July 2024
This column is intended to answer the biggest political questions of the day. All truth. No holds barred!
What do YOU want to know? (Submit your question to elephantsear.column@gmail.com)
This July we celebrate our 248th year of Independence - from a rigid controlling monarchy.
Our current government may not be a monarchy, but it is putting more and more limits on our lives - and taking away many of our hard-fought (Constitutional) freedoms, one after another.
Question: If you want to turn the greatest Representative Democracy in human history into a dictatorship, what would you do? You might start with the following:
v Attack its governing document – in this case, the U.S. Constitution - and systematically chip away at each of its enumerated Freedoms.
v Systematically, work to pass laws that give increasing authority to a centralized Federal government, in order to weaken States’ Rights, and move toward the imposition of national rule.
v Assure the election of weak leadership – to be controlled by a small highly-organized faction, intent on gaining/keeping power and control – but little else.
v Discredit whatever has been acceptable - and make acceptable that which never was.
Result: We lose everything that made this country special and exceptional (exceptionality being unacceptable, because it is uncontrollable…)
…And here are some of the steps you would take:
· Undermine Safety and Security, i.e. government’s main (only?) job!
o OPEN THE BORDER – and, thereby, eliminate the sovereignty of the U.S. (No border = no nation!)
§ Do not build a wall. Decrease the number of Border officials - and restrict their operations. Do not vet illegal aliens (legal term), or restrict entry in any way. Ignore “got-aways.”
§ After that, force people to pay added taxes to take care of the people coming into the country illegally - supplanting services for those who are legal residents and citizens in need.
§ Allow “illegal aliens” to vote.
· Cause the formerly strongest and most influential nation in the world to become the object of world-wide disrespect and ridicule.
§ Recruit and elect an ineffectual (i.e. controllable) figurehead leader.
§ Adopt policies that ignore the resolve of China, Russia, No. Korea, ISIS, to gain world dominance. Allow the Afghanistan pullout + equivocate on Ukraine and Israel, as just two instances to prove to the world that we are no longer willing to protect our own - or our friends.
o Weaken the country’s defense
§ Appoint loyal, but inept ineffective military leaders, who invariably make bad decisions.
§ Make sure that we are ill-equipped to protect our shores, currency, or economy, by cutting resources to the military, making it unable to maintain a deterrent modern weapons’ supply.
§ Make sure that other countries notice, so that we are constantly confronted with land/sea/air military challenges, that put the country’s sovereignty, national security, commerce, and way of life at risk.
§ Shift the military’s focus to “woke-ness”, and away from preparedness.
§ Reduce recruitment.
o Support “Sanctuary Cities”
§ …and “liberal” (“progressive”) Mayors and DA’s, who prioritize criminal rights over victim rights, tolerate unsafe streets, allow tent living – even on sidewalks in residential areas, and sanction “shooting-up” (i.e. establish/maintain “safe” injection sites).
o Destroy/undercut law enforcement
§ Disparage, and/or defund the police.
§ Focus on “bad actors” in the ranks, to cast doubt on all law enforcement - which will decrease the number of applicants, and further reduce safety/security.
· Increase chaos: Allow (organized) mobs to occupy campuses/streets for a variety of successive (mostly specious) causes, without penalizing anyone for disruption, disorder, or damage.
· Tell police to “stand down”.
o Adopt public policies that favor crime committers and serial perpetrators
§ (To repeat) Replace victim rights with criminal rights.
§ Allow stealing, without penalty - up to $999.
§ Release criminals on their own recognizance, without bail - and with no threat of jail time.
o Outlaw guns – or make it more difficult to get/buy/own/keep them.
§ Condemn, and try to rescind, the Rights of those who follow the law, i.e. licensed gun owners.
§ Ignore the fact that gun “control” is impossible, as long as criminals can steal or make guns.
· Abridge Free Speech – to control thought and actions…
o Institute “acceptable” and “unacceptable” speech.
