To delight in war is a merit in the soldier, a dangerous quality in the captain, and a positive crime in the statesman.
–George Santayana, The Life of Reason: Reason in Society (1905)
Yesterday was a rough day for me physically and after reading the bullshit shown at the top here, it became a rough day mentally as well. It was a holiday cocktail of anger mixed with despair with a sidecar of dread for this country and the human race. It was a bitter drink, to say the least. Happy Easter.
I didn’t think it was real at first. After all, it’s hard to tell the difference these days between what is real and what is not. I mean, how could any president, even one as hideous in practically every way as the current one, post this on an Easter Sunday? Or on any day, for that matter. And how could anyone reading it not come to the conclusion that this was the ranting of an absolute mad man?
And how could anyone with any degree of respect for others or themselves for that matter, defend it or try to rationalize its stated intent to commit crimes against humanity?
But i, of course, was all too real.
I read several people who triedto brush it under the rug by saying it was just his way of negotiating, that he is somehow playing 12-dimension chess.
I call bullshit on that claim. This creature is literally the rooster who plays chess with you and loses then proceeds to knock over all the pieces on the board while strutting around crowing about its victory while shitting all over the board.
Or 12 boards, if you think this is 12-dimebnsional playing.
I have no idea why anyone would be playing chess with the rooster in the first place. But then again, I could never grasp the idea that we somehow let someone who is an adjudicated criminal, a well-documented serial liar, and twice-impeached politician back into the seat of power. I am not going to even mention his misogyny, racism, greed, corruption, disdain for the poor, narcissistic personality, nor his propensity for cheating and chiseling in every aspect of his life.
I am pretty sure that is a woefully incomplete list. It would probably make more sense to simply put up the list of the Seven Deadly Sins. This is a creature who was seemingly designed as a display piece for all seven.
But we did allow him back into power. Yesterday, the thing that kept echoing in my mind was that, as our head of state, he was not sole perpetrator of what he was threatening.
He was threatening to commit war crimes in our name. In your name. In my name. In the name of every person who calls this country home.
Like me, you most likely disavow his actions, now and in the near future. They are loathsome abominations.
But that doesn’t matter. We all carry the burden of his actions, now and well into future. When he commits war crimes, we commit war crimes. When he bombs schools and other civilian sites, we are bombing them as well. When he threatens the use of strategic nukes, it is our threat, too.
His actions are our actions, like it or not.
He’s the fuckin’ rooster we put on that goddamn chessboard.
Sorry for the salty language. If you don’t like it, address your complaints to the asshole in charge. My use of foul language (or is it fowl, in this case?) has increased like it was the price of oil in recent times thanks to him.
I really don’t want to spend my time on things like this when I have other fairly serious things going on that need my attention. I certainly didn’t want to put his post at the top of the page. I actually had decided against doing so last night. But I felt this morning that it is too important to ignore, for any of us. Its madness shouldn’t be shrugged off or normalized. His words from yesterday need to be on the front page of every paper and as the main story of every news broadcast. His words should be echoing in every American’s mind today.
They are words of criminality and madness. And unless we acknowledge that and respond accordingly, they are our words.
Our criminality and madness.
Okay, I’ll stop now. Do I feel better for writing this? No. But sometimes doing things that you feel need to be done doesn’t feel good.
Let’s have a song. Since we’re dealing with barnyard animals this morning, let’s hear a song about another one of them. Here’s an interesting version of the Black Sabbath song War Pigs from singer Sarah King. You weren’t expecting a Black Sabbath tune this morning, were you? This is a haunting acoustic take on the song. It seems to fit this morning, at least for me.
Got to go now. That damn rooster is on my painting table now and I will not have that. If you’re leaving, please take him with you…
And what will the religious right that supports him say, with his threat to commit war crimes and his “praise” to Allah on the holiest of days to Christians? Very little I expect.
Steve
I have no doubt that they will ignore it or find ways to rationalize it. Ugh…
I love your rooster analogy. Very appropriate.
I have used this analogy before, but it was with a pigeon. I thought a rooster was a better fit right now.
I echo your sentiment. And the world is going to go through some horrible things before it gets better, and I believe it will get better eventually.
I’m concerned about the coming economic devastation that is becoming apparent in countries closest to the Middle East, and will be felt in the Americas this month. Collectively there is a 20% loss in oil delivery alone that will put people out of business, further impoverish millions in the US, and of course cause death. And it takes a month for delivery to reach us once the strait is open again. And I can’t even imagine how much worse it will be with the second strait closed.
We have to look out for each other and prepare. Most people will be caught off guard.
I think his demise is near one way or another. What comes next will still be ugly. I hope we are able to protect our midterms, and get some accountability as a result, because this madness is not sustainable for our survival.
The war crimes committed and threatened in our names is sickening. The propaganda causing people to cheer it on is equally sickening. But we have voices too, and we are many. We are gaining on them, and the madman’s regime is growing desperate. I hope our leaders can rein them in before the unthinkable happens.
I agree with what you’re saying, Patty. These creatures go about doing their awful deeds thinking they can foretell the consequences of what they are doing. But that is all hubris as they are all far too short-sighted and without real intelligence or wisdom. What will happen will, whatever it might be, will be soon out of their control, in a violent spiral. Perhaps out of anyone’s control. All we can do is hold on and remember so that there is one day accountability. All good things to you, as always, Patty. Be careful.
Great analogy and yes you did omit child trafficking. As I wrote elsewhere recently, the “leaders” do not represent the people-in any country! The sooner the masses wake up to that the better!
Voices are needed so thank you for your rant.
The emperor has no clothes on!
Soon after I posted this, I realized that I had omitted child trafficking and pedophilia from my list. I think failing to remember such an egregious offense is symbolic of the firehose of awfulness that swamps us on a daily basis. There is so much that sometimes even the worst of it gets by us. Like you, I wait for the masses to come to their senses and realize that the ultra-wealthy are not their saviors. There are strrings but not enough so far. Thanks so much for the comment.
It seemed bitter sweet pressing “like” for your post considering. Yet, I truly appreciate your standing up to such a criminally insane person in office. He isn’t a leader, nor statesman nor diplomatic in any sense of these words, but to post those words just shows how EVIL he is. My recent wish has been for he and the other war starters (Netanyahu and Putin) to be tried and sentenced as the war criminals they are. I’m not condoning the behaviour of terrorists, nor regimes like Iran for their retaliatory attacks on their neighbours, etcetera, but this war was started with the say so of 2 men, two greedy men and as the world watched in horror the devil danced and continued bombing the Ukrainian people. What are we leaving for future generations? Has history taught us nothing? Thank you for making a stand in print.
Thanks, Tamara. I understand not wanting to hit the ‘like’ button. There is nothing in it to like. You’re right in noting that we– the world– are being held hostage by a tiny group of greedy and horrible men and it often seems like there is little we can do to stop it. As far as me taking a stand, what else can I do? My life and work is built around trying to find meaning and an understanding of this world. And unfortunately, my world is part of their world. Let’s just hope we can find sanity soon, for all our sakes.
Amen to that.
A cousin and other family members recently took part in a No Kings March. Peaceful, but taking a stand. And here I pray for and end to the insanity, and a jail cell for those I mentioned before who have caused so much angst ~ not only for their own citizens but the world.
Mad, vicious swine. Along with his many sycophants
You speak the truth…