A Path We Must Not Travel

Posted on by under education, Election 2022, Election 2024, Free Press Issues, History, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Rants, Social commentary, voting rights

I don’t think it is overreacting or hyperbole to tell you, my friends, that this nation is in grave danger of losing most, if not all of the democratic principles on which the nation was founded.  No, I’m not just talking about the former guy and his rambling ego, or the fledgling fools like Boebert, Gaetz and Greene who follow him faithfully with their wagging tongues just waiting to lick his boots on command.  They are a circus act.  But behind the curtain, I truly believe, there are people working to turn this nation away from democracy, away from freedom of such things as religion, press, and speech.

Remember back in May when the CPAC conference was held in Hungary and Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orbán was the keynote speaker?  That threw up red flags for me, especially in light of Orbán’s words …

Viktor Orbán

“We have to take back the institutions in Washington and Brussels. We must find allies in one another and coordinate the movements of our troops. 

Have your own media. It’s the only way to point out the insanity of the progressive left. The problem is that the western media is adjusted to the leftist viewpoint. Those who taught reporters in universities already had progressive leftist principles. 

Of course, the GOP has its media allies but they can’t compete with the mainstream liberal media. My friend, Tucker Carlson is the only one who puts himself out there. His show is the most popular. What does it mean? It means programs like his should be broadcasted day and night. Or as you say 24/7.”

Now fast forward … the next CPAC will take place in Dallas, Texas, on August 4-7.  I don’t know how the hell many of these conventions the ‘Conservatives’ need, but this will be the third one this year.  And guess who’s coming to dinner?  None other than Viktor Orbán.  According to Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union and a nasty piece of work …

“CPAC is proud to host Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The fight against socialism is a global one.”

Matt Schlapp

Mr. Schlapp wouldn’t know socialism from communism from neopolitan ice cream if it schlapped him upside the head!!!  It was he who, during the protests against the murder of George Floyd, claimed that Black Lives Matter was “…hostile to families, capitalism, cops, unborn life and gender.”  I have no idea where he came up with such mumbo-jumbo, but suffice it to show that he is not a nice person, nor is his wife Meredith, both of whom are close allies to the former guy.

But back to Orbán and his invitation to August’s CPAC.  Since coming to power in 2010, Orbán has effectively silenced Hungarian independent media and now controls virtually all of the country’s television, newspaper, and online media outlets.  Within months of becoming prime minister, Orbán had taken control of the judiciary and attacked the few financial institutions not under the control of his far-right Fidesz Party.

So-called conservatives in the U.S. have increasingly fawned over Orbán’s achievements, which in recent years have included an attack on LGBTQ and gender equality—with some measures related to the teaching of gender and sexuality in schools that closely echo the “Don’t Say Gay” bill recently passed in Florida.

In my view, having the May CPAC in Hungary with Orbán as the main speaker, and now having him cross the pond to speak yet again at the August CPAC is chilling.  It tells me that the Republican Party is seeking to install an autocratic government here in the U.S.  It tells me that they will stop at nothing to end the democratic principles that have been the foundation in this nation since 1787.  Stopping them is going to require the Democratic Party to find their backbone, to stop whining, get off their asses, and DO SOMETHING to help ensure voting rights and to make people aware of just what is at stake in November.

Today I see very little unity within the Democratic Party … too much critique and back-stabbing, a lack of unity, is demoralizing for voters at this, the most crucial time in our lifetime.  Yesterday morning I read that the majority of Democrats are not happy with President Biden.  Frankly, their critiques are largely unfair, for he is receiving blame even within his own party for things that are and always have been outside of his control.  But frankly, I don’t give a damn if you like him or not … we need to support him at all costs!  Now, let me put it this way … would you like to have someone just like Viktor Orbán in the Oval Office on January 20th, 2025?  Because if the Democrats don’t get their shit together, that is exactly what we’re going to have.

