Ali Velshi: A Democracy Is Not A Democracy If Some People Can't Vote - MSNBC

[Rhiannon12866]

Civil disobedience, refusing to comply with certain unjust laws as a form of peaceful protest, can be a powerful catalyst for change. The history of civil disobedience in America is long, and it is alive today. Activists and lawmakers are willingly getting arrested to fight for voting rights. And the entire chamber of democratic state legislators in Texas have left the state to protest laws that would break our democracy in two. “If one of us is chained, none of us are free.”

The chains are the restrictions on voting. Breaking them is democracy. America is not a democracy as long as some people can’t vote. And that is why people are willing to get arrested. It’s what John Lewis meant when he said, “get into good, NECESSARY trouble.” This is the moment to protest. Loudly. And demand action. Aired on 07/25/2021.

[Hortensis]

1. For those who choose to believe that, then there never has been democracy

and there never will be. emocracy is always flawed and under attack. That will always be true. Many people in every democracy resent and don't believe in it. Most are wired for autocracy and hierarchical societies -- and always to specifically keep those they disapprove of from having power.

More, if this is true, no one has ever lived and participated in a democratic state of, by and for the people. No one has a precious democracy to protect, and all votes have always been a phony sham and oppression of those unable to participate.

That's also, btw, a very old argument that feckless people use to not vote and criticize those who do. One guess who it benefits? Those fighting to protect our democracy today or the conservatives determined to finally destroy it?

This may be intended as a high-minded argument, and within strict limits it can be, but in an always imperfect world made up of very imperfect people, it's even more a very foolish one.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. I admire those who are putting their livelihoods and lives on the line to protect voting rights

I've been voting since Jimmy Carter (the first candidate I ever paid attention to and admired) and I have never seen anything like what's happening now. Not even Nixon - or Ford or Carter or GHW Bush or Al Gore - ever put our nation in jeopardy like this. They respected the rule of law (even Nixon who resigned) - it's like TFG and his insane "followers" unleashed something toxic and evil and I fear that things will never be "normal" again.

[Hortensis]

3. Scary times all right. This has happened before, tho.

So far those committed to the establishment and continuation of our democracy have outnumbered its enemies and prevailed. Our turn to win this giant battle for power and our future.

Velshi and others mean this positively, of course, but it just doesn't act on everyone that way. We're currently an angry nation awash, on both left and right, white and nonwhite, in the toxic politics of resentment and grievance.

Not at all coincidentally. Whomped-up victim syndromes are THE major subversive weapon used by those who've taken over the right to divide and conquer. And to encourage angered or just unrealistically disillusioned people to not vote at all.

Birds are twickering and it's starting to get light outside.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. Well, I'm angry, too, and I resent being forced to feel this way

I am both scared and horrified by those who attempted to overthrow our government on 1/6 - and equally angry at those who attempt to deny or dismiss what happened. They know the truth and they're lying - to their constituents and to the rest of the American people - for political gain, which is both traitorous and makes no sense, especially since many of them were equally in danger.

And I hate the deniers who are lying to anyone who will listen that the election was anything other than fair and decisive. They know the truth and they're lying.

But the ones that really send me over the edge right now are those who deny that thousands in this country are dying of this terrible pandemic that's continuing to get worse - unnecessarily, thanks to them. They are putting both themselves and the rest of us in mortal danger by refusing to take simple precautions - wearing masks and getting an available and free vaccine - like many others that have kept them safe throughout their lives - and if everyone had stepped up when we were first asked to, we wouldn't have lost over half a million Americans and counting. And now it's the children who are next to be affected.