With the overturn of Roe v Wade and the ruling that the EPA can no longer regulate the environment, we are only beginning to see the effects of a grand plan that has been over half a century in the making. The plan is to turn the clock backwards on America to a time where a minority ruled without bothersome questioning. It is a master class in the sabotage of democracy and it is very close to succeeding. The rising tide of the New Christian Right wants a return to the dark ages. So-named because this period, where Catholicism ruled Europe unchallenged, was indeed among the darkest of days for civilization— The Black Plague included. If you believe that these hyper-partisans have achieved their goal, and the worst is over, you are gravely mistaken.
We could see the desire to return to a simpler day innocently, as the desire to return to childhood. Life seemed better when we were children. Of course it did! Life was easier. For some of us, anyway. But you can’t go backwards in time. The second law of thermodynamics forbids it. And it wasn’t so carefree for many folks, either. The huddled masses of the lower socio-economic classes, or the non-white ethnicities, have a different story to tell about the vaunted 1950s and 60s. Today our country is blossoming with diversity and for many, these are the best days they’ve seen. Even with the still present inequalities, violence and uncertainty, it’s better than a certainty that you are a second (or third) class citizen and there’s no chance you’re ever going to escape “your place”. Einstein showed that in physics, everything is relative to your point of view. That’s true in society as well.
Fear and anger are driving this backward nostalgia. This fear is based mostly on misunderstandings, many of which have been intentionally fostered. But that’s not our biggest problem now. Our problem is that this self-fulfilling juggernaut has broken free of its shackles. The anger, stoked in many people who fear they are about to lose their privilege, is boiling over all around us. One party, the Republican party, is trying to use this force in a last-ditch attempt to advance their power.
A simple check of America’s actual current values shows that few still subscribe to this yearning for medieval times. Because even most Republicans agree there should be some right to an abortion, and a universal right to vote, clean air and water, etc. Who can argue against a continued future? Well, this Republican party, and they will attempt to railroad their agenda, regardless. They are quite forward in admitting their goal is a return to absolute control. Many of their leaders openly flaunt their contempt for democracy. Most of us don’t seek a return to a society where only white men can vote or own property, but for those that do, this coup is a dream come true.
Article II, Section 31, of our Colorado constitution states, “Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.” Once the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Obergefell v Hodges, same sex marriage will become illegal here. Similar land mines have been set up in states across the nation. That’s the plan. Think slavery is settled law? Not if you apply a novel interpretation to the 13th Amendment:
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” -XIII Amendment
So, technically, slavery could be condoned as a punishment for a crime, if the courts were to view it as such. As an economic system, slavery is incredibly profitable (for the owners), disregard the moral issue because the old testament of the Bible not only accepted slavery, but promoted it. It would just take a dark and cynical interpreter to bring it back to life. You’ll find quite a few of them lining up on the far-right fringes of the Republican party.
A woman’s right to vote? Certainly, that is protected and carved into stone. Well, most of us assumed so. That’s why 19th amendment was passed, and it says:
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
As straight forward as that sounds, it didn’t lead to the right of ALL women to vote. Black, immigrant and Indigenous women did not get that right until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. An act that our current Supreme Court has been whittling away at for half a decade. And what if congress were to refuse to enforce this article? These are all issues that are hanging by a thread right now. If the New Christian Right takes power, it doesn’t take a psychic to predict what they’ll do- or in what dishonest manners they will go about it. In order to overturn Roe v Wade, Sam Alito cited 13th century law. And that’s where these folks are headed.
Many Republican candidates across the nation are running on the “Big Steal” platform. The idea that somehow the 2020 election was rigged. They say it was rigged against one man, and one man only. There are candidates here in Colorado, in 2022, running on this very platform. Most of them probably know it’s a lie, or as former US Attorney General Bill Barr called it: “B.S.” They don’t care, the goal is to make enough people question the electoral system, that it might be sidelined entirely by Republican controlled State Legislatures. Because, face it, without a change in attitude, the Republican party is not going to win many elections in the future. And the New Christian Right would then not be able to use the First Amendment’s religious freedom protections to eliminate all other belief systems except their own. The rule of the few over everyone else, that’s the goal. If you can’t win by popularity, try chaos. It just might work.
All of this is occurring while the planet’s environment, our very life support system, is rapidly crumbling. The consumption and waste of our “Good Old Days” has degraded every natural system to the point where many scientists believe that one probable outcome is our extinction. Yet, the Republicans pretend it’s a hoax. The Supreme Court says the Environmental Protection Agency can’t protect the environment. And that gives them a foothold to eliminate other safety regulations nationwide. They use that fear and rage incited into their followers as cover while they work their treachery. Would they delay progress until no one is left standing? Yes, they would.
There’s no end game here, folks. Only the illusory success of a short-term win. They are trying to cook the quarterly earnings report, when the 12 month projection is bankruptcy and ruin. Their philosophy is destitute. If they keep winning, everyone loses.
It would be nice to have a political race with an actual debate of ideas or differences of opinion. But that seems like something else lost in the irretrievable past.