Saving a Democracy

 It has been difficult to do effective things about climate change under Donald Trump. He has rolled back many critical things.  But it will be impossible if he remains in office.  Notice I did not say wins re-election?   Because that will not happen.  The polls make fairly obvious that the majority of Americans are ready for a new President.   However, as it turns out between our archaic Electoral College system and a whole variety of other provisions for what to do if there is a close election....which it turns out can be badly manipulated....we are in for at least a months ride.   (Example, news story I just saw says Trump intends to declare victory on election night if he is even ahead- at any point-.   This would be his way of then trying to shed doubt upon an actual Biden victory.   Leading to more battling.)  Almost all the scary scenarios wind up in court, winding their way up to the Supreme Court.   If it was not abundantly clear why they were in such a damn hurry to get a 5th Republican seated on the court before the election, it will now be clear.  Why they "coronated" her the night she was voted in.

If you do not know about DefendtheResults.org look it up.  You will need to know about it in the weeks to come.  It is a network of people coming together to non-violently protect the results of the election.  Van Jones said it well in a Ted talk he just gave.  I will accept the results of the vote of the majority of Americans but I will not accept the election being stolen from the American people.  If even attempted to be stolen it would be for the third time in 20 years that a Republican claimed office without the popular vote.   Why is it ok with a party to rule without the consent of the governed?  But more importantly why is it ok with us the governed for someone to claim office by manipulation, vote suppression and just plain old cheating?

Be not confused, if this election is not fairly determined it will be our last election.  The Republican party has had a long game plan which they have played out over 20 years to get to this outcome, and it has included packing state houses, packing courts and overturning voting right protections.  Each building block was so important that they would cheat for those steps too like saying Obama was not entitled to appoint someone in his last year of office - but Trump is in the month before the election.  (12 presidents have previously appointed court justices in the last year of office.) But the census will be used to redraw districts and don't think a Republican run government will draw a map where a Democrat can get elected again?  (this has already to a large extent happened.)   With a party who will not impeach him no matter what he does (rape, tax evasion, consorting with the Russians, money for influence, etc. etc) and with a court that will rubber stamp whatever he does, and with the end of nonpartisan bureaucracy we are already far down the road to an authoritarian regime.   (This month he published rules that will allow him to fire non partisan staff for any reason - thus allowing public service to become a den of loyal cronies - who serve the president - not the country.)   Hitler was originally elected, and by the time his party started to regret his leadership he had already disbanded the legislature and instill fear of any crossing him by brutally destroying any within the government who disagreed with him.  

So what are we to do?  Refuse to accept any result based upon corruption and manipulation.  Do what people in every country that has non-violently over thrown a dictator has done - acccept nothing less than the will of the people.   Dictators have been brought down by a sea of people in yellow surrounding the palace, to people afraid to take to the street because of the brutal military banging pots and pans at the same time every night till the din became so loud that they came out on the streets and then they stayed on the streets.  Research on the over throw of dictators shows it only takes 3.5 percent of the population taking to the streets and staying in the streets- non-violently to over throw a dictator.

One of Trumps tactics has been to try to stop voters mail in ballots that are not in by Nov 3rd.  First by gumming up the post office and then by court cases which the now packed Supreme Court is backing.  This is particularly critical in swing states.   Watch carefully what goes on in AZ, NV, NH, PA, NA and FA support the demands of voters there to have their votes count.   This is after all the definition of democracy that EVERYONE has a voice - not just the  people who we think will help our side win!

I believe there will be a blue ocean.  I believe that Democrats have been coming out in numbers never before seen...because we know we have to change what is happening.  But this is going to require more than voting - this is going to be require activism, an active renewal of a democracy that was won by acts of non-violent resistance to the English- by acts which should the Revolutionaries have lost would have had Washington, Jefferson, the Adams brothers, Paul Revere, etc all hang.

Government - any government whether a democracy, a king or a tyrant, requires the consent of the governed or it becomes impossible.  The withdrawal of consent can look many ways.

