Conservatives when a Democrat is President: “Impeach him! Attack him! Don’t let him get a single thing passed!”
Conservatives when a Republican is President: “He’s the President so he can do what he wants! Anyone who protests against a president is unamerican!”
I’m just tired of conservatives screaming “You hate America!” when we criticize them or their leaders. And when I say it to them ironically when they criticize our leaders, they always respond “No, I love America and that’s why I am criticizing them!”
Which is exactly why I criticize Trump and his followers. We call out Trump because we do love America and hate to see what he’s done to it.
We have a country founded on the idea that we can criticize our government. The founding fathers even worked that into the First Amendment, which includes not only freedom of speech but freedom of assembly (to stage protests) and freedom to petition the government and therefore criticize it.
And anyone who knows the slightest bit of American history is aware of how presidents have been criticized from the time of George Washington by people who were completely patriotic.
The inability of his supporters to understand this should amaze me …. but it doesn’t.
Part of the problem is that their definition of “America” is pretty much “white, Christian, straight, and conservative” and anyone who isn’t is therefore “anti-American.”
It’s why they are so afraid of immigrants, because in their mind, an America where white people aren’t prominent can’t really be “America.”
Those of us who actually love America and all it stands for believe that it is our diversity, tolerance, and willingness to accept everyone that makes us great.
Our parents and grandparents understood the need for personal sacrifice for the good of the country during World War II. They rationed food and supplies and limited their own personal desires so that everyone would benefit in the end. They understood that selfishness was not an admirable trait, especially when people’s lives were on the line.
Of course, during that time, we had one of the greatest US Presidents, who inspired Americans to do the right thing.
Imagine if we had a President like that now — a leader who could actually help us through a difficult time instead of pretending the problem doesn’t exist, calling it a hoax, and encouraging people to do the exact opposite of what is needed. 
Other countries with inspiring leaders have seen their covid rates drop tremendously, and in some cases, they have even been able to open the country up for sporting events and other public activities. Then there are those leaders like Trump, and, as anyone with a brain could predict, are in the same situation we are here in America.
This dumbing-down of society is not new, and there have always been selfish people — even during WWII there were those who refused to abide by the rules. The difference was that these people were shamed by everyone else, including and especially the leaders of the country. Now we have not just a President who embraces stupidity and the denial of science, but an entire party full of know-nothings who treat ignorance like it’s a virtue.
Until Trump is removed from office and the Democrats can control the Senate, we might as well get used to this virus staying with us long past the time when the rest of the world is out enjoying themselves in public, free from the worry that they could die because some selfish idiot is out there who listens to Republican politicians instead of the scientists and doctors and experts.
The Supreme Court yesterday, in the decision of McGirt v Oklahoma, held that, when trying “[a]ny Indian” in “the Indian country” (as the old treaty stated), Oklahoma did not have jurisdiction and the person would have to be tried in federal court.
That’s it.
Despite sensationalist headlines, this decision did not return land to the natives; it only upheld a treaty that provided that federal law would apply to certain serious crimes.
Jimcy McGirt, who is an enrolled member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, cannot be tried under Oklahoma law for his offenses (which involve serious sexual offenses). He has to be tried in a federal court.
The good news is that it affirmed a treaty that had long been ignored, so it is still a very good decision. The treaty “solemnly guarantied” the land to the tribe, “forever set apart as a home for said Creek Nation,” “no portion [of which] shall ever be embraced or included within … any Territory or State.”
The dissenters, Republican appointees all, basically said, “Yeah, well, we’ve been ignoring that for so long it doesn’t really matter any more” and things along those lines.
Anyway, the point is that the decision did not just hand all that land back, but it did acknowledge that at least in one respect, the treaty should be followed. Hopefully, it will lead to more power given back to the natives in the future.
For a more detailed analysis, click here.
A bit of advice.
Politics starts at the grass roots. Get your people elected at the local level and work your way up, winning state seats and then governorships and senate seats and so on. That’s the only way you’ll be able to actually make a change.
Even if you get a President elected, they’ll have four years fighting against two parties who want to see that President fail, and you’ll accomplish nothing.
“But it’s a protest vote!” Sure, fine, if it makes you feel better, go ahead, but it does no good. No one pays attention to it and in the long run, all it does it take a vote away from some other candidate who could actually accomplish at least some of what you want done.
Of course, this will convince no one. Voting third party is basically a way to feel superior about yourself, because you can’t be corrupted by the political system and you’re voting your morals and blah blah blah.
Those of us who are pragmatic in our lives are more concerned about actually accomplishing things than being able to pat ourselves on the back, and we will continue to try to make a real difference.
Now, if you want to talk about how to change our voting system so that third parties could accomplish things (such as using ranked voting), I’m all in. But until that time, I’m not going to waste my vote.
America is the home of individuality, but too many people interpret that to mean selfishness. They say “The government can’t tell me to wear a mask!” instead of “I should wear a mask in consideration for other people so as not to spread the virus.”
Valuing independence over empathy is no virtue.
ventrellaquest.com 