Drifting Too Far From Shore

I feel we are seeing the first stirrings of a call to action from those who would destroy my country. I hope—really hope—I’m wrong. There’s another seemingly inexplicable action by a police officer caught on video. The entire county is outraged. Then those outraged the most justifiably fall into the traditional trap of acting in such a manner that their actions can be equated by bigots as equal to, or greater than, the damage done by the police officer. Riots fall on the shoulders of the just and the unjust. The unjust know exactly what to do. The just stand and cry out for justice.

As the nation “turns its weary” eyes for leadership, there is none, only a trumpet sound for more violence. An event that greater Americans would have used to promote healing is becoming another cudgel in the hands of those who want to divide and anger us more.

I found years ago that apologies at a time like this are hollow. The only means of obtaining understanding derives from actions previously taken. All the “I’m with you” claims in the world cannot take you back to show support when it was needed before now and wasn’t there.

The darkness grows, and I wonder what path I will take when forced to choose. I don’t think I will join the Legions of Hate, although they may well be poised to prevail. I have no good feeling toward them. I have no hate toward them, either. Good people throughout history have succumbed to their darker angels. It won’t stop. They will always be there, but I don't have to choose to join them.

Indeed, if I tried to cross over that historical bridge, the leaders of the victorious party would have a name for me as did the Nazis for those who “came late to the party.” They called them Märzveilchen – "March Violets." They were the ones who joined the NSDAP after the Reichstag elections of March 1933. Generally, the "March Violets" were assumed to join the Party for opportunistic reasons only, and were held in contempt by the Old Fighters, also called Märzgefallene or "March casualties."

Mitch McConnell would see through me in a millisecond.

I hope I will have the courage to fight. It would be easy to sit it out. I’m older than those in the higher-priority groups: the immigrants, minorities, teachers, scientists, same-sexed, and mainline Christians. I do have one characteristic that could help when the assault-rifle folks come. I’m what you might call a “liberal with guns,” and I don’t necessarily fear or respect those who, as Ernest Hemingway described them, get an erection from the feel of holster leather on their thighs. Besides, I’m a better shot than most of them. I profited both from growing up in rural Arkansas and, later, from countless hours of practice with unlimited free ammunition.

If I were religious, therefore, I would pray for the courage to fight. As it stands, I’ll have to talk myself into it. Our president is helping me do just that.

Late at night I feel a little bad that I’ve had a full life when there are so many who haven’t and won't. I feel genuine sorrow for those who will succumb to the purveyors of hate. But then, I didn’t vote for the bastards.

Fun

What an oddity. On a day that should be spent in solitude, reflecting upon both honoring fallen heroes and the safety of the human race, the beaches and parks will be filled with frolickers unwilling to spend even this day reflecting upon either honor or safety.

Oh, they will unfurl their dusty flags and attach their store-bought pins and other paraphernalia, They  may even post a patriotic cliche before they head out to enjoy life. Our patriotism seems to be stronger with those who have never had it tested.

And they will promise faithfully to hate those whom they blame for the global pandemic and any pain and loss it may have caused them. The truth or facts behind that hate are less important than the tribal source from which it sprang.

Out, far from the partygoers, lie countless white headstones marking the resting place of those who gave all of their tomorrows so we could have this day. Beyond those lie other grave sites filled with families who tasted full well the bitter dregs of loss and sacrifice. Their grandchildren and their grandchildren will countenance neither, not even today. Some mock and revile those who do.

Beneath almost each white headstone lies one who would follow the orders and examples of their leaders into smoke, fire, and death. The judgement of just wars and unjust wars may have never entered their thoughts. They followed their leaders to their “gory beds” for their comrades first, their families next, and then their country.

Sadly, the streets, underpasses, and forests house many of the living dead, still unable to shed the horror of sacrifice and its lasting effects.

Our leader will likely play golf today. We each choose the path to follow in this life.

Stranger Danger

Lots of comments on yesterday’s post. Seems a lot of people are getting tired of seeing posts to the effect that Dr. Fauci and Barack Obama have teamed up with a group in Iran to spread a false narrative about there being a virus in America.

Are people really that misguided?

Yes.

How does it happen? I read once that the reason we see images in clouds is that our brains are programmed to form images from visual data. Maybe it’s the same with other mental data. Are we programmed to form conspiracies, with a little urging from TV personalities, that satisfy some genetic trigger? They say we even have a trigger that warns us when we feel safe that danger may lurk behind any door or tree. That was probably helpful on the savanna where a creature that felt safe was most likely the next meal. Maybe if we could figure a way to keep people in permanent fear, we could control their behavior. Say we could generate a constant stream of made-up dangers. We might even present genuine concern over real danger as a danger itself.

