0605blog
Desperation Wins
I tried, I really did, but like a junkie desperate for a fix, I couldn’t resist clicking the mouse to read about trump’s latest plans at resurrection and as much as I hate to admit it, I felt a rush like it was my daily dose of heroin, although I would add that I am well aware of the dangers of deadly overdosing on heroin or trump.
Now for the story.
Get ready because the circus is back. Trump is well-rested after fomenting a rebellion at the Capitol and on Saturday he will venture south to Greenville, S.C., to speak at the North Carolina Republican convention. And hold on to your cookies because he’s planning his first post-presidential rally later this month which is really weird because ex-presidents don’t hold rallies.
He’s got to do something to soothe the savage ego, ever since he was bumped off Twitter and Facebook for egging on the rioters at the capitol and claiming he lost the election because of widespread, non-existent voter fraud and recently he shut down his blog after funny puppy pictures got more hits on the Internet.
The keynote speakers will be Trump, who is the darling of most Republicans to return to the White House in 2024 and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, one of the growing stars of the Republican Party, who has been a staunch opponent of mandatory masks to stop the spread of COVID-19 while her state shows the highest rate of COVID-19 infections. There will be bevy of other speakers, including one African American, self-professed, conservative Republican North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson who has compared critical race theory to the teachings of the Ku Klux Klan.
In comments on the North Carolina GOP website, Michael Whatley, chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, gushed praise over Trump for putting “America First,” rebuilding the military, standing strong against China and “unleashing the American Economy.” Accidentally and I am certain, unintentionally, Whatley made no mention that Trump incited a rebellion and that the economy went into the dumpster during his tenure.
“We are honored to welcome President Trump to our convention as the Republican Party launches our campaign to retake Congress and the Senate in the 2022 midterms,” Whatley said and that about says it all, it’s all about Republicans winning, at any cost and regardless of the damages wrought to the democratic system.
In her bio on the North Carolina GOP website, with nary a mention of the high rate of COVID-19 infections and deaths in her state, Noem boasts that she “has respected the rights of her people by trusting them to exercise their personal responsibility to make the best decisions for themselves, their loved-ones, and — in turn — their communities.”
She went on to note that as part of her response to the pandemic, “never ordered a single business or church to close and never issued a statewide shelter-in-place order.” Darn, again she forgot to mention that nasty high rate of COVID-19 infections and deaths. Somebody should speak with Noem’s speechwriters. But don’t worry, it’s all good because this wannabe president said she has “a deep love for their family and an even deeper love for the Lord.”
No doubt but trump will be honored with a slurry of awards, like the one bestowed earlier this month on the mad king by Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott, who was among the loudest voices in support of trump’s cockamamie claims of voter fraud. Scott presented trump with the “Champion of Freedom” award at a GOP donor retreat at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month. Scott said trump was honored for having “worked hard,” evidently referring to the former president’s laborious efforts to steal back the election and cause a rebellion.
And there will no doubt be other honors awarded to trump by groups like the Mississippi chapter of the Royal Order of Southern Crocodiles; the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Motor Group of Mount Pleasant, S.C.; and assorted scout groups. We will have to wait to see how many MAGA hats will be waving but let’s hope that the turnout will be less than at the next meeting of the Long Valley Book Club.
But I don’t really want to say anything more about trump or Noem or Pillow King Mike Lindell, who is a close confidant of Noem and what a surprise. What is important is that millions of people around the world have died and gratefully most of us made it through the 2020–21 COVID-19 plague relatively unscathed but I don’t understand why there isn’t more cheering and parades and sighs of relief and flat out celebrations and dancing in the streets.
The 1918 flu infected 500 million people and killed tens of millions and then came the Roaring Twenties as millions of people whose lives were spared wanted to sing and dance and live life wildly. People all over the world celebrated when World War One ended in 1918.
When World War II ended, millions danced around the world, men and women, perfect strangers, embraced and kissed in Times Square. Many who lived through the war saw it as a second chance at life and many vowed to try to make every second of their lives count because they witnessed how it could all be taken away in a heartbeat and was taken away permanently for millions.
The Yankees or the Mets win a World Series and people go wild, the streets are buried in ticker tape after parades for the men on the moon after they returned to earth. We have drunken St. Patrick’s Day parades and fireworks light the skies from coast to coast on Independence Day.
I guess people would rather go cheer for an ex-president whose final act in office was to foment a rebellion than to stand tall after we faced off the pandemic demon and won.