It would be nice to have a method of having immediate feedback on a question. For example, how many of you would raise your hand if I asked the question, “How many of you remember the tragic event of Nov 18, 1978?” You would probably have to be over 50 to remember. On this date a religious sect known as the People’s Temple complied with a religious teaching and at the direction of the cult leader, drank Kool Aid laced with deadly chemicals. You may ask, “how did this happen?” The answer is simple, indoctrination. Another way to put this is, a lie told enough times, becomes the truth. 

What similarities are there between then and today? We must first define cult? I took this from the internet: a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister. But a cult has a broader meaning, it can be applied to any group that has similar believes even if it is not a religious group. It is important that we gave a clear understanding of what a cult is. 

Cult teaching begins at home. Then to the congregation. Political leaders and political parties reinforce the teaching. Finally, it works its way to the top to the main cult leader. If you look at the impeachment, you should be able to notice that most Republicans repeat the same phrase. They all repeat the words of the cult leaders almost verbatim. 

From the very beginning Trump has been bent on destruction. The media, the FBI, the Intelligence agencies, the military, the very institutions that have made America great. Lies are his favorite tool of destruction. 

Listening to the impeachment, I hear fact and fiction. Democrats present the facts, Republicans retort with fiction. We are speaking about the same event. The Senate is no longer a deliberative body. There is no battle for the middle ground there is none. Republicans continue their same rhetoric. They do not have to speak the truth. It does not matter. The cult leader does not demand it neither do his followers. 

From the very beginning the Republican Party has been in sync with Trump – No wrong was committed. They created a fictionalized account of what happened. All the evidence that the Democrats presented was fake. None of it was real. They are not open to any negotiation or discord. Republicans are in unison that withholding all documents and denying witnesses from testifying, is acceptable behavior. It is okay for McConnell to confer with the White House regarding the trial. The outcome of the impeachment was known before it started. Republicans will drink the kool aid to pacify the cult leader. 

By refusing to allow witnesses, the Republicans are complicit in trying to coverup a corrupt president. The price for saving Trump includes trashing the constitution. So, what is the similarity between the People’s Temple and the Republican Party? They are both cults. That will change only when you demand it. 

El Cordero