• On the twelfth day before Election Day what came to mind for me was, “educate and be prepared to demonstrate.” That is, thoroughly educate yourself on all of the issues while you still can and properly prioritize them.  Then on Election Day, demonstrate that you fully comprehend those issues and know what is at stake by properly prioritizing them and voting for the top priority!
• On the eleventh day before Election Day what came to mind for me was, “keep abreast of political issues in real-time and continue to review and properly prioritize all of them.”
• On the tenth day before Election Day what came to mind for me was, “beware of smoke and mirrors and cunning soundbites.” That is, watch what incumbent politicians and those politicians running for election/reelection do or have done and not what they say.
• On the nineth day before Election Day what came to mind for me was, “gas prices continue to be way too high and it hurts to go to the supermarket because food prices are still too high; and the crime… Maybe the Republicans…”  No, the Republicans can’t.  Republicans don’t have a magic wand they can wave and make everything better.  Remember, “watch what these politicians do or have done and not what they say!”
• On the eighth day before Election Day what came to mind for me was, “money and power v. democracy. Which of the two will it be?  It’s binary.”  That is, it has to be one or the other.  There are no other options available!  Keep your priorities straight!
• On the seventh day before Election Day what came to mind for me was, “Democrats, Republicans and Independents; it’s a Party thing.” That is, I’m a (fill in the blank), I have to stick with my Party, right?  I know that the Republican Party has made a few mistakes lately but…  Again, “watch what these politicians do or have done and not what they say!  Keep your priorities straight; there is an existential threat to democracy!  You decide!  And it is you alone who can decide!
• On the sixth day before Election Day what came to mind for me was, “midterm election fatigue is knocking at my door.” That is, I am tired of all of the chaos, hearing about how America is a “rule of law” country and the law applies to all citizens equally while the rich and powerful are not held to account, listening to cunning political soundbites, watching the trust in the Supreme Court by Americans continue to plummet, and the list goes on.  Beware of smoke and mirrors!  And, keep your priorities straight; there is an existential threat to democracy and it impacts on Democrats, Republicans and Independents!
• On the fifth day before Election Day what came to mind for me was, “freedom is not free, we must fight for it!” That is, now is not the time to grow weary and quit.  This is what those who prefer an autocracy over a democracy are hoping for; that those who want America to remain a democracy will quit.
• On the fourth day before Election Day what came to mind for me was, “lovers of democracy might grow weary but we will not quit!” That is, we will press forward through the weariness and we will continue to fight for democracy and that which is not free; freedom!
• On the third day before Election Day what came to mind for me was, “even through uncertainty we have managed to keep our eyes on the prize and we are almost there.
• On the second day before Election Day what came to mind for me was, “why are we Democrats so inept at messaging when we have had years to learn and get better at it?!” That is, why is the Republican party so much better at messaging than the Democrats?  Is that why so many races are extremely tight when we should be running away with them?!  Will we ever learn?!
• On the first day before Election Day what came to mind for me was, “why am I/are you so focused on criticizing the Democratic party instead of doing everything that I/you can to help turn out the vote under this unprecedented threat to the American democracy? Let’s keep our priorities straight!  Let’s focus and put all of our effort into saving America; saving our democracy!”
• On the day of Election Day what came to mind for me was, “I have already voted.” That is – in the spirit of what was mentioned on the twelfth day before Election Day in this article, “I have already educated and demonstrated.”  So, since I have already voted – I have always voted prior to Election Day, I need to cast all negative thoughts and thoughts about criticism aside.  Instead, I need to continue right up until the deadline to do everything that I can to encourage anyone who hasn’t voted to vote.

There you have it.  That’s the twelve days before Election Day food for thought list.  If this article encouraged even one person who would not have voted to get out and vote then I will consider my efforts a success.  I encourage anyone who reads this article to do everything that you can to encourage those that you know to vote.  If we want our vote to continue to count, we absolutely must “keep our priorities straight” and make sure that we vote for the top priority.

