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Do You Have “What It Takes?”
I sit here, at my computer, trying to think how it is possible that people of normal intelligence, with a sufficient education to function in the workplace, are so willing to believe something that is contrary to every bit of evidence available. On November 3rd voters in the United States elected a new president. It took a while to count, and re-count the ballots, but eventually every state certified the counts and the results. The Democratic candidate Joe Biden won the presidency. The current president and his “faithful” followers have filed numerous lawsuits contesting the election results and every one of them have failed to meet even the minimum requirement of evidence. The Republican protesters have not won one single legal battle to suggest that there was any voter fraud that could change the election results. The United States Supreme Court has even refused to hear arguments in the matter, because there was no evidence presented by petitioners to substantiate their claims. Yet, many people, millions of people, still claim that Donald Trump “won” the election. How is this possible?
When I have asked those I have met, who are still convinced that Mr. Trump really won the election to explain why they think that he won, they offer no answer other than – because he did! Because I have yet to get real explanation for discounting reality, I am forced to suppose that at the core of the denial of the election results, is a fundamental distrust of government, a distrust that supports the notion that there are men and women in government who have secretly conspired to “rig” the election away from Mr. Trump. I suppose further, that if it was a “secret conspiracy” then the lack of evidence only supports the “conspiracy theory” as just one big governmental cover-up. Unfortunately, logic and reason do not apply when arguing a conspiracy theory, evidence is not required, and no defense by the accused is considered. This idea finds no support in any moral ethic, Jewish, Christian, or secular. To be caught up into a “conspiracy theory” so completely, to such a scale as this, is to deny Democracy in favor of anarchy.
A point that I think many might miss about our U. S. Constitution, is that the “Bill of Rights” were not a list of rights of citizens, but a recognition of the fundamental right of all persons. Our nation was founded on the idea that we were to be an example to the world; that a nation having as its fundamental purpose the notion of human rights and dignity, that nation would be strong and powerful. A core value for our country, a value that defines our legal system, is the presumption of innocence until “proven” guilty. A person, or group of persons have the moral human right to a “good reputation”, challenges to that reputation demand evidence! To persist in denying the reality of Mr. Biden’s winning the election based on no evidence is to deny the very idea of Democracy, and the rule of law. To persist in the ludicrous claims of a deluded individual, is to deny what really makes America Great – Its commitment to Democracy and the Rule of Law.
Millions of people voted for Donald Trump, hoping for his re-election. Millions are disappointed that he lost the election. These “millions” are faced with the same situation that every “millions of disappointed voters” are faced with after losing an election – “Now what?” In the past, the answer was to get over it and begin to work out solutions to the problems of America and the world. Today, from my limited perspective, it seems only to be motivated to obstruct every attempt by the successful candidate to accomplish anything. This is not American; this is childishness and selfishness. Unfortunately, in government, there are a lot of childish and selfish men and women who want what they want and will not be moved to compromise or enlightenment. (And they even get paid lots of money.) It takes maturity, and self-respect to admit a defeat, yet to continue to work for the good of the whole community. It takes a respect for the democratic process of free and open elections, letting the results be what they are, like them or not; it takes a respect for the rule of law, the necessity of solid evidence, and the human rights of all people and groups of people, to be a genuine American, a genuine Christian. It only takes a closed mind to deny everything. Do you have what it takes?