By Patrick Robinson

Human beings by their nature are learning creatures, who by testing limits eventually arrive at a mutual consensus about the world around them. Fire is hot, knives are sharp, dogs can bite.

Those simple concepts form the basis of our understanding about right and wrong. As we grow more sophisticated and more abstract ideas can be understood things like truth vs. lies, freedom vs oppression, love vs. hate,  and democracy vs. autocracy can be evaluated. 

At a baseline, it’s not hard to grasp the idea of the right to vote. If you live in a democracy, you should have a right to vote. To limit that right is wrong. Yet we are witnessing that very thing right now in a slow motion national power struggle. 

Our former president lost the election. The idea that it was stolen is wrong. Continued lies about that are wrong. Supporting a lie is wrong. Taking actions to remedy a situation based on a lie is wrong. 

Wrong is wrong. 

Any thinking human being, who is not in the thrall of a cult of personality (which cancels that whole thinking part), understands that lying to “get your way” is wrong. That’s true for anyone. Not one political party.  

Right now we are witnessing the intentional destruction of American democracy as one party tilts control over elections to their side in multiple states, all completely based on a lie. They are using so called Gerrymandering to tilt areas in their favor. They are limiting access to polls, restricting mail in ballots, banning election drop boxes, restricting polling hours and more. Their primary failure is to see it from someone else's point of view. If they had their own voting rights restricted say for example if you make more than $90,000 a year or live in a view home, or are an executive of any kind, you would not be allowed to vote, they might see it differently.

Wrong is wrong.

This does not mean that there are not lies being told by both sides of our political system. Of  course there are. But THIS lie, is so monstrous, so dark, so contrary to the basic foundations of democracy that it demonstrates something never before seen in this nation. Blind allegiance to one person, no matter the cost. 

It’s the exact opposite of the meaning of democracy. This represents not a government by the people but rather government by a select few. That’s Autocracy.  One person or group holds all the power, without the participation, or sometimes even the consent, of the people.

That should frighten anyone. 

Wrong is wrong.