Imagine Olog telling Snork to pay no attention to that lioness coming their way. “It’s just an image created by the Samboolie Tribe’s medicine man wanting us to give up this territory that the Turtle God gave us. Relax. All is well. Obey our leader. Stay put and fight. The Samboolies wait in ambush. To flee would pose great danger.”

Keep them scared of their neighbors and not the lioness. If only there were a way.

Anyway, it was nice to go ahead and pull the trigger yesterday. Sorry for the firearms imagery. I meant that I hit the “unfriend” button. This action occurred from a post by someone I guess I knew in high school. Mostly, this person posts religious homilies about loving the Savior sprinkled with memes suggesting that Dr. Fauci is at best a Muslim or worse and more likely a minion of The Dark One himself.

Anyway, the meme suggested that worldwide outrage had erupted because Hillary Clinton had called the armed thugs who have been invading state capitols “terrorists.” I prefer thugs myself, but in this case, I simply commented “What would you call them?” Then I hit the button.

Boy, did it feel good. I’m going to do it again today.

Farewells

The Great Unfriending: Yesterday did it for me. On that blessed day of rest, reflection, repose, and, for many. religion, things happened as usual. Friends, some I’ve known since Lakeside grade school in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, continued to post the most scurrilous, venomous, and divisive posts imaginable for all to see on Facebook. I grew weary of it at last.

Some bore false witness against innocent and honorable people. Dr. Anthony Fauci seems to be a favorite target these days, along with President Barack Obama and his family. They have replaced as targets, for the time being at least, shipmates John Kerry and John McCain, men of honor. Sometimes, I wonder if those of certain political persuasions are still capable of shame.

I don’t fault you for adhering to a different political philosophy than mine. People read history, study facts, and draw conclusions differently. Such differences can keep a nation balanced. What I plan to eliminate from view are those who attack the basic human fundamentals of anyone to whom they are directed by people and organizations that I don’t believe have my country’s best interests at heart.

Disagree with my conclusions, or as Sheriff Marge Gunderson called them, “police work.” But I cannot abide you calling Dr. Fauci a disciple of a devil. I cannot abide you calling Michelle Obama or her daughters, “monkeys.” I cannot abide you posting Russian memes claiming that a political party, one that has initiated the safety nets that have protected “the least of those among us” for over 80 years, created a world-wide crisis aimed at destroying America. I cannot abide social media posts designed for no other purpose than to divide us as a nation.

My god, some of you claim to be preachers of the Galilean’s teachings. When did you cross that line onto the wrong side of history?

I realize I cannot change the minds or attitudes of those who support a political movement that would mock the disabled, imprison the innocent refugee, sport the Nazi flag, laud domestic terrorists, or deprive innocent citizens, some who have served their country as I did, the ability to vote in elections. I won’t try to change minds. I won’t, however, allow poison to invade mine. It drives up my blood pressure.

The oath I took more than 50 years ago bade me to “… defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic:” It contained no expiration date. I’m sorry but those armed thugs who are invading our state capitols are included in that charge. So are the two men, an Australian and a Saudi who own most of the network spewing lies and anti-American dissension 24 hours per day.

It’s not that I hate, or even dislike you. I love you, in fact. I know for that many of you have good qualities. Neither do I absolve myself of weaknesses. Had I devoted large segments of my life to watching the Fox show, who knows but what my mind might have left the world of reason and respect.

Neither do I condemn you. We are, despite our differences, all Americans and we are all in this together. We will remain so. We have no choice. I simply will not allow the poison you post to cause me further anxiety. I, in turn, will edit my posts more carefully. I wish you the best, and I would love to remain aware of your hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, it can’t be so. I hope for the best in our country, but I increasingly fear the worst, and I choose not to be a part of it. As Woody Guthrie said, “So long, it’s been good to know you.”

Taunts

Sickening. That’s how I feel about the misguided citizens and thugs showing up at state capitols, some with weapons, some reportedly paid to participate, all oblivious to the lessons of history. The most nauseating sight is of a person carrying as sign reading "Arbeit Macht Frei." For those who don’t know, and there are an alarmingly high number who don’t, this was a favorite slogan of the Nazis who ran Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. It literally means “work sets you free.” It appeared first, I believe, at the jourhasuaz, or entrance to Dachau concentration camp near Munich. That one started as a place of containment for political and other prisoners. It later housed Jews and other "enemies of the Reich."

