"Just the Fact's, Ma'am"

 There are facts, and there are opinions. Just because you don’t like the facts, does not make them any less of reality; it just means you are uncomfortable with the facts. Conversely, just because you, or a group you align with, has an opinion that runs counter to facts, it is still only that: an opinion. The late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, U.S. Senator, is given credit for this well-written statement “ Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”

Here’s a fact for you: An unruly mob attempted to overthrow the legally elected government of the United States of America on January 6th, 2021. By definition, this was an act of insurrection. In fact, it fit’s Merriam-Webster’s definition to the letter: an act or instance of revolting against civil authority or an established government. No matter who says it, no matter how high an authority figure they may be, it is not a love-fest when rioters are shouting “Hang Mike Pence” and other such hate. Pardoning those people who committed insurrection against our legally elected government is, in my opinion, unjustified. It makes a lie out of our system of all equal under the law. But this act of pardon is a subject for another article.

Another fact: In the general election held in 2024, convicted felon and former President Donald J. Trump won a second term as President with 49.8% of the popular vote, with the balance being divided up among the other candidates for President. That percentage-49.8%-is not a mandate, not a landslide, it is a plurality. Merriam-Webster again: (3) the greatest number of votes when not a majority.

Got time for one more fact? Russia invaded Ukraine.

Last one for today: Appeasement does not work. See the Munich Agreement, September 1938-when Great Britain, France, Italy and Germany agreed to let A. Hitler “annex” the Sudetenland, a part of Czechoslovakia.

The facts I mentioned above are FACTS, not alternative facts (?) but reality, writ large. I find it amazing, and quite frustrating, when people insist on proving to me the money spent on them for education failed to produce a quality product.

The next three years and 11 months will test the limits of the great experiment known as American Democracy. Our resolve, our determination to live in a free country, where there are checks and balances between the three branches of Government-as outlined in our Constitution-will be put out there for all the world to see. In a time when ultra-nationalist groups are pushing to punish “others”, when Fascists see a glimpse of potential power, when conflicts between democratic and dictatorial types of governments are approaching boiling points, will America stand as a supporter of Democracy?

Will you?

Thank you for reading, as always, your comments are welcome.

R.M. “Bob” Hartman

Of Flags and Patriots

I have noticed, over the past several years, an increase in the number of people displaying an American Flag, be it on their vehicle, house, or even clothing. Certainly, this is not a bad thing at all; we do live in the greatest country on earth, and there is nothing wrong with being proud of one’s country.

When I watched the insurrection on January 6^th, I noted several American Flags. This caused me to thing about the flag, and its meaning and position in events such as this.

The act of waving a flag does not make you a patriot, nor does it make your cause just. When you commit a crime, waving a flag does not make it any less of a crime, nor does it protect you from responsibility for your actions. When you physically assault someone with a pole, having a flag attached to it does not make it legal.

If you are displaying the flag as a symbol of your loyalty “. . . to the Republic for which it stands . . .”, then you should also be mindful of the duty of America’s citizens to be obedient to her Laws and Regulations.

We, as citizens of the United States of America, enjoy certain freedoms which are the envy of the world. We have freedom of the press, and we have the right of peaceful assembly. The right of peaceful assembly does not, by any stretch of the imagination, include the right to violently storm the Capitol whilst shouting “Hang Mike Pence,” regardless of the oration you just heard.

It is exceedingly difficult, nay, impossible for me to understand the word “patriot” being commandeered by people who want to invalidate the very action which defines our democracy-voting.

Using force to attempt to alter the outcome of a free and fair election is not patriotism. Rather, I see it as a sign of cowardice, a desperate act undertaken by individuals who will not accept this single, basic concept-the majority of Americans who voted did not want President Trump to have a second term.    

Calling yourself a patriot and carrying an American Flag while participating in armed insurrection does not change the facts: you are not a patriot saving America, you are a criminal and should be treated as such.

 

Thank you for reading; your comments are appreciated.

 

R. M. “Bob” Hartman