Thus always to tyrants!
Barring a miracle, Joe Biden will become the next president of the United States, and Donald Trump will be consigned to the ash heap of history. In the eyes of many, it will be a fitting end to someone who seemed to relish the idea of an insular and “America first” policy towards the rest of the world, never mind his undisguised pleasure at offending others. It was almost as though he could not help himself – the unfortunate and predictable way in which he belittled, name-called, and besmirched those with whom he had a problem. And that seemed to be everybody. Mercifully, his four-year reign of bullying is drawing to an end, and all people of goodwill can breathe easy. Even Mother Nature.
Consider Mother Nature’s sigh of relief that President Trump, who promised to pull the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement, will be a non-factor in a few hours. You see, his selfish promise became a formal reality on November 4, the same day that it became increasingly clear that he was going to lose the election, thereby rendering the matter moot. Talk about delicious irony. Joe Biden has vowed to rejoin the Agreement as a matter of urgency. To that, we say kudos, as do all the other 197 countries of the world, who were quite alarmed at his denial of the settled climate-change science, and his insistence that he would not stymie the American economy in the pursuit of climate-change mitigation efforts.
The fight to contain the spread of the coronavirus will also be greatly enhanced now that there will soon be a serious president in the White House. Remember, President Trump despised wearing masks, and made fun of Joe Biden for wearing them. He recklessly made it a habit to hold rallies with thousands of supporters who, much like him, eschewed masks. Again, the rich irony was that, Donald Trump, and other leaders of like ilk, (See Boris Johnson in England and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil) caught the virus. The sad thing is that, while those three reckless and irresponsible leaders survived their bout with the dreaded disease, thousands of others in their countries have perished. Joe Biden has squarely pointed a finger of blame at Trump for at least 200,000 deaths, and the New York Times, in a March 27, 2020 piece, said the following of his twin, “The British prime minister tested positive for Covid-19 and went into isolation, but not before doing untold damage and setting a bad example.”
The pages of history are littered with the accounts of leaders who mocked and disparaged their people, called them vile names, dismissed their hopes and dreams, and trampled on their legitimate concerns. They were arrogant and high-handed. They spoke-down to their people, with malice aforethought. Even as the people struggled to put bread on their tables, these leaders and their cronies lived high on the hog, acquiring vast fortunes. The disparities between the wealth of the well-connected and the masses were enormous, and if the people dared vent their frustrations and discontent, they were often victimised.
Folks, a climate of fear prevails. This is tyranny in the making. And it ought to be opposed early o’clock, before it takes root. Consider the words of a G.K. Chesterton: “The wisest thing in the world is to cry out before you are hurt. It is no good to cry out after you are hurt; especially after you are mortally hurt. People talk about the impatience of the populace; but sound historians know that most tyrannies have been possible because men moved too late. It is often essential to resist a tyranny before it exists.” Ask Marcus Junius Brutus, he who was a participant in the neutralising of tyrant Julius Caesar, and whom some scholars credit with having uttered the phrase that we have chosen as the title for today’s editorial – “Thus always to tyrants!” Their end is never pretty.
We have been hearing reports that the soon-to-be-deposed American president is of a foul and melancholy humour, what with his rejection at the polls. The word is that he is quite dispirited; after all, he hates losing. In fact, he was quite fond of calling those whom he despised, ‘losers.’ We can imagine the dreadful self-loathing that he must be experiencing. It is also not difficult to imagine that he has not had a good night’s sleep since his downfall was signed and sealed, albeit, not yet delivered. (a few States have yet to be called). Of course, he will be blaming everybody except himself for his demise; he never accepts responsibility for anything. Sigh! We believe that he will be reliving this 2020 election night, perhaps for the rest of his life.
Sic semper tyrannis! YOU’RE FIRED!!!
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