The perils of the GOP's obsession with "making America great again.

I have never understood the obsession GOP conservatives seem to have with the idea of making "America great again." I use quotation marks here because the very idea seems flawed and ludicrous, both in wording and intent. The phrase implies America has lost its "greatness." I do agree that America's  greatness has been extinguished, somewhat, but for entirely different reasons than those set forth by GOP conservatives.

GOP conservatives and Christian fundamentalists seem to think that America has lost its greatness because they no longer have tight control over what used to be considered cultural norms, and they seem to have an extreme need to return to the structured morality they used to maintain by trying to legislate so-called Christian values. But in doing so, they conveniently ignore the Constitution, especially the 1st Amendment's guaranteed freedoms, and the public will. Both seem to count for nothing in their struggle for power and control. We saw this in the most blatant GOP conservative attempt to overturn the results of the presidential election on January 6, 2021, in total disregard for the rule of law, and their nominee for President has said he will pardon all those convicted of crimes as a result of their actions on that day. That's his brand of morality. His brand of law, not the punishment the courts have set. That is setting aside the rule of law. That alone should be worrisome, since his actions and rhetoric were behind much of what transpired on January 6, 2021. And now the Supreme Court of the United States has basically given him immunity from prosecution for all that, making his actions on that day a moot point. Nevertheless, it's a win for GOP and Christian conservatives and their brand of morality and lawlessness.

Then we have the GOP's obsession with the idea of dissolving the separation of church and state--displaying the ten commandments in public school classrooms along with other public places--while not allowing people with other religious beliefs to display religious items symbolically important to them, in those same places. We also have the GOP's proposed mandate to use public tax dollars to fund Christian schools--while not including other religious schools. Not only do these objectives violate 1st Amendment constitutional guarantees, but they are one-sided, and would not be applied equally, giving Christianity total dominance in the public square, not only in educational settings, but in court houses and government buildings also. As a follower of Jesus and a progressive Christian, I am totally opposed to this kind of action because I feel it is antithetical to constitutional guarantees, and because it's discriminatory. The 1st Amendment guarantees the freedom of religion. That doesn't mean just Christianity. It means freedom to worship or not worship at all, as one chooses. They choose to forget that God gives us each free will to believe or not believe. GOP conservatives do not have the right to change these precepts in a nation supposedly governed by the Constitution, no matter what they would rather mandate.

What has always bothered me about GOP conservatives and Christian fundamentalists is their desire to mandate values, as if those principles are the only ones of consequence. Why is it so important to them to exert such dictatorial power and control, when they are in no way precluded from believing and worshiping as they choose or sending their children to their particular brand of religious schools? No one is saying they cannot worship as they please, but GOP conservatives and the Christian right are saying the rest of us cannot worship as WE please, and have to succumb to their will. To me, that is wrong, unfair, unjust and nothing short of dictatorship, and also goes against what the Bible teaches. It's the same type of power grab Hitler managed in Germany, resulting in the death of millions. Christian fundamentalists and GOP conservatives are not a master race, though most are white, and are indoctrinated fully and completely in the belief their whiteness gives them privileges not available to all people. Yes, the Bible instructs Christians to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. What that means, I believe, is that Christians should share the good news of the love of Jesus. That doesn't mean they're entitled to shove their beliefs or mandate others believe as they do. Sharing is not shoving or mandating. I also believe that if God wanted to mandate all of us believe the same precepts, he could easily of made this happen from the very beginning of creation. But he did not do this. Instead, he gave us each free will to choose our beliefs. Therefore, we have different religions and people of different skin colors and ethnicities, all created by God, and all loved by God. So, why do Christian fundamentalists and conservative Republicans feel they have the right to trump God and force their values and beliefs on all people and presume they have a God-given right to do so? It's nothing short of domination, just as slavery and the creation of a State religion is domination. I see the GOP's efforts, along with those of Christian fundamentalists, as an effort to dominate all aspects of life in the United States. Christian fundamentalists are extremely fond of expounding on their belief that Christins are being persecuted in the United States. I don't see evidence of that in the least. What I do see plenty of evidence of is GOP conservatives and Christian fundamentalists persecuting those who believe differently, those who are LGBTQ, those who are Muslim or who immigrate from certain countries, and those who are of different ethnic groups they perceive as undesirable, and let's not forget the right of a woman to have autonomy over what happens to her body and the right to decide whether or not to have children. More and more, in today's conservative GOP and Christian right, I'm seeing this definition of undesirability applied to anyone who is not white, and anyone who doesn't share their narrow-minded system of beliefs, including the poor, people with disabilities, immigrants, political progressives and progressive Christians. As a person with disabilities and someone who is retired but lives on a fixed income, this is concerning. Many of my Christian brothers and sisters have expressed the idea that the church should take care of people with disabilities. However, I've seen no evidence of the church knocking on our doors asking what they can do for us. With the GOP planning to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, what does that mean for the poor, people with disabilities, and senior citizens? For me, it feels like a declaration that we do not count, that we are considered undesirable and expendable, and I wonder if, as happened in Germany, we will be rounded up and placed in concentration camps where we can more easily be exterminated? Remember, in Hitler's Germany, even wealthy people, people who owned property had it confiscated prior to their removal to death camps.

