Freedom Is Never Given: What the World Is Reminding America
The people of Brazil, Syria, South Korea and Romania have not given up on human liberty. Have we?
While the United States is poised to defenestrate its 248-year old democracy to usher in a kakistocratic Fourth Reich, around the world people continue to prove that freedom is a universal value, no matter what you call it.
A brief review of recent events in four very different countries.
Brazil
Two weeks ago, the government of Brazil charged its former president, fascist Jair Bolsonaro, for plotting a coup d’état, including conspiracy and trying to tear down one of the largest democracies.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/21/jair-bolsonaro-charged-coup-plot
Two years ago, it was clear Steve Bannon and others on the fascist right were helping Bolsonaro with a coup.
A few months later, they almost succeeded.
Syria
While the benevolence of the rebels in Syria remains to be seen, there can be no doubt that there is a real revolution underway against the 13-year tyranny of Putin-backed genocidal dictator Bashar al-Assad. As the military retreats, there appears to be nothing preventing this rebellion from toppling the government.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cql5r2px4yyo
The city of Aleppo, long turned to rubble by Assad, was liberated by the rebels. Next in line is Homs and finally Damascus.
Of course Assad has been admired by Russian propagandists in America for his entire regime, including the nominee to be Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
South Korea
In one of the most stunning horseshoe turns in recent world history, South Korea’s conservative president Yoon declared martial law, and had the military surround the legislature to enforce his undemocratic seizure of power. The people immediately took to the streets and did a reverse J6, by breaking back into parliament so lawmakers could vote 190-0 to lift martial law. Incredibly it worked.
Importantly, the legislature did not stop there. Yoon is facing an impeachment vote and an investigation for treason, a crime that seems to have been legalized in America.
Romania
Even in a period of history moving so quickly, perhaps most stunning of all, Romania’s democracy had a near death experience as well. A nearly unknown fascist named Călin Georgescu was launched into a surprise victory in the first round of their elections by “aggressive hybrid Russian action.”
https://www.rferl.org/a/romania-russia-election-interference-tiktok/33227010.html
But the Romanian supreme court did the right thing, and annulled the election to prevent the Russians from choosing its president. The vote will be redone to ensure the vote of the people is heard.
America
The news in America, however, is not nearly as encouraging. A full-spectrum Russian hybrid warfare attack has been aimed at three presidential elections in a row.
In 2016, the coup d’état succeeded. In 2020, it came within a few feet of its goal. In 2024, we watched it happen again and rolled over.
The good news is that liberty is still a very popular idea around the world. The bad news is America forgot that to have liberty, you have to keep it.
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Yes, democracy lovers, freedom fighters, and resisters around the world who are standing up to authoritarians continue to be international heroes who should motivate more of us Americans who have it far easier to also resist and demand accountability here for Republicans' unending attacks on us and our democracy! The years-long appeasement and capitulation to horrendous Republican traitors by our Democratic Party's far too weak politicians and leaders — including several strongly-supported and hard-won Democratic Commanders-in-Chief and Presidents who promised they were the very best people to protect us and our Constitution (again promised through their official and sworn oaths of office ( https://www.usa.gov/inauguration ) — who have helped put our country to shame with their lack of justifiably-fierce defense and protection of the public and our government!
As a result, we are now just a dimly-flickering and nearly-snuffed out light representing the efforts and hopes for fair and free world while also representing a quite demolished beacon of democracy. We (including our Commander-in-Chief still in office and military leaders) must all continue to ROAR that light back to life with "Get mad and get even" actions while the smug, gleeful, sociopathic and despotic authoritarians here and their foreign backers and domestic terrorists celebrate and continue and celebrate their ongoing evil propaganda and harm to us, our democracy and our most crucial allies. Those include valiant Ukraine who if they were only properly-armed and supported would be able to help us FULLY stop Russia's Axis who is our number one archenemy with their collaborator nations and diabolically-orchestrated agents, chaos, and corrupt political assets in the U.S. and worldwide whom Russia bribes, blackmails, props up, amplifies and elevates worldwide. "Russia, Russia, Russia" and their Axis of opportunistic China, Middle East power-hungry "religious" fanatics (including Netanyahu!) and all their preyed-upon subservient nations are indeed committing WWIII on us and the world (including with our most corrupt U.S. corporations including fossil fuel companies) even if many in the U.S. are constantly told to not trust and believe their eyes and ears!
For so many YEARS now in this worsening 21st Century and at its precipice, we hard-working Democratic Party supporters, volunteers and voters have DONE OUR PART to help save democracy through thick and thin as is our well-recognized and honorable duty AND as properly asked by Democratic Party leaders and candidates. And yet, whenever we do somehow overpower the treasonous Republican Party and their operatives (as well as some turncoat Democrats who sell out) against great odds, we STILL aren't protected well with the proper use of the often immense power we give Democratic leaders to use and wield across our government institutions including in the Executive Branch to save us and our nation from the now-thoroughly compromised Congress and Supreme Court. Why do they keep failing to recognize and win the ongoing Civil War we are thoroughly in with 20th and 21st Century weapons, not to mention the smoking gun of armed mobs of insurrectionists with their crowd-shoving tactics, pepper sprays, and flagpoles at our U.S. capitol which real patriots within our federal government should have been far better prepared for to stop early on! By continuing to give in far too often across the years when it comes to the top instigators of such attacks and undermining of our government, our Democrats voted into power continue to allow corruption and the worst bad apples to rot the entire barrel of our country. Accountability matters as we keep telling our Democrats and their often-broken promises matter, too. That is why I choose to be an activist and policy advocate pushing those in government to do their jobs in Washington D.C. and our states because we are also critically important to keep speaking truth to power in and outside the bodies of government. Continue to make demands and speak out while electing the most viable people who will best work with us.
The best analogy I can think of right now for the Democrats (and I hope they have finally been hearing all our messages of determined resistance to our democracy's continued fall) is Lucy of the Peanuts cartoon who keeps promising Charlie Brown that he (think of us) will get to kick the football (of corruption out of our field of play as we run mightily toward it and then are yet fooled again as it is withheld from us time and time again)! NO MORE TOLERATION OF "LUCY" AS BILL (who gambled with the presidency as a marital cheater and didn't protect Gore in 2000, etc.), BARACK (who didn't protect democracy enough from 2009-2015) nor JOE (who is surrendering in advance to Russia and his pawns here right now!). Keep demanding that our Democrats be team players who will not keep double-crossing We the Public by pretending hellish situations are always out of THEIR hands when they clearly are and always have been each time we elect them into the White House and they swear their oaths of office!