Tag: stalin

Posted in Current Events, Political

Our Future or Present: Authoritarianism and Transactional Leadership: Reprinted…..for a Reason

Posted on by simplebender
No Kings, slash through blood dripping crown

This was first published 8/29/22; yes 2022. It seems unfortunately appropriate that I republish it recognizing the events in which we currently find ourselves and the world

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Our grand experiment of Democracy is dramatically different than every social norm, every other system of leadership, governance, and social fabric with which we live. It’s little wonder our system is always under attack and slowly yielding to authoritarianism. We must stay committed to our representative republic and the triad balance of power. If not, we too will slip into a transactional authoritarian government.

Social norms in our family, religion, business, and most world governments, have a strong bias toward authoritarianism. This is what we grew up with. A family structure which requires the adult(s) to be responsible and accountable. Youth are rewarded for following instructions and guidelines. In world religions, there is the priest, pastor, imam, grandmaster, or lama. Each controlling the message. All imposing authority over their flock. Grooming them for the future of the leader, ‘church’, or cult. At its worst this level of uncontrolled authority leads to mass suicides and child abuse. In business, unless you are self-employed, we all have supervisors. Authorities giving us assignments, judging our performance, and controlling our wages. This is when we truly begin to feel the influence and practice of transactional leadership. When decisions are made, not necessarily on the merits of the problem but on how the results can affect individuals and organizations. Globally, very few countries have histories other than dictator, monarchy, warlord, or czar. Their culture and history are rooted in non-democratic leadership. The plague of transactional leadership is the most dangerous in governments. Casting long term policy aside for near term benefit of themselves, their cronies, and minions. To be clear, there is a difference between transactions for self interest and those for policy advancement.

Fledgling democracies of the former Soviet Union and the countries which blossomed during the Arab Spring have fallen back to authoritarian governments where transactions are key to survival. Russia and China have changed their constitutions allowing Putin and Xi to be leaders for life, returning to the time of Stalin and Mao. Are we on the same precipice? We’ve seen the original basis of triad balance of power eroded as the executive branch has usurped congressional powers. Methodically, creating a ‘strong’ executive branch and thereby a weak, neutered, dysfunctional legislature. Boisterous, self-absorbed, ‘leaders’ don’t really care about your cause, only your money and your vote. In exchange, they will act as your advocate and protector. Disparage, insult, and harass those whom you believe are a threat, especially minorities, in exchange for your support. They will play the victim, if they think they can tug at your heart so you will tug at your wallet. Candidates pandering for their endorsement want it only to gain your support. They fear the zealous wrath at the polls so, as chameleons, will enthusiastically espouse whatever the loudest want to hear. Everything is a transaction. More ‘perfect’ phone calls. No long-term policy and direction considered. It boils down to: Put me in power today, keep me in power tomorrow and I’ll do your bidding, to hell with what’s right.

How do we arrest the accelerating demise of our democracy? We should re-establish the balance of power. The triad must be equal and accountable to each other. Executive orders should have sunsets and if not codified by Congress should expire. Restore and strengthen Congressional subpoena power. Reign in Executive Privilege; it’s a shield for deceit. Institute term limits on Supreme Court Justices and require the Senate to act immediately on nominations. Institute Congressional term limits and dismantle the seniority power structure. The Electoral College process should be updated, ensuring the count based on the people’s vote not the State’s politicized legislature.

Our democracy has matured over time, and we must be wary of the pendulum swing toward authoritarian transactional leadership. Once there, the fight to climb back up the moral pedestal will be very hard. We don’t need protectors. We need calm, stable, policy driven leadership. We need to declare allegiance to the Constitution not any party or person.

Always feel free to re-post—anywhere, anytime, to anyone—share freely.

NeverFearTheDream simplebender.com Stand For Truth No Kings

Posted in Philosophy

Universities and Ideas Aren’t the Enemy

Posted on by simplebender
Ideas Breach Barriers–They cannot be Constrained

Universities are not fortresses of indoctrination or cabals of conspiracy. They are incubators of ideas, innovation, and independence. Yet, in times of fear, they often become scapegoats. History has shown us what happens when knowledge becomes the enemy, when inquiry is suspect, and when education is seen as subversion. As M. Bormann (Hitler’s Head of Party Chancellery) and Reichsmarschall Goring routinely espoused to propagate class warfare and division while creating Nazi Germany:

“Education is dangerous—every educated person is a future enemy.”

Today’s attacks on colleges, universities, and professors echo darker past chapters. When public figures brand professors as “the enemy,” claim that universities are “hostile institutions” conferring “legitimacy to the most ridiculous ideas,” they step into rhetorical territory dangerously close to totalitarian dogma. These aren’t just criticisms of curriculum but efforts to discredit education and incite division.

