Bernie Sanders, according to an article by Yahoo News, is claiming that “Under President Trump, our country is moving in an authoritarian direction and the very nature of American democracy is under attack,”

Finding this hard to believe, I read the article.  I mean, there really doesn’t seem to be much movement in D.C. at all.  The Democrats won’t play with the Republicans, and the Republicans won’t play with Trump.  The result appears to be change at glacial speed.

However, the little change I have noticed has been overwhelmingly the repeal of some of the most egregious rules, regulations, and executive orders of the previous years.  Now as long as he’s attempting to speak English, then Sander’s statement is worse than ridiculous.  Except in the case of a few laws prohibiting the initiation of force against others, repealing of a government action is, by definition almost, an advancement of freedom and a step away from authoritarianism.

So what’s he trying to pull?  It’s the old “1984” trick of painting black white, and white black.  C. S. Lewis discussed it years ago, when he pointed out the terrible results to be expected once we see words as emoticons, not as truth tellers.  Philosophers have been trying for decades to lead us to that place – and they have finally succeeded.  Words are now used to create a feeling in the listener – fear and loathing of Trump, in Sander’s case – not to refer to an objective truth you are discussing.

Notice in Sander’s case:  All the “evidence” he mentions (according to the article) consists of things Trump has said, nothing he has done.  Now our forefathers knew and understood that speech was a freedom, and that the censorship of free speech was tyrannical and authoritarian.  Sanders and his ilk reject that.  Sanders equates speech with action (and disagreeable speech with evil actions), then further twists things by claiming freedom of speech consists of forcing people with whom you disagree to keep their mouth shut.

“1984”  Isn’t it amazing how much life follows art?

[See the article:  ‘American democracy is under attack’: Sanders urges vigilance against Trump’s ‘authoritarianism’, Yahoo News, 06/23/17]

• Current Events