Honor those who died for our freedom by ending GOP attacks on it (commentary)

Courtesy of Bastrop Advertiser
June 10, 2021
By Joni Ashbrook

On Memorial Day we remember those who gave their lives for our freedom. This year I couldn’t stop thinking about all the ways Republicans are disrespecting those people by attacking our rights and our democracy.

For example, our safety is now threatened as we exercise our First Amendment right to peacefully assemble. According to the International Center for Not-for-Profit-Law, which tracks legislation limiting the right to protest, GOP lawmakers in 34 states have introduced 81 “anti-protest” bills in 2021, the New York Times reported.

There are already laws against rioting, but Republicans are now conflating peaceful protests with rioting and looting. These bills make it easier for people who injure a protester, such as driving into a crowd, to escape civil liability.

According to a terrorism researcher at the University of Chicago, in a span of six months in 2020 there were over 100 incidents of people driving into crowds of protesters, about half were intentional.

Also, women are losing autonomy over their own bodies. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently signed the country’s most draconian law that bans abortions as soon as a fetal heartbeat can be detected — before most women even know they are pregnant — and there are no exceptions for cases of rape or incest.

A Texas high school valedictorian used her platform to speak out against the law saying she was “terrified” that if her contraceptives fail, a stranger will make a decision for her that will affect the rest of her life.

Texas Republicans don’t want that young woman anywhere near a ballot box, so their list of acceptable IDs to vote include a concealed handgun license, but not a student ID.

It would be great if Texas Republicans regulated guns instead of women’s bodies, but their answer to rampant gun violence was to pass a law allowing people to carry handguns without a license or training.

Our most fundamental right is free and fair elections, which is exactly what we had in 2020. For over 200 years, we’ve had elections and ended disputes through the courts.

That is until former President Donald Trump spewed his “Big Lie” and opened a pandora’s box of insidious and dangerous ways for losers to overturn an election.

GOP voter suppression bills are nothing new, but there’s a plague of these laws swarming the country.

If these laws don’t stop enough Democrats from voting, Republicans’ Plan B is to take control of elections away from traditional election officials, and give that power to partisans to overturn the will of the people.

If that doesn’t work, they will conduct their own conspiracy laden audits or “fraudits” like they’re doing in Arizona. Their weirdest theory, so far, is that chickens were fed thousands of ballots and then incinerated to cover up fraud.

And if none of those tactics get their candidate “installed,” Trump’s disgraced former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn recently suggested our military should seize power and overthrow our democratically elected government.

This isn’t the first time Flynn suggested upending our democracy. After Trump lost, Flynn said Trump should deploy the military and “seize” voting machines to hold a new election.

Also, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who is currently under investigation for possibly having sex with a minor and a staunch Trump ally, recently told his supporters that they have an “obligation” to use their Second Amendment rights, and it isn’t for recreation, but for “an armed rebellion against the government.”

Now, Trump and his allies claim he’ll be reinstated in August, according to media reports. What’s next?

The best way to honor those who gave their lives defending freedom is to stand up and speak out for our rights and democracy that are under attack today.

Ashbrook is a contributing columnist for the Advertiser. She is a retired school teacher and may be reached at [email protected].