Election 2020

  The Pressure Cooker of Freedom A pressure cooker is heating up in American politics. The upcoming election requires critical thought to release the pressure that could otherwise blow up the country. Listening to the speeches at the Democratic National Convention, I was struck by Obama’s emphasis on values. It occurred to me that while much of what was said sounded good, these ideas cannot be fully realized by merely tinkering with the government. Effective governance sets up guardrails that encourage behaviors benefiting the common good. However, good behavior cannot be legislated. True freedom requires us to manage the pressure of our national debt through sound governance. The Obamas and Kamala emphasized hope as the value that sustains freedom. I disagree. While I concur that freedom is our crowning value, it is actually a function of four competing forces: liberty, equality, order, and disorder. Liberty is the mantra of the Republican Party, deeply embedded in our Constituti...

  Violence has been breached as a grassroots political strategy. In the past violence has been initiated by civil rights and patriot leaders. In the future, a person with a cell phone and followers can initiate mob violence with questionable motives. There will be more violence by Republicans and Democrats in the future. Whatever happened to domestic tranquility? #SenateImpeachmentTrial “The Capitol riot revealed a new force in American politics — not merely a mix of right-wing organizations, but a broader mass political movement that has violence at its core and draws strength even from places where Trump supporters are in the minority,” a quote from, "The Atlantic". (These next two paragraphs are from Lisa Lerer @llerer at the NYT.) That force shows little sign of backing down: Two weeks ago, the Homeland Security Department issued a rare terrorism alert warning that violent extremists were emboldened by the attack and motivated by “the presidential transition, as well as o...