To paraphrase an old saw, “The beatings will continue until unity occurs.”

Republicans have never been known for any collective sense of bravery under fire. We’ve always been the party that will apply the rule of action based on thick or thin, that is when things start getting thick we tend to thin out.

I will now attempt to shotgun pattern my way through a few examples.

It seems that the Democrats are about to set a trap for themselves. There is talk of charging certain individuals for the crime of contesting the recent election. Never known for subtlety or the ability to recognize when it’s time to let go, they are making noises like they are going to actually charge some folks and also to introduce the subject during the pseudo impeachment trial. Hey dummies, you won because the elections were never contested in a public forum. All so called court victories were on procedural grounds, never on merit. So go ahead, give the objectors the ability to actually present evidence in a venue that will air it before a nationwide audience and see how that works out for you. Can you say constitutional crisis?

While on the subject of the recent election, let’s look at the vote count. The most frequent numbers being bandied about by those protesting the results are 133 million registered voters, 159 million votes cast. Reuters sought to “fact check” and debunk those numbers by stating that there are 239 million eligible voters in the United States.

I don’t doubt that number but would like to point out that it is irrelevant to the question at hand. To be an eligible voter you need only be 18 years old or older, a citizen, not be currently incarcerated and in some jurisdictions not have a felony conviction. To be registered voter you must go a step farther and, well, register to vote. 239 million eligible voters does not equate to 239 million registered voters. Apples and oranges.

President Joe Biden, in his now famous Freudian slip said, “we have put together the most massive election fraud in history.” The game should have been over right then but the Republicans all chuckled and said, “Joe being Joe.”

Our side took the same attitude when the swing state legislatures surrendered their constitution duties and allowed non-authorized entities to dictate election rules. The Republican attitude, “they shouldn’t be allowed to do that.”

Perhaps the most egregious example of cowardice was exhibited by the Supreme Court in its dismissal of the lawsuit filed by Texas and 17 other states. Justices Alito and Thomas agreed that the suit should be heard while the other 7 justices agreed to rule that that Texas and the other states had no standing bring the suit.

It has been reported that the 9 Supremes had a heated argument over whether or not to hear the case. One of them pointed out the precedence set by Bush V.Gore to which Chief Justice Roberts angrily replied, “I don’t give a f..k about Bush V. Gore, we didn’t have riots then.

Think about that, if true, and no one from the court came forward to dispute the reporting, that action can be characterized no other way than as cowardice. The Constitution is clear, only the Supreme Court has jurisdiction in suits between states. To rule that Texas had no standing is say that there exists no possibility for Texas to have its day in court, anywhere in the known universe. That is simply justice denied. And to adopt the stance that the citizens of Texas and of the other 17 states were not injured is to ignore the fact that allowing a theft of votes in any state in a national election affects the votes in each of the other states. The constitutional duty could not be clearer nor can the effect of diluting the vote total of the rest of the country.

Having said the above, the thing that makes the Supreme Court decision truly reprehensible is the reason for taking the stance they did, fear of mob activity. A very important constitutional ruling was sidestepped because the members of the highest court in the land were afraid for their personal safety. Antifa and BLM trumped the constitution of the United States of America.

Let’s briefly visit the Capitol riot. This extremely unpleasant event has led to the second impeachment of President Trump. But the thing that stands out most in my mind is the tragic end of Ms. Ashli Babbit. By all accounts she was egged on to climb through the window and into the path of an already drawn and aimed weapon.

First reports were that she was shot by a peace officer. In memory, every time there is an officer involved shooting the officer is identified, placed on leave and the incident investigated. Who urged her to go through the window and who was the shooter, weapon drawn and aimed, waiting for a victim to enter through that window? There doesn’t seem to be any official curiosity.

Without any attempt to litigate the election in this space, the question comes down to where are the 75 million who voted for President Trump? I believe that massive numbers would turn out for a Trump rally held anywhere in the country. But attending rallies, while a great show of support, are not effective in making change.

Change occurs via legislative action. Legislative action requires the participation of legislators. If we want to stir action in the state houses and the congress should there not be 75 million voices talking to those people we have hired to carry out our will in the halls of government? Should not the people we place in office not be apprised of the fact that if they do not begin taking meaningful steps to reclaim the sanctity of the election process they will be replaced?

Perhaps the words from a song by Don McLean should be addressed to the Republican Party writ large: “When the gates are all down and the signals are flashing, the whistle is screaming in vain and you stay on the tracks, ignoring the facts, no, you can’t blame the wreck on the train.”

We have experienced a national train wreck and we seem to have embraced complacency as an appropriate response. Quiet acceptance will not root out the charlatans and quislings, too many of whom call themselves Republicans while actually the title “swamp. dweller” would be a better fit.

If you care about the future of this nation, if you believe that the Constitution still matters, then I implore you, let your voices be heard. In the words of the former Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill, “all politics is local.” This is a crucial concept. The world of politics stretches from the office of the local dog catcher all the way to the Presidency of the United States.

Each step is important to the overall process and we should not allow any office to be held by a person willing to abandon the oath of office, the duty to the constitution or who will display cowardice, moral or physical, in the face of perceived danger. In this present time one party has weaponized street thuggery in order to intimidate and coerce action from the other side. The sad part is that it is working.

Allowing a bully to win will not improve the character of the bully.

We each have one voice, one vote, one Constitution and one country. Keeping and protecting the latter two depends on our judicious use of the first two.

The battle for the soul of America is ours to win but in order to do so we must engage and in the spirit of Tip O’Neill the battle must start at the local level and work its way to the very top of the political food chain.

We must let our voices be heard and we need all pray that somehow, some meaningful remnant of this great nation will survive the present debacle and be nurtured back to greatness.