In some ways, life has lately had so many uplifting moments. Meanwhile it has also been some of the hardest and saddest moments too.
The recent nonsense about Sean Spicer on the Emmy’s really sort of bugged me. Not in the way that everyone else seemed to care about (though I felt that too), but it got me to thinking about all the different movements this year, and how suddenly people are woke. I don’t believe they are.
Sure, Spicer was a toad, and a national embarrassment. He should be derisively laughed out of any room for the rest of his life, in my opinion. I mean, honestly, can you name any one person who’s opinion you find of any value that would take that man seriously?
But this is where I turn to rant. Who should be persona non grata? What misdeeds rise to that level? How many times do I need to see our elected officials hosting Henry Kissinger (war crimes are like misdemeanors, amirite?)
More below ….
I know, I know, starting off with war crimes is a bit extreme. It’s hard to follow that up, right? That all depends on what you believe I guess, or how “woke” you may be. Yeah, Kissinger was involved with massacres, but I’d say the same for every vote that these Republicans in Congress make in favor of these plans that they know are awful, and will have very damaging effects. How many will die needlessly each year because they lack proper care. How many lives will be financially ruined. They know these details, and they are moving now without a CBO score so they can claim they didn’t know. That’s a crime against humanity. And they claim it will do the opposite, based on magical thinking that saying it enough makes reality bend to your desires.
And this sorta leads me to my real point. In my mind, these people are monsters. They lie without missing a beat. Through their actions they do not care about minorities, and actively court racists with less than subtle language and actions (even more so lately). They would gladly let the poor just die, or go back to enslaving them in debtors prisons if given the chance. By my standards, these are not civilized beings. And yet time and again I hear our representatives talking about their friends across the aisle; how they have their differences but they still like the person.
They aren’t your friends. They may be charming. They are politicians, and the best politicians are almost always charming. Just because someone charms you doesn’t mean their acts and deeds should be forgotten. I urge you to google “charming serial killers”, just for fun. Many serial killers were notoriously charming. Would you refer to Ted Bundy as your friend just because he was incredibly charming when you spoke to him? This may be extreme to some people, comparing elected Republicans to serial killers, but I see their actions in the same light. They have a total disregard for people’s lives. It is analogous to the abortion issue, which I can appreciate, but with some major distinctions. First, I won’t get into when a life begins. But the fundamental thing about making abortion legal: we’re not forcing anyone to get an abortion, based on that person’s needs and beliefs, they can decide what is right for them. The fundamental thing about stripping healthcare from those who can’t afford it: those people won’t have an option. People will die.
Now, wouldn’t you know it, during a rant I suddenly have a point #2: We Are At War … with the Republican Party. We have been for a long time, and we’ve been losing for a long time too. Our failure to treat these people the way their actions dictate we should has led to them being treated as if they aren’t the monsters they are. Meanwhile, they have NO QUALMS WHATSOEVER about demonizing any particular democrat, or a *gasp* liberal (which is a bad word to conservatives, as well as democrat).
I live in a very liberal area. My city voted, I think, 8.5% for Trump (go Cambridge). I love not having to be around the conservative hive mind. Especially now. But I grew up in Nebraska. My parents were born again Christians, and I was required to go to church every Sunday unless physically unfit (VERY sick). I remember being a liberal there. It was hard then, and it was 18 years ago that I left. The anecdotes that people offer of sneering republicans at rallies? I lived with people who I would have called friends that did that to me. I may have shared experiences with them, but looking back, if I didn’t have my history with them, they would have treated me much worse based on my views. They have been taught to hate us. And we see that hate manifesting itself in far too many stories lately.
So again I ask, who should be persona non grata? Why should people who act like monsters be treated so well by our leaders? The Republicans know what they are doing. The Democrats know what the Republicans are doing. Ask almost any Republican voter what they think of Nancy Pelosi. Or how about any other National Democrat’s name that they recognize. If they recognize it, they generally have a very negative opinion of them, and most have no idea why. They just know that those people are evil.
We are at war. The enemy has no foundation to offer their followers, except hate. I’ve offered little in the way of examining why I believe they are monsters, and we could go through a huge list of awful, cowardly and evil deeds they are committing or trying to commit, but I would assume that if you have a dog in this Spicer fight, you know enough that you don’t need my help to paint a picture of these people.
But, again, Spicer won’t even be a footnote in the history books. He was a joke. He did damage, but from my view, that’s like complaining about your ears popping after you’ve fallen out of an airplane without a parachute. There are people who are doing true damage. And there are others before this administration that did true damage. Get an activist from the Dubya era to go on about the atrocities the Bush regime committed. But wasting our time discussing how Spicer ought to be treated, when real monsters are given free reign to be treated like civilized company on a daily basis. These people are not your friends. The few values they have are easily discarded in favor of whatever is more advantageous to “them”. Because we are the enemy. They always fight us on identity politics, and we are fools to listen. The reason they don’t want identity politics is because we might give people who don’t pay attention something to believe in. These “swing” voters are told that democrats are evil. Meanwhile claiming their white supremacist supporters don’t represent the party that continues to fuel their hate. This is a war, we can call our enemy a monster, and when you give the reasons why you see them as a monster, perhaps the people that need to hear will listen.
If my son was actively trying to hurt another kid, what kind of parent would I be to say nothing and to act like its normal?
I was brought up to believe that the republican party was the party of morality and godliness. Now I wouldn’t advocate for using god (I’m not even a atheist, I just can’t bring myself to care if there’s a god or not), but morality? Absolutely. And how can we be seen as the keepers of morality when we fail to treat people who act like monsters accordingly.
I fear I see a violent civil war on our horizon. The cops chanting back at protesters “Who’s streets? Our streets!”, just screams that the enemy is itching for confrontation. They think they will be the prevailing party because people treat them like they belong. After Charlottesville, the alt-right movement was dealt a blow, because America got to see just what is brewing, and some went back to hide their racism a little bit more. Back down into the cellar where people won’t be disgusted when they see it.
We need leaders who realize the Republicans are our enemies, and only give them the respect that affords.
End or rant.
(I may check periodically and respond to thoughts, but mostly I needed a rant)