So always remember, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

In light of the politics in America right now and politicians and their political calculus as regards money and power or democracy, American voters are confronted with a binary choice.  That choice is between democracy and autocracy; and the world is watching.  Voters’ choice on November 8, 2022 is simple; democracy or autocracy!  And without our democracy, everything else on the ballot and in the minds of voters regarding changes that they want and feel that one party can bring and sustain as opposed to the other is completely meaningless!

Maya Angelou said “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.”  The Democratic party has shown you who they are and the Republican party has shown you who they are.

The only thing that remains is for American voters to decide and validate by way of our vote on November 8^th, based on facts and not soundbites or alternative facts (lies), is whether we want to keep our democracy or exchange it for an autocracy.

The above quote is sage advice from Ms. Angelou.  And based on what we have seen from the Republican party since the election of Donald J. Trump as The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America, his two impeachments, his loss to now President Joe Biden – which he still refuses to acknowledge and accept, and his antics since that loss, it would be extremely dangerous for American voters to continue not to believe them.

We can show them that we believe them on November 8, 2022 by voting to keep America a democracy and a country that truly believes in the rule of law; not one that only provides lip service to it.  So always remember, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!  Be sure to vote on Tuesday November 8^th, your country is depending on you!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

We are still about 20 days out from the midterm election and many of us pro-democracy voters are experiencing battle fatigue.  This is exactly what congressional Republicans – with the exception of two, Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, were hoping for.  I say two, specifically because only these two have displayed the courage to stand on their convictions and speak up and defend democracy.

I lean on two quotes from Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. to bolster my rationale for making this claim that there are sadly only two Republicans in the entire House and Senate in Washington who are not cowards and are willing to stand on their principles.  Those quotes are as follows:  1. During a meeting at Riverside Church in New York City, exactly one year before he was assassinated, Doctor King said “A time comes when silence is betrayal…  The truth of these words is beyond doubt, but the mission to which they call us is a most difficult one.”  And 2., he said that “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

The way that these Republican Representatives and Senators (“our friends”) are conducting themselves at a time when there is an existential threat to our democracy is astounding; so, I will understand if there are those who can’t help but to chuckle to themselves and muse as to whether I am using the word friend quite loosely.  However, my point is that all – with the exception of the previously mentioned two, of our elected congressional Republican officials in Washington have been measured and have come up short.  They have failed to honor their oath of office and, instead, have chosen to cling to power at all costs.  A failure to stand on principle and honor their oath – which, unfortunately has become normalized and most Americans wink at it, at any other time would be terrible enough but to fail to do these things at a time when our democracy is at stake is…  As previously mentioned, this is astounding!  It is all but unforgivable!  There is no excuse for such conduct!

The mission that these words, “A time comes when silence is betrayal”, call all Americans to is indeed a “most difficult one.”  It is a most difficult one because it pits us against one another.  It pits us against one another through ginned up hate and intentional lack of transparency: Democrats vs. Republicans, Whites vs. Blacks and other people of color, Whites vs. Jews, Christians vs. Non-Christians, immigrants vs. American citizens, them vs. us…  Divisiveness has been used as a weapon in politics for countless years but it was perfected by Donald J. Trump when he became The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America; and he continues even now to hone it as needed to fit his purposes each time that they change.

Mr. Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden but he has yet to admit that he lost.  The scary and most stressful thing for most Americans who live in the real world is that Mr. Trump is threatening to run again in 2024.  And he is threatening to do this even though he allegedly led a failed insurrection before he left office and committed numerous other crimes, which the preponderance of the evidence collected thus far indicates that he committed.  And although he is still under investigation for these crimes, polls indicate that he is still extremely popular.

Republican-controlled state legislatures throughout America have either enacted laws or are in the process of enacting laws that are based on Mr. Trumps “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen from him due to rampant voter fraud.  Thorough investigations were conducted as a result of Mr. Trump’s allegations and no fraud was found; not even by Bill Barr, Mr. Trump’s Attorney General!  These laws that have been implemented or are in the process of being implemented by the above-mentioned legislatures are all based Mr. Trump’s “Big Lie” and no evidence!  They amount to nothing more than thinly veiled voter suppression, a tactic that these Republicans are using to keep Republicans in power!

