct. It was so unwise for these Senators to do just that. There was no punishment. No keeping Trump from further ambition. Just like what happened to Adolf Hitler when he went to jail for a short time. No real punishment. Hitler was able to write a book while in prison for a failed coup. Just as the Germans didn’t know the real ambitions of Hitler. He was allowed to be active politically. I am sure they didn’t know the threat he would be to their democracy. I am not sure what real threat the MEGA republican party is to our democracy. The problem I have is all these similarities to the Germany occupation are showing up or red flags if you will. They keep popping up and I guess I have been in a hole for so long I didn’t see it until I did research for this blog. Trump claimed victory and labeled his 2nd impeachment as a witch hunt. This just emboldened him to be more defiant. The republicans need to remove Trump, but I fear there will be others just to take his place. The Nazi Germany playbook is well documented I believe and it seem MAGA republicans are following it. In part, I hold the Democratic managers responsible for not calling witnesses at his 2nd Impeachment trial. It was a foolhardy mistake. Trumps speech reminds me of an event in the 1960’s.

Mitch McConnell’s remarks after Impeachment Senate vote

http://www.law.cornell.eduAs you may know President John Kennedy was shot and killed in the 1960‘s. When I have watch news reels of the event. I think about how comical it was of the reporters kept say how Lee Harvey Oswald was guilty, yet they had no film evidence of Lee shooting John F. Kennedy. The press kept saying he was guilty of the killing. Again no film evidence. A few days later Lee Harvey Oswald is covered by all the major networks of the time for his jail transfer. He is in TX police custody walking with detectives and police all around. Out of the right corner of the camera Jack Ruby steps in front of Lee Harvey Oswald with detectives to either side and shoots him several times. Of course all these officers and detectives apprehend Jack and detain him. This is on live TV mind you. Whenever the reporters talked about Jack Ruby they remind the audience that Jack Ruby is innocent until proven guilty. What? Lee is guilty with no film, yet Jack is innocent with film evidence. On January 6th, Trump’s speech is all there recorded and the majority of Republican Senators voted he was innocent. Jack Ruby and Trump are alike. They both did crimes that were recorded. These are the facts and Trump got away because of jury nullification.

http://www.law.cornell.edu

Jury nullification refers to a jury’s knowing and deliberate rejection of the evidence or refusal to apply the law either because the jury wants to send a message about some social issue that is larger than the case itself, or because the result dictated by law is contrary to the jury’s sense of justice, morality, or …

In its strictest sense, jury nullification occurs when a jury returns a Not Guilty verdict even though jurors believe beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant has broken the law.

To me it is beyond a reasonable doubt that the majority of the Republican Senators committed nullification as a body to preserve their desire for power and control of the US government. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”, as the quote goes. Ex president Donald Trump has shown he isn’t a man of great character. He has lied, he has cheated. He called Vladimir Putin a “genius and savvy. That was just incredible, but not unexpected. Trump thinks bullies are all the rage. There is an old saying, “People of the same feather flock together.” Trump is a bully too and he has fooled so many people. Other leaders around the world have fooled many people many times. Maybe not so much in the United States, yet we are a very young country when compared to the other countries. A common theme in our world seems to be that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

“People are people and it doesn’t matter what century they are from.”
Defend that, 1984

Note:
Often drinking the cool aid refers to being a blind believer in someone or something. One example is of John Jones who was a fanatical religious leader who had people follow him in death. They drank poisoned cool aid.

Maybe you know who I am about to talk about from history or maybe you don’t. As humans we have belief systems and we believe in certain people. I believe trust is a pretty big part for followers. My dad was often a very trusting man. He would often trust people he shouldn’t have. I am not sure why he trust people they shouldn’t. I know myself that I have trusted people I shouldn’t. Maybe it is something passed down from generation to generation. Although I believe most if not all people want a leader they can trust. Also, it can be something that the speaker said that resonated with a particular group or person. And people begin to sip the cool aid. He speaks again and more people gulp that cool aid. Eventually if no one is really listening to what is being told or said people will blindly follow and to chug that cool-aid. Well during WW2 the people of Germany were drinking the cool aid from Adolf Hitler. He was a pretty dramatic speaker and had showmanship qualities. Weimar Republic.

The destruction of Democracy- Nazism and the Rise of Hitler

https://www.studynlearn.com/blog/the-destruction-of-democracy/

During Hitler’s time as he gave speeches much like Trump. I have watched some clips and often wonder what he was saying as I don’t speak German. He seems to get the crowds pumped up just like Trump. As I have said people are people. People are fools sometimes. Trump is the same to the American Republicans as Hitler was to the German people at that time. One thing I didn’t know is that Germany was a democracy Hitler took power. There was a suspicious fire at the German Parliament in February of 1933 that allowed him to destroy democracy in Germany. After Hitler indefinitely suspended civic rights like freedom of speech, press and assembly he went after his enemies. He was able to eliminate these liberties because President Hindenburg offer the Chancellorship which was the highest position in the cabinet of ministers. Hitler completed the destruction of democracy by smashing the nations democratic institutions. Like they say about making pottery , “ it has all been done before”, so it is with the kinds of leaders a country can be guided by or dominated by. “ Hindenburg’s advisors convinced him that Hitler must be given the chancellorship to ensure the support of the Nazi Party and a functional government. Despite his distaste for Hitler, Hindenburg made him Chancellor on 30 January, 1933, and gave his Nazi Party two seats in the cabinet.” 1

