The citizens of this nation have brought us to this point by allowing the “freedom to be stupid” to flourish.

The founders knew the only way to remain a free nation was to have a well-educated populace. Without widespread and easily acquired knowledge, it’s easy for people who wish to usurp their rights to spread misinformation and disinformation.

After one right is gone, others are easier to justify. Eventually, they’re all gone. Once they’re gone, it’ll take many years to recover them.

Part of the problem is that those who believe they are fighting for their rights don’t realize when they infringe on others’ rights. That isn’t how rights work. Your rights are valid up to that point where it infringes on another’s rights. For example, you do not have freedom of speech rights on someone else’s property. If you say something they don’t like, they have every right to expel you from their property.

Education and knowledge are one front in our fight against this assault on our nation. It is absolutely clear many who continue to support the radical right-wing agenda do not have enough of an education to know what they are saying.

When people are young, we can dismiss this and use it as a teaching moment.

Adults who are willfully ignorant won’t admit they are.

For example, I’ve had many people try to tell me fascism is a left-leaning ideology. They will point out the full name of the Nazi party in Germany or the full name of China and/or North Korea as examples.

Everyone should have an education that covers these basic principles before graduating high school. At this point, we have many who can’t properly define many of the political and social systems we use. We’ve already lost without a common way to talk about this very complex topic.

I saw a video with Richard Dreyfuss asking, “If America fails, what next?”

It’s a valid question and does not have an easy answer. The right would tell you they’ll still have freedom. However, the first thing a dictator does is disarm the population and eliminate those they believe oppose them. It does not matter one bit what reality is. A dictator will always work to keep themselves in power. Just look at any of the last three “Presidents” of Russia. They call themselves “The people’s choice,” but there are many questions when everyone who opposes you ends up “accidentally” poisoned.

I think the reality will be so very much worse than “The Handmaid’s Tale.”