Alan Paton wrote this iconic novel many, many years ago regarding South Africa. Powerful, tragic, inspiring, it set in motion discussions and changes all over the world, even if some took more years to achieve. But for the past four years the country in mind should have been ours. Actually, it should never have been ours, but the insane behavior of a demented man, enabled, encouraged, tolerated and catered to by power hungry politicians, by morally vacant and cowardly representatives, crooked administration appointees, cronyism and the vilest children of a First Family ever, played right into an eagerly awaited tragedy on his part and another type of tragedy for our country.
“For four years we have witnessed turmoil in America, but nothing quite like this,” “This is exactly what was feared, but in no way is this a surprise. It has been fueled by the president’s rhetoric, and it’s increasingly clear, this nation has not healed the wounds, it has simply amplified them,”
Shame on us as that is what the world has thought of us and our destiny for the past four years and for how much longer? We will never be the same. We cracked. Plain and simple. We had a revolution, an attempt to overthrow this government of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, a country that was a miracle of history, a tiny, disorganized conglomeration of thirteen colonies against a giant of the world, England.
For almost the entire time of the campaign and term of Trump's, I have been speaking, writing and shouting about the inevitability of his insanity, his inhumanity, his utter concentration and focus on himself, to the exclusion of all else. He was a Hitler by another name, a man so consumed with his own importance, a genius in his own mind, but certainly not in any reality that we know. Perhaps in another dimension, one in which he lived within his own damaged and twisted mind, but not ours. And yet, here in this dimension, we suffered, our country repeatedly pounded with blows from him, blows that might as well have been struck by the power of Thor's Hammer. Our future doom was present and clear, able to be seen by any and all who had clear vision. And tragically, by those who pursued it.
And there they were yesterday, being rushed out of their respective Chambers as the rebels, the insurrectionists, the treasonous traitors, broke into the Capitol of our nation and swarmed like the dangerous rats they are, carrying the viruses grown in them by the encouragement and feeding into it by the same Republicans who now claimed all innocence and shock. Blaming Trump, they avoided mentioning the acts of their support, their enablement, their fear, their all consuming ambition and desire to retain positions, their implicit and complicit participation in all this. Their words were just as guilty as the actions of the day. Their own words came back to bite them in their respective asses, yet there they stood, holier than thou, going "tsk, tsk" - the cowards and liars they all are.
The country was imploding and exploding as around it, in state after state, rioters invaded buildings of government, threatening, shouting, "This is war" - and yes it was and yes it is. This is war on our country. So cry, our beloved country. Cry with deep heaving sobs, ripped from our very souls, for if we do not do what needs to be done, then we are done, our fabric ripped permanently, a beginning of the end to this country as it is, as it is supposed to remain. We have allowed a dictatorially ambitious madman to dictate to us, to void all that is moral and right, to roll back all legislation that worked to insure rights for all, fair play, sane environmental policies, broke alliances with friends and hooked up with enemies as Trump prostituted himself with his new BFFs. The world laughed at us yesterday even as they shrugged their shoulders, for they knew this was coming, this was inevitable.
One cannot always outrun the consequences of one's actions and words, of the inflammatory qualities they espoused in all they did and said. One cannot outrun either, the fact that there will be bills to pay - and yesterday they all came due. So I sat there in my chair, or paced the floor, ranting, crying, shouting, the dreaded "I told you so" being heard in the air, the anger and the sadness. The tears and the fears. The wondering if this was the end of us.
Think not that lessons were learned by, as one politico called them, "Retrumplicans", for this is what the noble party of Lincoln has devolved into and shame on them and a major loss for this country. Never did I hear one Republican legislator admit their portion of the guilt. Never did they say mea culpa, heaping the blame all on their master. Even as 6 Senators and 121 House members voted to continue the objections to the election results. Even then!!!!
We must insure that proper blame and responsibility is laid at the feet of those who are guilty. We must treat the insurrectionists of yesterday as traitors to the country, committing treason, using violence to overthrow this country's legal process of government, and need to pay the price. Blood in the streets I warned and blood there was and will continue to be unless we are firm in our follow through. Just as the new government of this country slammed down on the adherents of Shay's Rebellion in our early years, we must do the same now. We must. Truly, sadly so.
The people of Judea sat on the banks of the rivers of Babylon, ripped their clothes, assumed all the manners of mourning, put on sackcloth, ashes on their heads, weeping for their loss. Are we to do the same? Are we to face this exile within and without our own country. I am distraught as are so many others. Perhaps this shock to the system will set us straight. Perhaps we will be honest with ourselves and be proactive, as we should have been yesterday, with proper security and whomever was in charge of that needs to be asked some pointed questions indeed.
This is not over. Invoking the 25th Amendment now and removing Trump from office is delayed years from when it should have ben applied, right after his first demented ranting and tweeting. Too little, too late is where we are at present and where we hopefully move forward from. The future is at stake. Describing his present behavior as insane, now, is way late and almost useless. Even as he will go down as the first President Traitor, we remain in this awful place in time and history ourselves
May we all come through safely and triumphant, sure of our country and its future. May we all have the strength, physical, mental, moral to succeed in the hard work awaiting us. While yesterday I asked if you would be my neighbor, today I am not so sure. I do not trust you any more. Prove yourself. Support the country. Cause me to cry my beloved country no more.
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