SHADOWS

     We have all played with the shadows on the wall, making our fingers play puppets and animals, but we also have known the other side of shadows. Walking in a  deserted area and seeing another shadow, shadows being mistaken for people in a dimly lit room, or even the figurative shadows hanging over someone or something.
      Today, and for quite a long time already, we have had a shadow hanging over our country. It is the shadow of disbelief, of despair, of shock. It revolves quite a bit around the shadow of deep mistrust and shock that we have suffered these past few years. Nothing is as nothing was. Promises made are promises either not kept or turn out to be less than expected and even harmful - pay attention to the bottom line on your tax filing.
     But the worst of it all is the nasty stuff going around, revolving around the question of collusion, trafficking with the enemy to the detriment of the country, to the violation of its most sacred values, and all for the purpose of getting elected. And why get elected? It seemed and still seems as if one of the main reasons was to enrich the coffers of the Trump organization and the Trump family, what with deals and higher registration in various hotels and golf clubs, and lots of goodies and perks for the incompetent, corrupt appointees.
     We have had traitors in our history, from Benedict Arnold all the way through to the latest armed forces officers arrested for spying for Iran or planning mass attacks on pillars of our society. But for the President to be under this shadow?! This is the mind boggling and most depressing shadow that has been growing and growing, casting much of the country into darkness.
      So if the Mueller probe is ending what will happen now. I have read one mind numbing, nit picking article after another, explaining the legal points about conviction of this collusion and it seems that much might happen under racketeering. But even should there be not enough of the "legal" points to convict, just the shadow,the implication of it all, is, in my mind, enough. Enough to force the man to resign. Enough to have a huge upheaval of the administration. Enough to force a reevaluation of the whole system of elections, Electoral College, political gerrymandering, and the need to make these elections impervious to hacking and interference.
     There should be no shadows over a government. It needs to be transparent and exposed to the light. Shadows seem to generate other shadows, seeping down over the lower levels of government, giving almost tacit condoning of corrupt and/or incompetent administrations.
     There is hope as we see the enthusiasm of the 2018 midterms burgeon into the numerous candidates for President. Others might worry over the numbers but I do not, for they will be slowly cut down in number and the thing we must hope for is that there be no spoilers to steal the election from where it should be and that the best person become the candidate. I hope, at this point, that Klobuchar comes out on top and with an appropriate VP partner. We need a good and solid administration headed by one with goood common sense, experience in the world of foreign and domestic affairs, one who has proven oneself capable of handling difficult situations, of standing up to handle tough situations, not backing down nor losing one's values. I believe that is Klobuchar, although there are several other excellent candidates should she not be chosen, but that would be a loss as far as I am concerned.
     Shadows, like much of life, can be used for good or bad. They can be fun and they can be creative. They can be reassuring and they can be threatening and ominous, hiding reality or presenting reality in a dark manner. We need to weed out the misuse of shadows in the country. It is as simple as that. And as complicated as that.