In the movie “Field of Dreams”, while attending a meeting of the local school system, Kevin Costner’s wife Annie, played by Amy Madigan, confronts a book burning advocate and ask the question of the citizens there “Who wants to spit on the Constitution of the United States of America? Anybody?” And when no one raises their hand, she continues “Alright, now, who’s for the Bill of Rights, who thinks freedom is a pretty darn good thing?” “Who thinks we have to stand up to the censorship they had under Stalin?” Then almost everyone raised their hand. She continued “Alright, there ya go. I’m proud of ya!”.

Draco-II’s approval rating is at a very low 30%, while the approval rating of his most ardent and trenchant supporters is 16%. This 16% grows or shrinks depending on the efficacy of the brainwashing, the marketing, the repetition of the lies. This 16% have fixed reasons, a finality of race, a lack of empathy for any but their own tribe. And do you notice how close this percentage is mimicking the percentage of the veryrich among us? A coincidence?

I can live with that as long as one of the fanatics within that 16% (only a very few are truly fanatics: non-empathic persons no longer in touch with their souls) decides I’m “Unhuman” (a J.D. Vance approved labeling) and silences me because I oppose the Draco-II administration’s fascism, corruption, self-serving and transactional commerce, warmongering and disregard for human life, anti-democracy policies, public land grab, and push for authoritarianism and dictatorship.

The 16% are also the people who will assist Draco-II’s plan to take over the mid-term elections, and some of our state and federal representatives here in Tennessee approve of his plan. Don’t vote for them. A vote for any republican that approves of MAGA or Project 2025 is a tacit approval of kingship, dictatorship, oligarchy, and worse: these representatives have to be stopped the only way democracy-loving Americans peacefully can by voting them out of office with overwhelming margins of victory. Many, many Republicans are tiring of Draco-II’s shenanigans and his anti-human, pro-corporate tendencies. No panacea, vote only for democrats and re-join America’s experimental push towards a more-perfect union.

Some Republicans, loyal to the Constitution over a wannabe king, that see right through the selfishness of Uncle Scam Draco-II and his 16%. And “I’m proud of ya!”

Bob Bates

Tullahoma