(from Decorum – Wikipedia)
Think about that title question. Will we preserve our tradition of the peaceful transition of power? Will we maintain the proper precepts of social decorum?
One of the most difficult things any nation ever must do is choose its leadership. Examine the history of the world. This is the subject of the most bloody and catastrophic wars. Thus, one of the marvels of the United States is that every four-eight years we peacefully choose a new president. The winners of the election celebrate. The losers of the election may sulk a bit, but everyone is relieved that the election is over. We don’t have to watch any more presidential campaign advertisements for another four years.
Is the process perfect? Two lifetimes ago, when Abraham Lincoln was elected, we fought a civil war.
We are not at war this year. We are also not at peace. Instead of the losers sulking over their loss, the winners are angry that anyone would dare to challenge their victory. In fact, this article, The Secret Bipartisan Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election | Time, effectively claims that a cabal formed to elect Joe Biden, and that cabal worked to suppress the speech of any who suggested that the election had been stolen. Their excuse? The research of Laura Quinn suggested a way to suppress dangerous lies — toxic content — that might otherwise spread unnoticed.
The most important takeaway from Quinn’s research, however, was that engaging with toxic content only made it worse. “When you get attacked, the instinct is to push back, call it out, say, ‘This isn’t true,’” Quinn says. “But the more engagement something gets, the more the platforms boost it. The algorithm reads that as, ‘Oh, this is popular; people want more of it.’”
The solution, she concluded, was to pressure platforms to enforce their rules, both by removing content or accounts that spread disinformation and by more aggressively policing it in the first place. “The platforms have policies against certain types of malign behavior, but they haven’t been enforcing them,” she says.
The Secret Bipartisan Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election | Time
In our republic, we traditionally consider suppressing what some refer to as “dangerous lies” as censorship. Instead of censoring our political opponents, we debate them. Yet Big Tech even censored President Donald Trump. Using the attack on the Capitol Building as an excuse, Big Tech completely banned Trump from their platforms, and Congress impeached him (see Text – H.Res.24 – 117th Congress (2021-2022): Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. | Congress.gov | Library of Congress).
Deplatforming did not stop with Trump. For example, even though most of the rioters use Facebook for most of the planning for the January 6 attack on the Capitol (see Capitol invaders aided feds with Facebook posts, analysis finds – Washington Times), Big Tech used the attack on the Capitol as an excuse to shut down Parler Status Updates, a small competitor.
What is the primary charge in H.Res.24? Trump supposedly incited people to riot by lying about election fraud. Did Trump incite a riot? Big Tech doesn’t want us to know, but this website apparently still has a link to the speech, President Trump’s FULL Speech, January 6, 2021 – Washington, D.C. (welovetrump.com). Here is the text, Donald Trump Speech “Save America” Rally Transcript January 6 – Rev. Judge for yourself. Is asking for people to peacefully protest the same as inciting a riot?
As Growing evidence Capitol attack was pre-planned undercuts Trump impeachment premise | Just The News attests, the riot was planned long before Trump spoke.
Is anyone guilty of inciting a riot? How about the people mentioned in The Secret Bipartisan Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election | Time? Does anyone think suppressing our First Amendment rights is going to lead to peaceful protests? Are the people who have angrily opposed President Trump appropriate models of public decorum?
Was it inappropriate for Trump to stage a rally on January 6? That is debatable, but the quest for vengeance by his opponents is a despicable, unconstitutional vendetta. To ensure the peaceful transition of power, we have always left those who leave office peacefully in peace. Even though Trump assiduously pursued all legal venues to contest the results of the election, he, nonetheless, left office peacefully.
So, consider the response of Trump’s legal team to the impeachment, Trump: Senate Has No Grounds For Impeachment And Should Acquit (thefederalist.com). Then consider the reply of the House Managers, house_managers_replication_02.08.2021.pdf. Read The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription | National Archives. Where does the Constitution empower the Senate to put a private citizen on trial? Then ask yourself what this about, a show trial? A Kangaroo Court – Definition, Examples, Cases, Processes (legaldictionary.net)? Why?
Look at the executive orders Biden has signed.
- Every executive action Joe Biden has signed — and what they do | US news | The Guardian
- Biden administration to curb ICE deportations of illegal immigrants (nypost.com)
- New Bills in North and South Dakota Would Allow the State to Ignore Executive Orders From Biden (redstate.com)
- AFL-CIO Head Appears Uncomfortable In Axios Interview About Biden And Keystone XL | The Daily Caller
- Mark Levin: The Biden administration is the MOST RADICAL in US history –
- Federal Register :: Document Search
Is it Joe Biden or Donald Trump who needs to be impeached? At least Joe Biden is the president.
Because there was so little concern for following the rules required for election integrity, lots of us think Trump had every right to complain about the election. Is the Senate going to put all of us on trial, or is it using Trump as an example? If our government will not respect the rights of a former president, whose rights are safe?
Prince William-Manassas Family Alliance 
If we continue to accrue conspiracy theorists and radicals in our government, (Think of the rogue representatives in the House of Representatives –(The Trumpites) —and the QAnon quacks), we will see the steady erosion of our government and our way of life as well. We are closer to being a fascist state today than ever and fascist tendencies are rising all over the country.
@John
I am confused by your contention. So I will ask a question, and I will make an observation.
Question: What do you think our government is doing that is fascist, and who do you think is doing it?
