Opinion: CPAC speaker hopes to topple democracy and replace it with Donald Trump's rules

The following was published in a newsletter by Dan Rather and Team Steady on Feb. 24 titled "CPAC Speaker’s Goal: Ending Democracy," in which Mr. Rather states, “At a panel session Wednesday, right-wing conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec said without irony or sarcasm, 'I just wanted to say, welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn’t get all the way there on Jan. 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it.' He then held up a Christian cross and added, 'We’ll replace it with this right here. That’s right, because all glory, all glory is not to government, all glory is to God.' Was the remark in jest? No. And the crowd knew it.” Further down, the newsletter quotes a spokesperson for Donald Trump as saying that if re-elected, he will eliminate marriage equality.

The Conservative Political Action Conference is a conference for those who embrace a political agenda to the far right of the mainstream majority and has demonstrated that they can make noise, be heard and garnish more than their fair share of media attention. It is a minority that aims to rule the majority.

This group of far right ideologues do what they typically do and that is to hijack terms and redefine them. This is what they did to the term evangelical. They took a word associated with following and spreading the words of Jesus Christ and gave it a more political and narrow meaning. They took the term conservative, which once defined people like Dwight Eisenhower and John McCain, and narrowed its meaning to define a few select individuals driven by self-interest.

This is very dangerous stuff, especially when we take into consideration that we have a presidential candidate who not only feeds this deception, but feeds off this deception as well. Let us be clear. This presidential candidate has only one goal and that goal is to empower himself: to empower his ego, his bank account and his personal power. Just to be clear, I am talking about Donald Trump. There is nothing more sacred to him than his own wellbeing and prestige. 

All of us should be concerned and that concern should not be limited to those of us in opposition. This concern should also include those who support him for they are only safe as long as they are useful to his cause.

I have written many opinions, which I have submitted to the Asheville Citizen Times requesting publication. Fortunately for me, the newspaper has far more often than not complied with my requests. In my writings I have tried to emphasize issues of human dignity as well as the issues and struggles our ‘great’ Founding Fathers faced. While I will admit that I have done so in the past, I try to stir away from critiquing others. However, a time comes when speaking out more directly simply feels like the right thing to do and now is that time.

We are in a struggle to ensure that all voices are heard regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation or any condition that might separate one from being identified as a white, heterosexual male. It is a small group of white, heterosexual males who wish to control the conversation. They may co-opt the support of some females and some from other races, but they are doing so only as long as the people different from them are useful.

This is a group concerned with their own welfare. Their need to ingratiate themselves far exceeds their willingness to help others. These are attitudes that gave us lords, masters and kings. These are the attitudes that led to witch hunts, burnings and beheadings several hundred years ago. I am absolutely convinced that we can go back there. If you do not believe me, just take a moment and consider what happened to Alexei Navalny, a dissident who threatened the ego and security of the dictator controlling his country. If that is not proof enough, then please remember the atrocities of Nazi Germany.

It is time to raise flags and be heard. Choosing not to will not make the issue go away.

More: Opinion: Republican Party seems to have turned backs on promise to uphold Constitution

More: Opinion: Evangelical Christians don't always follow the teachings of Jesus

Lee Sease lives in Burnsville. He is a former Superintendent of Schools in Middlebury, Vermont.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Opinion: Donald Trump's only goal is to empower himself