Imagine with me.
It is a couple weeks before national elections. Everybody is worried about terrorism, and whether it could disrupt voting. There is widespread violence, and the police are powerless to stop it. Sometimes, they are targets themselves. Military and law enforcement officers are patrolling every major city, heavily armed; they have an “us versus them” philosophy, and do not hesitate to shoot first and ask questions later. News networks are pressured to limit coverage of these events. Things seem to be getting worse.
In an effort to prevent disruptions to the elections, the border has been closed to all entry except those returning from religious pilgrimages. Citizens outside the country who wish to vote are encountering problems with the registration system. Interstate travel has been closed down and car traffic prohibited except for certain government officials and military troops. Waco, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Las Vegas, and Flagstaff are under martial law. In some places, even the location of polling places is secret. Citizens in these cities must wear ID badges at all times, and travel in or out is almost impossible.
Several dozen people have been arrested preemptively. Some argue that they are militants or militant inciters who would have made trouble. Others aren’t so sure. Some point out that we used to consider people innocent until proven guilty, that we used to arrest people for crimes, not thinking about crimes. Since no names are released, it is impossible to know whether the arrests are politically motivated. Odds are good they are not being treated well.
There is much rumbling in the West Coast Blue States about how the United States Government does not represent them, and hasn’t for a long time. A number of people seem to have forgotten that The Governator only played a commando in movies, and seem to believe he can lead armed rebellion. The NAACP and several other large minority groups have called for members to boycott the elections, and there is some question whether certain more militant members might not be violently enforcing this boycott. Meanwhile, in places like Ohio, Florida, Washington, and Chicago, people openly comment that this election will be no different from any in the last 50 years; just because more than one name appears on the ballot does not mean that the candidates chosen by those in power will not win.
Speaking of the candidates, they fear for their lives. Most of them will not even admit in public that they are running. They issue no statements, have no advertising, give no news interviews. A dizzying array of alternative parties confuse the issue further. The citizens who do think there is something to be gained by voting are frustrated, because they can’t find out anything about who is running and what they stand for. If they live to vote, they are reduced to randomly selecting candidates.
The international community is rightly concerned. They question whether it is possible to hold free and fair elections in this environment. They question whether it will even matter.
What would you do?
This didn’t happen in the United States, but it is happening right now in Iraq. The whole situation is a big mess, and only getting bigger by the day.