By Philip Drucker
Ready for our first de-briefing session? Before we plan for our future, what should we take from the last four years? What lessons should we have learned and what can we do to prevent the same conduct from happening again? Let’s start at ground zero, shall we? With We, the People.
In the United States, all power begins and ends with the people. Fortunately, most of the adults (Democrats) in the room know this and accept their responsibilities accordingly. Unfortunately, one of the lessons we dare not forget is there are far more racists, misogynists, homophobes, xenophobes and religious zealots than we had previously imagined.
With this in mind, if we want to transform America, we have to change, alter and redirect the thinking of roughly one half of the masses. Fortunately, we know how to do this. It’s called education and right here, right now, we have the perfect opportunity to transform our public schools on a national level. Our best weapon? Why, the truth, of course.
Magic Mirror on the wall, who was the worst Trump cabinet member of them all? Lots to choose from to be sure, but I’m going with Betsy DeVos. Born into money, married into even more riches, I imagine her connections to the real world have always been tenuous at best.
Her toxic brand of zealotry, misplaced privilege, and student loan debt collection resulted in an education “plan” that did little more than blur the lines of church and state, creating an “alternative” charter school system where we, the taxpayers get to pay for the sectarian indoctrination of children in the religion of their choice, as long as your choice has something to do with the blood of Christ.
Do you believe that all of our problems in America would be solved if only we would let Jesus back into the classroom? That we are being punished by our Lord for not allowing open, mandatory prayer in classrooms across the country? Reagan did and part of his legacy lives on in the Betsys of the world. I have no doubt she fancies herself somewhere on the level of a Joan of Arc, when in fact she is little more than yet another Marie Antoinette, an out of touch aristocrat with a crucifix up her ass.
Is it encouraging Dr. Jill Biden, an actual teacher, is our first lady elect? You bet. The need for a spokesperson willing to instruct rather than enslave will be key to the next generation’s ability to deal with what’s coming next. Climate change is real. The Polar Ice caps are melting. The Covid-19 Virus is not a Chinese hoax. People are needlessly dying. Pandemics and politics do not mix. Wear a mask you idiot.
Unless of course you are trying to “cull the herd”, meaning diseases strike disproportionally at the lowest income brackets first before moving onto the higher echelons of wealth and privilege. Not to alarm the Betsys of the world, but it’s looking like we are almost there. That’s why I know everything is about to change, for the better. Sad, but for now it’s just the way it is.
One thing you can count on for sure about Republicans is they won’t lift a finger to help anyone else until they are personally touched by tragedy, suffering or recently infected as the case may be. Will the “I’ve got mine…” crowd ever change? Not likely. The modern GOP has turned shameless and harmful acts against society taken in the name of profit, self-interest and greed into a form of patriotism.
For this bunch, innovation in the form of competition has given way to predatory business practices all justified by an insatiable appetite for market share. Of course, more market share for me means less for somebody, or you. This is the curse of mature capitalism. Innovation is expensive and uncertain. Deceptive advertising becomes mirage and illusion, and eventually turning to fraud. The holy trinity of liars, cheaters, con men and recently, presidents.
Trump is a stupid man. So how did he do “it”? Easy. He found someone stupider. Through decades of neglect to our education system and a growing reliance on televangelist religion (buying your way to a window seat in heaven) found himself with access to a group of lemming like death cult losers who were more than willing, at least partially because they didn’t know any better, to place his fake promises and “personality” above reality.
You know, people who are let’s say gullible to the point of sacrificing their own good health, fortunes and livelihoods on an altar built from the burnt orange blubber of a brutish, bumbling, boorish and bald banana republic despotic dictator who may have done even greater harm if he were closer to the third world equator, but alas, was not.
The perfect storm of ignorance, inability to deal with personal responsibility for one’s own failures and eventual refuge in the worship of false idols and phony prophets (add “profit” if you are willing to believe in something as wicked and unholy as the “Prosperity Gospel”).
Fortunately, there is an answer. An anti-dope antidote that they will never forgive us for nor will they ever forget. We’re going to educate their kids and teach them to take responsibility for their actions and act with kindness and purpose whenever possible, and yes, to think for themselves. While we are at it, we are also going to teach them there is but one true God and he is the God not of some of us, but of all of us. Take that bitches.
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I see and agree with all you said which makes me feel hopeless most days, but you shine a light on a path that can help illuminate a better time and direction. Go Jill! Teach our children well.