Observation: People can believe in conspiracies and still not support fascism. In fact, they can be quite fearful of fascists. Consider this column. => https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/feb/8/marjorie-taylor-greene-makes-her-mark-in-spite-of-/
I don’t know anything about Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, but I remember I once took the idea of flying saucers seriously. We all get some wild ideas, occasionally. So, we have to reexamine what we believe and why all the time.
Bonus observation: I heard of QAnon from Liberals before I heard of it from Conservative. Because QAnon makes a useful straw man, the QAnon conspiracy theory it is more popular with Liberal Democrats than it is with Conservatives.
I think I can condense all your concerns about my post into a simple proposition here, Tom — Our government is all screwed up at every level, has been for some time and will be for some time yet to come. I think that is a conjecture that a lot of people can agree with. “Fasiscm” is nothing but the extremest of right wing extremisms and we just unseated of one of its greatest proponents with the recent election … The problem with that is that now we have to contend with the Leftists who can become just as dangerous to democracy as the rightists.
@John
You are accusing President Trump of fascism without proof. We do have people demanding that others believe unproven assertions. We also have people silencing the voices of their opposition. Trump did not do any of that. He asked for debate.
He fomented an insurrection.
@John
How did he do that?
Have you been following the news? If so, you know. If not, all you know is what some preferred (and probably biased) resource has been telling you. (Or you live the life of a recluse and have no access to information about what is happening in the world.) –How he did it is public record.
@John
With this COVID-19 pandemic, I expect there are lots of recluses with no access to information about what is happening in the world. So, you may find this helpful.
https://familyallianceonline.org/2021/02/11/making-the-case-for-a-reality-czar-the-ultimate-purpose-of-the-second-impeachment-of-donald-trump/
I know! I know! There were German mothers back in the 1930s and 40s who would have made the claim about their sons who went to war for the Third Reich, “The poor dears weren’t responsible for their actions because they were simply following the leading of their Fuhrer.” Same thing, different time.
@John
Seems to work that way, at least for one side. If so called Trump supporters riot, they get the book thrown at them. If people Liberals and Progressives actually encourage to riot get arrested, VP candidate Harris and Biden campaign staffers bail them out.
There is no evidence that I can see of Harris or Biden bailing Leftist rioters out …show me. Make me a believer.
@John
As a Conservative, I would want to disappoint you. Here is my obligatory link to Fox News. => https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bail-fund-backed-by-kamala-harris-and-biden-staffers-bailed-out-alleged-child-abuser
😉
I love it when they use the word, “Alleged,” don’t you, Tom?
@John
Amusing. You asked for proof.
“Proof” has nothing to do with “Alleged.” Nothing is true until proven in a court of law.
@John
😆
I feel the love….LOL
@John
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/09/03/kamala-harris-tweeted-support-bail-fund-money-didnt-just-assist-protestors/
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/biden-staffers-bailout-fund/
https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2020/09/01/kamala-harris-and-biden-staffers-donated-to-bail-out-folks-arrested-during-riots-heres-what-one-of-them-then-did-n253250
https://alphanewsmn.com/minnesota-freedom-fund-bailed-out-37-year-old-man-accused-of-raping-8-year-old-girl/
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/bronsonstocking/2020/09/16/kamala-harris-biden-staff-helped-bail-out-man-accused-of-child-sex-assault-n2576351
https://dailycaller.com/2020/09/16/kamala-harris-minnesota-bail-fund-accused-sexual-assault-child/
https://thefederalist.com/2020/08/31/meet-the-rioting-criminals-kamala-harris-helped-bail-out-of-jail/
Tom,
After reading your post I looked up a list of idioms to try to choose which idiom might best describe the Senate impeachment proceedings and selected this one.
Going on a wild goose chase
Meaning: Doing something that is pointless
As for the rest off the concerns about Bidens actioins to date, , I chose this one.
Speak of the devil
Meaning: When the person you have just been talking about arrives
Sad
Regards and goodwill blogging
https://www.bkacontent.com/40-popular-idioms-and-their-meanings/
@Scatterwisdom
That’s funny!
You are entirely correct when you say that the Senate impeachment trial is a wild goose chase because a significant number of Americans have begun to embrace the idea of using violent means, in lieu of elections, to achieve their political aims … and this president is going to be acquitted, and he is going to be in the background urging his violence-prone supporters to continue their mission of destruction, and in 2024 (If some jurisdiction like New York doesn’t get him convicted on other “alleged” crimes — and I understand they are had at work to do exactly that) then we might see old Trump back in the Oval in 2024 and we can all learn to march in torchlight parades, and say an American equivalent to “Sieg Hiel!”
@John
You are doing what Democrats accuse President Donald Trump of doing, inciting anger with unfounded accusations.
And you are judging me for my political inclinations. I hope you are well qualified both academically and with experience in the field to do that. Otherwise you are pissing in the wind.
@John
I am judging what you said. Since I speak excellent English, I am qualified.
Qualified by ego or qualified because you can speak the language? Sopunds like an attempt to make First Amendment rights a qualifying factor — and I suppose it is in some manner or the other …but if that is the case then the whole thing boils down to individual biases or opinions .. which is also cool with me because that is the basis from which I operate also.
Dear Tom … Let me hook you up with “Cry and Howl.” I believe you both may have a lot of things in common. Check him out at: https://cryandhowl.wordpress.com/?wref=bif