A dark chapter in American history is a benign way to describe the currently broken state of our democracy. America’s democracy experiment has survived a depression, several recessions, legitimate and illegitimate wars. Our righteous quest for a more perfect union ahs plowed forward at a snail speed despite election of some presidents who weren’t up to the job. Voters in 2016 amazingly elected a president who proved from the first day of his inauguration that he wasn’t up to the job or any good. After losing in 2020, this failed president is again seeking the presidency with the full support of a major political party that’s lost all credibility by putting their self-interest about the national interest. It will be an American tragedy if they succeed.

If voters take the time to study American history, they’ll have a better understanding of why our democracy is facing the most dangerous internal threat since the Civil War in 1861. The primary voter support of the new Trump MAGA party comes from Texas, Florida and nine southern states in the Bible Belt. These are the 11 Confederate states that seceded from the union and President Lincoln defeated. You never change minds with bullets, and the ideology of hardliners in these states has never changed.

It’s no surprise that the present governors of Texas and Florida are strong MAGA supporters. They both want to burn history books and make sure the younger generation gets their warped version of American history. Ending the MAGA nightmare will not be easy as the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation and billionaires will spend whatever it takes to protect their investment in Trump and his MAGA party. They grew tired of losing with traditional Republican conservatives but hit the jackpot when they gambled on a self-proclaimed business genius without a moral compass, and won. He quickly gave them their radical judges and tax breaks.

Some voters in the Confederate states will never change their minds, but voters in 25 northern states have relatives who fought and died to end slavery and save the union. Casting a ballot to defeat democracy’s latest civil war threat will be a fitting show of respect for their sacrifice.

Alston Jones

Baker City