Monday, May 28, 2018

Happy Day-After Memorial Day: Welcome To The War Of Attrition.

For the first time in a lotta years, Fort Snelling set flags at each of more than 225,000 graves. FIL is one of those graves, so I went to pay a visit. Truth be told, he felt Memorial Day was important. Each year he would tell stories about his friends who did not come back. He thought too many people didn't understand the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans' Day. There is a difference but one that seems to get lost in translation these days. I was glad I went; it was a lovely display. Lots of people were there but I would venture to guess FIL was the only there with a flag AND a rock. 

Moving from the lovely and kind experience at Fort Snelling, America again was forced to witness presidential tweets.  In a vacuous and exceptionally callous move, Donald Trump demonstrated the depth and breadth of his disregard for the military of this nation, and more so, the people who have died defending it. His Memorial Day tweet was horrid, painful, callous, and mean. 

He saw fit to broadcast:


Happy Memorial Day? Not a word about the sacrifice and honor of those who have fallen in defense of this nation?

Three of our living presidents took note of the sanctity of the day:




The emptiness of Trump's words is indicative of his regard for those who serve this nation. In a moment when gratitude for service should be expressed, he made it about himself. He deflected the attention away from solemnity of the day, and made it something less than even ordinary. It doesn't much matter if an hour later he posted some platitudes; his understanding of the holiday was made clear to this nation. 

For a guy who claims to have a towering intellect, these kinds of statement are not simply the ramblings of a degenerate narcissist, but rather intentionally, a sort of red herring that he knows will distract from the actual moment. See, that's the game plan.

While the press was busy jumping up and down about North Korea, the White House was quietly rolling back banking regulations, gutting part of Dodd-Frank. His Secretary of Education was busy rolling back guidelines for disabled students, and over at the EPA, Pruitt is repealing car-emissions regulations and an assortment of environmental protections.  It would seem if President Obama did it, this president is bent on undoing it. Whether or not the item benefits We, the People, if Obama's hand is on it, it's gone.

Spiteful, vengeful, childish, and dangerous. A never-ending lava floe of lies, hatred, and blame, all meant to wear us down until we give up.  A war of attrition. 

All too often I hear people talk about how tired they are from sifting through the tweets and lies trying to find one simple grain of truth. And yeah, I get it. I'm tired, too. I think about giving up the blog because I can't stand writing about this stuff; it's depressing. But then I think I cannot stop because that would be handing those miscreants a victory. 

Meanwhile, it's 100°F in Minnesota in May. [Yes, the thermometer in the car said 100°F at 3PM Monday afternoon.] Maryland is having its second 1,000-Year Flood in 2 years. And there is no such thing as climate change. 

And now, for a little levity. There was another school shooting this week, this one in Noblesville, Indiana, home state of Vice President Pence. 


Seems this school is more important to ol' Mike than all the other schools, because VP Pence from Indiana finally admitted what he had never admitted before: he has no brain.Yep, he is brainless. This time, he's  offering the parents of victims his heart and prayers. Granted, this is an improvement over thoughts and prayers, but remains brainless and heartless...which begs the question, does Mike Pence even have one of those heart thingees? 

Not bloody likely.

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week
It's okay to remember a dead person on his/her birthday.
Just don't expect a thank-you note.  

2 comments:

  1. Hope you sent my regards to FIL.

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  2. "All too often I hear people talk about how tired they are from sifting through the tweets and lies trying to find one simple grain of truth. And yeah, I get it. I'm tired, too. I think about giving up the blog because I can't stand writing about this stuff; it's depressing. But then I think I cannot stop because that would be handing those miscreants a victory".

    Thank you for voicing this - I too, feel so tired and worn out from my life being taken over by all this craziness. But then I think that is exactly what they want us to feel. They want us to throw in the towel. So, I try to think about how I will feel at the end of my life and I want to be proud that I persevered and tried to make a positive difference in the world. So, thank you for continuing your blog. I read it each week and always appreciate your insight and courage.

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