§ Condemn language allegedly linked to perceptions of discrimination.
§ Define “woke” (acceptable) or “un-woke” (unacceptable) words/phrases.
Note: The Oxford Dictionary defines “Woke” as being an adjective derived from African-American Vernacular English [AAVE] meaning "alert to racial prejudice/discrimination".
§ Alter the definition of past commonly-used descriptors/phrases to create doubt/anxiety among those not aware of, unwilling, or opposed to using new “correct” terminology…e.g.:
- Question the definition of what a “woman” is - to muddle gender.
- Demand recognition of the (countless) “pronouns” of persons choosing how they wish to be described (re gender) - and make it an “abuse” to “misgender” someone.
§ Initiate consequences for those who use “offensive” descriptors, i.e. shame or “Cancel” individuals who do not speak in “acceptable” terms, or who resist being “woke”.
o Create/reinforce a racial and/or partisan divide by describing those who don’t adhere to the new language “rules” as being racist or “white supremacist”, and use terms like “MAGA” as an epithet.
§ Pit people against each other over divisive topics, e.g. race, gender, and, most especially, reproductive rights (over which the government should have NO say!)
o Ban or remove books that do not adhere to “correct” language, terminology, or concept – especially as used in children’s literature – even in works having received acclaim/awards…and, on the contrary, push books that sexualize children, even at a young age, and decry “censorship”.
· Control the media
o Script the “news”, so that every media outlet/channel presents the exact same “acceptable” narratives, using the exact same “politically-correct” language and terminology.
o Disparage non-conforming news outlets that do not use the “acceptable” narrative.
o Do not allow questioning that could put favored officials or policies in a bad light.
· Question Elections/Results
o Do not guarantee or try to control election integrity - so voters become cynical and don’t vote.
o Downplay threats to the safety/privacy of elected officials - to discourage smart/qualified/ experienced folks from running for public office.
o Ignore intimidation and/or harassment of election officials - to scare away and/or discourage workers/volunteers from participating in the running of elections.
o During election “season”: Use partisanship, self-serving agendas, hyperbole, lying, and finger-pointing to turn people off.
§ Example: Make January 6, and all involved, a centerpiece of political strategy, but avoid even the mentioningof 120 deliberately trashed cities.
§ Conduct questionable searches/seizures/arrests/trials of political opponents.
ü Deny speedy trials - for political opponents - and/or incarcerate them, without due process, counsel or even bail.
ü If there is a trial: Do not identify/specify which, if any, crimes have been committed; and/or, do withhold evidence and/or names of witnesses, from the defense team.
· Tolerate/create/worsen inflation
o Allow a soaring National Debt to destabilize the economy, cost of living, and the Middle Class.
§ Grow government – and don’t eliminate outmoded/unneeded/duplicated programs/jobs.
§ Promote taxation of the “rich” – despite their ability to cut jobs, and to avoid paying taxes - by moving their businesses/industries to more favorable less-or-no tax locations.
§ Ensure that Middle Class home ownership, saving money, taking trips, and buying goods is limited or becomes increasingly impossible.
· Blame the U.S. population (not China or India) for scary/unproven changes to weather/climate.
o Shut down the U.S.’ most highly-regulated, clean, abundant, affordable energy sources
o Deplete energy reserves + buy “dirty oil” from enemy nations (Venezuela). Note: If replacing depleted oil reserves, do it at a much higher rate than the cost of buying the earlier energy reserves.
o Restrict the use of air conditioning/heating/lights/technology - while ignoring the fact that electric “everything” requires oil/gas back-up.
o Don’t protect the “grid”, heading us toward brownouts and blackouts.
o Tell us what we can/should eat (after all, cows emit methane!) - and how we should prepare it (e.g. no more gas stoves.)
o Tell us to stop showering and laundering - because we use too much water.
o Try to restrict/eliminate personal transportation in favor of mass transit. Question: If a bus or train doesn’t stop at our dentist’s office, what do we do then?
