Skip to main content

Beginning or End?

 Millions of words are forming sentences about this moment in time.  Formed by minds that occupy every slot on the political spectrum.  Formed right now and throughout the day.  Millions of words from millions of people trying to separate the mythology from the facts, the delusion from reality, the lies from the truth.  

Our Capital attacked, we seek to unpack the events and the mindset of those who would commit insurrection.  Those who did commit insurrection on January 6, 2021.  The President sits in the White House today with the flag flying atop the pole, while all over the iconic buildings and monuments of Washington D.C. the flag flies at half staff.  Perhaps, that says it all.  Who and what has died?

This is what the millions are unbraiding as we ready ourselves for the transfer of power slated to take place in 12 days.  The behavior displayed by Trump's army in seeking to overturn the election results was repugnant on every level.  That those ripping and tearing the fabric of our government were in earnest is clear.  They swallowed some pretty big lies and choked them down.  They regurgitated wrath, their self-righteous ire. They felt justified to defile what they considered their "house," their "rights" their ability to trample the rule of law.  5 people died before this infamy ended.  



So, what have we learned?  What can we agree on, all of us?  Not much, apparently.   The reality show of Trump productions ended its run with all the finality of a series-ending episode of The Sopranos. 

Here's what I know to be true.  The President is a sociopath.  He checks all the boxes and this final chapter underscores all of them.  Listen to his words, look at his disposition, record his behavior.  It's clear.

People don't share the same factual information anymore.  This recent phenomenon lies at the root of the problem.  If it remains untended, more hate and misinformation will fuel similar uprisings.

Bipartisanship must be nourished.  There is so much work to do to fix what has been trashed that the sooner the better the rehabilitation can begin.

People must be held accountable for their actions and their lieing.  That the propagation of outright lies is responsible for much of this terror is certain.  Trump's lies and fascination with conspiracies were visible from the beginning.  His "birther" crusade told us all we needed to know.

We must be careful about the mental state of anyone running for any position of leadership.  Any review of Donald Trump's rise to power will reveal outright racism, duplicity, and surprising ignorance about the history of the country he once led.  We could all use a review lesson on values clarification.  

So, we ask, is this the beginning or the end of something bigger? 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

To a Tee

 I'm a sucker for a good t-shirt.  They are the foundational garment of my life.  My day starts with selecting a t-shirt and it ends with sleeping in one.  Once thought of as under garments, t-shirts are now original art and no doubt, a billion dollar business.   You can get a t-shirt with anybody's picture displayed.  You can commemorate an event, a birthday, a death, even a specular play in any sport.  Family reunions usually have a commemorative t-shirt.  Also, any organization that solicits your support in the form of a donation is likely to offer you a t-shirt. Where once I only had the basic white t-shirt, my drawers are filled with all manner of colorful choices.  Some recognize major events in my life, some, spectacular performances or plays I have witnessed, and some unforgettable places I have been.   I say I'm a sucker for a good t-shirt because I have taken the bait on what I perceived as a must-have only to be disappointed. ...

Mr. Greene v. Mr. Brown

I want to tell you about something. Something I've carried inside myself for a number of years now. Perhaps if I were a different kind of person I wouldn't need to talk about it. I'm not. My need to tell it is stronger than your need to hear it. Because, however, there are a number of teachers and former students of mine who may read these meanderings from time to time, I need to tell this story all the more. About 7 or 8 years ago I was asked if I would allow a university PhD. candidate to observe an English class. At first I decided against it because I was scheduled to have a student teacher placed with me the second half of the semester in question. After some urging, however, at the request of a respected colleague, I agreed. Soon I was committing to extra meetings, signing documents and explaining to the class in question who the young woman who thoughtfully pounded away on a laptop in the rear of the classroom three times a week was. I knew that the topic of ...

Body Language

I'm sitting there in a hospital gown, waiting for my doctor to complete my yearly physical.  This is when I look at everything on the walls, read the medical posters, the instructions on any equipment in the room, look in every corner and behind every chair.  I study the paper on the examination table, laugh out loud at the picture of a smiling child holding a bouquet of broccoli, and the note the placement of the computer in the room. Finally, wondering if the gown I'm wearing is on correctly, I focus on myself.  At this point in my life I'm fairly comfortable in a doctor's office.  But it always seems to take so long when waiting for the doc to enter.  So I fidget.  Then I begin a tour of myself.  Scars are tattoos.  I look at the one on my knee and see myself at 12.  Whittling a piece of wood with my Boy Scout jack knife.  The blade slips and I cut a crescent slash through my jeans and into my flesh for life.  50 years later ...