Author: Harry Herget

Autocracy.  A Plausible Alternative.   The January 6 Capitol insurrection was a blunt force wake-up call for those who believe in the notion of functioning democratic governance. It wasn’t the first or will it be the last time we’ll witness forceful condemnation of a government that’s ceased to be “For the people.”   A government “Of” and “By” the people alone won’t cut it.   George Washington warned us 226 years ago about the dangers of hyper-partisanship; moreover, his prediction of the emergence of a Trump-like demagogue was both unsettling and prescient.   Public approval of Congress is at 18%.  This seems oddly high since Congress fails, over and over again, to act…to do anything that reflects the interests of America’s majority…gun safety, abortion, climate change, health care, infrastructure rebuilding,…etc. All are left wanting in search of representation.   On the flip-side of the political coin, since 1965, a silent but sizable minority of white, conservative Americans has witnessed a move toward socialized, “entitlement” programs they view as unacceptable.   So…What can we do?!   Whether you’re a radical seeking social, economic and political justice or a reactionary threatened by soon becoming a racial minority, Congress doesn’t care. It acts like a moth in an empty closet, moving around and doing nothing.  No political interests from either extreme to the middle are being represented.   Enter autocratic leadership.  ...

Political Comity At a time when George Washington’s “Farewell” declaration to “Friends and Citizens” in 1796 is being realized 226 years later…his prescient forewarning that hyper-partisanship was self-destructive and will cause “unprincipled men” to “subvert the power of the people and usurp for themselves the reins of government”…we are witness to a rare and welcomed sight that reflects the best of partisan cooperation and political comity. Democrats and traditional Republicans can work together. Nothing could be more symbolic of partisan extremes than Rep. Bennie Thompson (D) from Mississippi and Rep. Liz Chaney (R) of Montana. They disagree on just about everything political, i.e., governments’ role in abortion, gun safety, social services, infrastructure funding, tax policy…all the key issues that define the difference between political liberals and conservatives. What they don’t disagree on is the fundamental value of our democracy and the gravity of the oath they took to protect and defend its Constitution. “I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic….” They demonstrate, in no uncertain terms, that when our country is threatened, we the people stand as one. We are all Americans. ### 30...

Suicide By Naïveté Open societies, like America, have a compelling intellectual appeal, but it’s framed in assumptions that are naive and potentially self-destructive. America is slow walking through time wearing a suicide vest that will, at some point, detonate. After being witness to the hate unleashed by our 45th president, I feel like he pulled the pin on our democracy and now it’s just a matter of time — a time certain — before it all explodes. Open societies, by virtue of their Constitutional provenance, are “open” to saboteur’s, criminals, white supremacists, neo-Nazis, racists, even leaders with autocratic tendencies…etc.,…, “open” in the very real sense of being “in harms way”, or “vulnerable”, or “exposed” or “unprotected”, TO ITSELF. You can add “insurgency to injury“ when these nefarious elements lock arms and march together in a planned attempt to take down our democracy. In America, it’s enemies are empowered by the First Amendment, armed with the 2nd Amendment and draped in a justice system that presumes their malevolent intent is tantamount to “innocent”. We are our own worst enemy.  We have sewn the seeds of our own extinction.  Like a snowball, radicalism is growing, military weaponry is proliferating and ALL of this is within the legal boundaries of America’s Constitutional “openness.” This is an example of “Freedom” being another word for “Fascism”…Openness being a gateway to tyranny. The irony is...