62 thoughts on “A Path We Must Not Travel”

  1. Do you know, that the conservatives here in Bavaria had powered up Orban, to what he is now? Germany was i need of a state stopping refugees from moving from Greece/ Turkey to Germany. So they’d dealt with Orban, and doing this furthermore. Europe don’t want to help the refugees, neither in there home states (where the European Weapon Industry delivers their goods) nor in European countries. As long as we can’t stop trading weapons, we will not end this game. ;-/ xx Michael

    Liked by 1 person

    • No, my friend, I wasn’t aware of that! Thank you for adding to my knowledge of history. I think greed and lust for power will ensure that we don’t stop trading weapons, that we don’t start concerning ourselves more with the human rights of ALL. I think ‘nationalism’ is a force of evil that keeps the 7.7 billion people on this planet forever divided, rather than working together to preserve life. Sigh. xx

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  4. Pingback: A PATH WE MUST NOT TRAVEL. |jilldennison.com | Ramblings of an Occupy Liberal

  5. Unfortunately most people see Democrat Party policies as hugely damaging to themselves and the country, if polls are to be believed. Also, the messaging, “Don’t say gay,” concerning Florida guidelines for sex education comes off as disingenuous because those guidelines have nothing to do with anything “gay.” People know that so they feel they are being lied to. True or not, it’s what people perceive about the Democrat Party. Thirdly, present messaging about inflation, exorbitant gas prices, rampant crime, illegal immigration, product shortages, is always blaming someone or something else. That makes the Administration look impotent and incompetent. It is no coincidence that the Administration’s messaging czarina has resigned. The Democrat Party deserves better.

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      • Jill, you are great at opening up large cans of worms. People’s concerns for food and fuel are actually concerns about civilization itself because all civilizations stand upon a foundation of food and fuel. Governing regimes that do not have food and fuel as their primary concerns are bound to collapse.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Concerns for food, and to some extent fuel, are definitely serious concerns. However, the people doing the complaining can still afford food and fuel, they just don’t like having to maybe sacrifice a vacation or eat rice instead of steak. The price of fuel is coming down … has been for nigh on a month now. These are temporary price increases and are largely the result of corporate greed … you’ll notice the producers aren’t seeing reduced profits! But to my point … there is a larger, far more long-ranging issue … and I think you’re intelligent enough to realize it. If people focus on the moment at hand, ignoring the bigger picture, they may very well find themselves living under an iron thumb that they will regret for the rest of their lives.

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    • Not exactly true. The loud Republicans may speak with one voice, but more and more dissenters are starting to speak up, those who do not want to see an autocracy. Listen carefully. There are cracks showing in the Republican Party that are threatening to tear it apart too.
      The Democrats need to exploit those cracks! But can they?
      As for political systems, Americans need to learn: SOCIALISM IS NOT A FOUR LETTER WORD! Yeah, I know the brainwashing that has been going on since probably the 30s, but Socialism is not Communism. Properly run, Socialism is State Capitalism. Instead of all the wealth going to the wealthy cspitalist owners, the wealth is redistributed back to the people. What could be better than having no poor in a nation? Why does the USA have the highest crime rates in the world? Because the gap between poor and wealthy is greater than in any other country. When people cannot make ends meet by normal processes, they turn to crime to take a chance of getting money quickly. And since they canmot take it directly from the wealthy, they try to take it from those just a bit better off than they.
      Instead of democracy creating a classless society, the USA has created the widest-gap classes in the history of humankind. You have the Ultra-Poor, the Medium-Poor, the Poverty-Line Poor, the Just-Above-the-Poverty-Line Class, the Mediocre-Okay Class, the Jones Class, the Poor Rich, the Medium Rich, the Wealthy, and the Super-Wealthy. Never has a nation had so many classes! But few look at things that way. With ingenuity and hard work you are told you can climb that ladder. But when you don’t get the education, and your hard work does not get you better pay, you cannot climb the ladder. It’s all a farce perpetrated on us by the wealthy classes. Wealth is a very-hard to get privilege, and those so privileged do not want new members.
      Sorry for ranting off topic, Jill. But I guess it was time…

      Liked by 3 people

    • There is always a reblog button on my posts, Nan. Question … what browser do you use? I have found that on some blogs, if I’m using Opera I won’t see the reblog button, but it will show up just fine on Firefox or Chrome. Feel free to share any of my work in whatever way you can, even if it’s copy & paste into your own blog. I appreciate you sharing !!!!

