Friday, July 15, 2022

IF AND OR BUT WHY

 As a teacher of language arts, I always emphasized the importance of the structure of language, its role in the ability to write and understand the writings of others as well as the unstated import of words. It is quite often that the little words, those we think do not matter actually represent the meat of the matter. Those little, seemingly inconsequential words - conjunctions, prepositions, the pack of who, what, when, where, why and how - used carefully, even artfully, can change the entire meaning or end result. Not to forget punctuation either. The use and misuse of it can change lives. Check with the lawyers for verification of that.

The major story of the day rolls with those words. When did Trump know? Did he always know? How was his plan to work? But did he truly incite the violence? And did he encourage violence, a goal from the onset of it all? In fact, did he, the demented one often enough absurdly so, actually prove to be a canny madman, along the lines of Hitler and fellow travelers, as he plotted sedition. And on and on and on.

The answers to these questions and more, their import, their connections, the sum of these parts, will carry weight through the years to follow, perhaps for centuries -should we even survive that long! However, for us, the most important consequences will be when all the prepositions and conjunctions, all the adverbs and all the punctuation are in place, the i's dotted and the t's crossed. Then, only then, will the entire, horrid, awful truth of the matter come out. Only then will people realize how close we came to an end to democracy, to the imposition of autocracy upon this nation.

Using the WOD - the word of the day - takeaway - here is the crux of them. When all is said and done, the Jan. 6 Committee will have the choice to either recommend prosecution, the laying on of criminal charges and prosecution of such, or to remain officially shtum - quiet - with a capital Q. Either way, the responsibility to follow through - or not - is upon the shoulders of one man and his inner strength -Attorney General Garland. Already much disturbed and disappointed by his apparent reluctance or is it inability - to follow through, I wonder, I truly do.

Election Fraud.

Obstruction.

Inciting Violence. 

Witness Tampering.

Sedition.

Read those charges again. The proof is there, openly, blatantly, clearly, shockingly. Will those previous willfully blind people, those who refused to impeach and convict the man manifestly guilty of these crimes, will they finally stand up for the truth. Will they finally put Nation over Party? Will they halt their radicalization and return to sanity, or will they further move, strut, down the street of extremism, of racial hatred, of violence and disunity?

Frankly, I am not optimistic. When engaging in conversation with Trump supporters, I get mumbled excuses as to why they have not followed the hearings. Too busy, too tired, waste of time, tired of the whole mess, all evading responsibility of their individual roles in allowing that man into the Oval Office in the first place, allowing him to remain, with all his gross errors and the underlying, very clear goal of substantially and permanently ripping this country apart. 

Furthermore, the blame of it all, the shame, of it all, also clings to those 'dear and near' to him during his administration or misadministration, who KNEW the truth of it all, who witnessed it every damned single day, who remained silent. That is, until they wrote tell all books, all the better to crassly fill their pockets and never mind the disastrous times for this country which they enabled by their silence and cooperation with that man. Or they were forced, legally, to answer questions, to give testimony, as the ugly truth has emerged, filthy piece by piece. As far as I am concerned, they are guilty of accessory before and after the fact. Following orders. Fear. No, they do not work. Many others have been there, tried that, and history said no.

Bottom line, the man is guilty. Here is the best summary I can find. The closing two paragraphs in an essay by Bill Press online this morning.

  " It all boils down to this. After Dec. 14, when the Electoral College certified the election of Joe Biden, Trump engaged in a four-part plan: lying to the American people about election fraud; filing phony claims of fraud in court (he lost 60 out of 61 cases filed); pressuring state officials to send phony electors to Washington; and summoning his supporters to come to Washington on Jan. 6 and prevent Congress from doing its job. Why? To stage a coup. To launch another Civil War. To overthrow the government of the United States and replace it with an illegitimate, unelected government. Above all else, Trump must be charged with sedition.

In order to preserve our democracy, Attorney General Merrick Garland must charge Donald Trump with attempting to overthrow our government. If not, we might as well put back up all the statues of Confederate generals, erect a monument to Robert E. Lee on the Washington Mall, and give the Medal of Honor to Benedict Arnold. Trump’s as big a traitor as all the rest of them. They didn’t get away with treason, and neither should he."

 

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