The Good, Bad, and Ugly of American Democracy January 2021

The day of and the day after the U.S. presidential electoral count, Thursday, 7th of January. 

 

Yesterday was something else. God rest the souls of those who perished. They were doing something that they believed in. Two women, two men. One death, by bullet of law enforcement, was due to illegal trespassing and some unruliness within a place that the victim broke into. Time will tell how that came about. The other three seemed to be health issues exacerbated by stressful times. Stressful. Yeah.

 

U.S. Congress

 

They stayed up later than me, the congress people of my country. Love it or leave it. I still love it, warts and all. At 2 pm, a bit after I retired (I had naps prior while trying to watch some of the highlights and low lights of the day and night of the 6th) a 63 year-old man from Maryland and a 37 year-old from Texas almost came to fisticuffs, others had to break up the potential blows. Yes, one was Republican and the other Democrat, one apparently accused the other of being a liar. What else would you expect? Two democrats from Chicago or two republicans from Florida?

Tough times. Unusual pressures of the current democratic transition. Not as peaceful as what many wanted. Better heads prevailed in that fight. Better heads will prevail. In God we trust. E pluribus unum.

Some say China and other foreigners are happy with this ugly contention in the United States, that we appear weak to so many "lesser" or "greater" governments. Aren't we, the mighty U.S. of A, supposed to be the best? The strongest, most exemplary Constitutional republic ever?

Are we not the best and the biggest?

Maybe not on either count. Britain, Germany, certainly Norway or New Zealand might be better, Russia is bigger in territory, China and India bigger in population.

Maybe it is just the military and economy, stupid. Or one of those. Perhaps neither. Perhaps we are a bunch of hot air.

Maybe the British are hiding a ton or mega ton of bitcoins, bullion, older Sterling silver pieces, Spanish pesetas, and other treasures of once plundered dynasties and empires. Those crazy English and Scots, and a few assorted Welsh and some Irish-lites (Northerners), and their adopted nationals from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Poland, Ghana, Guadaloupe, and Jamaica, are still taking over the world, always. Sure, the European Union was holding them down. Maybe their royal finances are far beyond what we know. Perhaps the United Kingdom is the richest of them all. Or Germany.

I digress. This is supposed to be about the former colonists on this side of the Pond.

America. The Beautiful.

There was a lot of ugliness yesterday, but I derive some good from the mayhem and craziness. We survived it, the Congressional Senators and representatives weathered it rather well. Law enforcement took some bruises, were largely unprepared. Things took shape in a better fashion soon enough.

Look on, Turkey and China, hell on earth North Korea, and Japan, Russia and Ukraine, Mexico and Brazil. We get things wrong. A lot. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Argentina, Indonesia and Philippines, behold your great big uncle, the States. We can be really ugly. Look how many die in the pandemic! Terrible.

But, we own our mistakes and foibles and tragedies, and we move on.

This is a living, breathing, altering, progressing, more open than not democratic republic, and we care and we cry and we get dirty. We have a lot of good, a lot of bad, and quite a share of ugly. Millions still lie, cheat, and steal to get here.

We show our charms and ugliness, all the time. A big, bad, awful, inspiring, reality show. We live this way, with all the mistakes, because we are indeed great.

There are better and smarter and smoother and more efficient countries out there, but the American people speak, have spoken, and will continue to speak under the rights of the Constitution, law breakers be damned. Freedom of expression and assembly guaranteed, for centuries. Even when stupidly misguided.

Don't tread on me.

Take that, you fringe crazies that break the laws... Scofflaws, outlaws, criminals, vigilantes, and vagrants. Free to be you, until you go too far.

See you on the cameras and the courts, and a few of you behind bars.

Rage on, America. The truth is marching on.