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    • Today I read something by Kevin McCarthy about all the ‘investigations’ the Republicans plan to launch “when” they take control of the House. They are planning to investigate Nancy Pelosi, investigate the January 6th committee, and I don’t even remember who/what else. All the more reason to do our damnedest to ensure they do NOT gain a majority in EITHER chamber of Congress in November!

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  10. At least your Constitution means you won’t have Ortban as President in case he fancies moving up .It strikes me that in Hungary memories must be short, what about Sándor Bauer on 20th Jan 1969 who set fire to himself in protest of Russian occupation or Márton Moyses who did the same 13th Feb 1970. Hungary is an occupied country Even if they don’t seem to notice. No Free Press Controlled TV, No viable opposition. America is ready to fling itself down that same road.and may even find itself with Gun suppression never imagined by the Democrats as all regimes like that fear armed rebellion. The minority of Americans who want this type of Government will find they don’t as the rules will apply to them too.
    Wake up Democrats and shake off the lethargy. You must stop the progression into Autocracy and restore the Democratic principles of your forefathers.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Agreed.
      But there was the 1956 uprising.
      The Hungarians even in the 1960s and 1970s were very touchy about that.
      There was a joke Russian trade delegates on the old Comecon used to tell each other, as something a warning to new russian delegates:
      ‘When dealing with The Hungarians, you can mention any figure you like for a negotiation starting point…..except for 56,’
      Any then there was the Horthy Era – that didn’t end so well, when the going got tough.
      Ortban might think he has a tight grip. It might seem he has a tight grip
      For now.
      Nothing is certain in politics.

      Liked by 3 people

    • No, we won’t have Orbán, but it is quite possible, I think, that what we will end up with could be just as bad or even worse. Hmmmmm … maybe that’s the way I can make my voice heard and get my point across to the masses who seem to be blind — self immolation!

      I suppose that, without access to any but state media, the people of Hungary don’t even realize just how few rights they actually have. People here … as long as the price of gas and food are low, as long as they don’t have to make any sacrifices or adjustments in their daily lives, they don’t see to care about the bigger picture, the long-term. Yes, one day they will wake up and realize what they have wrought, but by then it will be too late. Suffice it to say that I’m glad I’m old, but I do worry for Chris & Goose.

      Cwtch

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      • With good cause, I hope that damage can be repaired while we’re still here. The people of Hungary have suffered foreign occupation enough now to recognise when their freedoms are missing.
        cwtch.

        Liked by 1 person

        • True, but over time people get used to “the way things are” and it becomes the ‘norm’. Like you, I hope we can repair the damage sooner than later, but the poison seems to be spreading. I’m not sure anybody knows where to start fixing the problems. Sigh.
          Cwtch

          Liked by 1 person

  11. Jill, as we have discussed many times, Republican presidents would not attend CPAC meetings as they were seen to be too extreme. That is until we voted in a president who tapped the extreme by the name of Donald J. Trump. Truth be told, tapping the extremists has been needed for several years in the GOP as the future demographics do not favor them. So, the business leaders who support the party to serve their interests, need to placate the extremists in the party to facilitate their needs. The part they fail to realize is they become culpable in the demise of the party and our country.