Currently, there are many of Mr. Trump’s followers, a.k.a. election deniers, who agree with him that he did not lose the 2020 election.  They, like Mr. Trump, say that it was stolen from him and that he is still the legitimate The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  Some of those followers are running for office at local, state and federal levels in the 2022 midterm election.  Even with all of the evidence that is stacked up against Mr. Trump and with his current outrageous antics, due in no small part to his acumen concerning divisiveness and his demonstrated ability to con and manipulate people, there are those that continue to follow him as if he is the proverbial Pied Piper and so are committed to support these candidates simply because Mr. Trump has endorsed them.  Hence, polls indicate that almost all of these are tight.  America can’t afford to have people like these running the country if we intend to remain a democracy.

This is where we, the voters who love our democracy – whether we are Democrats, Republicans or Independents, come in.  Those elected leaders who are standing on principles and honoring their oath cannot fight those who would subvert democracy alone!  They need our help!  That is why we cannot become weary and disengage before the 2022 midterm Election Day; before the 2022 midterms are completely finished.  That is why we must turn out like we have never turned out before. It is likely that we will even have to continue to fight beyond that day.  We must realize that freedom is not free and that we must fight for it for as long as it takes.  With midterm races being tight, staunch election denier candidates running for office, voter suppression laws in place and extreme gerrymandering, Republicans feel that they have a real good chance of taking, win or lose, the midterm elections and retaking the House and Senate.

Finally, polls show that many American voters believe that democracy is under threat but it is not a priority.  Instead, their priorities are inflation, the overall economy and climate change.  There is a poll that says 81% of American voters say that the economy will have a major impact on their vote.  What!  Don’t these voters know that without our democracy their perspective on these things won’t matter because they will not have any meaningful input concerning them.  Don’t they realize that unless their perspective coincides with that of the autocrat and his chosen few, their thoughts and concerns will be tossed aside and completely disregarded?!

What are those Americans who have these concerns and place them above the threat to democracy going to tell their children and grandchildren should we lose our democracy and those children one day ask them, what did you do when America was faced with this threat?  Are they going to tell them that they were to busy with the concerns that the price of gas was way too high and that food at the supermarket was too high!  Every single voter needs to focus on their priorities as they relate to the 2022 midterm election and be absolutely sure that they are properly ranked.

If all of us do that, then we will have a much better chance of surviving this attack on our democracy by one of our two major political parties; the Republican Party.  So, get your priorities straight and be sure to turn out and vote.  And always remember, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

I went to my local post office yesterday, 10/11/2022, to mail a letter via certified mail.  My wife had been experiencing problems since April this year with getting in touch with someone that she really needed to speak to.  Finally, I suggested that since she was unable to reach this person by phone, I would contact her by mail since what she needed to talk to her about impacted on both of us.  My wife agreed that this would be worth trying so…

When I arrived at the post office that afternoon, as usual, the line was long.  There was only one post office employee working the counter – I will not label this situation as another “as usual” thing but I will call it common, so I settled in for the wait.  Shortly after I got into the long line, a young man got into line behind me.  He struck me as a cordial, polite and well-mannered young man so I did what we older folks consider to be the polite thing to do; I greeted him with what I will refer to as the obligatory hello.  I was right, in his own cordial, polite and well-mannered fashion he responded in kind.  Hello sir, he said.

Before I knew it, I found myself involved in an interesting conversation with him.  This young man told me his name and said that he was the coach at a school in the area.  As we continued to talk, I surmised that his coaching job was either a parttime activity to earn extra income or it was a completely voluntary thing that he enjoyed doing while giving something back to his community, which he seemed to care a lot about.  I further theorized that this school was a small and not well-known one.  I found out that I was correct in my assumptions when he told me its name and where it was located.  As our conversation continued, I found out that he was in his mid-thirties, was concerned about the ongoing gentrification of Black communities and cared a lot about helping young Black men who were struggling for various reasons, to stay on the right path and continue to move forward.

