THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH: THE GREAT AMERICAN CIRCUS
In the late 1700’s a family of acrobats was touring through the Austrian-Hungarian Empire of Europe and became the darlings of the region because of their daredevil performances. Through their efforts, through their persistence and through their courage, they grew and prospered and became known as the greatest aerial high wire act in the world and billed themselves as the flying Wallendas. In 1928, while performing in Cuba, the Wallendas were spotted by the Ringling Brothers Circus and brought to the United States. The Wallendas became the definition of courage and prospered but at a very heavy cost. In 1944 they barely survived the great circus fire in Hartford, CT, which killed over 165 people. In 1946 the matriarch, Rietta fell to her death in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1962 the entire family fell while performing their famous chair pyramid in Detroit, two were killed, one paralyzed for life. Three days later, what was left of the family was back on the wire again. 1978 saw the patriarch of the family, Karl Wallenda; fall to his death in San Juan. Nik Wallenda, the grandson of Karl set a high wire record by walking across Niagara Falls and in 2011 Nik with his mother Delilah recreated the last of Karl Wallenda walks by simultaneously walking the wire from different ends, which meant Nik stepping over his mother in the middle of the wire. Hard to imagine the stamina, the courage, and the desire it must have taken for these acrobatic stars to carry on through so much disaster and family trauma. Can we as Americans survive the circus that is now being presented by our current leaders?
Can we survive Republicans turning the other cheek as a president embraces white supremacy and who allows foreign influence to fester and grow into our electoral system? Can we, as Americans, survive Democrats who play the waiting game as they move like turtles so the right and moral argument coincides with the mid-term elections? Can we as Americans survive those who put their own greed before our American heritage and our free American souls? Do we keep walking the tight rope of treason until our legacy to democracy has fallen into the blood soaked sawdust of the Senatorial center ring? Do we become the sideshow of the world as our leadership slips further and further into the schoolyard mentality that appeases only those who would enjoy the obscenity of this modern day freak show?
I constantly hear from blue-collar workers who insist that our country needs a leader who speaks like them, a leader who has their values. I beg these good but misled souls to put on the recorder of their phones, while eating breakfast with their friends and having a play back just before paying the check. As the local Spanish-speaking waitress, with a name emblem just above her right breast, comes for your, dirty dishes, your check and her tip, let her listen in on your playback. Question; “Do you really want the leader of the free world to speak and act like yourselves?” Do you want a leader who spends time, money and loud bluster condemning those who would peacefully demonstrate and use their God given democratic rights? Do you really want a leader that literally spends no time investigating foreign influence into our free elections? How do you fight for a leader who demeans freedom and promotes a fascist society? Do you really want a leader who mocks the hard working Spanish speaking waitresses like the Rita’s and Carmela’s of the world? Do you want a leader who spends your hard, earned tax dollars, paying the tab for security agents who have to sit on golf courses in sunny Florida, while the leader plays with his putter? I believe for most of the people who voted for our current leader of clowns, the answers are still, “Yes, and I’d vote for him again.” Why?
Our leader ran on the hate ticket and won. Many still hate. This hate is being fueled and enflamed by the fascist movement of the rich demagogues, like the Koch brothers and their henchmen like Steve Bannon and Sean Hannity.
Each night I try to watch a fox news show and an MSNBC news show. I can only take a few minutes of Tucker Carlson or Chris Mathews, because of their rudeness and lack of respect for their own guests. Both men seem unwilling to let anyone answer their questions. I don’t like people who don’t know how to listen. I love reading George Will who I openly admit I disagree with. Whenever Mr. Will is on a news show, I am glued to the set. Mr. Will brings me back to the days of Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley and their informative but highly educated verbal one up man ship. I feel the same way about Rachael Maddow, who I find very willing to listen to her guests from both sides of the aisle. I can’t thank Ms. Maddow enough for her work on Veterans’ issues. What I admire most about Mr. Will and Ms. Maddow is their knowledge of the history of our nation and how it relates to our current situation.
Now, on the other side of the tent in ring three; The Not So great Mr. Hannity, is by far the ringmaster of deception and false, destructive news. I will concede that Mr. Hannity does not pretend to be a newscaster but simply a political pundit and since his reports lack any known factual base, a political non-informed pundit is the best we can say of Mr. Hannity. WAIT! Let me take that back and say that Mr. Hannity is probably well informed which makes what he doesn’t say even more false and traitorous. It’s more about what Mr. Hannity chooses to leave out of his reports.
