My grandfather, Homer Wilson Sr. was the greatest man I ever knew. He grew up during the great depression. He lost both his parents by the age of thirteen. He dropped out of school with a third grade education. He had to take care of his father, who was dying. He learned to sleep standing up. He watched his brothers and sister scattered to the wind, after his father passed. He traded farm labor for a place to stay and food till he was old enough to drive delivery trucks. He was strong willed, bull headed and tough as a box of nails. But he was wise as a Buddhist sage too.
He helped form the Teamsters, after meeting Jimmy Hoffa and became a hardcore union man and officer. He became a hardcore Democrat too. Often telling me, over the years, that the only real progress ever made in our Country was at the points we had a Democratic President and Senate. He said Democrats were the Peoples party, while Republicans were for the rich and like spending more money than they had. He knew then what we are learning now. When he passed away over forty years ago, the world truly lost a wise man and a sage.
One of the thing I remember most of him, was his sayings. I have quoted them several times over the years in articles, writing, responses and stories. I have quoted him to my kids, family and friends.
He had an answer or quip for about every situation that often made you pause and think.
One of these was "your words have consequences, use them wisely". Over the years my mother had repeated that to me too. My wife reminds me daily, especially after starting this blog, that it important to edit my words for context, rather than 100% rage I often feel any more.
As a former Factory worker, my language had diminished to a series of four letter expletives that often got me in trouble with folks for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. I once told a dear friends son, upon the death of his Grandfather to "not worry about it, you'll get over it". Something that still haunts me today. The absolute worst thing I could have said at that time. I truly loved the kid and his family and was lucky that day my wife was with me to correct what I said. But it still hurt him at a time of deep pain in his life. Grandpa Wilson’s words rang in my ears for years after. "Your words have meaning and consequences, choose them wisely"
One other time shortly after the factories fled to China during the Bush Years, I went back to working in Restaurants. I was used to a Union shop and spoke uninhibited and extremely loose. I never took an insult, ever. I made a very dear friend angry during training and she said something I took offensively and I called her the worst name a man can call a women, ever; and very loudly too. I hurt her deeply and to her core. I had a great boss though. Instead of firing me, like I would probably have done, he forced me to "think about what I had said" and act accordingly. After seeing the pain on her face, I felt horrible. I apologized and our friendship blossomed after that. I could hear my wife echo my grandfather when I told her about it. She said "Dennis, you need to choose your words better and remember they have consequences" "Sometimes they hurt deeper than you realize." "Think BEFORE you Speak"
Grandpa would say "keep your mouth shut and make people wonder just how smart you are; or open it up and show them how stupid you are" I never understood that , till I got older. Now I'm 59 and see it played our almost hourly from the single dumbest man who has ever been elected. Donald J Trump.
A man who should have never been allowed to become "President". A 71 yr. old man with NO moral compass. No sense of empathy or compassion. A man who displays no Religious convictions or beliefs. A man who speaks unfiltered, uncensored and off the cuff, without ever worrying about how his "words have consequences" or the pain and trouble it causes. A man whose IQ is questionable and who speaks like a third grader off his Ritalin for ADD. A man-child with no filters or moral compass. A spoiled child with no sense of responsibility for his own actions or words.
What he does, is always someone elses fault. Everyone always lies about him. It’s not his fault he said it or did it. It’s the Democrats, liberals, News media, blacks, Mexican and Muslims and NFL's fault. The core beliefs of White supremacists and NAZIs and the Klan. It always everyone else fault “they” fail, don’t have, or cant; never their own fault for being a failure. The fact they never learned something or understood something or even tried to, is irrelevant, as long as you can blame someone else. Spence being in Florida proves my point. Trump insults Puerto Ricans and the island with vague threats and lies. Lack of help. They move to Florida; their legal right as Americans, to get real help. Many say they will never return. As things get worse in Puerto Rico and Trump continues to ignore their needs, more are fleeing to Florida Daily. This can change the voting dynamic in Florida as most don’t like Trumps inaction's. Most would gladly embrace the Democratic Party and sway the "Red" state "Blue".
Enter Richard Spence, white supremacist and Trump supporter, to speak out against Americans fleeing back to America as some sort of "alien" invasion. He will probably blame liberals and Democrats and the news for the influx, rather than Trumps lack of response to the horrible conditions left by the Hurricane to the island. Blame everyone else. Forget your word gave us the consequences we are in.
Lies, insults, insinuations, shifting blame, creating false stories and conspiracy theories all have consequences. Insulting Heroes; both living and dead; and their families has consequences.
Sometimes we make a mistake as adults. We say the wrong thing. Most of us regret it and try to improve. We "feel" bad. We apologize and ask for some understanding and really "try" to improve. But Trump is like a pedophile. They always say they aren’t "that way" anymore, but still repeat their horrible behavior, over and over again. The difference is at least they fain remorse and sadness for their actions to get another chance. Trump doesn’t even do that.
He acts like that three year old kid caught playing in Moms Makeup on America Funniest home videos. "Were you playing with Moms makeup?" Covered in makeup and makeup over everything the child answers "Nooooo!" "Yes you have!" in tears and screaming a fit, the child yells "Nooooo I haven't! You’re lying!" We all laugh, because it is so funny with us seeing the evidence covering the child and furniture. Trump is like that three year old on film. We all "see it". He is covered from head to tail with the evidence. He is caught in the act. Yet he insists “he didn’t do it!" "It was someone else" "Everyone is lying" "It’s someone else’s fault" "I'm not lying"
The world sees it. Real Americans see it. Peoples of color see it. Soldiers see it. Veterans see it. Real Republicans see it. Democrats see it. Everyone sees it, except his circle of friend who see it, but choose to ignore it. Word have Consequences. Words matter. As a President, they matter more than ever before. Except to Trump. He is the three year old on tape. Deny, deny, deflect and lie.
Create ulterior problems, deflect focus and hope everyone forgets about the first and second and third.
Brietbart and Faux News always run with the deflections, trying to create his alternative realities as his escape hatch. Constantly pushing outright lies and fake stories that somehow "justify" this horrible behavior from the supposed leader of our Country, while totally ignoring real facts and problems he has self-created. They are the parent who tries to make us believe their child would never do anything wrong, ever! "Their” child is "perfect". Words have consequences. Trump is a consequence of their words too. The world is laughing at us, not with us. We're moving backwards as a country and as a world player and leader. The rest of the world wonders how we put a three year old who blames everyone else for the makeup mess he is sitting in; in charge. So do I.