America Beware

By The Water Spiders

America is the world's most powerful democracy. And freedom is a key value of democracy - land of the free after all. But Freedom House has recently ranked America globally as the 59th MOST FREE country! And another ranking organization has ranked America as the 26th best democracy, and in the category of FLAWED DEMOCRACIES! Freedom House has also said that globally populists are threatening democracy. Well in this little book we show how this threat is scary for America. The populists are threatening to reverse the American Revolution back into an Autocracy - with new Autocrats of course. That would be a horrible mistake.

We give some global context to the American story, outline the reality of some valuations, and turn to the populist threat.

The threat that is facing all global democracies - but most dangerously the most powerful global democracy - America.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BBSkyline
• Release date: Apr 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9781778275517

Book preview

Preface

Because this book criticizes populism, some readers might think we are leftists or liberals or something like that. But that would be wrong. We are social conservatives. But we are conservatives who believe in reason and ethics and democracy and civilized behavior. So, we are the ones most vulnerable to populist action – not the liberals, who can just walk away from it. We are being infiltrated – and that is terrible for democracy if it is not addressed.

Introduction

Freedom House, which operates out of Washington DC, is committed to the highest standards of both freedom and democracy in America. They believe that freedom flourishes in democratic nations where governments are accountable to their people.

But they have recently (2022) felt obliged to say that all over the world democracy is under attack by populist leaders and groups.

And now, in their evaluation of the state of freedom in the world, Freedom House has ranked America as tied for 59th. 

America is the 59th best country in the world when it comes to freedom!

And when it comes to democracy - how about 26th – as a flawed democracy - in the U.K. based Democracy Index!

Just the same, we occasionally still hear an American leader naïve enough to say that the world looks to America as a role model for democracy. So be it. Naivety can be innocent.

* * *

So - America Beware does not mean we think America is about to be invaded by anyone. It means that the populism Freedom House refers to really does undermine democracy, and that populism is alive and well in America – including with people who should know better.  

We will show that freedom and democracy are very vulnerable to populist snake oil.

In a nutshell, our findings are these. First, freedom is one of the hallmarks of democracy. We all know that.

Second, freedom means freedom from abuse – by the state, by neighbors, by family. We all know that.

Third - populism has come along and insists that freedom means I can do what I want. If anybody stands in the way of me doing whatever I want to whoever I want – that person is denying my freedom and is my enemy. That, in a nutshell, is populism. That and the threats and abuse that come with it.

There have always been people who think like that, and so there have always been abusers and bullies.

But populism is trying to turn that into a good thing.  Populism is trying to do away with civil behavior and replace it with the greed of the bully. And to make sure there are no consequences to threatening and abusive action.

Of course, the new world of media is facilitating that.

This little book tries to figure out how terrible the implications of that can be. Terrible the implications for America – who has tried to sell the world on its being an ethical nation.  And terrible the implications for the world – where fully democratic countries will feel abandoned. Abandoned by a democracy that touts its righteousness, but risks tolerating, and even approving, abusive and unethical behavior.

The strategy of the populist is two-fold. First, they try to infiltrate and then dominate a bona fide political party that leans to the right. Second, to make their point, they engage in threats and abuse – including violent abuse – especially of course if they lose.

Well, this book tries to help with understanding all that.

Part 1 is toward a reality test of the idea that America is the most free, the most democratic, and the greatest country in the world. Such belief has allowed America to pretend there is nothing to worry about. And to ignore the warning signs.

Are we doing that to be critical of the nation? No. We are doing it to show the nation’s vulnerability to the populist downward spiral.

In Part 2, we look at some of the active undermining of democracy, and some of the doctrine that provides the cover for those activities. We look at some of the reasons for such dramatic failure, but also some questions as to whether America really wants to be a leading light when it comes to democracy and freedom. Or whether it really prefers the more concrete things it has developed since the founding days – like power and wealth. While going on to kid itself about democracy and freedom.

The reality is more scary than we at first thought.

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Part 1 – America’s Reality Test

Chapter 1. A Photo of America

Prologue

This first chapter is a very elementary effort to place America in its context. Everything we are saying has probably been heard or read by most of our readers many times. But we repeat it here for one reason – millions of Americans seem to still believe things that have not been believable for decades, or even centuries! And that, as it turns out, is part of