All the while that I was talking to this young man thoughts about another young man that I was intrigued by and had struck up a conversation with kept coming to mind.  I met this particular young man in the barbershop back in 2014 when I was getting a haircut.  I can’t recall his name but I remember that he too was affiliated with education, was concerned about the gentrification of Black communities and wanted to help young Black children and other children of color to stay on the right track and become assets to their communities.  This young man was a teacher at a school in a largely Black community.  Further, he too spoke with excitement in his voice about what these young Black children and other children of color could achieve if only given the opportunity and the right people to genuinely care about and mentor them.

The next thing that I knew, I was at the front of the line and would be next to be called to the counter.  The lady that was at the counter ahead of me, like me – she was also a senior citizen, must have overheard our conversation during the entire time that we were waiting in line because when the postal clerk that was assisting her at the counter went to the back area to check on something for her, she came and spoke in a whispered voice to the young man that I was talking to.  I could not hear what she said to him before she went back to the counter but from the expression on his face, he seemed to be touched by her words.

When the clerk returned, finished helping her and called “next”, I quickly told this young man that I had enjoyed our conversation and said goodbye.  I proceeded to the counter, paid to have my letter sent via certified mail, left the post office and headed for home.  Although I am not able to remember the young man’s name that I chatted with in the barbershop back in 2014, I recall exactly who the young man in the post office is.  However, since I didn’t get his permission to use his name in this article and I am not sure how he would feel about having his name publicized, I will simply refer to him as Coach ZR.  So, good luck in your efforts to help support and guide the young men that you are working with, Coach ZR.  I hope that in the long run they will be better off because you cared about them and provided them with more than just lip service.  Even if just one of them ends up better off, you will have accomplished a great and honorable task because every single person is, and as they should be, a precious life that is worth saving.

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

Trump’s America is slowly but steadily making “progress on regression” – a.k.a. Make America Great Again (MAGA).  Trump supporters are working hard and tirelessly to take America back to the “good ole days” as defined by the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and his followers.  In my opinion, Mr. Trump’s followers can easily be subdivided into two distinct categories; heartfelt followers and sycophants.   Here, I will identify “heartfelt followers” as those Americans who honestly believe that the 2020 election was stolen from Mr. Trump.  I will identify “sycophants” as those Americans who are his toadies and who willing carry his water.  They are the ones who help him to keep his current followers convinced that he is still the legitimate president and convert prospective new followers.  These sycophants are comprised mostly of federal, state and local elected officials.

It is pretty easy to identify the first category of Mr. Trump’s followers but it is much harder to identify the second category; “sycophants.”  These sycophants know without a doubt that Mr. Trump’s “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen from him is nothing more than a hoax but they go along with it because they are seeking to gain an advantage.  It is harder to identify them because they do not want to be readily identifiable to the American people overall because this would have a negative impact on the advantage they are seeking to gain.  Instead, when it is convenient, they want to be readily identifiable as Trump followers and/or sycophants only to the Republican base.  Then, when it not convenient to be identified as such, they want to be opaque and, perhaps, be identified simply as a Trump follower because they agree with his policies but not the man.  And still in other cases – when they think that the red meat Republican base is not watching, deny being a Trump follower at all.

Many of the Trump followers – in particular the sycophants, are sitting elected officials who are just desperate to keep their jobs and hold on to power.  They hate what Mr. Trump is doing and what he represents but they choose to sacrifice their principles and ignore their oath of office in these desperate attempts to remain in office.  They forget that the reason that we the people placed our trust in them and put them there in the first place was because we believed that they would put America first and protect her and the American people against all enemies, foreign and domestic.  It appears more so with each passing day that we were wrong.  Although President Joe Biden has been in office for almost 21 months now there are still those- including Virginia Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who believe that he is not America’s legitimate president.  They believe that Donald J. Trump is.

