When my oldest was a toddler I could not figure out why suddenly she had a scapegoat for her little misdeeds. It was an elephant. An elephant that evidently came in through a window and then proceeded to rampage through the house, pulling out pots and pans, emptying drawers, pulling books off shelves, wherever mischief had struck. Where did this elephant come in?
And then I knew. There was a segment about a little boy sitting at a table along with a spilled glass of milk. With a straight face, an innocent angel face, he told his mom that the elephant had entered through the window and reached over with its trunk, and purposely spilled the milk. For sure, he was innocent of all charges!
Cute. Adorable, and perfect for a little talk about imagination, about mischief, about telling the truth, not to be afraid of owning up to it. At times I still call upon that elephant in various discussions! But today, here in the USA, we have an unimaginably huge elephant not just in the room, but sitting out there in public squares, in malls, in homes, everywhere. It is an elephant that seems to be invincible. It is the elephant of discrimination. The elephant of lies, of dastardly and never ending lies.
The elephant? Trump. The rest of the herd? His simpering, worthless, no, dangerous, suck-ups who seemingly have not even a glimmer of morality, of values, of anything worthy of even a glance. Yet they are the people who rule this country. These are the people and their leader who are ransacking our country, ruining it for decades to come with dangerously incompetent judges, with regulation negation, with vile statements and deeds.
There is no elephant here other than the elephant who marches out in his blue suit, colored tie, and proceeds to lie through his teeth. In fact, if I ever heard a truth emanating from that mouth I cannot remember it. History is written by the victor; that is why the 'story' in history. Seriously, people have distorted history throughout the ages and it takes time, but the truth does out. In the meanwhile, that damn elephant has come to live in OUR national home - the White House.
A grown man uses armed forces against his own citizens. Tear gas canisters streaked through the air and ravished and ravaged the protesters, peaceful protesters, clergy and laity, and why? Because that elephant needed to make a photo-op, courtesy of the oh so wonderful Ivanka, and so, bone spurs acting up, evidently, the forces were called out and the oh so not presidential walk across the street took place There he resorted to the proverbial last resort of scoundrels, religion, and holding the Bible upside down, took his ridiculous bows. What a crock!! What an insult to elephants! Better he should have remained cowering and crouching in that bunker that he suddenly had a wish to see and inspect!! Elephant talk indeed! This, the man who now threatens that "If they don't get it straightened out soon, I'll take care of it." - referring to NYC.
We are living in a United States today that has gone missing. There is no humanity, no compassion, only lies and greed. Students are shafted time and time again as loan relief, even from false schools, is denied. Veterans are left hanging. Our national emergency reserves, meant for safety in times of need have been exposed as not there, inadequate for the needs and demands of a crisis, and this elephant refuses to allow anything to land on him. He denies responsibility for all yet claims total authority, in his own words, threatening to come to all places and force - FORCE - Americans to do his bidding.
Never mind the anger. Never mind the injustice. Never mind the invasive and dangerous hatred that is a major growth stock - but please do not buy into this stock. There is no profit here, only loss. There are intrusions by white right wing extremists who encourage violence after the protest marches end peacefully. There are greedy creeps who take opportunity to loot, the 'bad crowd' we have been warned against and about from the time of the Bible and the Exodus from slavery in Egypt.
The Israelites were on their way back towards their homeland, a land where they would be free, could live with the laws given to them by G-d and His messengers. A land where they were people able to stand high and build their lives, not slave away for the benefit of others.
Today, so damned late, so damned long in happening, people of color are also trying to come home, but their home is right here, so why must they struggle so hard to claim the rightful way of life, allowing them to be people - good, bad, indifferent, scientists and crooks, teachers and students, strivers and wastrels, exactly as all else on this planet.
Prejudice does not stop. When victims run short, why, there is always another group awaiting their "just' violence and hatred. Almost every single group of hyphenated Americans and I do hate that - for we are all Americans, for this is our country and nowhere else do we see that hyphenated term. No one in England is called an Italian-Englishman or an Hungarian Frenchwoman, so why here? Why? It only stresses differences that are not really important. Every single group that immigrated here has felt that inherent prejudice and irrational hatred.
We are Americans. That elephant is not. It is an invader, out of place,, unwelcome, a hulking bulk of a pernicious liar who would have us all follow him on a dangerous path, all leading to the demise of the USA, perhaps forming one of those fake Democratic Republics of wherever, the complete opposites of who and what we are supposed to be.
Recently, person after person, has come out with alarming statements. Their fear has reached paralytic heights or depths. Thomas Friedman yesterday wrote that he is, at 66, frightened that he is seeing the end of this country, this democracy. That elephant has so badly stomped on us. Writer after writer, former Trump administration people - such as Mattis, say, .“ “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us,”. All are finally speaking out and yet the elephant continues his rampage, along with his blighted crew and destructive horde and we, the people, are being trampled, almost to the point of no return.
We have been warned about hatred and its consequences. We have had eloquent speakers wage verbal warfare, hoping to end the violence, negate the hatred, eliminate prejudice. We have resisted this for so many, too many, years. Let us open our minds to the truths that should be, as we are famously told, recognized as "inalienable rights".
We have heard the transformative speech , the Dream speech of Rev. King at the Lincoln Memorial, the same president that the elephant claims to be even better than - "Honest Abe'. The gall!!! The lies. Trump has never met an honest moment in his life!
We have lived through the Holocaust. We have lived through the murders and genocide attempt by the Hutus over the Tutsis. We have seen the killing fields of Cambodia, the irrational violence perpetrated against the Rohingya. We have lived through the Armenian expulsion and slaughter. We have lived through the newer concentration camps for Serbs. When will we ever learn? When?
Perhaps we need to reread and internalize better, the words and warning of Elie Wiesel, a brilliant man who rebuilt a life interrupted, nearly destroyed, and brought words of warning, of hope, of lessons, of values to the world. Read them. Believe them.
When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy… . Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must—at that moment—become the center of the universe.
If we wish to Be Well and Stay Safe, then we had better heed them. We had better see to it that that wild, renegade elephant returns to where he belongs - out of office, charged with crimes he has committed throughout his lifetime, and enclose him in the same bars where so many have been incarcerated for too long, even if deserving of punishment for crimes, judged too harshly, unfairly or treated inhumanely.
Hatred against one group of people is hatred against all. Endorsement of a renegade elephant is endorsement of a violent and illegitimate way of life. Battle the odds and the interference and get out there and vote. Put that herd of elephants away where they can do no more harm. It is upon us. No one else. No neutral ground here. Either/Or. Make your choice and then live with it. Responsible people will turn aside that intruding and intrusive elephant. Let us get with that program. Now. Now. NOW.
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