When in the Course of Human Events....

This is a blog about earthavism, or climate action.  And yet today I must write about the struggle to save democracy in American because without it, it is unlikely that we will be able to save ourselves from climate change.

As I write the Trump administration has sent secret police to occupy Portland, OR and Seattle, WA (my home for 32 years).   I say secret police because after the episode where he used active duty military to clear the street for him to go across to a church and do a photo opp, the military has pushed back on supporting Trump for purely political reasons or against US citizens.  Finding the military not willing he has basically deputized men allowed to carry guns in other departments who do not actually have police powers or the constitutional right to apprehend citizens.  One is BORTAC, essentially the SWAT team of the border control.  Federal Protective Service Agents of Custom and Border Control have been sent as well - there normal job is security for Federal buildings.  They have no authority outside of Federal Buildings, but as seen on tv they have rental vans in which they have dragged away apprehended protesters without identifying themselves as agents, reading Miranda rights or telling those detained where they are taking them.

All of this violates the 4th amendment and people's right to be free of unreasonable search and seizure. The Trump administration has claimed "rioting" is the reason to need to do this, however, none of the Mayors have asked him to come and some have strenuously asked him not to come.   He is operating off his own agenda.  Albuquerque has not even had protests for several weeks so it is clear that it is really their Mayor speaking out against him that has led to their targeting.  All of the cities invaded by his secret police are blue cities.  Trump knows that he is sinking in the polls and as things currently stand unlikely to win re-election.   However, portraying the country as full of riots and unrest positions him to be the force of stability.  This tactic has worked in the past to draw centerists towards a President in times of chaos.

There are certainly media images of people fighting back against police and scenes with tear gas and chaotic running around.  These images do not distinguish who is creating the chaos.  Nor do they take into account the white supremacist groups who come and do some behavior to provoke the police so the police will attack the protesters.  Both Portland and Seattle city councils and mayors have a certain level of tolerance for protest within their cities - a common and time honored tradition in their cities.  But the Feds have acted to intrude and overturn the careful balance the cities have achieved with their own protestors.  The Feds placed in injunction against Seattle city council's directive to the Seattle police not to tear gas their protesters.   Yesterday I was horrified to see a picture of one of the Mom's from the wall of Mom's in PDX with a dozen bruises the size of a saucer from the rubber bullets that had been reigned on her when she simply stood in a line with arms linked with other Moms.

At bottom we must contend with the fact that US cities are being treated like occupied zones in war.  That our tax payer dollars are being used to tear gas, pepper spray, and shoot US citizens with rubber bullets who are peacefully demonstrating.   When armed right wing "militia" occupied Federal wild preserve in OR Trump did nothing.  But when peaceful protesters come out to protest police brutality in OR which which has been well documented - he has used this as an excuse to invade these cities.

So it would seem that what is at stake is our democracy.   If these protests are used as Trumps excuse to occupy cities that disagree with him, used as an excuse to declare martial law and "postphone" an election, to occupy cities most likely to rise up if he will not accept the election results  then we are indeed at risk of losing our democracy.   In the past year he has clearly established that he holds himself above the law.  Once the Republicans protected him in the impeachment trials he felt clear that he could do as he wished without being held to law.   He acted to fire or attack all of the whistleblowers that had acted against him and each of the 5 cronies who were sentenced for illegal acts to protect him, he pardoned.  People are fired in his White House any time he disagrees with someone or needs a fall guy - loyalty to him is the only criteria for retention.   Throughout his administration he has attacked and undermined a free press.   He repeats lies even after the media has proven the statements lies.  All of these actions are classic moves of dictators as they consolidate their power.

On a melting planet we have no time for resources to be used solely to pet the ego of a man in dementia.  We need the democratic process to arrive at solutions together to address the climate crisis.  We have no more time for climate denial and people who hold office to line their pocket and lie about the truth in order to maintain their power.  So it becomes imperative to act in protection of our democracy.