I’m an affrighted optimist, terrorized by the extremely rapid acceleration of a societal state that is moving from authoritarian to totalitarian, faster than most would have predicted even five years ago.

I’m a conservative, a person of faith, and a natural optimist; a 5-year survivor of lung cancer (non-smoker) and the surgery and chemo that went with it—yet I never doubted the outcome. Yet as that optimist, I am terrified today for our nation’s future. Something important has changed in the last two years.

America’s socio-political discourse has crossed the fatal line to the point it may no longer be possible for us to recover.

That fatal line is demonstrated in three events. Leaders in these areas have shown the ability and willingness to use any steps, including their followers’ violence, to secure their power. They have crossed the ethical line because they are totalitarians by nature.

First—COVID. Leftist governors and mayors jumped on the opportunity to control people by edict and to economically crush the middle class, whom the progressive Marxists and globalists despise. They shut down Mom-and-Pop entities while letting the Big Boxes thrive. This was not by accident.

Question: “Why would major companies in a free-market economy become ‘woke’ and align with the very people (leftist socialists) who wish to seize their assets, take over their companies, and redistribute their wealth?”

Glad you asked. In return for being allowed to operate and profit handsomely during COVID even when small businesses were shuttered, big business joined the woke bandwagon and became the de-facto end-run tool on our First Amendment protections. How neat; the government can neither compel speech nor block it. But their buddies in business can, including controlling social media, punishing employee speech 24/7, and forcing vaccinations to keep employment. It’s a pure Faustian bargain made between capitalistic companies and the very Marxist powers that want to take them over.

Key to the COVID learning is that fear sells. Scared by grossly overstated death rates, many citizens basically said, “Here, take our rights if you will just save us”—a promise, incidentally, that government proved unable to fulfill. We now have a nation of sheep who will immediately comply the next time government needs to control us. Watch the mid-term elections when they declare that the latest strain makes in-person voting too dangerous and see who protests.

Second—Transgender swimmer. This is not about transgenderism at all. Every citizen, including transgender individuals, has all the common rights and protections afforded all citizens, so don’t misread the point here.

It is about the left’s control and domination. While some on the left may care about transgenders, Marxists do not; they see transgenderism as one more tool for societal division. The individuals are mere pawns. Everyone in the natatorium fully knows a male is competing against women and taking their trophies.

If you can be forced to remain quiet while an obvious lie unfolds or, worse, be forced to praise the swimmer as an example of women’s achievements under duress of losing your freedoms, scholarship, or future jobs, then they own you. The mob will shout you down. This virtue signaling continues to rise and may soon escalate to show trials.

Image made using frightened man photo by master1305 (freepik license).

Third—Justin Trudeau’s response to the trucker’s strike using draconian steps to go after anyone whose only sin was donating money to the cause by seizing their bank accounts. Nice way to dissuade anyone who may even think of doing that next time. Because the strike was a direct threat to Trudeau’s weak power position, crushing, not compromise was mandatory.

Sure, the US isn’t Canada, but who will stop bureaucrats here when they try? My terror arose because the evil leftists finally exposed their hand. They are willing to do anything to maintain their power, regardless of who gets hurt.

In reading blog comments and hearing talk radio callers, I am stunned that leftists openly say it is acceptable to crush or use violence against anyone who holds a dissenting opinion to theirs. Evil and vile ideas such as this need to be defeated, even to the point of refusing to associate with such bigotry.

I know what you may be thinking: “There are many other issues, such as CRT, media alignment with leftism, the near-total control of university curriculum by leftists, the rise of BLM and AntiFa, so what makes these three so special?”

Answer: 1) Because COVID taught politicians they can control us without repercussion. 2) The trans swimming issue means that we can be forced to speak a lie out loud. And 3) the trucker’s strike shows that any government can usurp power and, even when wrong and eventually overturned by a court, the damage will have been done.

The good news is that we are beginning to take back the high ground. Parents are engaging school boards to stop the racism of CRT. In Florida, a recent bill stopped the sexual grooming of K-3rd graders. The upcoming mid-terms likely will greatly swing the balance of power rightwards. But the three things I listed are outside of that control.

And that is why this optimist is affrighted. The game may be up. My big terror is realizing that the examples have been set for our government to basically do anything they want. And this time, there is no way to push back. There is no vote, no court case, no protest. Just sit down and shut up.

So, what do we do about it? Refuse to go along with insanity, push back against any form of cancel culture or speech codes as much as your personal circumstances permit. Laugh at and ridicule their positions. Vote. Use their crush tactics against them when you can. Attend school board meetings and stop the leftists from exercising their power over our kids. And for those of faith, pray.

We need to be the new “woke” crowd. Knowing where the left is taking us gives us the fortitude to fight it. I see conservatives, Independents, and liberals already coming to the same side on this. We all are fighting the evil leftism that is so pervasive today.

So, how long before we you take a stand?

Lewis Dovland is a political observer and passionate about America’s future direction. His focus is on the “Big Picture” end goals of the Progressive Marxist movement and is in the process of developing solutions to our recovery. He can be contacted at: Lewis.Dovland@gmail.com.