    The best metaphor is seeing Trump hug the flag at a CPAC conference before he decides to betray his country a couple of years later causing an insurrection on a branch of government. Maybe he should have hugged one of the Confederate flags present. Keith

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    • PS – Seeing the House Select Committee hearing today, we are reminded how easily the former president could wind up his extremists to cause the insurrection. This insurrection does not happen without Donald J. Trump as president. He incited it and did nothing to stop it. It also shows how dangerous his sycophants like Alex Jones, Roger Stone and the heads of these white nationalists groups are. If you recall the movie the “Caine Mutiny” remember the defense attorney was hypercritical at the end of Fred McMurray’s character for his instigation of the mutiny and not participating or fessing up. His behavior could be described as weasel-like. That reminds me of the actions of the former president. Keith

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      • As I said to Natasha after watching today’s hearing, anybody with even half a brain, after seeing these televised hearings, could not in all good conscience vote for Donald Trump ever again. And, as she reminded me, a lot of people lack both brains and consciences. Isn’t it amazing how Trump seems to attract the worst of the worst, like Stone, Giuliani, Bannon, Powell, and more … like flies to a piece of rotten fruit, eh? Good analogy, my friend, to the Caine Mutiny … too good. Sigh.

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        • Jill, Roger Stone defines himself as a “dirty trickster.” He has been involved with the underbelly of politics for decades. Rudy Giuliani has become a sad caricature of himself and his law license has been suspended in two jurisdictions. These are representative of the people Donald J. Trump associates with. Of course, they could flip the script and say they associate with this less than truthful and fraudulent acting and person. Keith

          Liked by 1 person

          • Ahhhh … rather like, “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Of the whole nasty lot, I’m most disappointed in Rudy Giuliani … after 9/11, he was one of my heroes … and now, I cannot stand to look at him. Politics does strange things to people … or perhaps it just brings out the worst that was already there.

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    • Well said Keith.
      Business leader in Germany in the 1930s thought they could control Hitler through their money. Then found out, he didn’t play that way.
      Then Hitler thought there would be a thousand-year Reich….
      And that didn’t work out for well.
      Not exactly parallel with the current state of the USA. But the lesson is there. Thinking you can control extreme actions you initiate, and their consequences is illusory.

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      • Roger, Jill, a former Oath Keeper is testifying that he came to DC at the request of the former president and marched toward the Capitol as Trump told him to. He did believe the Big Lie at the time, but no longer does since he did is own research. The lost court cases influenced him. Keith

        Liked by 4 people

    • So true that they become culpable in the demise of not only the Republican Party, but the nation. Thing is, though, that they don’t seem to care … they thrive on the chaos and so, at the moment, does their base. I think that somehow the average Republican voter finds all this exciting, something new and different. Never mind that in the future they will pay a hefty price, but for now, they’re enjoying the ride, it seems.

      Oh yeah, I remember that picture well, and still see it in news stories from time to time … it disgusts me as much today as it did then. The Republican Party, in my humble opinion, no longer has the word ‘integrity’ in its vocabulary and has sold its soul downriver. Sadly, we will ALL pay the price, not just Republicans.

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  12. They know that if they throw enough mud some of it will stick. They don’t intend to play fairly; they will always fight dirty. Quite frankly, Democrats should be mobilising like hell but they seem to just be following the play at a distance.

    Sorry about the metaphor overkill.

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    • No, they don’t intend to play fairly, and their goals have nothing to do with helping the people of this nation, but only bolstering their own financial and power resources. You’re right, the Democrats should be mobilising, but instead they are whining. Sigh.

      Good to see you, Mick! It’s been a while. Hope all is well with you.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Someone is going to allegorically throw something at me or accuse me of something.
    I’ll say it again though.
    If they try and go down that road, this is what they will face over the few years
    Yes, they think they have a plan. They will look in mirrors and believe they are the leaders the nation needs.
    They can try but it will be messy and the result will be them sitting on Capitol Hill and the Whitehouse tearing their hair, issuing edicts beyond the scope of the security services and law enforcement offices (those that are on their side that is) and replacing each other.
    Finally they will mobilise National Guard and not all will obey orders. They will try and use the Armed forces and there will be chaos. There will be seceding on all sorts of stripes. There will be terrorist acts.
    The Kremlin really blew it invading Ukraine, they only had to wait.

    Liked by 3 people

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