Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Peg Frey's avatar

I think the comments about seriously looking at the past, what we did as a country after 9/11 is spot on in terms of marking the pivot towards what we're seeing now. Not only were the political decisions ghastly (torture) but there was little to no accountability. As Ms Rangappa notes people like Gina Haspel were rewarded while bad decisions and assaults on the rule of law were assigned to the fog of war.

Though I understand the attraction of 'looking forward, not back,' we are now paying the price for not calling out the abuses in a substantial way (holding individuals accountable) or repeating the useless mantra: Never Again. Because our memories have proven to be absurdly short.

It's why addressing the January 6th insurrection and Trump's damaging tenure is so important. If we fail, there won't be a next time.

Expand full comment
hw's avatar

Unfortunately, 'the many vs the few' argument fails almost every time. It hasn't been effective in China, Russia, Hong Kong, Belarus, Hungary, Poland, etc. even when the vast majority is vehemently opposed to the repressive regime. In the US, 1/3 of the country supports autocracy, 1/3 opposes it, and 1/3 is apathetic. It bodes very poorly for any semblance of a democratic future.

Expand full comment
14 more comments...

No posts