COMMON GROUND

 Comon meaning a shared view or precept that is supported by most people of a society or culture. These common grounds range from holidays and laws to traditions and foundations of society. They are trivial and of utmost importance. Most importantly, they are shared. Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense, his important pamphlet during the time of revolutionary American colonies. In it was the nascent seed of democracy, a huge concept for the time, and a reminder to us of what democracy means, how we achieved it, with its faults and virtues and how it can be lost. Unfortunately, we are treading on quaking grounds, the earth shivering beneath our feet as we endanger that hard fought, hard won, hard maintained democracy. Its survival - questionable. and indeed, a shared concern today.

More and more of the 'thinking' strata of society write, talk, of the imminent danger to the democracy of our country, its very much threatened survival, and the dramatic, possibly never to be returned, loss of America and in fact, the world, as we know it. Proof of pudding? Simply glance through a political map of the world and note where each country is fighting to install, reinstall, or protect democracy vs. the forces allied against it. Scary, far more real than Michael returning each and every Halloween! This is real. This is a substantive life changing event to a degree we apparently, as a society are having difficulty in truly fathoming. Worse? Actually desirous of such a change. Scarier.

Justice Kagan pointed out how high this uncommon ground has penetrated in this country -to the highest level of the judiciary system.

 "On Friday, she had said she was hopeful but reserving judgment on whether a court dominated 6-3 by conservatives can again find “common ground."

The people have lost trust in what should be one of the last bastions of democracy. Not now. No longer. As is constituted today, polluted, its dignity and mission demeaned by the arrogant incompetent, bigoted appointed judges of Trumpian era, the Court will never again be the fore of positive societal change it has been in some revolutionary decisions. Today, forget about it, as these 6 conservative judges buy most heavily into the stiff retrogressive culture thinking now blooming in this country. Their answer to everything appears to be collusion with the forces of their partisan belief and a pronounced partisan influence on decisions made and cases undertaken.

The shared and common ground of American society seems to have split in two. To such a degree that friends and family have been split, and politics is verboten in family and social meetings and in places of business. This is the stifling, chilling, mortal effect of autocracy. Its end version is a physical enforcement of speech control, manifestly not a good thing. In a new reality the more violent, crazed, bigoted, violence the language is, the higher this shameful person is ranked. As a society, we have turned upside down for too long and the time to right ourselves is upon us, has been upon us for some time.

Actually, truthfully, dismally, blood chilling reality - we have already lost the first skirmishes and have gone on to lose bigger battles wherein democracy opponents, under the guise, favoritism, of the GOP, antidemocracy, lie believing and professing acolytes of the Trumpian world have moved into positions where they can - and will- and have changed the path of democracy, rendered our entire voting system a very sad joke. Democracy? With rights to vote, to control one's body, to love and marry one's choice, disappearing in this country, democracy is already disappearing, under heavy life threatening attack.

The end? 

Or not.

The deciding factor?

US!