· Replace R1 Zoning - with “anything goes”…
o Eliminate R-1 zoning and, thereby:
§ Destroy the autonomy of the suburbs and local control;
§ Reduce the supply of single family homes;
§ Ruin the American Dream for the Middle Class.
o Change the definition of what constitutes private property, and determine who can live where:
§ Replace single family dwellings and R-1 zoning with “density housing” – around transportation.
§ Confiscate property (by eminent domain) to build multi-family dwellings – or, for the same purpose, allow developers to buy up neighborhoods/single-family homes.
§ Eliminate restrictions on the number of residents per house.
§ Allow accessory dwelling units (ADU’s) everywhere/anywhere – no permits required!
§ Reduce or do away with apartment parking spaces.
§ Give squatters more rights than homeowners.
o Increase property and other taxes, to support “affordable housing”.
· Undermine Religion (First Amendment)
o Require places of worship to close during a pandemic; focus on religious personnel scandals; give credence and status to non-religious influencers; belittle followers.
o Note: It is estimated that 1/3 of all Americans have stopped attending religious services, including 43% of young people - a 13% decline from pre-COVID.
o This effort appears to be less about diminishing religion, and more about the destabilizing of society, by undercutting its social fabric/guiding principles - i.e. mocking/challenging/attacking its norms, rules, morals, ethics, values, and civility (!) – and replacing Religion with Government.
· Ignore grievances against the government (unless they further your political narrative) – e.g. do not allow testimony, questioning, or confrontation by those protesting “woke” and other policies of public officials/boards, or even cover those in the news.
· Destroy the purpose of public education, i.e. which is to prepare a literate voting public.
o Through threats of withholding funds, foist nationalized policies, and even curricula, on State/local school districts - to undermine the ability of elected Boards of Education to adopt a curriculum that reflects their community’s desired level of knowledge, skills, values, and abilities.
o Replace reading, writing (cursive), and mathematics with the awareness of differences, e.g. re “social justice”, “woke-ism”/ “correct” language usage, and gender questioning.
o In the name of “fairness”, “equity”, or “equality”:
§ Remove competitiveness from classrooms and extra-curricular activities – thereby, destroying the motivation for any student to even want to excel.
§ De-emphasize individual student potential, creativity, and accomplishment - and require generic “sameness” - to wipe out uniqueness, imagination, and inventiveness.
o Encourage the adoption of policies that enable victimhood, rather than self-reliance.
· Undercut/Undermine Parental Rights
o Do not inform parents about discussions being held, or actions being taken by school personnel that affect their children, e.g. with regard to gender. (See new California law…)
o Tell children they do not have to tell their parents about everything/anything they are doing/feeling.
o Arrest/punish parents who complain about not being notified about decisions/actions being taken by school personnel that affect the lives and health of their children.
o Sexualize children at an early age, by introducing them to pornography, and/or exposing them to drag queen performances.
o Arrest/punish parents who complain to their school boards about what is being taught to their children (e.g. CRT, 1619 history, gender fluidity, and sexuality - even in kindergarten.)
· Some added Do’s and Do Not’s for destroying the greatest country in human history…
o Do not address the limited supply chain for necessities, or the outsourcing of manufacturing.
o Do squeeze the health “industry”, so we lose our qualified health professionals, to say nothing of shutting down the country due to a man-made virus and a specious “science” response.
o Do NOT fix the potholes!!!!!
…And, of course, there’s much more…
YOUR LIST:
1.____________________________________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________________________________
3.____________________________________________________________________________
Post Script: Author Sinclair Lewis’ prescient book, It Can’t Happen Here (1935) outlines how it CAN happen here - just as it did in the 1930’s…And, as our government’s actions increasingly mirror the fictional world of that dystopian literary work, it underscores the fact that it CAN happen here. Are WE allowing it?