Civil War?

Here we are again. In 2020 it is hard to believe that we were once a nation divided over the morality of one human being owning another human being for financial gain. It took the blood of over 400,000 Americans to decide that issue. In reality, the core issue was human decency versus human depravity. White Americans had not only convinced themselves that God made them superior beings but southern whites were also convinced that God sanctioned their right to subjugate, humiliate, torture, and exploit the labor of black skinned people. To do this, southern society and slave owners had to first ignore and then outright deny the humanity of slaves. I can’t imagine waking up every morning feeling superior to others and knowing that I was going to exploit and harm others for money. Southerners were able to reject the inherent intelligence, emotions, ambitions, talents, pain and suffering that was visibly evident in the people they enslaved. I am reminded that the human psyche is capable of deep levels of depravity when motivated by self-interest. And we are seeing it again. And once again, God is being utilized to sanction the depravity.

It isn’t enough for me to just shake my head when 74,000 Americans vote for a man to lead our nation who has proven himself to be corrupt, incompetent, unpatriotic, and morally bankrupt. It isn’t enough for me to scream at the television when Trump falsely claims election fraud and his supporters, including lawmakers and right wing media encourage his bullshit lawsuits and bullying. It isn’t enough for me to throw up my hands when white women echo how the election was stolen without one shred of actual evidence other than Trump said it, so it must be true because God put Trump in the White House. It isn’t enough for me to sigh when Trump supporters protest shouting “Stop the Steal” and stupidly contribute $200 million to his war chest. It isn’t enough for me to be disgusted by Trump supporters who issue death threats to election officials who protected the election process and then publicly validate its outcome. But what is enough?

I really wish I had an answer for defenders of human freedom. For now, all I can think to do is write about it and lend financial support to Democrats to fight for control of the Senate through the Georgia senate races. For now, I can like and share the voices on social media like Tic Tok of articulate and passionate individuals who are calling out Trump and Trump supporter bullshit. I especially like DJPJ, M.D, Breakfastrant, and Jeremycradio. For now, I can financially support and highlight political action groups like the Lincoln Project, Black Lives Matter, and Indivisible . I can use my pen, my voice, and my pocketbook. Others have different weapons at their disposal.

The 2020 Civil War is at our doorstep and this time decent freedom-loving humanists (and the courts) are fighting against the depraved reprobate thinking of cowardly Republican leaders, bigoted human beings, uneducated gullible Americans, religious zealots, and greedy media corporations. These people are blatantly craving dictatorial power over our society. They want to return to the oppression of women, people of color, and LGBTQ. At their core is America’s original sin, white supremacy and religious bigotry. And they are willing to do make “America great again” through dictatorship rather than democracy if that is what it takes.

I hope this conflict doesn’t come to more violence than at yesterday’s protest in D.C. where several people were stabbed, but Trump supporters own guns and intimidation and death threats are their normal mode of operation. There are more of us, but how far are we willing to go to preserve our freedoms? I am hopeful that perhaps we can utilize the power of persuasion, the courts, and the vote to bring enough of our fellow Americans back to their senses before it is too late. It didn’t work in 1861 and I’m not entirely certain it will work today. But we’d better do something quick because our democracy and ultimately our freedom depend on it.