Eventually, 40,000 people died there. I don’t think the person carrying the sign knows that.

The sign at Dachau was copied by other camps, most famously at the  Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps, and has become a symbol of the cruel taunting of people so debased that they would exterminate those whom they consider "lazy and egotistical" faul und selbstsüchtig. For the person in the picture, that apparently includes the elderly.

A little quiz for the few who may think these Koch-funded terrorist are simply protesters. Want to guess which ones below understand the true intent behind the Nazi term "Arbeit Macht Frei?" Oh, and by the way, the governor of the state where this “thing” is protesting is Jewish.

That is what America has become for some. I don’t know whether to puke or burn my Honorable Discharge.

Motivation

I don’t understand. But yeah, I do. There’s a rationale behind our president’s behavior. Twisted? Yes. Ugly? Yes. Unpatriotic? Yes. Un-Christian. Yes. Effective? We’ll see.

Take last week, for example. The stock market took a breather from its plummet, stabilized, and rose a little. There was much oohing and aahing.

What did our president do?

He announced plans to apply additional tariffs against China. Seems they started the Covid-19 Virus in a lab and sent it here to hurt his, the president’s, reputation, standing, and re-election chances. Let’s beat them up for it with tariffs. I know. I know. It’s lunacy, reminiscent of the scene from the movie Blazing Saddles where the new sheriff thwarted the angry crowd by threatening to “Shoot the …” Well, you remember. We also remember one of the more famous quotes from my generation’s war, “It became necessary to destroy the [village] to save it.” So the prez threatened to start another trade war right in the middle of a global epidemic in order to save us.

What did the market do?

Plummeted. There was much gasping and wonderment.

Here’s the deal. Somewhere along the line, the president and his followers discovered the power of hate. The idea probably grew from the success of the so-called “Southern Strategy.” It’s like this: Haters gotta hate. It doesn’t always matter whom or what they hate. It may be minorities. It may be immigrants. Hell, it may even be the idea of health care for everyone. It’s hate that is the sine qua non. That’s all you need to control the crowd.

Hate gets them moving toward a goal, gets them going. It may be to the state capitol with rifles strapped in front of them for maximum show. It may be to sit in front of the Fox channel to get a fresh infusion of rage. It may be to the streets in an effort to scare people.

Heaven help us if it is ever to the town square with their “penis-elongating” rifles, this time in their brown uniforms, hats, and faux military insignia to complete they fantasy.

Yep, it’s hate. Get people hating hard enough and all you have to do is provide the object of the hate and yell, in Southern parlance, “Sic ‘em.”

The hate is what makes their system work. The objects of the hate are interchangeable. Right now, they’ve decided that it’s China. Look for it to focus here in America as November approaches. Sadly, many of us see lots of target groups ahead of us and figure we’ll be okay as long as the trains run on … uh … as long as the barber shops stay open. Indifference is a major catalyst for hate.

I guess it’s time for each of us to start figuring out how far we are down on the list.

Funny in a movie.
Hell of a way to run a country.

Helping Capitalism

Woke up this morning with an angel from the Dark Side in my ear. “Look,” it said, “You once put yourself in mortal danger for the sake of big corporations like MacDonnell Douglas, Lockheed, United Technologies, Boeing, General Electric, Remington, and a slew of others.”

“To my eternal shame,” I said.

“General Dynamics,” it said. “Remember them?”

“Didn’t they make those planes that kept crashing?”

“Never mind,” it said. “The Boss is proud of you. You helped those corporations by going in harm’s way, right? Kept the economy going?"

“To my everlasting shame,” I said. Was that the second time I answered with that? I couldn’t remember.

“But now,” it said, “you won’t even go out and help your friends at the Mexican restaurant. Are you saying you did it for General Dynamics but you won’t do if for Jesús?”

He kinda had me there. I was still groggy and couldn’t quite think straight. “Go to hell,” I offered in way of debate.

“Can’t,” he said.

“And why not?” I was eager to change the subject and gain some time to think.

“Remodeling going on down there.”

“Say what?”

“His Excellency is expecting a big influx. We’re going to be, as someone close to you said, ‘busting at the seams’ in a short while.”

“Say what?” I had him completely distracted now.

“Haven’t you noticed people in high places who are refusing to wear masks?”

“Ahh.”

“But you need to go out and do your part.”

“I’ll do that the day Jesús starts producing fighter planes,” I said.

That left him scratching his horns.