The Whys. Q1. Why This Blog?
March 19, 2025.
Personal note. Ok, my blood pressure is back under control. I got worked up a bit writing Q1. I try not to do that. My goal is to tell history, cite facts and shed light in a straightforward manner. There was also a lot of me in Q1. I try not to do that, too. From now on, when I do, I will include a note like this one at the start. Spoiler alert. Q2 is the same. The good news is they are atypical and will be the last of I, I, aye aye aye for a while. Plus, they are short.
Q1. Why this blog?
“We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes
and our sacred Honor.”
That is how Thomas Jefferson ended the Declaration of
Independence. Each signer knew that in putting pen to paper he risked everything.
Wow. Would you have taken that pledge? What would it take
for you make that pledge today?
President Trump took office and at once unleashed a barrage
of executive orders and actions, many of dubious legal basis. Congress stood
aside as Trump usurped powers reserved for them. The media, old and new,
focused on the juicy quote du jour.
I was upset because the bigger picture was not getting
enough attention. It was clear that he was launching a full scale coordinated
attack on American Democracy and the global balance of power simultaneously. The
extent of his intentions was underestimated, the damage he was doing unappreciated,
and the unchecked speed with which he was moving irreversible.
Writing was my outlet. Once I had a couple pieces in hand,
the blog became a place to put them. I shared the URL with a few people I know
are interested. There is not much game plan beyond that.
My message? Whatever you imagine Trump and friends are doing,
the reality is bigger, badder, and worser.
I am not arguing issues -- immigration, Ukraine, DEI, you
name it – those are trees. My argument is the forest is on fire.
I think “We the people” is a pretty cool concept and the
Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and
the Declaration are remarkable gifts with which we have been entrusted.
I stand with the guys who 250 years ago overthrew a king and,
a decade later, argued, wrestled, and found common ground to create a new form
of government despite and because of their differences.
Yes, they were guys, privileged white guys. Yes, some owned
slaves, they excluded women, and all were men of means. Yes, some important
issues were unaddressed. But they created a new, tripartite form of government
with bulwarks against tyranny. And they left us the ways and means to make
government represent all Americans.
I will not blame them if we do not do our part.
I believe examining our history enlightens us. Life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness have never come easy. They never will.
It pains me to write that 250 years after they put their
John Hancock on Jefferson’s paper, nothing short of the preservation of
American Democracy is at risk. And harder yet to grasp that for Trump, even King
of America will not be enough.
Ever since the Founding Fathers made that pledge, the entire
world has followed the great American experiment in government by “We the
People.” Over half the countries in today’s UN have declarations of
independence. All but a few of the world’s 192 countries have constitutional
documents. The world is still watching us, and worried.
King Louis XVI was the greatest supporter and financer of
the American Revolution. The Colonies could not have prevailed over the British
without the French Navy’s blockade. Within France he was a reformist. But the ripple
effect of the American Revolution was not kind to kings.
The French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the
Citizen freely acknowledges its inspiration was our American Declaration.
French revolutionaries referred to each other as Citizen. They refused to
recognize Louis’ sovereignty, referring
to him as they referred to each other. King Louis XVI became simply Citizen
Louis Cadet on his way to the guillotine.
In these through the looking glass days, Trump supporters wave
our flag and claim to be the true defenders of America, even as our Democracy
gets taken apart brick by brick to be rebuilt in autocratic fashion.
Why are they doing it? Why is Trump so confrontational,
bombastic, and just plain cruel? And why are we underreacting? Those are future
posts in “The Whys.”
For today though, the question is who am I to write this
blog? Read my About Me. I am nothing special. I am you.
I think we should all reread the Declaration, our Constitution,
and our Bill of Rights. Links are in the Notes.
I write this blog because it is our turn to declare what we
will pledge our lives, fortunes, and sacred honor for.
Notes:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights-transcript
https://www.ushistory.org/gov/2.asp?srsltid=AfmBOopdtjtZm9LjykCJ3EEofXiglzterwMwZGngfmfIsdv7oWPTvHD5
https://www.elysee.fr/en/french-presidency/the-declaration-of-the-rights-of-man-and-of-the-citizen
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/declaration-independence-global-perspective
https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/cpa-iraq/democracy/blaustein.html
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/king-louis-xvi
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