Sounding Familiar
The Associated Press sent a breaking news alert late Sunday night, our time, which read in part as follows:
Dateline, Islamabad: Pakistani police have filed terrorism charges against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, authorities said Monday, escalating political tensions in the country as he holds mass rallies seeking to return to office.
Normally, I’d just dismiss that something from a troubled nation that is not as sophisticated or refined as ours.
Then I realized that if you changed a few words, it’s close to reality here; for example:
Dateline, Washington: Justice Department officials have filed terrorism and insurrection charges against former President Donald Trump, authorities said Monday, escalating political tensions in the country as he holds mass rallies seeking to return to office.
Where you stand on Trump makes a difference in how you would react to that hypothetical news blurb. Those on the left say it’s proof of how disconnected from the norms of society Trump is, that he would be acting like a Pakistani leader. Those on the right, however, would say it’s proof of how far the current U.S. government has fallen, engaging in tactics we would only believe would be coming from a lawless dictatorship, or an authoritarian regime, hell bent on retaining power regardless of the will of the people.
Only history will show which is correct, although I suspect—as always in such matters—the actual truth is somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.
In the meantime, if indeed we are concerned about retaining our place in the world, the one we’ve enjoyed for more than a century…it’d be best if we aimed higher than being easily mistaken for Pakistan, or anyone else.