Some of you may think this is an alarmist view, fear mongering or that this could never happen in the United states. If you think this, I encourage you to read some history and examine the parallels between the Germany of the 1930s and what is currently happening in the United States. Look closely at those parallels with an open mind. It's very easy to personalize a view that these things could never happen to you because you own property, you are educated, you contributed financially and served your church and community for many years, so you are immune. I submit that none of us are immune, especially those of us with progressive views or are people with disabilities. Democracy and freedom of belief and freedom of choice gives us some security and a place in society. Without the rights a strong democracy grants, our standing in society becomes wobbly and weak. Then, the door is wide open for a minority of conservative Republicans and Christian fundamentalists to walk right in and tell people they no longer matter. They can dictate societal values, laws and undermine diversity of thought, lifestyle and action in any way they see fit. This is precisely what Hitler and the Nazis did, over a period of years. So, yes, I believe, without any reservation, whatsoever, this could happen in the United States or any other country in the world, if we do not remain vigilant and guard against it. Part of doing so means staying aware of current events and political ideologies entering the public consciousness, and realizing what harm closed-mindedness and nonacceptance of others and their views can do to society. Without allowing for diversity of thought, we become closed off and susceptible to the rhetoric of wanna be dictators who crave power at any cost. I believe that the GOP has once again endorsed such a wanna be dictator. He didn't succeed during his first term, that's true. But what is also true is that he came close. Proof of that is what nearly happened on January 6, 2021. Fortunately, the rule of law prevailed. We are blessed it held.

Once again, this week, we have conservative Republicans saying they want another try at grabbing absolute power, dictatorship and domination. I say conservative Republicans, but I may be deluding myself that there is any other kind of Republican still viable within the Republican party, today. I haven't seen any concrete evidence of this lately. I wonder if everyone who says they're Republican now has fallen under the spell of what used to be a minority segment within the Republican party? Has the desire for absolute power corrupted conservatives and Christian fundamentalists so completely that they have willingly and deliberately turned off their consciences to discern right and wrong to the extent they accept lies as truth and truth as lies, and believe that their man, a convicted criminal, has been chosen by God to lead them? To me, it appears so.

All is not lost, at least not yet. We can do something about this. We can vote for someone other than Donald Trump and support candidates running for office who embrace diversity of thought and action, who stand for freedom of thought and expression, who stand for religious tolerance for all people, and who embrace the political center, and who want to govern from the center. If we do this, democracy has a chance to survive.

Even with these actions, I believe there is more that needs attention. During the Trump years, there was a mass appointment of federal judges and Supreme Court justices who have chosen not to uphold the rule of law, but to redefine it in such a way as to conform with the agenda of the far right. I believe we need to once again return the rule of law to all three branches of government, Executive, Legislative and Judicial. We can only do this, I think, by imposing term limits on federal judges and US Supreme Court justices. If not that, by expanding the number of US Supreme Court justices to ensure a more equitable political perspective. I'm not a politician and don't have all of the answers, but the solutions are out there if we collectively embrace a political center and avoid extremism.

I'm reminded of a time when running for local, state and federal office was a more open and less costly process for candidates, when running for political office did not require millions of dollars, and political campaigns did not begin again the day after an election. What this means is campaign finance reform and a much much shorter campaign season. I also feel strongly that financial contributions to political candidates need to be limited to a much smaller dollar amount so that no politician can so easily be influenced by those contributions. Personally, I would like to see every candidate for local, state and federal office be given a set amount of tax dollars to finance their campaigns, and totally eliminate private or corporate contributions, though I'm not sure too many politicians would willingly agree to put public interest ahead of personal gain, absent a legislative requirement to do so.

We have become a nation of extremists, in my opinion. Many of us hold extreme views. Many of us are extremely closed minded, and only listen to media that espouses extreme views, and we allow those views to brainwash us. I know this from personal experience. it took the Holy Spirit, speaking directly to me, to free me from the degradation and grip of Christian fundamentalism and restore me to who I had been before such brainwashing. Now, I guard against this by reading news articles from various media outlets, in an effort to parse the truth, which is usually found somewhere in the middle, the center. I pray and ask for discernment. For those who don't pray, truth is often self-evident because it attempts to hide nothing. The other thing I've come to recognize is, there's no perfect political party, just as there are no perfect politicians. What I look for in a candidate is their connection to truth, their degree of openness and transparency, their agenda, whether they embrace diversity and want to serve the totality of their constituency and not just one segment of the voters who may elect them. I also look to their past experience and past actions and whether or not their main motivation is personal gain or public interest. I also look to how they interact with opponents--whether or not they are respectful. How they conduct political rallies. Whether they engage in name calling and/or chants that are meant to denigrate their opponents, personally. Do I require a candidate to support all I value? No! Sometimes the choices are easier than others. But I value open-mindedness, diversity of inclusion, and an over all desire to serve the public and act in the public interest and for the public good.

I also take my civic responsibility very seriously, so I make an effort to stay informed about what's going on in the world, my country, state and locality. i always vote, and I never follow the crowd. If, during an election cycle, a candidate shows me who they really are, underneath their political rhetoric, I remember that and vote accordingly. I try to vote for candidates who seem to care about disability rights, human rights, women's rights, fairness and justice, because I want to live in a world where such things matter for all of us. I hope you will do the same, and throw away extremism and single-issue voter trends and voter apathy, so we can all come together to make this earth a better, more diverse and more inclusive place to live. What it really comes down to is, we often have to be the change, within ourselves, first, in order to bring about change that will benefit everyone.