DEMOCRACY: Assault from within

We have come to a time when scandalizing behavior from the highest offices of our nation are rationalized in order to preserve political survival and promote political agendas. This should not be a partisan issue but rather seen as an attack on American democracy itself. Wrong is wrong, regardless of political affiliation.

Disparages, name calling, prevarications, payoffs, dangling of pardons, solicitation of support from hostile nations, calling for the jailing of political opponents, attacking whistle blowers, attacks on the very institutions of government that are designed to protect our nation and our democracy, withholding congressional support to allies … the list goes on and on. Such behavior has never reached such critical ethical deprivation.

The framers of our Constitution made provisions to curb such excesses under Article 2 Section 4 of the Constitution. They understood the natural inclination of rulers to want more power and therefore might be inclined to abuse that power. What they failed to recognize was that those tasked with oversight to curb such excesses would themselves give cover so that they may preserve their own wealth and political power.

We would do well to read German history. They too were once a democracy until that democracy was highjacked by unscrupulous leaders in the 1930s and history sheds light on how that turned out.

If this writer’s concerns align with yours, then reach out to our members of Congress and solicit their support to curtail these abuses.

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

STEPHAN SPEER

Coeur d’Alene