THE RULES OF IT ALL

 One of the first things a child learns when beginning to socialize is that one must know the rules of the moment and more important - follow them. That is the be all and end all of childhood integration within society. In addition, it is upon the newcomer to find out the rules and learn how to follow them. Failure to do so often resulted or led to tense unsuccessful moments, some of which remained as painful memories.

One would think that as adults, many of us with those painful moments when our social sense failed us, we would use those memories, the understandings gained, to guide our conduct as adults, to at least try to set an example for others. It is the concept that one leads by in fact, leading, showing the correct path, no matter the difficulties and obstacles on that path as one tries to abide by the rules. It is upon the adult to reject the tempting thought to be a vicious little kindergartener mad at the world, all because he failed to learn, internalize, and heed the rules

Roam through history and see how almost every autocrat indulged in displays of temper tantrums capable of rivaling the most expert Terrible Two kid around. We have had many of those would be rulers in American history, but it was only when Trump, that deranged, limited in intelligence man was elected and he indeed set the rules - lower than anyone else ever had. In fact, the only rule in his rulebook was that one had to kowtow to Trump, the Life Ruler wannabe, or else face his wrath. One would be subjected to nasty little childish rhymes and ungrammatically written diatribes which made no sense at all as the words tripped over themselves and the lies spilled out, over the top and under any standard of decency.

Unfortunately, a huge segment of our presumed 'leaders' on Capitol Hill played Following the Leader with great enthusiasm, freed of societal civilized limits, free to return to the days of tantrums, only this time, adult tantrums. Ever so satisfying to indulge oneself that way. Ever so harmful to America. Unfortunately so, and the resultant damage has cascaded into the miserable  dangerous state of affairs of our country and the world today. 

Trump's perversive behavior gave permission to Putin to indulge in his own vicious behavior, public tantrums, enforced, 'enhanced'' by his powers to place any opponent into awful captivity for who knows how long. At Putin's pleasure - or displeasure. 

No rules here and that has led to a mammoth proportion of the present world, bereft of rules, no  rules to follow other than the ones made up on the spot. The capricious whims, the selfish tantrums and demands of children unsocialized in human behavior became the norm of the supposed adults in charge. Every time one thinks that the bottom has been reached and there is no way other than up, well, we find ourselves so erroneous in our thinking, in our hopes for a better, more hospitable world, for adults to be adults. To put aside their dangerous asocial behavior. Nope. Never. Ever.

It all went downhill. Take a gander at the hearings for Jackson's confirmation as a Justice of the Supreme Court. Nothing holds those good ole boys down. Nope. They do not stay down on the ranch; they shout, they storm out, they ignore the rules of the game. Rules in place for the benefit of America, the country and its residents they presumably took an oath to serve. Nope again. These people, these asocial children, indulge themselves, gain media coverage for this misbehavior as our country slides further down into that evidently bottomless pit. 

And the world? Simple. Putin invades a sovereign country. Why? Simply because. Remember that question - answer sequence? Here it is in its most dangerous format. Make war. Distract the rumbling and grumbling citizens, so inimical to a positive future for the autocrat in charge. Go out and kill; better yet, make it simple, take the children out, along with mothers, with grandparents, with the ill, those unable to flee. Make war on the helpless and be sure those who would fight are weaker than you. Fair fights? Never heard of them.

The globalization of the economy and its present mess is only one part of the situation. We are globalized in cause and effect, in outrageous behavior apparently contagious, particularly in those awful would - be heads of governments. One autocrat rushes to wage war where there should be none and the natural enemy, shall we say, stands back, telegraphs hesitancy to act. Consequently, that vicious autocrat merrily rolls along, killing, maiming, threatening, for he is sure of nothing  falling down upon him.

Sanction his country? Well, he has plenty hidden away, maybe even under his mattress! Sanction his friends? He has none, so why the hell does he, would he, should he, care? He does not. Most emphatically so. Threaten him with charges of war crimes? Ha!! Try to get him into court or enforce the penalties. Never happen. Never. And if there are too many efforts to be comfortable, well, he will simply threaten to pull out a handy- dandy pocket nuclear bomb and have a bit of fun, just a good old boy playing with his toys as he sulks because no one wants to play with him. Hey, maybe we can send him a few of our asocial children. Quite a list, a bountiful crop. Start with Cruz, add Graham to the stew, sprinkle in Tucker Carlson, Ron Jonson, the weak chinned McConnell, the fascist Hawley, a good conversationalist for Putin, and well, we are so blessed with a plethora of these children, are we not. We can even set up a friend of the month, until perhaps our own Wanna-Be's, like DeSantis and Rubio, or Scott, or some of those crazed women on the Hill, from both sides will learn their lesson! Perhaps they will then learn to be adults, to match their mental behavior  with their chronological age.

A pipe dream? Maybe? But a gal can hope. Even if hopelessly hoping at the present rate.

When? Perhaps never? Or perhaps too late. Hmm, what if we all had a tantrum, on Election Day, all the better to bollix their fascistic plans to deny the ability to vote to so many. It's a plan! In language they understand. Gotta' grow up sometime, don't we all!  There are rules after all, are there not?