Oh, my goodness. Msr. Trump is now discussing out loud how he is ‘owed’ a third term? His buddy Roger Stone is advising him to declare martial law and take over the government if he loses? I wish I could laugh. I wish I could laugh. The impossible is happening, the U.S. is going down to dictatorship and chaos. I wish they would just get it over with, I am tired. What a sad scene. I found a nice political cartoon and shared it on Facebook. In the cartoon, Canadians are sitting near the U.S. border, watching the action and eating popcorn. It’s funny but implies that we might not be doing enough to stop the shit. Yeah. Never was there truer confusion and noise. Msr. Trump and his persistent hyperbole have indeed created a ‘never before seen’ situation. My poor family remaining in the States are thinking, “This is supposed to be the way of life elsewhere, not here.”
My growing to old age was to a backdrop of third world revolutions and a stable, somewhat moral government to live under. The world economy was growing, technology held out promises, there were safety nets if you hit a bump. We were not a wealthy family or even middle class but, because we were white, we had opportunity. It was not a completely moral government, not an honest time socially. Prejudice abounded in the system. Whiteness made a huge difference in the kind of America you lived in. There was Nixon, there was McCarthy, there were endless wars fomented and presided over by the U.S. Still, it was a luxury to be able to sit on the sidelines and watch the collapses elsewhere, the local wildness of the 60’s and 70’s notwithstanding. Now, I am elsewhere and watching the collapse of my former home.
There is little I can do to stop it or slow it down. I could write letters to congress, the newspapers. I could get involved in opposition party politics. I could march in the streets. I could make that sort of noise, but no one is listening now. I am tired and the truth is, to write letters is to get your name put on a list and a target printed on your back. To involve yourself in party politics is to play with dynamic, hierarchal fire. To march in the streets puts your physical safety at risk. With all of the noise created by social media and the legitimate press, no one can hear you anyway. I can vote, I will vote but the orderly transfer of power that was a hallmark of U.S. elections is done. Trump has proved that the election system can be violently corrupted, usurped. It IS possible. Of course, that hasn’t happened this year yet, it is the word of his mouth so far.
The utter silence of the Republican party, save a few rogue members is astonishing. They are allowing Trump to hijack democracy. They want to keep their seats, so they are being quiet, stealthy. Wow. Isn’t that somehow immoral? Yeah. Mitch McConnell and his other cronies seem to believe that they must win, must keep their jobs no matter the cost to the country. The news media have whipped up the flames as well. Their financial bottom line was under stress with the advent of the internet and the loss of subscription sales. They have, in Trump, a goldmine. The “I can’t look away” sense that is in human nature, has offered them a greedy public eye, hungry for more photos of apocalypse. It is, therefore, ‘the love of money’ that brings this all about. It brought us Trump. It brought us Mitch McConnell, Steve Bannon, Rudy Giuliani and so many others. The train wreck that was orderly democracy is making a few people an awful lot of money.
It is an awful lot of hot air blowing through the masks about ‘populism’. What exactly is that? Wikipedia says it is, ‘a range of political stances that emphasize the people and often juxtaposes this group against the elite’. Which people? Which elite? I don’t see a legitimate populism movement. The billionaires and power brokers are for the people, for the most of us? Since when? Aren’t the persons of power, control, the true elite? It is a standard line of the tyrannical autocrat that education and the arts, sciences, the free exchange of information are the reserve of the elite and are enemies of the people. Artists, philosophers are the elite? No. The elite wear Brooks Brothers and ride around in armoured black monster vehicles. The ‘elite’ are Trump and his counterparts on the world stage. They serve only themselves. These folks have not got the best interests of their constituents in mind at all. They want power for themselves and tax breaks for their billionaire friends. How is that ‘populist’? Yes, they are currently appealing to a backlash against extending rights and freedoms to all. They are appealing to the inertia of resistance to social change but that isn’t honestly FOR the people, for the majority and against the elite. These folks are USING the people. Just as the Bolsheviks did.
I believe this situation is impossible to resolve peaceably. I can vote and I requested my absentee ballot but I have little hope that it will be received at the polling place on time. My ballot request took 2 months to arrive at it’s destination. The State of Michigan doesn’t print the ballots until September 15 or so. If it takes me two months to receive my ballot, there is no way to get it in before the cutoff date. I will, in fact, not even receive my ballot before the election. My option remains to travel to the U.S., quarantine, vote in person, travel back and quarantine again. This option may be not possible either, as the Border agents have a lot of lee-way over who can travel across and when. So. I can still do my best to get the thing in the mail and hope it gets there in time? Yeah. That’s the best I can do. Otherwise, there is my remaining life to live and I must live it.
In order to live my life, I have to step back from the fray. Stepping back is not being immoral or lazy. It isn’t ignoring the truth. It isn’t settling for less than you might have done. It is doing your best and accepting that won’t be enough. Now, I have to accept and move on. As the pretty stewardess or handsome steward says “Put your own mask on before assisting others.” I have to save myself before I can do anything to save this beautiful earth home I have been gifted to inhabit. To save myself means to put my own peace of mind front and centre. This means to indulge my creative mind, to sing and play, to write, read books and stare at sunsets. I have to step away from fear and worry. There isn’t much I can do beyond what I have done and continue to do. Things will go as they go. It won’t be pretty. I can’t worry, worry stems the flow. I can’t be afraid, fear chills the heart. That’s how the Nazi’s and the Bolsheviks kept a lid on people. Those sorts of Blue Meanies cannot be allowed to destroy my little Pepperland. We can’t let worry, fear rob us of the colour. We can’t deny our betterness. The Beatles are gone, I will be my own Beatles. I will write the silly poems, songs and be joyful. Give your attention to brightness. That doesn’t mean you are ignoring the darkness. Save yourselves, in order to save us all.
We have to earn our freedom by exercising it. yes, it’s true…I will keep on speaking up, I will keep on trying to get my voice heard, I will keep on trying to get my vote in on time… but, I will also try to step back and keep my head clear. Allowing yourself the luxury of living the best way you can keeps the species alive. Yeah, keep an eye on the bad guys and try to thwart them. Always watch out for the heavy traffic from Capitol City but ride your Yellow Submarine as best you can and please, don’t listen to the folks who say, “I am going to save you.” They only enslave you with their noise. Put your mask on, save yourself. Sing, dance, paint, vote — make a record of your soul, of your being. We aren’t going to be physically here that long.
Robert On The Air 