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We all know there is a lot of uncertainty in the air. Whether it is about the economy, the COVID Pandemic, or the future of Democracy. Everybody is uncomfortable. Everybody is feeling like their clothes are too tight, like their future is in jeopardy, like they're swimming against the tide. Surely there are some people who are excited about their job, their new home, their new kids and they have no concerns about the fate of our Democracy. They are probably government employees or are benefiting financially from government largess in the form of contracts in high tech industries, or the medical field. They are living in a bubble that our monstrous government bureaucracy has constructed for them. They are fortunate to be on the right side of the tracks at this time in history. They work on the roads and highways, in education, for the healthcare industry or massive software developers, or networking contractors, or in pharmaceuticals, transportation, automotive or energy supply manufacturers, or belong to any one of a thousand unions. They are part of the massive machine that is fed by the Internal Revenue Service. They don't really need to go outside their bubble for sustenance. Then there are those that are running around with their hair on fire claiming that everyone is out to get them. They probably have a record of conflicts with law enforcement or have issues with staying employed. They are the "Imperfect" of as Hillary Clinton called them, the "Deplorables". They are self employed, have long term leases for their small business, or are 100% independent contractors always scrambling for their next meal ticket. They have massive unpaid bills, are under-educated, short on marketable skills and they spend some of their time using guns to rob other people or to hunt or target shoot. They work in dirty jobs, drive trucks and resent authority figures, politicians and communists. They are often very religious and don't like being told what to do. But the Average Joe is getting along, coping with a clash of issues about their job security, dealing with finances, juggling children and their struggles with school regulations and closures. They watch the goal posts being moved every month, as social distancing, masks, rapidly increasing prices in every marketplace and the demands of all of these new rules put them into a constant state of conflict. Does anyone care about constitutional politics anymore? I think there is a war going on and the problem is that few if any of us know about it. We are oblivious to the fact that every aspect of our traditional American open society is under assault. It is a quiet war. It is a stealth war. It is a battle using electronic media as a weapon of mass deception. It has effectively hidden the field of battle behind a cloud of obfuscation. It manipulates the news cycle, it saturation bombs us with entertainment, with political and cultural suspense, and it uses social pressure to draw us into a spider web of mutual intimidation and conformity. The question is, can politics resolve this war? Has any cultural or military war ever ended by political means? If I am right, and there is a war currently being conducted, can we count on the traditional methods of running for office and passing legislation to find a solution and provide a formal settlement? If the war involves one of the most important functions of a free society, and it may have suffered massive damage in the last nationwide election, then we are fighting with one arm tied behind our back. If the voting process has been undermined by the enemy, then they have essentially disarmed us, right? How do we fight back if we aren't willing to use the military or traditional weapons? But I digress… We are not fighting back because we don't even know there is a war being fought! We are standing in line at the grocery store or the movie theater or looking for our seat at the football game, waiting for our next fix of excitement. We are enjoying watching our kids grow up, and watching a new Netflix series. We are being deceived… Have you ever watched a pack of lions stalking their prey? You feel so bad for the helpless little sheep because they have no idea what danger they are in… |
Rick Elkin
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