BREAD AND CIRCUSES

  Scholars of history have pointed to the deterioration of a democracy via the presentation and proliferation of bread and circus to the population. It blinds them to the atrophy, limitations and losses of the freedoms they once had. Stripped away by patently unqualified and/or fascistic legislators, enabled by incompetent opposition, the people are granted distracting sops - patently false promises, circuses in the form of "tax relief" so they can play better, distracted from the truth of the ugly reality: the loss of the premises that initiated the foundation of this nation. The right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". Thus, the exorbitant concert ticket is relieved of taxes, even as the uber wealthy are exempted from reasonable taxes on their top-heavy wealth.

The echoes resound through the tunnels of history, and as Rome faded, so goes the USA at present. Oh, we still maintain the 'position' of leader of the West, the image of a functioning democracy, but the holes in the cheesecloth of foundational principles are growing exponentially. Florida, under DeSantis, is a leader in the disintegration of the nation as it forges ahead - or retreats back - into a land of restricted rights. The right to choose - negated. Women denigrated a la Trumpian philosophy even as he is on trial, accused of rape. Restrictions of the right to vote, huge hurdles on the path to voting and aid to voters needing help to complete forms and deliver their ballots are now even more restricted - all the better to shut out Democratic leaning voters.  Intellectually challenged legislators sit in their plush seats and vote away their jobs. Hitlerian, Chinese, Korean, Russian - fake parliaments we are doing a pretty good job of emulating, not only in Florida, but in a growing number of states. 

And what do we do? We sit and rotate. We ignore or mouth off some weak protest. We condemn those in Israel who fight against the dangerous 'judicial' reform proposed - another name for loss of rights, petrification of a society and a malevolent turn to authoritarianism equal to any other authoritarian regime. Any society which maxes out on benefits and favoritism to certain selected and limited segments, who impose the burden of economic support and defense on another segment, exempting the favored groups, who restrict the right to a proper education, who demean and demote those of another gender or outlook - it matters not under whose auspices - it is just wrong!! Be it Korea or Israel or Saudi Arabia or the UAE or America - wrong is wrong. Bread and circuses - not good.

In the meantime, we ignore the unraveling of our society. The supporters of the rebellion on Jan. 6 claimed, re the mob:

 “They were peaceful. They were orderly and meek. These were not insurrectionists. They were sightseers.”   “No one has been charged with sedition or insurrection,”  “Has anybody been charged with sedition?” Nobody! 

”Now: With four members of the Proud Boys gang convicted of seditious conspiracy on Thursday, those words are ringing hollow:"         

 Can we combat those who continue to deny truths? Or will we do as too many did in WWII and times throughout world history, click tsk, tsk, and continue on? Exempting ourselves from responsibility? Defying the truth that democracy, its wellbeing and ongoing is dependent on the people.

 The. People.

 If we allow distractions to blind us to the truth or allow the noise of the circuses to drown out the pleas of those suffering, well, on us is the sin. On us is the burden. On us to do better. On us the responsibility and the path and the might - do the right thing, make the right thing a part of our lives, integral and inseparable, or we will lose it all. It has begun. Already. Look. See. Hear. Understand. Act.

That understanding, a proper and true evaluation of our present standing and reality is crucial; moreover, it must come from the majority. A society which is willing to lose it all for the sake of a crust of bread or five minutes or hours of amusement and distraction, is a society weak in the glue which will hold it together and ensure the continuation of our democracy.  To lose that is to lose ourselves.

Only when we stick together. Only when we ensure the glue that binds the nation - is tight, fresh, gripping. Only when we property educate, properly exercise vigilance in defense of rights, accept all as equal members of humanity. Only when we do not pervert religion. Only when we truly internalize these values and fight for them. Only then is there hope. Only then can we successfully defeat the Proud Boys, the Neo-Nazis, the violent Anti fas, the instigators, the destroyers of society, the apathetic and disinterested, the benighted and befuddled, the selfish and the weak.

The key is truth. The key is togetherness. The key is the commonalties rather than the differences.

Together, we can do it all. 

Together we can

 HEAL THE WORLD.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu. 

May he be granted a timely and complete healing.

May Hashem hear all our voices raised in prayer. 

Amen. Amen.