What happens when good men do nothing?
The lessons of history appear to have been forgotten by our neighbours to the south. James Buchanan showed how dangerous the transition period between administrations can be by allowing members of his cabinet to move munitions and armouries into their home states even as they seceded from the Union, leaving his successor with an already divided nation prepared for a civil war. Today Donald Trump appears to be dismantling the entire national security apparatus on his way out the door, while his lickspittle Mitch McConnell prevents any of the checks and balances our American friends assure us exist from functioning.
It will be a long three months before Joe Biden is sworn in, and the Donald has set the table for nations like China and Russia to move aggressively with their expansionist plans. If democracy fails in the United States it is threatened everywhere else, and we can thank the American conservative movement for this danger. Since the days of Newt Gingrich and his “Contract With America” the once proud Republican party has become dedicated to the establishment of a single party state, determined to replace democracy with their own dictatorship along obviously fascist lines. Right now they are very close to a victory that will leave the alliance of western democracies without support as Russia attempts to regain control of its lost empire and China moves on Hong Kong, Taiwan and India.
The interregnum between administrations relies on good faith, and has been faithfully observed throughout American history. As noted, the only previous failure resulted in disaster internally, but there were consequences for America’s neighbours. France took advantage of the distraction to overthrow the Mexican government and install a puppet king, at great cost to the Mexican people. With an expansionist Russia already encroaching on Canada’s northern resource areas Canadians need to be concerned that history is repeating itself.
Lest we forget,
David Lowther
Mesachie Lake
