Sowers: Are we adjusting to reality or adjusting reality?

I enjoyed reading Bill Clemens’ response, “Laying out some facts about Donald Trump,” to the letter by Jeff Hague, “Biden to blame for much of nation’s problems," and another anti-Biden letter by Frank Daniels, “Weak leadership causes death of three service members." It made me reread all those letters, as well as Daniels’ still earlier anti-Biden, anti-Democrat letter, “Who or what is the Democratic Party today?" That letter specifically listed LGBTQ and diversity/equity/inclusion as issues, among others, that bothered him.

I appreciate that some people might be uncomfortable with certain changes in our society as it evolves, but please, let’s “chill out” a little. Some 1,800 years ago, the explosive growth of Christianity surely must have terrorized the Romans and made them uncomfortable, too. Though the western Roman Empire went away, Christianity is still here. Most people adjusted to the changes. Some 500 years ago, Martin Luther came along and ended up giving us a second and very different Christianity. There were wars, persecutions and conflicts before people adjusted, again, and settled down. Today, in (liberal) modern countries, religious tolerance is generally quite high. There are many other examples of social change where people made adjustments. I view that as progress toward a more civilized world.

Now, in contrast to Martin Luther, Donald Trump spoke words and carried out actions to: (1.) undermine democracy by attempting to overthrow the 2020 election; (2.) invent his own “truth” (e.g., saying “Joe Biden stole the election”) or damage truth (e.g., saying “X is fake news!” if he doesn’t like X); (3) claim “absolute immunity” in a continuous effort to expand his powers toward that of a medieval king. Trump did not “adjust” to losing the election. Instead, he “adjusted” the truth about the election.

Trump and the American right wing have put together “Project 2025” as a radical plan to quickly replace our pluralist governance with “unity executive theory” governance (see Wikipedia for details on “Project 2025”). It would be like an American version of how the Soviet Union was ruled by dogma originating from a one-party system. The balance that we have had between Democrats and pre-Trump Republicans over the last 200 years will go away. Law and order based on what is transparent and written with ink on paper will go away and be replaced by blind loyalty to the king’s “whim of the day.” Winks and whispers will enable the surreptitious trade of favors and money. Democracy advocates will have to adjust to a corrupt and opaque dystopia with an untouchable king.

Arthur E. Sowers

Harbeson

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