October 29, 2025 and eighty-four years ago on this day in 1941, Edgar Rice Burroughs completed the unpublished article, Fall of Democracy. The Second World War was raging in Europe and the attack on Pearl Harbor was less than six weeks in the future when the article was written. Soon America would be embroiled in the conflict and magazines were inundated with such articles, most of which were rejected. I’ve never seen the article. One can only hope that it’s survived in the archives at Edgar Rice Burroughs Incorporated and we’ll see on some future July 4th.
The drabble for today, “It’s Only Wrong in the Third Person,” is 100-words long and it reflects my understanding of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s patriotism.
The war in Europe threatens freedom everywhere. It will ultimately determine whether we live in a democracy or under totalitarian rule. Democracy is delicate balance. It can be toppled by power-hungry men appealing to the worst in us. Divide and conquer. All it takes is the application of freedom and fairness disproportionally. Laws must be applied fairly, especially to those with whom you disagree. Good for the goose, good for the gander. Whenever we limit behavior and rights to those that only agree with our points of view, that very second the Statue of Liberty will tumble into the harbor.
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