WHO? ME? NOT ME!!!

     Hand in the cookie jar syndrome. That is what we have. When caught mid act, deny, deny, deny, so often and so firmly, that the denial becomes the new truth and the cookie crumbs around the mouth and the chcolate remnants on your fingers? Well, life is full of mysteries, right?
     This appears to be the new method of government in our country. Get out there and rile the people up, encourage them to find the lowest common denominator of behavior, appeal to the ugliness that lies within us all, and then, 'Who, me? Not I." Nope. No way. But, actually, yes, way!! So very yes, way.
     We are well on the way to mob rule. The formula and the behaviorisms are there and it is up to us to choose: mob rule with lack of morality or true law and order under a moral code. It appears that at this point we have chosen to come down on the side of mob rule. The President himself, the figure who is supposed to stand as a figure of unity, of nationhood, of e pluribus unum, is instead the very one who encourages the mob, who loves to play his very significant role in it and then stand there and deny, deny, deny "I was not happy with it. I disagree with it," the president said in the White House on Thursday, referring to the chants. "I didn't say that; they did.",  even as the cookie crumbs keep falling from his mouth.
      This is a very dangerous pathway we seem to be choosing. In mob rule, the minority can take over the country, leading to truly bad happenings. Lynchings, attacks, the spewing of verbal filth, the dehumanization of all mankind. Why is it, that if one person begins a chant, a nasty one, that others will follow? It is, I believe, the fact that we believe that in a mob we are anonymous, so we just let it rip, delve down into the ugly soup of prejudice, of nastiness, of anger, of whatever negative emotion there is, and draw upon it. Shame on us, shame on the leaders who appeal to this, who thrive on it and shame on us who give in to this ugliness.
     But there is hope. No, not Hope Hicks, who has been uncovered, laid bare as a teller of lies under oath, just like the rest of the Trump administration. It is no wonder that this group of evildoers has fought so hard to keep their dirty dealings hidden under the false claim of executive privilege. The papers that are opened tothe public, prove their criminality, their veniality, their lying, their true and total nastiness and yes, immense contempt for the American public and the whole concept of America.
     Just shut it down, and cut the immigration numbers to zero. Cut out all refugee and asylum requests. Suck the life blood out of the country and deny it new infusions. That appears to be the go to plan for the future, only, if it is, then there is no future.
     It is not as if we have nothing else to occupy our minds. Solve homelessness so the street sleepers, the families with no place to go, the people who now rent vans for their living quarters, the hungry, the lost, the ones caught in the awful world of drug addiction, will all have a place to go, the need to improve education, to work on the environment, to be fair in the economic sphere, to yes, dare I say it, redistribute the wealth to a certain degree, allowing for financial rewards, but also allowing for a decent life for the rest of us. Solve the problems of the world and there will be no need to worry about illegal immigrants, of frightened people looking to find a place where they can live safely, not worried about being murdered, having hope for their children. This is just a list off the top of my head but there is so much more. Pharmacy and drug prices. Food insecurity. Desertification of the world. Growing uselessness of drugs to combat diseases. The ugliness of prejudice. And on and on and on.
      So who can solve it? Who, me? Not I, is the general response, but it is wrong. One person plus one person plus three people plus ten people and we have a good group that eschews mob mentality even as they understand the need and power of a group dedicated to improvement.
    Where do we start? We start with people looking inside themselves, looking at themselves in the mirror. Do they like what they see and do they want their children to follow in these footsteps of theirs? We start with demanding that our representatives do their jobs and now!!! We demand that they regrow their moral spines. We look around for true conservatives, not the ones who claim conservatism now, along with huge tumors of cancerous hate and nastiness. We start with an appreciation of and a demand for truth, for transparency in government, for honor and honesty. 
     We start with and remember the words of Cory Booker who was asked about the meaning of this election of 2020. His response - and mine - and of so many others:
       "The referendum in this election is not on one guy in one office," he said. "The referendum in this election is a referendum on who we are, and who we are going to be to each other, and if we can get back to seeing each other with a more courageous empathy, we can have a revival of civic grace and create a new American majority."
       The America of old, with all its faults, and its virtues and its constant quest to improve, to truly be the home of safety, of justice, of hope, of humanity, of recognition of errors and constant efforts to improve. That is my America. I want it back! Who me? Yes, me - and you, and you and you. All of us.