How many of you feel like I do? Bewildered that we have gotten to the place where debates at the table are not about if but when the death of democracy in America will occur.

The truth is if I let myself consider the prospect, I am more terrified than bewildered.

Some unusual and some ordinary actions by President Trump or the Congress, collectively and individually, is being scrutinized by some part of the media for signs of insurrection and conspiracy.

As an example, the president gave a speech that contained references that demeaned his political opponents to uniformed soldiers. The soldiers cheered.

So what, I thought, naively. That is politics at its worst. I learned later that presidents are not supposed to give political speeches to uniformed troops and, moreover, uniformed troops are not supposed to cheer for a politician giving a political speech.

It seems like everyone was in a feisty “I don’t give a d—-” mood – the troops, the officers, and the president.

I did not pay much attention until a commentator pointed out the troops were showing their willingness to break protocol for this president.

Oops, that could be a problem if a less scrupulous president used the military to, say … dismantle the levers of democracy such as the acts of Congress or the will of voters.

I do not want to believe it. I do not want to be led by a conspiratorialist into mistrust and fear. I do not want to spend hours going down rabbit holes of theories on the reasons we should believe democracy has failed us.

Is democracy failing?

Democracy does not fail people; rather, people fail democracy. Democracy can turn to stones in the hands of the greedy and to dust in the hands of the negligent who find it too heavy of a lift or blowing in the wind.

For examples, just look toward slavery or the oppression of women throughout our history.

Democracy fails when people pretend one individual has all the power, made worse if Congress believes the same, which I have wondered lately might be the case.

The Congress has enormous power although consensus is required, which means the majority of 535 representatives/senators must achieve consensus, a process described as “sausage-making.”

I guess that is why it is often called the “messy” part of making law.

Meanwhile, the current president seems to think he does hold all the power, a view supported by a passive Congress.

The struggle

Democracy has always struggled to be what it promised to be. Although we know that failure is not democracy’s unless you believe that democracy is a flawed system. Is it flawed or is it because flawed people are interpreting it?

Much of democracy’s failure is due to those of us who tore it down or picked at it piece by piece until it no longer existed or used its very freedoms to take away the freedom of others.

Much of the blame for any of democracy’s failures rests with those who knew, who watched, who did nothing.

Saturday’s parade for the president is unsettling.

Parades of military equipment passed before the president to honor his birthday.

What comes to mind is the president’s vocal plan to call out the military to stop protesters from gathering although he calls it something like crowd control. Possible? Sure, at least the calling out part.

Recently, the president called out the National Guard to a planned protest in Los Angeles. The protest did not have signs of violent activity, planned or otherwise. The clear implication is that the protests are not or will not be peaceful.

The question begs to be answered: Who are the provoked and who are the provocateurs?

No Kings Day

June 24, Flag Day, anniversary of the birth of the U.S. Army, Donald Trump’s birthday (he is 79) and “No Kings Day,” the latter term used by those wanting to thwart any illusion that America wants or needs an autocratic government.

Rallies were organized across the country to take place Saturday afternoon. Here in Sequim, an estimated 2,600 people lined both sides of Washington Street from the Seventh Avenue turnabout to Priest Street to wave signs to protest Trump, his policies, and any illusion that this community would forsake democracy.

Seventy thousand people rallied in Seattle. The same kind of turnout, enthusiasm if not desperation for saving democracy, occurred across the country.

Governors or mayors were not calling out the National Guard, nor did the president. Perhaps he did not want to spoil or miss the military parade held in honor of his birthday. The contrast in intention between the president’s parade of tanks and community rallies like ours says it all.

The message is one we should not ignore.