The Dangers of the US Becoming a Theocracy Are Becoming More Real by the Day
Democrats Must Vote for Biden
I’m publishing this series of articles to share and discuss my ruminations on coping with a troubled and messy world. You can “follow” me to never miss an article.
Charles M. Blow’s opening lines in his latest Op-Ed say it all: “If you don’t think this country is sliding towards theocracy, you’re not paying attention.”[i] The only disagreement I have with this statement is that it’s perfectly clear that certain States have already become Theocracies.
The decision by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos are children and that therefore their destruction whether intentionally or by accident is subject to the State’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act is nothing less than terrifying. Even more is the fact that in making its decision the Chief Justice of the Court wrote that “Even before birth, all human beings bear the image of God, and their lives cannot be destroyed without effacing his glory”. The explicit incorporation of explicitly Religious views in making a Legal decision clearly crosses the line. If there are any doubts about whether certain States have embraced Theocracy, they are completely dispelled.
As Mr. Blow notes, the decision is not just about embryos, and more broadly Abortion, but basically about controlling the bodies of women.
The only thing stopping Republicans from making Alabama’s decision more universally applicable is the fear that it will cost them elections, which it already has. And as always, the issue of Abortion is tied to other key hot-button issue such as LGBTQ rights. In this regard, the A.C.L.U. has been tracking the fate of 437 anti-LGBTQ bills that are being considered by State Legislatures.
One of Mr. Blow’s greatest fears, which I share, is that the decisions of Red States will be aided and abetted by Democrats who have issues with President Biden’s, whether it’s his age, the Israel-Hamas War, the state of the Economy, and have therefore not committed themselves to his re-election.
Mr. Blow’s closing lines couldn’t be more worrisome:
“If these Democrats decide to punish Biden by sitting it out, they could wind up performing one of the greatest acts of self-immolation in recent political history: abandoning an administration committed to the practice of democracy and possibly allowing the ascension of a theocracy intent on destroying the very freedoms that progressives cherish.”
I’m sure that like many of you, I’m turned off by Political Ads “Begging You” to contribute to whatever Democratic candidate is running for office where-ever they are. But I make no apologies now for begging Democrats to vote for President Biden. The alternative is so frightening such that it fills me with absolute terror such that I can’t even contemplate it without turning into a bowl of Jello.
[i] Charles M. Blow, “Embryo Ruling Shows Our Slide Towards Theocracy,” The New York Times, Thursday, February 22, 2024, P A 19.
Ian I. Mitroff is credited as being one of the principal founders of the modern field of Crisis Management. He has a BS, MS, and a PhD in Engineering and the Philosophy of Social Systems Science from UC Berkeley. He Is Professor Emeritus from the Marshall School of Business and the Annenberg School of Communication at USC. Currently, he is a Senior Research Affiliate in the Center for Catastrophic Risk Management, UC Berkeley. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Management. He has published 41 books. His latest is: The Socially Responsible Organization: Lessons from Covid, Springer, New York, 2022.
Image by Tibor Janosi Mozes from Pixabay
