“Clear and Present Danger”
Was that a movie? Yes, it was. Harrison Ford starred as fictional CIA agent, Jack Ryan. The 1994 film was based on the Tom Clancy novel of the same name, “Clear and Present Danger”. Where does the title come from? In the film, the President of the United States uses the phrase to describe the threat of foreign drug cartels to America. But the phrase is part to a real United States Supreme Court decision.
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., in Schenk v. United States, 249 US 47 (1919) declared that “the character of every act depends upon the circumstances in which it is done. The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing panic. [The] question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent.”
During the January 6th Select Committee hearings held in the summer of 2022, former US Circuit Judge, J. Michael Luttig opined that the past and ongoing actions of former President Trump, his allies, and supporters, represent, “a clear and present danger to American democracy”.
He further conveyed the seriousness of his assertion stating, “I don’t speak those words lightly. I would have never spoken those words ever in my life. Except that’s what the former president and his allies are telling us … the former president and his allies are executing that blueprint for 2024 in the open, in plain view of the American public. “I repeat, I would have never uttered one single one of those words unless the former president and his allies were candidly and proudly speaking those exact words to America.”
Judge Luttig’s obvious understanding of Justice Holmes usage of the phrase, “clear and present danger” conveys, here and now that no ambiguity exists for the American People and democracy. As the 2024 election approaches, we must commit to remind ourselves repeatedly about its importance. We face ‘a clear and present danger’ and as Americans — believers in democracy — the choice for our nation is unequivocal. The choice is between candidates who are committed to the ideas and principles of representative democracy and those who are blatantly and perversely not.
The “clear and present danger” is not a joke. It is not a hoax, Hollywood, or AI fabrication. It is not a conspiracy theory or an overreaction. It is a serious reminder at how fragile American democracy is. “A democracy, if we can keep it,” said Benjamin Franklin. The November election lays before us the opportunity to prove that we want to keep it.
The stakes are higher than they have ever been. The nation’s future depends on it. It is time to get in the game, to make a difference. We must stay strong, vigilant and maintain awareness of purpose. The Republican party and conservatism allowed itself to be hijacked by a myriad of extremists, conspiracists and grifters. They are committed to Trump and the perversion and eventual destruction of democracy. They clothe themselves in the flag and the cross. These so-called patriots seek to impose the MAGA Trumpian worldview — a transactional world of exclusion, hate, and dehumanization where political violence is allowed, voter suppression practiced, and unacceptable outcomes overturned no matter the margin of victory.
If you believe America is a transformational inclusive ongoing idea of freedom and justice for ALL, now is the time, to step up, step out and stand tall against this “clear and present danger.” If we fail to communicate this vital narrative centerpiece, if we fail to convince voters that the “clear and present danger” is real, liberal democracy will end. This is as real as it gets. In all seriousness, this is not a movie.
