Several critical issues that must address in the future have emerged in the wake of the 2020 election. The recent election has shown that the people's will is under attack. If we do not resolve these issues, we can see an end to the American experiment of freedom and a country run by the people. We must have a system to establish fact from fiction.
A. Gerrymandering: There are two possible solutions for this. [1:] Mathematicians produced a computer program that creates unbiased district lines. (Stacey, K. (2017, November 08). Researchers devise an algorithm to combat gerrymandering. Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://phys.org/news/2017-11-algorithm-combat-gerrymandering.html.) The program has been shown to mathematically draw lines that remove human interference and political biases. Or, if we choose, we could [2:] Eliminate the Electoral College permanently and move toward a popular vote system.
One Republican who responded to a statement about using the popular vote suggested that something similar to the Social Security number could be used to ensure that each American gets one vote. (He told us we could use our Social Security Number, but something similar would be better.) While we must ensure that individual states stay involved in the collection and tabulation, we must not allow our voting to fall under one department controlled by any part of the Federal government. The current system maintains independence, and anything that could replace that present system must embody the same spirit held in the concept of state independence. We must also ensure that no state can eliminate or deter the people's rights.
We can do it! The Electoral College was developed when communicating the vote to Washington, DC, was cumbersome. The electoral college was principally designed to facilitate and expedite the people's voting decisions for our legislators. (In other words, pass on the information, not provide an opportunity to meddle or change the outcome.) The system was also designed to ensure that states with lower populations were represented fairly. Implementing a popular vote system at both state and federal levels is possible to ensure we lose none of this protection and interest.
We've recently become aware of the weakness of how the Attorney General for the US is selected and how politics can usurp the independence of this selection. We must discover a means by which the AG can maintain its role as an independent investigator while securing for the future that no president can exert political influence in this selection. The AG must be held to the highest standards that ensure that investigations follow the rule of law and the constitution and that everyone, regardless of their political affiliation, is treated fairly and equally under this law.
One suggestion was to install a non-partisan body of legislators selected from both the House and Senate from Congress to oversee the process and be given the authority to either select the AG or intervein when discovery shows that a president has compromised this process. I would like an open discussion on how we might implement this.
How to ensure that this right is not compromised could be handled in many ways and is open to debate; however, the end result should ensure that no one is discriminated against, and their voting rights should be based on the same criteria that determine citizenship. ............................ The key concept behind these issues is one of oversight. An independent body could be created, ensuring that things we have taken for granted that have hitherto only been protected by convention and good intentions. These societal values need protecting.
In the last election, a few people attempted to discredit our election and reverse the people's will in several states. The ethical dilemma brings to the forefront methods of disinformation utilized to mislead the American people. One example that comes to mind is an instance on TV. I am a big fan of "Westerns." Shows and movies embody the pioneer spirit and often present scenarios containing ethical dilemmas faced by the country and our pioneers in the early days. In one show, a neighbor attempts quite successfully to discredit another neighbor to remove them from exercising their rights to live free and independently according to the law. The 'bad' neighbor slaughters one cow of his own in his personal herd of cattle and leaves it just inside the property of the 'good' neighbor while simultaneously spreading rumors that he was under attack by a good neighbor.
Later, after leaving his cow on the neighbor's property, he complains about that 'good' neighbor by telling everyone that the man is attacking his herd. Afterward, the town sheriff investigates the claims and discovers the slaughtered animal. The 'bad' neighbor employs various tactics, destroying his property and blaming others. The incidents escalate and are used to provide evidence that the 'good' neighbor is breaking the law.
In Hollywood, stories usually end with a happily ever after by some means of discovery that don't always appear in real life, but in this case, the show saves the 'good' guy while the 'bad' guy is caught. Not always an easy task against the vote of popular opinion. The popular belief was in favor of the man causing the problem. This was part of the theme, shown before the truth came out in the show.
In real life, things don't always work out. One example was seen in this last election, 45 v 46, where things got started with the then-current president claiming that the other side was cheating and attempting to steal the election, while in truth, there was no proof; except to show that by various means, that the then-current president and his cronies were doing the thing they were accusing of others.
