Well, now the Democrat party and their minions are destroying democracy in order to save it by trying to eliminate the competition. We no longer live in the United States of America but in an unrecognizable banana republic. Of course, we have all the trappings of a functioning democracy. We have the theater of campaigns and elections, but no serious effort to ensure the integrity of them; we have those piously prattling on about “the rule of law” while inventing absurd legal theories to indict a former president while covering up the crimes of Joe Biden. Much more could be said along these lines, but I want to indicate two possible dates at which our democracy died.

The first date is Jan. 6, 2021. No, no, no, not because of the so-called insurrection. This was a legitimate protest of a very unusual appearing election, to say the least, immediately after it was declared the most secure election ever and declared beyond the pale to question it. This is what is known as a tell. Nancy Pelosi and others engineered a trap for the J6 protesters by refusing President Trump's request for National Guard troops and by keeping the Capitol Police in the dark by not sharing relevant information. There were many federal agents in the crowd along with Antifa trying to stir up the crowd and finally got a response when they, unprovoked, started firing stun and pepper spray munitions at the assembled people. Some of this was in an enclosed space which naturally would lead to panicked reactions. That is why it has been so hard to get all the footage aired of that day because it cuts against the narrative that democracy almost died except for the heroic efforts of law enforcement. The script was then flipped to where the election was not stolen but that there was an attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. Seriously? No one was armed; how could it possibly happen? But now the protesters were traitors, and many are still denied their rights languishing in the Washington, D.C. jail. Yes, we have political prisoners here. So, what they have told us is that they can steal or rig elections, but we’re the bad guys for complaining. Democracy is dead — hello authoritarianism. QED. However, since the talk about insurrection and trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power is so central to the argument by the authoritarians, maybe we can backdate the death of the republic to Jan. 20, 2017. No, no, no, not because of Trump’s inauguration but because of the refusal of the unelected bureaucracy and party leaders to accept the results of an election. They claimed Russian interference which has been long been proven to be a lie, but they keep lying about Trump and covering up all their misdeeds. But nobody calls them traitors or insurrectionists.

There is only one overarching issue in the 2024 presidential election. It is, are we going to be allowed to choose our candidates, or will they be chosen for us by those who despise us? Despite all the hue and cry about Trump being a fascist, he did not seek to “lock her up” even though it was obvious that Hillary Clinton broke the law. He was far more magnanimous that the Democrats could ever imagine themselves to be. There was so much concern then and in 2020 about not legally going after potential candidates in the presidential race. It would be unprecedented; it would trample on norms. Funny how none of that seems to apply now. If we want a restoration of “our democracy,” let’s let the voters decide without outside interference by lawfare and hold elections that can be trusted and, if not trusted, can be contested without slanderous impugning of motives. Those who decry the polarization of the country but who resist simple transparency and fairness forfeit their fitness to govern. Those who really want to see the country back on track should vote for Donald Trump for president in 2024 whether you like him or not just to send a message that the American people will not allow their choices to be restricted by an unaccountable cabal of political and judicial hacks.

David Parker

Sylva