1 https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/paul-von-hinderburg

Even though President Hindenburg offered the Chancellorship to Hitler, it was Vice chancellor Franz von Papen who thought he could keep Hitler under control. However Hitler built up his political power of the people where von Papen was weakest. von Papen was strong within the establishment, but not with the people. Hitler also used Article 48 of the Weimar Republic. That article states the President can declare a state of emergency in Germany in times of National problems. It allowed him to be a dictator for short periods of time. It seems to me Mitch McConnell is in the same situation as Franz von Papen was in back in January of 1933. McConnell wasn’t able to control Trump either. Plus, our country seems to be under the similar economic circumstances as that of Germany when Hitler took power.

…… (Andrei Tapalaga; the Man who Brought Hitler to Power)

https://historyofyesterday.com/the-man-who-brought-hitler-to-power-85fb3f2b678a

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zsrwjxs/revision/9

Mitch McConnell

As far as political dynamics go I believe Mitch McConnell is much less powerful then Trump. Trump has national political clout where Mitch McConnell only has it in his home state of Kentucky. It sort of looks like we are going down the same road as the Germans did just prior to WW2. Trump has a very strong political support. We are currently in the beginning of a recession and the Germans were in the depression. Republicans are starting to dismantle some Institutions that have been established for a long time. Are these the institution that democracy is built on? As I have done some research for this blog, it is really scary close the way Trump and Hitler do mirror each other in the speeches, political power and how they wreck things. The way to prevent all of this is to get healthy leaders elected. One philosopher developed ideas on political characteristics and leadership skills that are desired.

I have always said, “Politicians don’t fix things, they just claim to.”
Defend that

That philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli who worked from 1469 to 1527. He wrote a book called the Prince. Here are some of the ideas from that book that make for good leaders. He defined virtue as behavior which showing high moral standards (i.e., They are honest, respectful, courageous, forgiving, and kind, for example). Moral standards are those concerned with or relating to human behavior, especially the distinction between good and bad behavior. Moral standards involves the rules people have about the kinds of actions they believe are morally right and morally wrong. …”the medieval Italian philosopher asserted that a good leader: Should be feared rather than loved “if you cannot be both” in order to avoid a revolt. One should have the support of the people because it’s difficult to take action without their support. Should hold good virtues.”- – Machiavelli

https://www.saybrook.edu/unbound/humanizing-machiavelli/

Some thoughts by Aimee Juarez on her blog in the Saybrook forum stated some leadership theories on what that entails. When talking about authentically in her translation of Machiavelli’s principles. She explained the why. It is because believe it or not the man didn’t appreciate dishonesty. She states that “there is no other way to guard yourself against flattery,” Machiavelli wrote, “ then by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you”. Aimee couldn’t have possibly know how our world would change so much in June 29, 2012 when she wrote these words about leadership at that time. In our frail world, USA leadership consists of power grabs for the sake of power- grabbing, leadership will ultimately fall apart. Machiavelli wrote, It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles.” Any leader who focuses solely on the accrual of power is acting disingenuously and, when the people revolt against this behavior, this leader’s employment status may meet a tragic end.

Moral Standard

https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-morals.html

While morals tend to be driven by personal beliefs and values, there are certainly some common morals that most people agree on, such as:
Always tell the truth.
Do not destroy property.
Have courage.
Keep your promises.
Do not cheat.
Treat others as you want to be treated.
Do not judge.
Be dependable.

Ex AG William Burr talks on Trumps lies

https://www.cnn.com/videos/poitics/2022/10/13/bill-barr-donald-trump-2020-election-claims-2022-january-6-hearings-vpx.cnn

These senators from the Republican party did their job on voting to convict then President Donald Trump. These brave men and women showed leadership, courage, determination and most of all they kept their oath of office promises. These are the types of leaders the United States needs:

Senators:
(R) Richard Burr [NC], (R) Bill Cassidy [LA], (R) Lisa Murkowski [Alaska], (R) Mitt Romney [Utah], (R) Ben Sasse [Neb], (R) Pat Toomy [Pa], (R) Susan Collins [Maine].
House of Representatives:
(R) Liz Cheney [Wy], (R) Tom Rice [SC], (R) Dan Newhouse [Wa], (R) Adam Kinzinger [IL], (R) Anthony Gonzalez [OH], (R) Fred Upton [Mi], (R) Jaime Herrera Beutler [Wa], (R) John Katko [NY], (R) David Valadao [Ca]

Again, these are the kinds of leaders we need in the USA. They are the ones with honesty, courage, dependability, keep their word/ promises and they stood by the truth in our time. They knew when it is time to stand up no matter what your party wanted them to do. It is amazing to me that the Republican party dropped support for Liz Cheney for someone who would continue the lies of the president Trump that lost. Liz protected the constitution of the United States and stood up to a Tyrant. That is leadership who speaks their mind and defended the US constitution. She was good for our country as were the others. There in another Philosopher, Scientist and professor of economics who actually talks about Machiavelli. He says that Niccolo made a mistake.

