(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Lying, Espionage, and Violence are a Feature of the Republican Party [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-06 Calling the once-respected GOP a party, is like calling Kim Jong-un’s father an expert golfer. Like with the late North Korean leader, disagreeing could cost one their life. From a clothing boutique owner and her daughter in Georgia to the former Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, adherence to principle and country are now potential death knells in the Republican party. Those who vote regularly have signed a book of names at their polling station as instructed by the little old lady who teaches Sunday school or the retired gentleman who tends his backyard vegetable garden. They cheerfully and diligently scan for your name in an alphabetical list of registered voters in your district and direct you, in my case, to go into a booth behind a closed curtain and cast a vote. We have all seen the assembled staff of military leaders standing at attention at the beginning of the presidential State of the Union message. Usually, they are a group of 30 years or more long-time veterans of war, service, and dedication. The Joint Chiefs are responsible for the most sensitive military advice a President receives to help decide to send young men and women off to war, some never to return. Recently, the outgoing Joint Chief, Mark Milley, revealed he had to take extra security precautions for his family because of the increasing death threats he received because he dared put country above loyalty to former President Trump. Many years ago, Milley swore to defend the country, not one man. Someone very close to me has volunteered as a poll worker for years. She goes to the training, organizes her friends and neighbors, gets up early on the first Tuesday in November, reports to her post, and smiles and greets would-be voters. Poll workers by no means get rich; they do it for much of the same reasons that General Milley is a member of the armed forces: to serve the country. It was heartbreaking when… Wandrea ArShaye ‘Shaye’ Moss was brought to tears during the Special House Committee’s investigation into the January 6 insurrection. I watched her fight back the tears, describing how she no longer wants to be in public with her mother, Ruby Freeman, also a poll worker, because her mom may call out her name, revealing her identity to a harasser or, worse, a deranged killer. According to GOP zealots, their crimes were working to see their fellow citizens served with an accurate vote count—a vote that did not favor their party leader. x YouTube Video Hillary Clinton predicted the chaos, lawlessness, and potential violence that has transformed the vaunted American political system into a life-and-death endeavor. The metamorphosis of politics from outright party boss corruption, such as Tammany Hall, New York, in the late 1800s, and backroom deals to what it has become now has been remarkable. Sure, party insiders knew of the dirt below the surface, but for public consumption, they would assure the American public they would be kept clean of the flying mud. It seems all bets are off, and political civilians are the new targets. Except for a few anecdotal instances, it is not a both sides do it proposition. Democrats did not storm the Capitol after the 2000 election. As much as the GOP likes to—both-sides-it— and say Stacey Abrams would not accept her defeat in the Georgia gubernatorial election, she did not place calls to find votes to state election officials. To my knowledge, no Republican poll workers had to move from their homes or hide from their moms. Republicans who built a brand on patriotism and God have become slaves to a man who breaks every principle of honor. GOP rallygoers cheered loudly when Mr. Trump talked about extrajudicial killings for shoplifters and allegedly dishonored the service of soldiers like the ones General Milley commanded, referring to them as losers and suckers. So, while Donald Trump reveals state secrets and grifts the last thirty-five dollars from Grandma’s Social Security check to pay for his myriad legal defenses, it is up to the rest of us to save us from our evil side. Vote Against Guns ​​​​​​​ [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/6/2197804/-Lying-Espionage-and-Violence-are-a-Feature-of-the-Republican-Party?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/