A comment more than one Democrat made after the impeachment vote was taken was in the House of Representatives was as illuminating as it was startling and troubling: They mentioned how some of their Republican colleagues expressed fear of voting their consciences. They too wanted to boot tRump out of office but were afraid.
While I knew such fear existed, silly me, I thought the Republican members of Congress from deep red districts were fearful of tRump running someone against them in their next primary and taking their jobs if they voted against him, and to some degree, that’s accurate. But according to a number of Democrats that spoke out the real fear among many of those on the right goes much deeper: They’re in fear for their lives.
Being raised by parents in a black culture where voting is still considered a rock-solid patriotic duty — my ancestors risked life and limb for the right to exercise the franchise — it’s somewhat difficult for me to comprehend how anyone could live in such fear of their neighbors. For an elected official (or anyone else for that matter) to allow themselves to be bullied into abandoning their principles when the vote is called is patently, downright un-American.
If citizens and elected officials of red districts are so fearful of their constituencies, neighbors and so-called friends, they should be joining in the nationwide effort to identify the insurrectionists that stormed the Capitol Building and bring them to justice, if for no other reason than their own personal safety and to preserve their freedom of — that is, if they have the courage to exercise it.
Autocrats and their supporters have, throughout history, used fear and intimidation to stay in power. We’ve heard more than one voice from the right slyly (and in some cases boldly) suggest that if they don’t get the outcome they want, things will turn violent. One congressman said on the House floor that a vote to impeach tRump was akin to throwing gasoline on smoldering embers — in other words, the flames of insurrection could reignite if members dared to impeach a would-be dictator.
The only answer to such attempts at fear-mongering must be: “You traitors go right ahead and do whatever it is you got the guts to do. We’ll be right here waiting.”
To my fellow Americans living under such fear, you really have only two options if you want to call yourselves freedom-loving citizens: Make a stand against the racist mob, or pick up and move to a community where you feel safe. Personally, I can’t envision a third option.
We all know that when the mob is allowed to make the rules and determine the fate of any nation democracy is on its deathbed — in need of life-support. We have to purge every insurrectionist — as well as their sympathizers — from the American body politic, and the sooner we do it the stronger we make our Republic. If we fail in this vital task the attempted insurrection will morph into a long, drawn-out insurgency: A protracted guerrilla civil war.
And you know what that would mean, don’t you? No more Browns football.
