Normally, I'd like to be pulling an April Fool's prank on my readers. But this year, it's not a joking matter. As I write this, the Orange Snowflake has openly stepped over the line, and attempted to take on powers not granted to his office by the constitution. As of now, we are likely not a land where the rule of law checks and balances the power of a wanna-be authoritarian leader.
Why do I say this?
As I write this entry, the snowflake has claimed the power to revoke ALL of a prior president's pardons. The big question is: what will anyone be able to do about this? He has already asserted that the right to protest against our government's policies is illegal for legally resident aliens, and may result in deportation. Yes, I despise what this protester supports. But he has a right to advocate for a cause if he is legally here.
The snowflake does not care about constitutional limits, as he has the same thirst for power that his authoritarian friends in Russia and North Korea have. But has he noticed anything about their economies? Neither is generating maximum wealth for the people or its leaders. These regimes extract and consume wealth from an economy without generating enough new wealth to replace it. These regimes will eventually self destruct. Does the snowflake want to do that to America?
Do we have grounds for hope?
Strangely enough, we still have grounds for hope. Although GOP leaders know that even MAGAs are against the extreme policies of this administration, they have not cracked under pressure. But they will. They can't run away from their constituents forever, nor can they ignore the wishes of their big corporate donors. Businesses do best during stable times, not when things are in flux. Sadly, things are in a great state of flux today.
Hope can be found in ways to pressure the GOP leadership to change its tune. Emails, written snail mail, and phone calls can be effective tools in getting one's voice heard. One needs to know ALL email addresses, snail mail addresses, and phone numbers where one's complaints can be sent - and these people will eventually get the message.
The chilling thought for all authoritarian leaders is that the public can mount a successful revolt against tyranny. There are more guns than people in America. Most of these guns are in the "Red States". And when MAGA people start seeing that the snowflake and GOP have betrayed them, watch out! I expect that we run the risk of another "French Style" revolution which attacks the elite. Hopefully, revolt will take place via the ballot box, and not with lead. But as Fats Waller once said: "One never knows, do one."