Ideas are powerful. So powerful, in fact, that J. Stalin once said, “Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns—why should we let them have ideas?” Fearful, weak regimes suppress thought. Secure, free societies cultivate it. Indeed, ideas can wound more deeply than fists—and their scars often outlast bruises.

University campuses are cauldrons of friction and growth. For many, this is their first encounter with people from different faiths, regions, and ideologies. That tension—uncomfortable as it may be—tempers conviction and sharpens perspective. Whether you come out with your views fortified or transformed, you come out thinking. That is the point.

These institutions are not perfect—no system is—but they are essential. Universities question assumptions, rewrite narratives, and challenge dogma. They are both repositories of history and laboratories for the future. Without them, our medical breakthroughs, technological advances, and understanding of ourselves would stagnate.

This is not just about liberal arts colleges or elite universities. The attack on higher education is part of a broader attempt to discredit education at all levels—trade schools included. There is a symbiosis between designers and builders, researchers and craftsmen. One imagines, the other realizes. We need both.

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” A. Einstein

And yet, some would shut the doors on curiosity itself. Book bans. Mandated curricula. Politically driven defunding. These are not acts of fiscal prudence—they are acts of intellectual cowardice perpetrated by those who are the beneficiaries of those same institutions. Education should be supported, not to control ideas but to unleash them. To ensure that research is guided by truth, not tribalism. To ensure the historical records are studied and analyzed, in their fullness, to guide us away from past folly and despair.

“For an idea that does not first seem insane, there is no hope.” A. Einstein

The freedom to think dangerously, to imagine the impossible, has been the lifeblood of progress. Yes, bad ideas exist—but so do good ones, and ironically, some of the most outlandish were once thought heretical. That is the risk of liberty: the right to be wrong, and the space to grow into something right.

Universities are not enemies of the people. They are expressions of a free people. Critique them, yes. Improve them, certainly. But fear them? Only if you fear ideas themselves, which some have and apparently some still do.

Because without ideas, there is no democracy. Only dogma, perpetual fear, and misinformation. Maybe it would be better to espouse, as René Descartes did: “I think; therefore I am.” 

This article was first published in the Bend Bulletin 6/21/25

NeverFearTheDream simplebender.com @simplebender.bsky.social Stand For Truth

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Posted in Political

Due Process…..

Posted on by simplebender

“No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or in any way destroyed, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land.” — Magna Carta, 1215 (Clause 39)

Our nation’s history is a testament to the struggle against arbitrary rule. The great-grandfathers of our Founding Fathers experienced the terror of being forcibly removed from their homes and imprisoned under the whims of King John. Four centuries later, England again endured authoritarian rule during the reign of Charles I, who’s infamous “Star Chamber” court was notorious for arbitrary decisions and the absence of due process. His absolutism led to civil war, the rise of Parliamentarian power, and, eventually, his execution. This historical context is crucial to understanding the risks of eroding due process.

Today, we risk repeating history. The principle of “innocent until proven guilty” is eroding, replaced by guilt by association.

Our Founders—and the generations before and after them—fought for Due Process: the simple but powerful idea that no one should be punished solely for their beliefs, associations, or background. Yes, every group has bad actors, and they must be held accountable. But not everyone in that group deserves blanket suspicion or punishment.

Many people flee violence in their countries—or even in our neighborhoods—because they were coerced into associations they didn’t choose. These individuals deserve to be judged by their actions today, not by the group they once belonged to. Not every gang member is a felon—but if we apply collective guilt to some groups, shouldn’t we apply it to others? To organizations with histories of abuse? To law enforcement agencies where some officers have abused their authority? Or what about political protests? Some individuals turned otherwise peaceful movements—like Black Lives Matter or the January 6th rally—into scenes of violence. However, the majority who showed up did so to express their beliefs, not to break the law. Likewise, social media platforms have hosted harmful or hateful content, but they’ve also become places of education, connection, and free speech. Do we judge the entire protest or platform by the actions and posting of its ‘worst’ participants?

Most of us are, or have been, part of groups where some members acted in ways we reject. We shouldn’t be punished for their choices.

This country is built on the foundation of individual rights, not collective guilt. When we lose sight of this, we don’t just lose due process—we lose the very essence of liberty. This is when we start down the path of political purges and authoritarianism, as seen in Nazi Germany, Stalinist Russia, and Maoist China. Our republic was designed to prevent exactly that, and it’s up to each of us to defend our individual rights.

If someone has committed a crime, let them be arrested, tried, and convicted—individually and fairly by a jury. But mass detentions, deportations, or punishments without due process undermine the very freedoms that protect all of us.

These rights are not just for someone else’s protection-they are for your protection too. It’s time to stand up, speak up, and defend them. Your voice matters, and your actions can make a difference in preserving the due process and individual rights that are the cornerstone of our society. Speak up—Stand up—Defend it –Or Lose it and maybe yourself.

NeverFearTheDream simplebender.com @simplebender.bsky.social Mundus sine ceasaribus

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