A Glimmer of Hope

Blog#15- 2/6/20

A GLIMMER OF HOPE
By Richard Davis

When a criminal is acquitted of crimes, not because of innocence but because the legal system failed to do its job, it means that bad behavior has been rewarded. The U.S. Senate impeachment process (fake trial) has been a display of some of the most rotten aspects of a political and legal system in an advanced state of decay.

The criminal-in-chief will now feel emboldened to run roughshod over the rights of anyone who does not agree with him. He has been given carte blanche license to not have to follow any American laws because he knows that the Senate and his supporters have his back.

I see no hope for this country to move in a more sensible, just and humane direction while the newly anointed American dictator is in power. The final straw for me was when he legitimized the work of this country’s equivalent of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda, and elevated him to hero status.

The best we can do is to vote for a new President. That is the only glimmer of hope in these times that will be looked upon by history as “the great American nightmare”. The bad behavior and misguided policies will not be altered, so it means that if we want to see an end to the nightmare we have to show up at the polls in November in record numbers.

This country has one of the lowest voter election participation in the world. That does not bode well for a change in course. Perhaps those of us who want a change in the White House need to start using fear tactics to our advantage instead of constantly being victimized by right wing fearmongers.

Enough of that kind of fear may be able to increase the number of people who vote and that would help to make up for some of the voter suppression efforts that have been going on for years.

There is another level of fear that will not be able to be turned into something positive. If the current President loses the election, or fears he may lose, he may not accept the will of the American people and use his office to seize power to undermine the election, before or after the fact. Starting an all-out war or declaring some sort of national emergency are tools in the toolbox of power hungry and mentally unbalanced dictators.

I am weary and the feeling of impending doom for this country does not seem to be abating. It’s as if a cloud of poison gas is constantly enveloping all aspects of our lives and we are powerless to do anything about it. The only hope seems to be in cutting ourselves off from any news of world events.

But all is not lost. There may be a little bit of bright light after all for those of us who still feel that the world can be changed for the better. We can look to state and local politics and realize that our little corner of the world can act in a way to defy the evil that is being fed by the national political machine.

Statewide and local elections will be taking place this year so we have an opportunity to engage with people who can work for positive change. As the race for Vermont’s Governor unfolds take the time to learn about the candidates. This is where my hope lies for a better future.