It is not hard to understand why many Americans are frustrated and fearful about where America is headed.  We watched Mr. Trump thumb his nose at the law during the four years while he was in office and now, we have watched him do the same thing again during the almost 21 months that he has been out of office.  Every day we continue to hear about how no one is above the law; yet, Mr. Trump remains to be held to account.  It is likely that by now all Americans know that the wheels of justice turn slowly for rich folks that the system is trying to hold accountable for something that they have allegedly done.  But the only time that this occurs for people of color and other poor folks without power and money is when you are trying to get innocent folks who were falsely imprisoned out of jail.  The regular lamentations about how terrible the things are that Mr. Trump has done and how Republicans should grow a backbone and step up and condemn him for them have long ago grown stale; especially when he continues to flaunt his wrongdoing on the world stage still without consequences.

As Americans, we deserve better.  We deserve to have our system of justice work the same for all Americans.  And yes, this includes Mr. Trump even if he is the former The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  But Americans are not strangers to a system of justice that does not work the same for all Americans.  The system has never worked the same for the rich and powerful and the poor and powerless.  As obviously wrong as it is, preference has always been given to the rich and powerful.  But the system has never been known to willingly completely fail.  With the situation with Mr. Trump, it is on a fast track to complete failure if he is not held to account and is allowed to continue his outrageous antics while continuing to thumb his nose at the law.

I mentioned earlier in this article that Trump has followers and that those followers can be subdivided into two distinct categories, “heartfelt followers” and “sycophants”.  I further said that the sycophants were comprised mostly of federal, state and local elected officials.  What I did not mention was that there are others in this category who are nominated and confirmed to the highest judicial level in our country, the Supreme Court, by some of those federal level elected officials.  These justices are tasked with making the final decisions on cases that have been argued in the lower-level federal district courts and appellate courts, yet remain unresolved.  The Supreme Court is the virtual glue that holds together the actual “rule of law” in America.  It is the fundamental foundation for the rule of law without which rule of law would be unable to stand.  That is why the great majority of the public must believe that the Supreme Court is an apolitical institution and that its decisions are fair, just and based strictly on the law.

Unfortunately, that is not the case right now.  Polls indicate that trust in the Supreme Court has fallen by at least 22 points over the past two years and is at its lowest ever approval rating.  The preponderance of Americans believe that the Supreme Court is definitely political and many believe that it is little more than an extension of the Republican Party.  The Court has earned this reputation through its rulings lately by overturning longstanding precedence, with the crown jewel being Roe vs. Wade, simply due to the appointment of new justices to the Court that gave the rightwing a supermajority.  The Supreme Court just begun its new session in October this year and plans to hear at least three very key cases – Merrill v. Milligan, Sackett v. EPA and Moore v. Harper – that can have a major impact on the Voting Rights Act, clean water standards and whether or not the “independent state legislature” theory will be established as the law of the land, respectively.  Based on its resent decisions, it is hard to determine what the Court will do.  It seems to be impervious to public opinion and determined to implement the rightwing Republican agenda.

Time is fleeting, America.  Our elected officials must act if we intend to keep our republic and democracy.  And right now, the Democratic Party and those Republicans who want to keep our republic and our democracy don’t appear to be acting with the urgency which this situation demands.  Mr. Trump must be held to account!  This does not mean that he absolutely must be found guilty.  But if the evidence determines that he is guilty then he must be held to account via a legitimate and fair trial.  Further, if the evidence determines that he is guilty and he is not held accountable then this will only embolden him and he will do even worse things.  There will be no limit to how far Mr. Trump will go except for the limit that he places on himself…good luck with that!

We must put pressure on our elected officials and keep it there to represent us, the voters who put them in office, and not themselves.  If they don’t do what we elected them to do then we must exercise our power through our collective vote – this November and in future elections, and remove them from office.  No matter how bleak the situation may appear to be right now, know that we can do this!  So always remember, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line