SMALL VICTORIES CAN HAVE
ENORMOUS IMPACTS

Someone said, "If you call Trump Hitler, you're calling 80 million Americans who voted for him Nazis" May I respectfully disagree? 

 

I know MANY people who voted for Trump, and none of them are anything close to being a Nazi. 

 

 Some of them are what we would call "THE SALT OF THE EARTH." Good people. Kind people. Often-- even --WISE people. Godly people. Loving people. Just as repulsed by the word Nazi as anyone else--and for the same reasons as you or I might be. So - again - NO. They are not Nazis and no one should think that they are being called Nazis, even "IF" some people call Trump Hitler. TRUMP IS NOT HITLER. He is many other things than that, and "those" are fair game to go after.

Not that I have ever called Trump Hitler, I haven't yet. At least, I don't think I ever have. "IF" I have, then that would be incorrect. AND "IF" I ever did it would be for reasons of my own. 

 

Truth is only 65% of Americans even voted, many because they do not believe their vote has any meaning -- so why bother. This is a cynical and a self-fulfilling hallucination. 

 

Looking at numerous polls since the election it seems Trump only won by about 1.5% over Harris. That is not a landslide by any metric. Some polls say he won by less than 3%. BUT he had less than the "Majority" vote -- not the same as the "popular vote." But he received the lowest popular vote since 1960.

His win came from the electoral college NOT from the American people. This must be remembered. And - winning at these low margins does not constitute either a landslide victory or a "mandate from the people" of any kind. Why? Because MANY VOTED REPUBLICAN, not Trump, per se. Numerous friends said they neither “liked or trusted” Trump. They honestly felt they had no other choice. They were stumped and in a corner. And well, it feels better to vote for the devils you “do” know than for the devils you “don't” know. My own family members told me this. That, too, must be understood. 

 

To vote Republican in order to BLOCK Harris, was NOT a vote pro-Trump.

If we’re smart, we will understand how important that difference actually is. 

 

Not all Trump voters are actually Trump supporters, any more than all Germans under Hitler were Nazis. Yes, we really do need to split hairs here. Why? Because it's just “that” important to an intelligent, helpful, and fair conversation. 

 

What this SMALL VICTORY for the Republicans represents is the enormous effect, and what the consequences are of even small victories. 

 

This is something most Americans fail to grasp, many refuse to acknowledge how important small victories are, and especially those who won’t vote cannot hope to remedy. Yet they are happy to complain and to give the rest of us advice. If they don’t vote—they can’t fix it.

 

My personal view is two fold -- whosoever CHOSE NOT to vote; they do not have the right to complain about the results. They have effectively disqualified themselves, and they let their countrymen down -- on both sides of the isle. 

 

It’s not even accurate to call Trump a Nazi, though he is, by all dictionary definitions, a fascist. That cannot be denied. Like it or not it's true. HOWEVER, he may actually be worse and more dangerous than a mere "Philosophical-fascist." I won't get into that right now, only to say that to allow a capricious autocracy to arise in this nation is an error we must resist—with all our might. We must decry and defy it with everything at our disposal. It’s on our doorstep. 

 

So then -- are all those who voted for him also fascists? NO. No more than to say that all undocumented persons entering the United States are criminals. They are not all criminals, even though they broke the law to get into the US. If breaking a law makes you a “criminal” the even YOU are a “criminal.” The designation “criminal” does not fit—does not justly describe—and it does not work in qualifying what those seeking a better life in this country actually are. 

 

What the majority of them are is descent hardworking people who deserve every bit as much of a chance as anyone else to build a good life for themselves and their families. We can (and must) change our systems to facilitate their arrival. We must FIND ways to let them in. They will be a blessing to America. We need them. THEY are our future & our strength. THAT is what THEY are. 

 

They are “not” our enemies. They will help fight America’s enemies if they are guided into the path of becoming fully naturalized citizens. Their gratitude will compel them to do great things for this nation—just as it has for tens of millions before them.

 

An analogous situation regarding law & criminality would be the era when slavery was the norm in America. There were LAWS forbidding slaves to run away. 

 

Were the slaves who tried to escape criminals for doing so? NO! They were good peope who deserved to be free. But they had to defy the “illegal-laws” that held them in chains. 

 

Why were those laws “illegal?” because "Any ordinance, legal code or requirement that demands something extraordinary, unusual, unnatural, inhumane, or unlawful has no moral authority, and therefore no governmental authority. It is null & void — 

 

Even if, for a season, it is upheld by institutional authorities, it must be revised to be just, humane, and consistent with the dignity of humankind. 

 

Mass deportations are inhumane—even if upheld at present by law enforcers. This cannot and must not succeed. Americans are better and smarter than to allow this to continue unchallenged—uncorrected.

Many laws have been removed from the books for these reasons -- and many more need to go away. What our "Border Laws" show us is that they are antiquated, UNREALISTIC, and harmful, They do not address the needs of our present time -- thus they MUST be revised to be relevant to our realistic needs. Changes WILL come. And THOSE are what will make America truly great again. 

 

So back to the question - "If Trump is a Hitler, are all his supporters Nazis?" That is far too sweeping a corelation (accusation) to describe them all. 

 

Are some fascists? Yes. But they are that because that's what they in & of themselves — by choice — Trump still has nothing to do with that. 

 

It does not instantly make them Fascists simply because they voted for him. And they will tell you so . . . though they may describe it differently . . . their beliefs and practices are fascistic. A simple syllogism would explain these things. 

 

Therefore, one must find another "non-simplistic" way of understanding why millions of Americans voted for Trump. The most common reason I have heard is - fear. Plain and simple. And I believe it.

Fear is one of the most powerful motivations in the world -- and Trump is a master of inciting fear in his audiences. The irony is -- his crowd keep coming back to watch (listen to) that horror story -- over and over again. Why? 

 

America is not divided over "Trump," it's divided because of its fears.

This is so rudimentary… our presuppositions are literally invisible to us. They are inside of us, like the oxygen we breathe. We’ve been conditioned to think in certain ways. This is how cultures actually work.

 

So-what now?

Same thing as always.

Act humanely towards one another.

Turn off the fear-generating machines. Stop listening to fear-mongers who intentionally manipulate information on both sides of these debates. Talk to one another and really LISTEN to one another.-- Don't finish your neighbor's sentences for them. Let them talk freely— let THEM tell “you” what motivates them . . . and openly LISTEN. It WILL take time — so — take the time.

A dialogue is not only possible, it is inevitable.

No one can hold their breath forever.

Breathe. 

 

And -- as you're breathing -- calm down and invite your neighbor into a real conversation. JUST LISTEN TO YOUR NEIGHBOR -- most of them will tell you the truth if they think you actually care. 

 

Trump will NOT be around forever -- but your neighbor will always be in your life. Please -- try not to drive them away. Rather -- do something SUPER RADICAL -- love them.

It will be a small victory -- but it may have an ENORMOUS impact.