A SINKING SHIP OF STATE?

    As a kid I always liked the image of a ship of state, imagining the President at the helm, steering the country safely thru danger, shallow waters and rocks. Big waves could not stop that ship of state. Oh, no, for that ship was almost magical. Too sadly, as an adult I began the process of disillusionment, watching the ship founder from LBJ, Vietnam, Nixon, Watergate, Oliver North, Reagan and his Alzheimer's, Clinton and his apparent male disease or arrogance, all the way through the dirty campaign of 2016 and today's presidency. But today? Today the ship is actually listing, severely so.
     The President, G-d help us, sits and lurks in the hidey hole corner of his residence, obsessively watching TV and tweeting away for all he is worth. His tweeting finger has moved disastrously so many times and yesterday was no exception as he tweeted before the full news was out and his campaign officials - with more to come - were tainted by the swamp waters he claimed to have drained. Those waters are rising swiftly, climbing the waterline of that ship of state and the question now is - will the captain of that ship, the President, go down with that ship.
     Are there any life saving measures? Perhaps, if Mueller is fired - but that will raise a storm and even his blind base might recognize that action for what it truly signifies. How much lower will Trump go in his approval ratings as he is already at 38%.
     He can issue a blanket pardon, but trust me on this - the stink of the fetid waters that the ship of state is presently mired in will overwhelm all, including the big fish or alligator right there at the helm. Will announcing that he will not run in 2020 do something to raise the ship, to rebalance it? Perhaps, and that is why perhaps Senator Rand and Chris Christie have announced they are not planning on running again for their office. Will Trump? Or will his ego convince him that he is above all this, that he is Teflon?
     There are so many questions left unanswered this morning. Who exactly are those campaign people? Where did Trump actually come in and when? Who gave the orders? Will there be a much longer line in a walk of shame in Washington and will that line be composed of more than Republicans as it seems that all of Washington is tainted, have lost their minds in the pursuit of power, lost sight of all that is right and civility and public service have long ago sunk into the muck of the swamp.
     And yet the Trump machine runs on with canoes and lifeboats dropping off the ship of state. Deregulation is a growing menace and does not seem to have an end to it. Lack of respect for the right of a woman to control her own healthcare and body, corruption in the hiring of companies for contracts even going so far as to hire the very enemies of the people as the administrators of government. The stink of that muck grows ever stronger.
     Right now the Republicans must be putting on their waders thinking they can stay clean, untouched by the muck, safe on a lifeboat, but I would not be too sure about that. There is that looming 2018 election coming closer every day. There is the lack of bipartisanship. And there is the disgust of the people. How much more will the people tolerate? That question is the one that is thundering silently thru the houses of government today. It deafens the crowd even as it frightens the heart.
     One other question. How will Russia take this whole thing. Will Putin just shrug his shoulders and keep on moving along, thank you, or will there be consequences. Money goes very far, does it not, in this administration so will consequences have to wait till the next administration. But not if it is Pence or one like him, for he and others come out of the same mold as Trump.  Even as Nero fiddled, Trump golfs, and the rest all have their little sidelines of relaxation.
     So perhaps we will be saved from a ruinous tax scheme to benefit the wealthy. Perhaps Trump will be very careful and behave himself as he starts out on a 12 country journey and G-d help us if there are no controls for how many more will he antagonize?
     I dream of a time now when the leaky holes of the lies will be patched ad perhaps we can right the ship of state. Perhaps we can get people such as Kelly out of office, even as he masquerades as a decent individual but lies through his teeth and says that immigration should be best kept between zero and one. Lovely. So heart warming. I find it very frightening that this ship of state has so many military people in civilian office. The line of separation is shredding and not in a good way either.
     To sum up - get out your rain gear, your waders, your boats and your oars. We will need strong backs to row us out of the wake and the pull of this leaky and stinking ship of state. We need to pull ourselves out of the swamp on to a clean and clear river - if we can actually find one after all the deregulations!
     It is a long haul we have. We are only at the beginning and we must stay resolved, strong in our determination to clean out the mold and the rot infecting the ship of state, polish it up and send it back out gleaming and shining with the dreams of good people, with the hope that we can reinspire ourselves and the people who represent us in office. Then, perhaps, we can inspire our young and convince them that America can still be the country of the idealist and the dreamer. May that time and day come soon.