The Right Ways to Defend Against the Threats to Security and Freedom from Donald Trump

I have often posted about the unique threats posed to American and global security, public health, and freedom because of the poor character of Donald Trump and because of his enablers who decline to keep him from power or hold him accountable for deception, intimidation, corruption, cruelty and authoritarianism, and the hostile foreign power who has been backing him. And I have expressed concern of the dangers of Trump and the populism and demagoguery of Trumpism also to the Republican Party and the conservative movement. But I have consistently been trying to use the dissemination of information and persuasion to counter the Trumpist threat, instead of using the same evil methods of ad hominem attacks, dishonesty, inconsistency and abandonment of civility typified by Trump supporters who have victimized with harassment and death threats every prominent conservative or Republican who even mildly criticizes him, as well as other political opponents, professional media, law enforcement officials, witnesses, prosecutors and judges; and have committed violent attacks on the United States Capitol, the husband of the Speaker of the House at the Speaker’s private home, and a Federal Bureau of Investigation office, among other attacks and attempts. These attacks are in addition to Trumpist conspiracy theory-inspired attacks on a restaurant, a synagogue, and various other targets. The intimidation from Trumpists, instead of being persuasive, undermine freedom of expression. I continue to believe that the best way to defend against Trumpism is not to act like Trumpists who have few principles and have no regard for civic responsibility, but to hold fast to first principles and to have the courage to speak the truth civilly and convincingly. And the best way to defeat Trump and Trumpism is not through violence of like kind or other violations of liberty and acts of election fraud that are as unpersuasive as the violence committed by Trumpists, but through the more meaningful and persuasive casting of free votes. Defeat Trump through the free votes of the electorate for candidates for public office (including members of the Electoral College and Congress), the votes of the Electoral College for President and Vice President, the votes of Congress to declare Trump and certain other supporters ineligible to serve in federal office because of their complicity in insurrection or to impeach and convict him for any of his numerous high crimes and misdemeanors, and the votes of juries of his peers to convict him of federal and state crimes for which he has been indicted by the votes of grand juries.