Danger comes in many forms for those who are unprepared

Figuratively speaking, there is a dictator on the run in Russia, a madman at work mobilizing troops, annexing lands, crushing dissent, and threatening nuclear annihilation to neighboring countries that cross him.

All the while, another kind of tyrant was wreaking havoc in parts of the U.S. last week, laying waste to various coastal communities along the Gulf of Mexico and up the Atlantic seaboard. Its name was Ian, a Category 5 hurricane that unleashed its destructive fury in a way that bordered on the apocalyptic for the countless victims left in its wake.

Coincidentally, a different type of storm is now gaining force in states across the nation, causing uncertainty and unrest that could pose lasting damage to our basic way of life. It is known as the “lie,” the falsehood promulgated by extremists calling into question the integrity of electoral process with a hidden agenda of subverting the vote.

In some form or another, those three faces of evil are expected back for a curtain call in the weeks ahead, offering us a vivid reminder of the dangers that lurk for the unprepared.

The nuclear saber-rattling in Russia, of course, has the potential to become a worldwide catastrophe, somewhat similar in scope to the destruction that ultimately awaits mankind for an unwillingness to address the severity of climate change, a scientific phenomenon that has the power to cause widespread drought, spark massive wildfires, and spawn ferocious storms. Equally alarming is the public’s willingness to buy into bogus claims of grand conspiracies, lies that gain a momentum of their own the further they spread.

In less than a month, America will have a reckoning with the truth – or whatever is left of it after the concept has been repeatedly shredded on the campaign trail in the run-up to the midterm elections.

The crossroad – where true and false intersect – is on a well-worn political path for the self-obsessed and may well resemble an election graveyard for those bent on aiding a mutinous attempt to destroy our democracy.

Regrettably, the battle for our election souls is not being waged by the best and the brightest that America has to offer. That ship sailed years ago when our political parties became mired in seemingly intractable disputes over social and economic disparities, causing partisan fragmentation that threatens to send such time-honored principles as cooperation and compromise into full scale retreat.

That is unless we – on election day November 8 – decide to chart a different course by writing a new narrative, a political script featuring high-quality candidates of competency and character who believe in the fundamental truths framed within democracy itself.

The critical need to bolster our democratic system of government has given rise to the Primerus Foundation, a bipartisan organization dedicated to elevating our political dialogue to a new level of problem-solving and cooperation.

The Foundation is being launched at a time when toxicity has poisoned the well of political constructiveness and good behavior.

It is an attempt to restore civility and credibility to the political process, and to renounce the demagogues who aim to hijack it.

We’re hopeful – and dare say confident – that our efforts have been kickstarted just in the nick of time to make a lasting difference.

Best regards,
Jack Buchanan, President

2022 October 10 - Weekly Secondary Article - Jack Column