How does one defend against such behavior when the people we should trust to look out for our country and our best interests no longer find it within themselves to do so? Ultimately, the plan was unsuccessful (but they are still trying); we still have weeks to go before the issue is entirely resolved. In this case, people on both sides will need to step forward to uphold the laws put in place to protect our rights. But, it does show that when the wrong people are in a position of power, things can and do go very badly.
Is there a way to prevent this from happening again?
If we can have an opportunity to do so, we may discover that this was the most extensive attempt to take over and destroy this country by a foreign power since the country was founded. I suspect that foreign power(s) and interests have positioned themselves for this attempt for many years, including installing sleeper agents into positions of power. And I also suspect, though it may never be proven, that a foreign country planted a deadly virus in China to destroy US relations with that country.
We know the US was vulnerable to chemical or biological warfare for years. What better way than to release a deadly virus in a country that is not on the best terms with the US; and make them look like the 'bad guys?' Again, we may never know. However, I do not believe in coincidence. It was too convenient that a deadly epidemic threw our country into turmoil while we were undergoing an attempted coup to overthrow democracy and destroy the rights of the American people.
In the end, the courts have, again... so far, upheld that all the charges were without merit; and the rule of law prevailed... this time. But what about the next time?
Psychological operations were carried out to spread disinformation to divide and sway almost half of the country into believing in events that did not occur. In my attempts to understand why the division existed, in every case, the response was one of fervent belief in things that were without merit or proof. Rumors spread by the faction attempting to dismantle the system from within and without. The Rule of Law was under attack! As we reached the last battleground, the Supreme Court. My faith in the system did not waver. I had hoped that good people who had dedicated their lives to the rule of law would not be persuaded to subvert the system. I expected, and at times it appeared to be above all "reason" that a higher standard of ideals would prevail when push came to shove. In this case, I was told I was foolish to believe that right would prevail and that too many people had been bought and sold. And, in this case, I felt that even though people placed into the supreme court did not hold my political views on how the country should be run, I had hope that they would abide by the same ideal that I held when I swore an oath while working for the government many years ago. And this was to support the Constitution and lay aside my personal convictions when administering the work I had been hired to do. We know it as the Hatch Act.
I have never felt conflicted in doing my duty versus voting my convictions. And, I had hope that justice would prevail. And we know now the outcome because the Supreme Court upheld that the attempted takeover of the election results was without merit. The rule of law prevailed! Going forward, this was too close to ignore the events of the last four years. Many people were duped into believing the misinformation being fed into the country from foreign powers and those supporting those foreign powers. Our system was pushed to the limit; if we do not act and decide to remain complacent, the next attempt could be successful.
Finally, I want to point out a proven scientific fact. We should not underestimate the power of the numbers. We often dismiss statistics with what has become a well-known saying. Liars, damn liars, and statisticians. However, statistics does have its place, and statistics show that the majority always has the answer regarding averages. One proof of this has been shown repeatedly, which I'll repeat and give through a simple story.
Postulate a large jar of marbles, the number of which is unknown by anyone. We ask everyone we can to make a guess at that number. Science has shown time and time again, in all kinds of scenarios, that the majority can provide the solution to the question. In this case, how many marbles are there? By taking the average of all the answers and using a statistical law, "Teacher's rule," which in statistics is used to throw out the wild answers, like 1 Billion, for example. The average of all guesses will be close enough to the correct number to make it statistically significant. Indeed, this is a straightforward example, but this can work in all cases. We should look to the popular vote to determine our elections. When choosing the best answer to a problem, an average of all responses will provide the actual probability of a solution close enough to bring about the needed changes. The caveat is "provided that the majority has not been fooled." The whole purpose of Psychological operations used by foreign powers is to sway the people into making bad decisions.
And so, I suggest one more issue that must be handled if we want to survive as a country. Currently, we count on the people interested in truth to do the fact-checking. This works if one looks at what the majority of people are saying. But, we should have a system of checks and balances to thwart the steady stream of misinformation that has appeared since the advent of the internet and social media. Social media is not a good source of information. It may be a good source of interesting stuff; it's certainly a good source of information about things that people *want* to believe, but it's not always a good source of truth. Right now, we must police ourselves and do the work of not being deceived. Is there a better way to ensure that we are not deceived? I'm open to suggestions; anyone?
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