DO WE FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT WE FIGHT FOR AND AGAINST?

        I've seen a figure that cheers me. 76% of us want to defend democracy.
Well and good, sez I. But then a question follows hard on the heels: how many of us realize the scope of what we fight for and fight against? Absolutely, we need to act locally. We need to run for our local school boards and, once there, stand stalwartly for the teaching of truth. Historical truth and scientific truth. Both change from time to time as new discoveries are made and new perspectives take shape.
We need to have our young people go with the ascertainable facts and question everything else. We need to ground them in a history that is productive (as are nearly all histories) of both pride and shame. We need to give our young people the tools to make sure the shameful parts of our history are not repeated and are redeemed by giving the history of which we deserve to be proud new life.
But we also need to grasp the urgency of this moment and the planetary scope of this war--yes, war--in which we are currently engaged. We need to do all we can to ensure this November sees a Democratic tsunami on all--yes, all--electoral levels! If anything else happens, democracy's future in our country becomes questionable at best and at worst it'll be dead, maybe for the rest of the lives of many of us.
We fight for the emergence of something very new in human history: a multiracial, multiethnic, multi-faith democratic republic! This is something new in human history, folks!! But then, this is the U.S.A.! Haven't we always thought of ourselves as pioneers? Well, fellow-pioneers, here's a new frontier for us to cross! How about it?
There have been multiracial, etc., political units before. Mostly designated as empires, with either one absolute despot at the top or an oligarchy on whatever basis. The most recent examples were the empires of the European Great Powers ruled by European peoples. Racism was at least sort-of built into their working mechanisms as it was built into our own. We have made efforts to dismantle the racism since the 1950s. Our degree of success in this worthy endeavor is debatable, to say the least.
But no such political entity has ever been a democracy even to the extent we still are. We fight for democracy's further expansion; our enemies--yes, I wrote and I mean our enemies--are for scrapping democracy and returning to despotism. I personally believe many of them would like to crown and anoint Orange Julius Caesar (thank you, Joy my dear liege-lady!) as King-Emperor!
Our enemies are hateful people who want all the wealth and power available for themselves and fearful little dinky-johnnied ammosexuals who want themselves to be the only ones with any such power at all!
Need I also mention that the people they want holding all the power are white and male and only white and male?
Finally, while we fight this war locally, the scope of it is global. Many of us already know the extent to which India, Poland, Hungary and the Philippines have been de-democratized. What is less clear to us here is the extent to which even Mother England (and I mean only England, not Scotland) has turned traitor to our heritage of human rights and human dignity! This is something that makes me want to weep and rage as much as when I hear about open racism in Israel and how un-equitable by race our 'justice' system is here in the States!
Eight years ago, when Scotland last voted on whether to break up the UK, I was glad they voted no. As of now, when it comes up again, I will support a breakaway from England and a rejoining of Europe by Scotland. That's how bad it's gotten. O Mother England, can we hear some sane voices from you? Is anyone there seeking to rejuvenate our legacy of freedom and human dignity?
To expand that legacy means that we determine anew that no child shall go to bed hungry, no ill person will be faced with death or bankruptcy and that we will restore our 'banks of nature' so that our children, grandchildren and so forth will have living ecosystems which can support them and their descendants without undue stress. It means real equity in our justice systems and both pride in parts of our histories and a determination to redeem our shameful episodes!
We may have to put our bodies on the line, either with or without arms to fire back at our enemies. One way or another, let us prepare ourselves. Sooner of later, they may start shooting. Let's be ready to win!