The Resistance And The Rebel Alliance
The following essay is written in conjunction with guest writer LRM:
Dear readers, who among us DOESN’T yearn to be part of “the resistance”? After nearly a dozen episodes of Star Wars, who wouldn’t want to join Luke, and Lea and Obi Wan? Who WOULDN’T want to pick up a lightsaber and battle the Empire?
The image is romantic and beguiling; we ALL want to be part of it. And that’s fine in the cinema of our imagination. The trouble is, however, that the real world is a different place. Real politics and real government are rarely that simple or straightforward. Who, exactly, IS the “resistance”? And, WHAT, in fact, are they resisting?
The liberal progressives of American politics have declared THEMSELVES to be the “resistance”. And, they say that WHAT they’re resisting is, of course, EMPEROR Donald Trump. They are determined to do ANYTHING it takes to bring him AND the EMPIRE down. But President Trump is NOT “Supreme Leader Snoke” or “Emperor Palpatine”. He is NOT a self imposed dictator. He is, in fact, the legitimately elected president of our country.
In fact, far from being part of the Empire, Mr. Trump is part of, and was chosen BY, the RESISTANCE. The reality is, after all, that liberal “progressives” have controlled the reins of power in America for quite some time. “Progressive” presidents Clinton and Obama have been in power for eight of the last 12 years. In most large American cities Democratic and “progressive” mayors and city councils have been in power for a couple of DECADES. And, they have precious little to show for it.
In America of the 50’s and 60’s I would concede that the Democrats and liberals were indeed the rebels. But through the 60’s and 70’s and 80’s they BECAME the establishment, and, if truth be told, have not been part of the rebel alliance for at least twenty years. This isn’t the 60’s anymore. The self described “rebels” are now RUNNING the show. THEY are now the EMPIRE. But, curiously, they STILL fancy themselves the “resistance”. They STILL call for protests. You have to wonder just WHOM they THINK they are protesting against? They seem strangely UNAWARE that it’s THEMSELVES.
They also seem to have considerable trouble grasping the possibility that since the American people chose not to re-elect them, and that, perhaps, the people are not happy with the solutions they have put forth. They just can’t seem to fathom that they have BECOME the Empire. They make excuses. They say they lost because of: the Russians! or James Comey! or Wikileaks! and so on. And, when all these excuses come up short, they resort to calling their opposition names: racist! sexist! xenophobic! DEPLORABLES!
In fact, it often seems that name calling is all that the liberals are prepared to do. They appear to be unable or unwilling to defend or debate their policies, ESPECIALLY when those policies are simply not working. Voting for a change does not make you a deplorable. It makes you smart enough to realize that doing the same old thing is not going to reward you with a different outcome (recall the wonderful definition of “insanity” given by Albert Einstein: “Doing the same thing over and over and, somehow, expecting a different result.”). It means you are dissatisfied with the progress the Democrats have made in solving our social problems and that it’s time to try different approaches to those problems. We should embrace new ideas, and discuss and examine and vet them.
Thus, the true “resistance” in 2018 America, is against not just the failing policies of the Democratic, liberal and “progressive” proponents, but ALSO against the “progressive” thought police who will not allow any discourse with which they disagree. And this is ESPECIALLY important on college campuses.
Fascism is on the rise in America, but not because, as some say, of the election of President Trump. It’s because the spirit of discussion and debate is being extinguished by the Democratic “progressives” who refuse to allow speakers with differing viewpoints to be heard. The “progressives”, in fact, nourish fascism. The Antifa activists, which claim to be against fascism are, in fact, today’s best example of fascism in action. The thugs that we saw on Inauguration day and in the weeks thereafter, dressed in black clothes and masks and wielding crowbars, rioting, looting and carrying out mayhem in the streets, will tell you that they believe in “direct action”. Unfortunately, “direct action” is nothing more than a euphemism for the violent suppression of opposing viewpoints.
So, fellow Jedi, when you strap on your lightsaber and climb into the cockpit of your X-wing, say aloud the shibboleths of our resistance: RESISTANCE to the failed Obama agenda. RESISTANCE to all attempts to stifle free speech and free thought. RESISTANCE to the corrupt kleptocracy of Hillary Clinton and cronies in the Democratic party. RESISTANCE to our greedy and self serving representatives. RESISTANCE to the further decline of our great country. And, fellow Jedi, MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!