Machiavelli’s Mistake: Why Policies Designed for “wicked Men” fail

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8s2HB1cP-k

Sam Bowles presented a lecture at Yale University and it is titled, “Machiavelli’s mistake: why good laws are no substitute for good citizens. Although, I can’t go into this at the moment. Just that statement make a whole lot of sense to me. Even now as the Republicans and Democrats try to force their beliefs on people of the USA whether it is rescinding a law or writing a new one. They both are trying to write some good law for guiding citizens. In the moral standard most of us know to treat others as we want to be treated.

“Lawgivers make the citizen good by inculcating habits in them, and this is the aim of every lawgiver. If he does not succeed in doing that, his legislation is a failure. It is in this that good constitution differs from a bad one.”
Aristotle Nicomachean ethics (350 BC)

Judaism symbol. Jewish Star of David. Jude Cemetery in Cracow Ghetto. Kazimierz district. Poland. Auschwitz and Holocaust metaphor. Black and white.

In closing, I wish American citizens who will be voting could see where we are headed. The thing is people are people. One can find the same kinds of people no matter what generation your search covers. We have the bad and the good. We haven’t changed all that much, however; technology has changed. I believe a mirror of history has returned to our soil from Nazi Germany of World War 2. Our American counterparts are now in play. These are not people of good character nor are they men and woman of honesty. They are going where the wind blows them. At the end of the day lying is still lying and that is not a good thing. The MAGA hat Republicans are becoming the main stream Republicans which seems to be adopting extremism which has emphasized nationalism and patriotism. It wouldn’t be bad if it was centered and not on the extreme edges of the political spectrum. It makes me think this was the attitudes of the Nazi party and maybe many of them didn’t think it would end up that bad. Maybe they didn’t know? Undoubtedly some people did know I’ll never know, yet I do see things that are the same. The Republican leaders didn’t speak out about the scapegoating of Mexicans, of Muslims and whoever else they included. Scapegoating is what the Nazis did in Germany. Check. Trump was a dynamic speaker, he told lies and he used propaganda. Hitler and the Nazi party did those things too. The party was characterized by extremism and scapegoating. Check. The Untied States of America has weak political parties which includes the Democrats, moderate Republicans, Libertarian and Green parties. All of these parties seem much weaker the those of MAGA republicans. With many of the candidates continue to spread lies initially started by Trump. The stolen election is a lie and always has been. In Germany at the time the older parties couldn’t form a majority government between them. The Nazis blame the economic down turn on the current party or parties. Hitler had determination to follow the law now and try to gain power through elections. Check. In November of 1923, Hitler lead a coup attempt. He only served several short sentences as the authorities probably thought he wasn’t a threat to their Republic. Interesting Trump tried a coup attempt too on January 6, 2021. Trump spent no time in jail so far as the Republican majority Senate voted to acquit his through jury nullification. Check. In Germany 1936, Hitler had Nazi you groups one for boys and girls to indoctrinate them into the way of Nazi though or beliefs. Although Trump’s MAGA party aren’t with children per-say, but there is an organization that is Pro Trump anything and everything called TPUSA. They have contact with 2, 500 High schools and colleges. It is a youth movement just like Hitler. Check. In the end Germany leadership in 1933 and 1934 dismantled the republic of democracy to dictatorship. The elected leaders that can’t be trusted. But that blind following happens in religions all the time. What concerns me is that these followers/ voters are acting just like religious zealots. They have already drank the cool aid and have been lied to for so long. I believe it is in Hitlers book that if you keep feed people the lies they will eventually believe. You just have to keep saying it and saying it. Trump has done that. Check. The propaganda came from newspapers to craft language and imagery carefully to praise Nazi policies and Hitler himself, and to demonize their enemies…. In America, that sounds like FOX news. Check. I am going to vote for the democrats because frankly the republicans can’t be trusted. The republican candidates follow party lines religiously. We need politicians that don’t lie. That don’t continue those lies like Germany of old. Lying is bad. For me voting has always been about choosing between the lesser of two evils. We need leaders of good moral standing. They have now outlawed Roe vs Wade. Where will it stop? Seriously, I don’t want a dictatorship do you?

Quote: First they come for

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out – because I am not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jew, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.
Martin Niemöller – a German Protestant pastor

My political Science 101 class book in the 1980’s had a paragraph that kind of jumped out at me as we were reading. It said something to the effect that people don’t care about laws that don’t affect them. Eventually a law is passed that does affect them, but now it doesn’t affect others, so they don’t care about that law. We needed to vote out bad laws. Martin Niemoller seems to sum that up pretty well in his poem.