Tag: Anarchy

Homage to Catalonia

September 26, 2024

If you recognize this title, you are a literature professor or like myself, an avid reader with time to explore everything your favorite authors have written. If you have read anything this author wrote it is “1984” or “Animal Farm”. These may have been required for a class in high school or college.

I had read both years ago for entertainment. They are considered classics. “Animal Farm” was published before “1984”. If you read dystopian or science fiction literature, you know this one. Those who read political commentary or satire know both. If you are a history buff, you may have encountered “Homage to Catalonia” in regard to the Spanish Revolution of the 1930s.

The genre this fits in is Memoirs. Orwell was in his thirties, married, and went to Spain to fight against fascism. This is the political concept that brought us World War II. I will let you do your own research on that. I don’t understand all this political discourse and would rather discuss what George learned from being involved in a war.

I might have been able to go to Vietnam and take part in that conflict in the early 1970s. I was not drafted. I did not volunteer. I have no personal one-on-one experience with any war or conflict. I once thought I might like to report on these battles. I decided that I would rather answer a different call. You can read about that in other columns.

I have just finished reading Orwell’s memoir and would like to share what he learned from his life in this skirmish. The working class was rebelling against the rich and Spain was in turmoil. Franco was pushing fascism. Communists were pushing their form of socialism. Almost all of the working class wanted something other than capitalism. I understand rebelling against capitalism.

Free trade is not all it was cracked up to be in ECON 101. I did not understand much of that material as a college freshman. I do agree that we should work for what we want. My parents taught me that early on. I do not believe that I should pay you three or more times what something costs you. I shop for sales. I buy used. I’ve learned to wait for something until I can afford it or do without it.

Socialism was an idea that George Orwell was familiar with. He thought the people of Spain deserved this kind of society. They seemed to want it. Even many of the wealthier Spaniards accepted this concept. That was what he thought when he went to fight for them. After months on the front lines, he was not convinced of this.

After a year of fighting in Catalonia, he left to meet his wife for leave. What he saw in larger cities caused him to believe that many had forgotten there was a war. He saw what socialism was. A plot by the wealthy to keep the lower classes subject to them. Those of the lower classes who embraced socialism or communism used it to increase their own wealth and stature. Once a worker attained superiority, he was content and no longer saw a need to elevate the masses.

Few people wanted to help others. They wanted what they could get for themselves. I’ve learned this over my lifetime. We are approaching an important election. The general election is in November.

In 2016, we are learning what Orwell learned in Spain. The political parties are out for what they can get. They lie, cheat, and steal to get you to vote for their people. We, as voters, must sort out this deceit to find those who want to serve us as our representatives in government.

I’ve found one person I can support for governor. His party did not nominate him. I will write his name in on my ballot in November. I cannot vote for any Republican who supports a convicted criminal. He is only leading his party through terrorism and name-calling. I will not endorse that.

I hope you refuse to vote for liars, thieves, and insurrectionists as well. What they say must be tempered with what they do, and that is not easy to discover. We all need to listen to what real people who have had business and social contacts with the candidates say about how they feel about them. Please take the time to look for the truth. Do not just listen to political commercials, even if they are called news.

©Copyright 2024 by Charles Kensinger

America is still great

October 25, 2022

For all of you Nay Sayers, America is still great. The Donald said that he would make America great again. His negativity convinced many of you that the Demicans had caused our country not to be great. As usual, he lied.

The President and the Congress cannot change what makes the USA great. Our people and Constitution make us different from other nations. Trump wanted to make America his. That is why he wanted to overthrow the legally elected president. He is a spoiled baby. Wake up Trumpicans or all the Demicans will win in November.

When the original thirteen colonies joined together to revolt against the British, they did not want only the freedoms that Great Britain gave their subjects. The rights that were denied by the English were the ones the Colonists wanted. They risked their lives to move to this continent to distance themselves and their families from tyranny.

They pledged their fortunes and lives to gain what they wanted. You may call yourself an American. What have you given to making this country great? If you were in the military, your service is not ended. If like me, you did not join any of the military branches, what can our job be?

First, lose the negative attitude and speech. Stop talking bad about our government. I recognize that many of our administrators, lawmakers, and judges are just professional bureaucrats. They only want to be re-elected or support the one who will keep them in their jobs.

There are some who are trying their best for the rest of us. Many are self-serving or like us, they work for a living and have no ambition beyond making more money. We need to use the means that we as citizens have to unseat these ineffective ‘servants of the people.’

Our government is “of the people, by the people and for the people” according to President Lincoln in his address at Gettysburg. “We the people” are the ones who vote. We can and should remove these Nay Sayers and anarchists from the paid employees’ ranks.

An anarchist is a person who actively attempts to overthrow an established rule in exchange for a lack of control. Many Trump supporters failed to think it through in January of 2021. Stopping the process of accepting the results of the 2020 election would not have kept the defeated incumbent in office. His staff knew this and tried to get him to understand what he was trying to do to our nation.

When you go to the polls in November, remember what these Trumpites wanted to accomplish. Remove them from every office and replace them with Americans. Not Republicans or Democrats. I’ll be there. I hope you will be as well.

©Copyright 2022 by Charles Kensinger