DICKENSIAN TIMES?

     "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." And so the first paragraph of Tale of Two Cities continued, one of the greatest novels of Charles Dickens. It was a time of contradictions, of hope and despair and so similar to the times and atmosphere of today.
     Obama has stated that the Trump presidency has created an "unusual time" and how right he is. But looking beneath those somewhat bland words, we see a time of fear, of division, of chasms so deep they could split a nation. We see a wholesale rejection of the truth as truth, as  an attack on journalists that is beyond the pale. We see a president who is most unpresidential, whose bizarre behavior, whose erratic and dangerously childish behavior gives sanction to the outrageous behavior of dictators around the world. 
     You know the saying 'I told you so'? It is most aggravating to hear it and at the same time a statement one wishes to remain unsaid and yet, I told you so!! I was told I was going to the extremes, worried about our survival as a democracy, yet go read the magnificent speech by Sen. Flake and hold your head up in pride for one Republican who has the courage to stand up and tell the truth. Yes, the emperor is naked even as the people shout about the beauty of his new clothes.
     The latest gimmick of Fake News Awards is put to shame under the umbrella of truth about journalists and their profession. The numbers of journalists killed and wounded as they perform their jobs, the number arrested, condemned throughout the world, with their jailers citing the same garbage of fake news that spews forth from the mouth of the Great Liar.
     Fake News is nothing but lies. It is the Newspeak of the day that allows a president to behave so shamelessly, still mouth off about the numbers at his Inauguration, about his statements, bizarre and hurtful, about his racist, biased, misogynistic remarks and behavior. And yet, his Republican controlled government cannot get their act together and I can only hope that is because at least under the skin enough of them are ashamed of themselves, of their Party. This is a shambles of a government, with a supposed leader at the head who interferes with investigations, who has called the shots on the statements of witnesses at Congressional probes of the campaign and the Russian interference and alleged collusion.
     There is just too much shouting here and too little truth. There is too much viciousness  as Border Police go chasing after illegal immigrants mostly at the lower end of the scale, those who man the counters at 7-11, or crew the construction jobs and climb on hot roofs and clear the mass of destruction left behind after the storms and fires, who pick the fruit and vegetables for our tables and just wait till the prices soar because there will be a scarcity of them with no workers to take them off the vine, the tree, the fields. And kudos to the Northern Californians who will use the recently passed sanctuary bill of theirs and refuse-REFUSE to work with ICE to chase these people down, with quotas of how many are to be 'captured'. What is the matter with these people!!! Can they not see the ugliness of doing their supposed job?
     And last nite I attended a packed show of the Mystics, a 50's group that continues to sing and harmonize and please audiences, that incorporates lots of audience singing into their program. And sing the audience certainly does, as they remember a simpler time, an easier time, a calmer time, a time when one could be proud of being American. Not a perfect time, but better than now for at least there was an American Dream still shining in truth and glory. And today? ?????????????
     I will reiterate. This man does have physical issues glossed over by the report and  his so called mental evaluation was from a simple test downloadable on line, nice and ready for pre study and so simple that it points out very little. "face, velvet, church, daisy, red" These are the words to remember. Memorize them and be found "okay". Not so, and certainly not so for a man who is supposed to be a leader of men. This man is a nothing who manages to be dangerous to the survival of the world, physically and morally.
     We the people have got to get up and do something. Pressure your reps. Get out there and march, protest. Get out there and work on campaigns for righteous Americans who value our history, our principles. But if we the people do not do this---well, ask yourself in what type of America will our kids and grandchildren be living?
      It is on us.
     WE THE PEOPLE