The Attack Fom Within

 

The pages of history are cluttered with stories of collapsed empires, most recently, the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Although each story has unique factors, the one common element is that ultimately each empire collapsed, at least partially,  from within.

Many thoughtful people of today  seriously fear there is a political/ economic movement  afoot which, if successful, could be the beginning of the end for the United States. A strange collaboration of religious, conservative, libertarian, racist, egocentric and xenophobic perspectives has taken control of one of our major political parties. Although this movement represents a minority, it has managed to succeed because it has the support of extremely wealthy individuals and some major corporations and industries. And, as history has shown, a country, kingdom, or an empire can be subjugated by a well-connected minority. Whether such a reversal can occur in this country remains to be seen, but the Republican Party, so long as it kowtows to its radical right wing,  is in danger of destroying our country from within.

Consider the GOP's recent history. Begin with their rush to fight two unfunded wars in the Middle East. Couple that with a tax package that redistributes more of American wealth from the middle class to the extremely wealthy.

More recently this party has attempted to engage in activities that our fore fathers would have considered "Un-American" and definitely dangerous to our future. Listed below (in no particular order) are some of the initiatives the radical Republicans are attempting:

1.   selling off America's public lands to private corporations.
2.   destroying our great system of free public education.
3.   allowing corporations to pollute our air, water, and land.
4.   eliminating a safety net for the old and poor.
5.   bringing the US Congress to a standstill.
6.   fighting to keep out immigrants, especially those of color.
7.   telling our adversaries not to trust our President.
8.   decimating the contract between the government and those who pay into Social Security.
9.   giving control of public airwaves and broadband to monster communication corporations.
10. devising all sorts of ways to keep US citizens from voting.
11. defunding the scientific research that has made the US a world leader.
12. violating the First Amendment and the separation of church and state.
13. blocking federal judicial appointments, creating an historical number of vacancies.
14. idly watching the US become the "world leader"* in child poverty.
15. stacking the Supreme Court with political hacks.

16. shutting down the government.
17. conspiring with Israeli and Iranian extremists (cf. Iranian nuclear talks.)
18. taxing earned income from real work at a higher rate than investment income.
19.stigmatizing women who practice birth control.
20. presiding over the collapse of infrastructure in the name of deficit reduction.
21. underfunding and crippling the Internal Revenue Service.

These activities and/or attempted activities are not only detrimental to the long term success of a vibrant democracy, but are also subversive and seditious.

*among "developed countries."