People don’t expect the 2020 Presidential election to be settled on November 3rd. They are probably correct. Every morning a new unbelievable news item that concerns the election in one way or another greets us. Today, it’s the news, filed with an anonymous Associated Press byline, that a free speech rally in San Francisco sent three police officers to the hospital. The organizer of the rally, Phillip Anderson, was punched in the mouth hard enough to lose teeth. The coverage I saw of the event used the term “right-wing rally.” Implying as if, Anderson deserved to be assaulted.
Exactly what is right-wing about defending someone’s free speech? It is, after all, a constitutional right, one that all citizens have. The rally was organized as a response to social media platforms silencing a report on Hunter Biden’s emails that pertained to his father, Democrat Presidential nominee Joe Biden, and the family’s financial involvement with foreign governments and corporations.
The machinations of major political parties, corporate media empires, and wellfunded advocacy groups are now at such a level, we really might be looking at a serious Constitutional crisis. Rahm Emmanuel, President Clinton’s Chief of Staff, former mayor of Chicago, and political ally of President Obama, once said, “never let a crisis go to waste.”
The one-sidedness of so many news reports is a tactic that allows a “discussion” to grow, thereby giving the issue the appearance of legitimacy. The Black Lives Matter movement is an example. Its genesis was associated with the 1619 Project, which was the work of a New York Times writer and associates. Both BLM and the 1619 project overlapped efforts to affect social change.
The effect on a local level has been that some media and civic leaders have been quick to embrace Black Lives Matter and Social/Peace activists by implying that the Montezuma Patriots, while having a right to express their beliefs, are a symbol of what is wrong with the culture here. If you fly the flag of the Three Percent, you are a rightwing racist, is one of many comments that have been expressed. Not so fast, Pilgrim.
The actual three percent flag was inspired by Betsy Ross’s flag that represented the Thirteen Colonies who fought against tyranny and for Independence. Anyone who has ever been involved with a cause can attest to the fact that while many may or may not be sympathetic, few actually show up to do the heavy lifting. Only about three percent of the colonists actually fought and supported the fight for Independence from England.
I have been assisting in the Recall Polis effort here in Montezuma County. Polis has abused his position and deserves to be held accountable for those actions. It disgusts me to hear his supporters attempt to cloud the specific reasons listed on the petition by implying it’s just anti-Semitic, xenophobic homophobes who want to recall him from office. I am none of those things, nor are most of the citizens who are signing the petition. His supporters have a right to express their views, but Polis is quite possibly the worst governor I have ever seen. Given the times we are living in, that is quite an accomplishment.
The point is this. Recall petitions require effort to initiate and accomplish, but that is the process as a civilized society that we have established. If citizens take the time and effort to achieve a successful recall of any elected official, it is a clear indication that serious issues were not being resolved by whoever was in authority. If our society had leaders of moral integrity, recalls wouldn’t be necessary. There should be a point when the writing is on the wall that your time is up. Even Richard Nixon understood this. It was Sen. Barry Goldwater who led a delegation that was instrumental in convincing Nixon that his position was untenable. Richard Nixon lost his moral authority to lead and resigned. Bill Clinton changed that dynamic with a brazenness that could have only occurred in a moral vacuum. As a sympathetic press, the rise of an uber wealthy elite class composed of governmental leaders, corporate financial executives, technology CEO’s and entertainment celebrities immersed in climate change activism coalesced around a progressive movement. It was the Central Intelligence Agency who gave $50,000 in taxpayer money to Google for its startup funding. It was also the CIA, shortly after John Kennedy was assassinated, that peddled the already-existing term “conspiracy theory” to media and film executives. You don’t have to be a believer in QANON theories to think that our government gave up on the Constitution and our rights as citizens quite some time ago. To think that Donald Trump is one to start Anti-trust litigation against Google and possibly other tech giants does make for interesting conversations.
The most important conversations, however, are the ones that pertain to local issues, as our ability to affect the outcome directly impacts our lives.
I will leave you with two items that should have your attention.
The first is the recall of Lance McDaniel from the RE-1 School Board. Mr. McDaniel and a few of his supporters have filed a protest to dismiss the recall petition.
The second issue concerns our water. At the Oct. 22, 2020, Southwest Basin Roundtable meeting, American Rivers sought a letter of support for a Water Plan Grant. Their plan calls for an increased downstream flow from McPhee Reservoir for demand management purposes. Due to sharp questioning their request was denied. I absolutely guarantee you, they will be back. This cannot be allowed to pass.
Just a small part of the aftermath that is directly ahead.
Valerie Maez writes from Lewis, Colo.
