Trolls Galore

Facebook is alive with trolls peering into every post and finding hooks to trap readers into making comments. When they do, out come 50 to 100 commenters who deluge the original message with negative messages. Not nice messages, either. These attack your chastity, IQ and everything else. Not nice people.

Prairie Fire is the name associated with Illinois republicans who attack everything democrat. In Illinois, this means the trumpers are out and about. They are trying to wrest control of the state and counties back into republican hands. They didn’t do so well under Rauner who nearly ruined the state’s finances and capabilities. Returning to those days would be a giant step backward.

And right into the hands of trump’s supporters.

The theories of ‘dark state’ began with republicans and continue with them. Although they complained of a dark state, the only vestige I can find of it is actually within the war room tactics of republicans themselves.

There are plenty of people who decry labeling anyone anything in civil discourse. The problem is, most discourse these days is not civil. And the people who brought this to the front lines? Republicans. It began in the ‘80’s. Some will argue it began earlier than that, but I remember 1985 as the year religious zealots were invited into the republican party. That’s when the tide of nasty turned.

It is also the year republicans claimed the party to be that of the conservatives. And then I left the party.

I became an independent. Because the republican party had few candidates or supporters that meshed with my values, I found myself voting for democrats. A lot of the time, even if all I was doing was sending a signal to democrats that they had a future in the region if they kept at it.

The tide turned toward Democrats for a while. Whether it remains depends on voters discerning what the true nature of our status as a state and nation is.

Do you want civility and honest, open governance? Then support the candidates who demonstrate those character traits. Watch those candidates form open committees and commissions that study issues and return recommendations to solve those issues. The work that needs doing is not easy. But people and resources are available to manage the workload if effort is applied.

If the language is shrill and emotional, then likely it is not factual. It is political and without substance. Stay away from such people. Seek reason and calm. There you will find fact, historical accuracy and science. You will also find practitioners who believe in the same and will protect our resources accordingly.

And all for the public good. Not for special interests or private benefit.

Watch the records of action taken over the long haul. See the people who remain faithful to the common good. Those are the people I want to support. And do.

Meanwhile, beware the trolls among us!

August 24, 2020