A long-time friend of mine suggested that a colleague of his read this blog. I’ve never met him…I don’t know him. But after reading the posts on here, he asked the question “When do we rise up and fight?”.
Revolution: noun/rev·o·lu·tion\ˌre-və-ˈlü-shən
a: a sudden, radical, or complete change
b: a fundamental change in political organization; especially the overthrow or renunciation of one government or ruler and the substitution of another by the governed
c: activity or movement designed to effect fundamental changes in the socioeconomic situation
d: a fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something : a change of paradigm
Now…you’ll noticed I skipped all the definitions Merriam/Webster listed involving the rotation of the planets around the sun, etc. They did not apply.
So…the question at hand is “When do we rise up and fight?”…I contest that we already did and we are currently in the midst of that revolution.
What people remember about the 2016 presidential election of Donald J. Trump is that he soundly defeated his democratic rival by the tally of the Electoral College. That single fact is what seemingly set off (or maybe just intensified) the hyper-radical division of the parties within the United States government as well as We The People. It could be argued that his presidential election was the first shot fired in the revolution. But I feel that those who would argue from that position are somewhat short-sighted.
We the People weren’t revolting against the Democratic party or Liberalism. We were revolting against the status quo, elitist mindset of the entire government. Everyone remembers the Trump victory over Hillary Clinton. Few seem to recall that prior to that he defeated seventeen long-standing conservative politicians in the Republican primaries.
The first salvos of the revolution were fired more than four years ago. The Republican party was the first casualty of the revolution, not the Democrats…although nobody seems to remember that now.
So why does nobody remember that? It’s simple actually…the Republican Party chose to listen to We the People when they spoke. There was a short period of disgruntled rhetoric from the conservative standard bearers during the primaries and directly after the election, but when the smoke cleared from that first volley of fire the conservatives wisely aligned behind the man that We the People had chosen. The liberals chose to circle their wagons and try to unseat the man the American public had chosen…they chose to fight back against the will of We The People.
If you’ve ever spoken politics with me, I’m sure you’ve heard me say that I believe the Republican and Democratic parties of this nation are the two most prevalent examples of Organized Crime the world has ever known. How does the Mafia make their money? Through theft and extortion (taxation) and strong-arming the working class for protection (force)….and if they could find a way to do it, they’d venture into counterfeiting (printing your own money). Overbearing taxation, judicial force and printing as much money as they need to keep themselves happy….Mafia vs. Government….I really don’t see the difference. I think We the People are finally opening their eyes to that and have had all they’re going to take.
I’m convinced Donald Trump won the primaries and general election not on his swagger, his demeanor, his business acumen or his financial standing…but on his willingness to listen to the desires of We The People. There were a lot of chants of “Build the Wall” at his rallies, but the roars that always ring loudest in my mind are the chants of “Lock Her Up” and “Drain the Swamp”. The American people were standing, in mass, with their fists pumping in the air demanding justice and accountability from their government knowing that a political insider would never deliver on such a lofty expectation. So we outsourced the job to a businessman with the balls to walk into our Capital and put forth his best effort to set things straight.
Now…Any combative engagement is measured in gains and losses. In the traditional sense of combat, those gains and losses are much more evident: The struggle to gain and hold land; The loss of life, money and assets; The alignment of allies to increase the gains and overcome the losses.
In this revolution we’ve already seen gains and losses….tangible and intangible. Congressional districts have changed hands. Politicians have switched parties. There have been hundreds of skirmishes already. When you relate what we’ve seen from politics in the last four years to a war, we’ve seen spies, lies, propaganda, rallies and riots….Hell, that center aisle in the House of Representatives could be compared to the 38th Parallel in the Korean War.
Make no mistake, Ladies and Gentlemen, We the People rose to fight back four years ago. You can no longer hear the echo of the first shots, but the fallout is evident all around us. This engagement is different….it isn’t between two countries, two religions, or even two political parties…this is a battle between the working class of this nation and those who have spent a lifetime profiting from their ability to exploit that working class. Even though We the People had to elect a millionaire to be their voice, this is class warfare…plain and simple.
Now….speaking as someone who has seen the best and worst humanity has to offer with his own eyes….I will beg of you…please continue to conduct your warfare at the polls. Learn from this. Grow from this. Don’t merely attempt to be “Open-Minded”…strive to be “Other-Minded”. Try to see things from the perspective of those who think differently than you. Be compassionate to the thoughts and needs of those who differ in perspective from you. Take the time to do the research and back the candidates that best reflect your position on the path this country (as a whole) should take. Consume every bit of information you can gather on the candidates and regardless of party choose the ones who speaks your truths and our collective values.
Chance Favors The Prepared Mind (Louis Pasteur) You don’t have to be the most intelligent, well spoken, educated or best looking person in the room, but you should never let anyone “out-work” you. Spend the time…put the work in..do the research…be “other-oriented” and choose wisely those you think…not feel…but THINK…have the best interest of We the People at heart. That’s the most effective way to prepare for this battle. Information and communication is your ammunition.
Then support those candidates passionately…Hell, back them vehemently. Tell the world what you’ve found in your research because not everyone will digest the information the same way you do. Be vocal…Communicate with each other….BUT…always be respectful of each other.
The initial question, “When do we rise up?” leans toward an expectation of oncoming violence. Now…I don’t fear anything that walks, talks or lives under rocks…and far too many times I have lived a violent existence…I am far from harmless, but I strive to be seek peace in my life. Our propensity to view violence as the solution to a problem that requires neither the shed of blood nor the loss of life to overcome simply baffles me. To lose one human life in this revolution would be a travesty when the task can be accomplished through the electoral process. It will take some time, but don’t let frustration in the process become blood on the hands of the nation. The whole world is always sitting back and watching…waiting for us to falter…waiting for us to be knocked from our “high horse”. Don’t give them that satisfaction. I would much rather lose the TIME it will require to vote this country straight than I would to lose one more human life to political indifference.
I know that’s a long answer to a short question….But the bottom line is: We the People have already risen. There’s no need to join the fight…you’re already waist deep in it.