Attacks on Democracy in the United States
TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 14 Feb 2022
John Scales Avery, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service
The Republican Party Has Become Irresponsible
11 Feb 2022 – In recent years, and especially since Donald Trump’s term as president, the Republican Party has become irresponsible. Republican Senators and members of the House of Representatives no longer act to promote whatever is best for their country and the planet. Instead they block whatever the Democratic Party tries to achieve.
The Republican Party is aided by Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema who, although the are nominally Democrats, act as destructively as though they were Republicans. Manchin is paid to do this by giant coal corporations, while Sinema gets her blood money from big pharmaceutical firms.
The worst crime of the Republican Party is obstruction of action to prevent catastrophic climate change. Donald Trump referred to climate change as “a hoax” and pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement. Trump’s party continues to echo his denialism and his obstruction of climate action.
Less serious, but still a life-or-death matter is denial of the seriousness of CIVID-19 and the need to combat the pandemic through vaccination. Trump caused several hundred thousand unnecessary deaths by denying the seriousness of COVID-19, and his party continues to echo this doctrine.
White Supremacists Fear Racial Equality
The white population of the United States currently constitutes 61.6 percent of all racial groups. This figure is down from 72.4 percent in 2010. White supremacists fear that if these demographic trends continue, then in a decade or so, white people will become a minority. The Republican Party derives much of its support from this fear. Furthermore, people in the non-white population tend to be poor. If they become a majority, will they not use their voting power to advocate higher taxes for the rich and more social services for the poor? The solution must be to somehow prevent them from voting. For this reason, Republicans have blocked legislation such as HR1 and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which promote equal voting rights for all.
The Far Right Today
The Associated Press gives the following definition of the alt-right movement:
“The `alt-right’ or `alternative right’ is a name currently embraced by some white supremacists and white nationalists to refer to themselves and their ideology, which emphasizes preserving and protecting the white race in the United States in addition to, or over, other traditional conservative positions such as limited government, low taxes and strict law-and-order. The movement has been described as a mix of racism, white nationalism and populism … criticizes `multiculturalism’ and more rights for non-whites, women, Jews, Muslims, gays, immigrants and other minorities. Its members reject the American democratic ideal that all should have equality under the law regardless of creed, gender, ethnic origin or race.”
Another far right organization, the Proud Boys, displays Nazi swastika flags at their meetings.
High Level Complicity in the January 6 Insurrection
Here is a link to an article that discusses why it was so easy for the domestic terrorists of the January 6 insurrection to get into the capitol building:
According to the article, the plans for the January 6 insurrection were very well known in advance to DC security officials, because they were openly discussed online. Nevertheless, no risk evaluation was issued and no preparations were made to defend the capitol building. Orders from the Pentagon disarmed the Washington DC National Guard. The Pentagon also refused for several hours to act on a request by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to employ his state’s National Guard against the insurrectionists.
Donald Trump Is Still a Threat
Donald Trump continues to maintain a strong hold over the Republican Party, and many people fear that he might make a successful run for president in 2024.
To prevent this, it has been suggested that the 14th Amendment should be invoked. The relevant section of this important amendment states that,
“No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”
Trump might also be disqualified if he is successfully prosecuted for tax evasion in New York State.
The Danger of a Civil War
Here is an article discussing this danger.
The number of guns in the United States is remarkably high: 1.3 guns per person! Furthermore, several hundred private militia groups exist, and their number is increasing. They attract radicalized individuals, and they talk openly about armed rebellion. These militias are primarily made up of right-wing young men. These factors contribute to the danger of a new civil war.
My books and articles about global problems can be found on these links:
I hope that you will circulate the links in this article to friends and contacts who might be interested.
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John Scales Avery, Ph.D., who was part of a group that shared the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize for their work in organizing the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, is a member of the TRANSCEND Network and Associate Professor Emeritus at the H.C. Ørsted Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He is chairman of both the Danish National Pugwash Group and the Danish Peace Academy and received his training in theoretical physics and theoretical chemistry at M.I.T., the University of Chicago and the University of London. He is the author of numerous books and articles both on scientific topics and on broader social questions. His most recent books are Information Theory and Evolution and Civilization’s Crisis in the 21st Century (pdf). Website: https://www.johnavery.info/
Tags: Anglo America, US empire, USA
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 14 Feb 2022.
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