The Priceless Gift....continued.

 As we watch the political show unfold towards the November election, it's clear to me that this will not be just another election. In fact, it will be the most pivotal and critical presidential election in modern times, rivaling any that has ever taken place. The reason for this, of course, is because there has never in our history been a mentally aberrant and dangerous candidate on the level of Donald J. Trump.  He's not merely exceptional; he's potentially the man who could destroy American democracy.  And, that is NOT hyperbole.  In recent days he has become increasingly specific about what he intends to do when he is back in the White House, and the list is beyond...way beyond....merely alarming.  It's downright horrifying.

For a deeper understanding of what I am referring to, treat yourself to reading about Project 2025, a plan that has been hatched by largely Steve Bannon and Stephen Millar, two individuals who make my skin crawl as they spew their oh so creepy visions for our future.  Bannon looks like somebody dragged out of an Irish pub at closing time and Miller, no kidding, is uncannily evocative of a man Germans referred to during WWII as 'the Evil Dwarf":  Joseph Goebbles, the Nazi propaganda minister, and the man who, along with Adolf Hitler, codified the rules for succeeding with The Big Lie...rules seemingly followed rather precisely by Orange Jesus as he has insisted, and still insists, that the 2020 election was stolen. He's like some fun house automaton that keeps popping out of a dark corner to repeat his lie, convinced that if you say a lie enough times it magically becomes true. It's horrifying how many Americans have already fallen for this.  I have puzzled over how it's possible for any person with a functional brain to accept this lie...despite the mountains of evidence and over 60 court cases that prove otherwise beyond any doubt.

So, let's be clear: the men, and women, who went out across the globe to fight WWII were fighting for the survival of FREEDOM.  They knew this intellectually when they put on their uniforms, and went through training.  But, for many I have known, it didn't really become crystal clear how stark and critical the battle was until it also became evident how astonishingly evil the Axis powers were.  For many GIs in the European theater of operations this came home with heart-rending clarity when the first concentration camps were discovered.  Sure people had heard about them, well, sort of, but seeing the piles of bodies and the starving shadows of human beings who had barely survived really drove it home.  Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander in Europe, insisted that as many people as possible and especially the officers in his headquarters go and visit camps.  Ike visited a camp called Ordruf and I believe he was affected deeply by that day for the rest of his life. Many GIs who experienced a concentration camp visit, said something afterward like: "Now I know what we've been fighting for."

                                        

Eisenhower at Ohrdruf

The loss of freedom is not something most Americans have grown up thinking, imagining was even possible. If the Idiot has his way and does somehow ooze back into power, he's going to replace most of the entire government with unqualified sycophants whose only qualifications for running the government will be their un-flinching loyalty to his monstrous ego.  They will do exactly as he instructs and the result will be an America that those of us who have been here for many decades will not even recognize.  Right below is a link to a site that does a reasonably good job of explaining the chilling reality of what these people plan to inflict on the rest of us.

https://globalextremism.org/project-2025-the-far-right-playbook-for-american-authoritarianism/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw7-SvBhB6EiwAwYdCAVVF-9bNvIEuP5quA_17FFCdGQC6tWJMqW6JBSW0NEEpURouu6_ClRoCgqAQAvD_BwE 

If this link doesn't work for you, just go to:  www.globalextremism.org  

Most younger Americans, based on what I have seen in the last few decades, are quite unaware of how much their lives would change for the worse if something like the Idiot's plans came to full fruition. My profound hope is that we don't have to go through the hell that my parents' generation did before we realize that Trump and his minions NEED TO BE STOPPED.

And, because we 'libs' are not much inclined to resort to solving our problems with violence, that means we need to rely on getting out the vote. It will not be enough to just go and vote yourself.  We need to convince those around us how critical it is in this moment, how much it will determine what life is like for our kids and grand-kids.