AND THE MORE THINGS CHANGE....

     It never changes, no matter what. All the promises, all the words and the end result is the same garbage.
     So that big liar goes to Texas and what do we get? Not help, not aid, but words that tell of the enormous size of the disaster, and how wonderful it is, so awesome. It is so big an event that Trump used its ratings to promote his sinful pardoning of Arpaio, the bigot. It was Trump again who took advantage of another opportunity to praise himself and what a turnout!! Always looking for numbers to show how bigly great he is. And by the way, could someone please teach him a few more words, some adjectives and adverbs as he is getting downright boring with his repetitious language.
     Yet under all these lies and bonhomie lay the truth. Who just cancelled the regulations that would see that this infrastructure would be better prepared for these more frequent events? And who is planning once Congress returns to cancel the Federal Flood Insurance program? And who keeps denying climate change? And who refuses to fill positions in the very agencies that are needed now to help our citizens. And who has instructed ICE to keep going after the immigrants no matter the situation? And who has idiot minions such as Conway who takes down CNN for interviewing a refugee and yet praises FOX to the heavens when they do the same thing? And who stayed way out of helping people- could have gone to a refugee center and dished some lunch but nope, stayed well out of it. I am not a fan of Gov. Abbot but he and his wife did the right thing and served up lunch with no fanfare. Just the right thing to do.
     And which party now is singing a different tune about a big relief bill for the damage and for help? Ah, yes, the same Republican Party that ranted and raved against the help for the people of the Northeast after Sandy which is still ongoing as far as damage repair. There goes Ted Cruz! And no, there was no pork in the Sandy bill, just miserable Republicans who are now praying otherwise. And who wants to cut almost a billion dollars from the relief fund in order to pay for the Wall? And who is now going to tout his tax reform bill which will actually relieve the 1% and not the masses of people who need it, but hey, what's a lie or two between friends. And wait till these people find they cannot give healthcare to their children because the CHIP program is cancelled. Yup, our leader and his minions surely do care for us, they surely do!
     And we cannot leave out those everlasting religiosos who know better for evidently G-d tells them to hate the other, to take off on the gay community, to sign a hateful petition or statement against them. Shame on them!! At least Mattis froze the whole armed forces deal right now on the transgender issue. May he continue to do the right thing as difficult as it is to do so in this administration.
     Finally, even should Trump try to weasel out on the whole Russian collusion issue and the criminal aspects of his finances and use pardons galore, the local attorneys in the states are waiting, willing and able to go ahead and charge locally and no pardon will work there. Ha!! Schneiderman is already working with Mueller in NYS.
    Actually, the final step is a good one, for it is about the people of our country. Yes, there are athletes who are showing their disgust at the events and yes, some make exorbitant salaries, but so do many of the Trump administration, and in fact, nearly all do or have done, so hypocrisy aside, people are standing behind justice and fair play and the values of the country, Trump or not. They are volunteering and feeding and rescuing. They are working as community activists, fighting for a better country, a better future for all. There are cities that shelter the chased and frightened immigrants even as Trump goes back on his and our words and takes off after the DACA people. We can be good, but oh lordy, it is hard to do and be so in this atmosphere.
     There is yet more hope when many Trump voters are expressing disappointment with his behavior, his tweets, his stupid blurting of nauseous statements, his pugilistic pictures on Twitter - just as a small boy would do, with fists up - and seemingly so much time on his hands. There is hope when the courts ban the attempted laws against sanctuary cities and when legislators are presenting petitions asking for wholesale TPS or temporary status for whole countries. Perhaps the Statue of Liberty still has status and function in our values. Yet when one politician threatens another that if she and others keep on with the fight re statues, they could find themselves met with worse than torches (KKK) and in fact, find themselves in Okefenokee swamp, a reminder of the bodies that were dumped in swamps during horrific years.
     We need to chooses sides here and not by politics, but by civilization and civility, by freedom to think otherwise, by freedom to tolerate, by freedom to stand up for our values and by leaving the threats off in the sewers where they belong.
    The more things change....but can we not change the rest of that adage?