Cafe Hitch-hike

2021-01-06

The right place, the right nerve, and the right spot.

Well, I wasn't being entirely snarky the other day when I gave Felipe my terse reply to his 'greeting': Happy new year to you. Here's to health, safety, peace, and sanity. HH When I wrote it, I actually had current events in mind: I heard he had cancer (health), we are in the thick of a pandemic (safety), and the country's undeniably in times of discord (peace and sanity). I just had no idea the last 2 would had ever get to where things got today (or my way to poke at the peace and sanity that usually left me when he was around).

Today's socio-political events made me think of how some things are never much of an issue until they affect certain people, touch a critical mass of people, or startle deep enough. Today was one such day in my country, which looked like something that would happen elsewhere rather than here.

I couldn't help but remember how combative the law enforcement was with BLM or Native American protestors these past few months, but saw little instance of that today when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol while it was in session to certify Electoral College votes. It took more than 2 hours before there was talk about sending in the National Guard (one news report said they actually refused at first).

I just shook my head and remembered last April's protest in my home state of Michigan, where heavily armed protestors surrounded the state capital, entered the building, and tried to get into the legislative chambers. There was the picture of a bearded white guy ragefully yelling into a state trooper's staid face. I've got $100 that said a black or brown guy would had been on the floor with a foot on his neck or a gun against his head, while a woman of the same pigments would had been manhandled and thrown on the ground. All of that turned out to literally be a dry run, and it happened so close to where I began my life.

P.S. When Michigan certified their votes in December, their capital building was closed to the public for the day because the state police received credible threats of violence. I can't exactly remember if it was them, but Wisconsin's electors entered and exited their capital in an "off" entrance to stay away from attention. At least they were proactive, so those at the capitol should had taken that as a damn cue.

I later listened to Congress reconvene and ad-libbed my loathing and disgust at some of the people on the TV who spoke. It was an usual time of unity that will probably only last these next few hours, and then our politicians will be back at each other's throats tomorrow. Some of my POTUS supporter friends are blaming antifa for storming the capital; so their denial continues on.

I also couldn't believe to see some of Caligula's lackeys distancing themselves. It was really something to watch the main architects of all of that squirm in the chambers tonight with their shaken voices, beads of sweat on their heads, or confident yet feigned bravado. One person said it was because they saw the revolt didn't succeed. I don't think it was a full-on revolt, but a protest with the intent to air out their beef with the intent to intimidate (uh, I suppose they call the last part terrorism). If it were an actual revolt, it would had been a lot more organized and violent.

It angered me and weakened my faith in people these past few years to hear our so-called leaders rampantly spread lies and demonize others with different opinions. It was disturbing to hear talk start about sedition, trying others for treason, and executions! This was not civil discourse or even disobedience, it was a verbal assault. But, First Amendment says we can say whatever the fuck we want, I suppose.

I was absolutely startled with the muted contriteness of the battle axes who withdrew their opposition to the Electoral College votes, and had to snort at those who had to say how concerned they were about fraud and state-level procedures. I guess they can forget about states' rights to self-govern when it was convenient to them. They were members of a group that opportunistically and dangerously enabled a narcissistic sociopath for the past 4 years, someone who was absolutely unfit, in knowledge and character, for the goddamned job and to be so close to the nuclear football.

This wasn't a problem until it hit the right place, the right nerve, and the right spot.

Let's just see what the fuck happens next. Even if the Dems remarkably won Georgia and the Dark Side can't completely take us over, we're in for 4 more years of this fuckery.

Oh, yeah, and today was the 40th birthday of Bre, the sister who lost her daughter last year. What a way to remember her turn of the life spedometer, right?

downwind | upstream