Woke up very early this morning thinking about how bad it just got, what with the Supreme Court packing, the Republicans seriously messing with the Mueller probe, and Trump kissing up to Putin like never before.
I try to avoid getting negative, but I'm getting a little worried about Americans' willingness to put their time, their bodies or their lives on the line to stop this rush to one-party tyranny. I'm talking about the sane Americans now, the Americans with consciences, intelligence and respect for others. Not the Trumpists; I've written them off till they see the light on their own. We've had it too good for too long, and a lot of us seem to think that's the way it will always be. But freedom and justice don't just happen.
As I was ruminating darkly, I noticed that the town of Holden had redirected a massive amount of traffic through the side street almost across from my house. It seemed like most of the eastbound traffic in Holden, Rutland and Hubbardston was crawling up to the stop sign just feet away from my dark center of rumination. I thought it would stop by 9 a.m., but it didn't.
So I went upstairs and made a sign, and walked across the street and stood on the grass before the stop sign so everyone could read it when they crawled by. My only real worry was whether my fly was down. But it wasn't, not so anyone would notice under my T-shirt.
About half the people didn't respond at all, but of those who did, the vast majority gave thumb's-up signs. It was heartening. There was a guy in a pickup with a Confederate flag over the back of the seat who said I was a fucking idiot. And there was a middle-aged woman who gave me the finger. But another middle-aged woman paused to shake my hand from the passenger's seat, and said,"We've got to stop that fucking moron!"
Exactly.
I didn't respond to the few negative comments, just smiled and said,"Have a good day," to everyone. The traffic slowed after two hours so I came back inside, revived.
I recommend this kind of activity if you're getting stressed. Just be sure to stand where people are stopped or going slowly. And wear sunscreen.