I was out, but was pulled back in

To the editor:

Democratic Party headquarters in Austin, Texas, were attacked again on Sept. 29. Yes, as you no doubt are already well aware, Texas Republicans are crazy cretins.

The night before the GOP’s latest act of domestic terrorism, Brian Williams interviewed E Street Band musical legend and small screen star attraction of HBO’s mafia masterpiece television series “The Sopranos” Stevie Van Zandt — also known as Silvio Dante, the loyal consigliere of New Jersey’s Soprano crime family.

Leave it to Stevie Van Zandt/Silvio Dante to keep it as real as possible. Truer words have never been spoken about American politics:

“We are in a war, but only one side is fighting. And I’ve been feeling that for decades. It’s really coming to a very serious place now where we might lose our democracy. I’m not happy with what’s going on here. I’m not happy with our attorney general. I would have preferred Malcolm Nance.

“We don’t really need the ‘attorney’ part, but we do need a general. I just keep asking, where are the tough good guys? You know? And I just can’t find them. And we need them now. The Gen. Pattons. I’ll take Teddy Roosevelt. Give me somebody who’s got a little courage and a little strength, and realizes we’re in a war.

“And we just don’t seem to have the people with the right frame of mind.”

Wake up, you weak-minded pacifist progressives. You frightened limp liberals. You mild milquetoast moderates. The time for pointless intra-party political debates and craven cowardice is over.

A record 81 million American voters chose our fragile democracy over traitor Trump’s tyranny last November, but the battle continues. And the majority of the American people are most definitely on our side. The so-called “silent majority” are we, but victory isn’t guaranteed.

This is definitely no time to rest upon our laurels. Nor is this the time, Democrats, to be worried about offending our weakest sisters standing in our way. Clueless concerns over maintaining so-called “political correctness” is a luxury we don’t have right now, so stop sidetracking the struggle to stop fascism with juvenile nonsense, such as policing free speech or “trigger words,” or continually kvetching about a lack of emotional “safe spaces” on college campuses.

Stiffen your soft little spines and grow up already, y’all.

Here in 2021, it’s time to put up the fight of our lives for what remains of American democracy, with one ridiculously racist red state Republican regime after another illegally attempting to prevent Democratic constituents from voting in 2022 or in 2024. Otherwise, this democratic constitutional experiment will come to a close sooner than you might think.

Politics is not an academic exercise. In fact, folks, politics and war are two sides of the same coin.

Our democracy was already almost destroyed on Jan. 6, as anyone not completely brainwashed by fascist Fox “News” partisan propaganda will recall. Trump is done, son, but the GOP has only just begun to do Vladimir Putin’s bidding.

Bottom line? Treason must be dealt with appropriately. The U.S. Constitution is clear on the subject of the proper penalty for traitors like Trump.

Is Merrick Garland?

Jake Pickering

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