Recently Mr. Hannity had two black professors, one liberal and one conservative as his guests. He asked, how they thought our troops in Harms Way in Iran and Afghanistan, would feel about our professional athletes taking a knee and disgracing the flag of our country while the anthem was being played. The conservative agreed with Mr. Hannity that it was a disgrace for our over paid athletes to take a knee. This conservative point of view was encouraged without interruption. However, when the conservative tried to bring up the point that the real question is; “why did these well paid and revered athletes feel the need to do such a thing?” the guest was cut off. The liberal, on the other hand, was never even allowed to answer the question. Since Mr. Hannity and neither of the guests were platoon commanders, I’d like to answer the question from first hand experience. As a former Marine Lt, I would have called my troops together, my 03 infantry platoon, made up of mostly minorities and explained to them; “This is what you are fighting for. To live in a country where you can peacefully disagree with the government and not have a bayonet shoved through your gut. You are fighting for every American to have a voice of agreement and of protest against elected government officials without fear of retribution.” Recently, the general in charge of the United States Air Force Academy expressed my feelings in a much more concise and patriotic way. Bigotry of your fellow soldiers, sailors, air men/women or Marine is not an option in combat. Leadership is part of the make up of an officer in the United States Armed Forces. Our now, commander in chief could use a few lessons from the United States Marine Corps officers handbook
Now, I have a question for Mr. Hannity. “If you were a platoon commander in a combat zone, how would you explain to your troops that our current commander in chief has empowered white supremacy and advocated a fascist, white Christian state?” How do you, Mr. Hannity, do show, after show, after show about Mrs. Clintons involvement in Benghazi, even after several Senate investigations have found her innocent and yet never bring up our current leaders rejection of the country of Chad, a rejection that lead to the death of four of our finest. How can you discuss one without the other? This is wrong. As an Independent, I’d like both issues to be covered fairly and presented with non-emotional fact. While more and more evidence is being presented about the Russian involvement in our recent past election, Mr. Hannity constantly dismisses this evidence as a “Witch Hunt.” Then Mr. Hannity brings up a an old uranium deal that President Clinton may have been involved with, as if one concession to the Russians should be reviewed and the other shouldn’t. What will it take for Mr. Hannity’s followers to understand that both issues should be fully investigated and fact brought to light so the public can fully understand how our country got into the mess that is currently being played out on the world’s center ring. I will say this; President Clinton’s actions and President Obama’s actions about the Uranium deal were not secret and were agreed upon and publicly debated by eight different governmental agencies. That said, if half of Mr. Hannity’s accusations are true then he has my support for a hindsight investigation by the Senate. Guilty or not, this investigation should in no way interfere with Mr. Robert Mueller’s investigation. If there were two wrongs, neither would make the other right. Let the lion out of the oval cage of the judicial process and let him feast on the wrong doer.
“Now for your enjoyment, in ring number three,” barks the ringmaster: Then a smaller than tiny, overly painted car motors in a circle and putt, putts around, as a cloud of smoke engulfs the entire vehicle and a thousand clowns emerge. Much like the cabinet members of this lame Presidential circus as they enter the oval office and present the cabinet’s plan for the destruction of a free America. The only difference is that the laughter has died with the programs that most affect our day-to-day lives, like health, education, defense and the environment. Each week another cabinet member resigns because of the lack of respect given to the office of those hand picked by Mr. Bannon and the Koch brothers. We have a political circus that has our enemies laughing at us, and our former allies crying the tears of fear and rejection. They have been rejected by their once most powerful and most faithful friend, the now humbled USA. Allies who have seen the greatest act of freedom fall from the high wire that went over the once bright city on the hill only to plummet to the death of all democracy. The death of all free men/women, that could have been prevented if the safety net had been left in place and not removed for the greed of the few and the ignorance of the many. How many lies must be told and believed before the clowns stop laughing and the tears of joy become the tears of the suffering. When will the circus that governs be taken from the center ring and put out with the last of the vaudeville acts that were once amusing but now are seen for what they really were; “crude, uncouth, and immoral. Horrendous skits for the silly bone of the cruel, and a freak show for the insensitive and non-compassionate.”
My friends on the left may want to hang me for what I’m about to say, but: “I miss the Republican party that I grew up with.” Remember those strong fiscal traditionalist who always were encouraging laws to help business grow? I miss those old corps compassionate liberals who couldn’t say five lines without the word “Union” being shouted out in order to be heard in the last row of the circus tent that covers all America. I agreed with President Papa Bush and President Obama who both said that America works best with strong Dems and strong Republicans who work together. Sure, none of us on either side of the aisle got everything but we always moved forward. Now, as much as us liberals are feeling the weight of the elephant’s foot being raised above our heads, it’s the Republicans that are about to be eaten by the snake Bannon, that has been released from his oval office cage. No longer will our Republican friends be able to speak of the flag they love and the values they held and their hope for all Americans. When Vice President Pence walked out on those NFL players peacefully demonstrating their rights, I saw more than a rejection of what America stands for, I saw a rejection of all common decency. I was reminded of Martin Niemoller (1892–1984) the prominent Protestant pastor who emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps. Niemoller is perhaps best remembered for the quotation:
“First they came for the Socialist, and I did not speak out ….
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionist, and I did not speak out …
Because I’m not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out …
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me … and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Let us never forget that Hitler never broke a law. He created his own laws once the people who followed gave him the power to do so.
I would like to speak out for some people who I disagree with but admire and I do this knowing I’m going to get rejections from my friends on both sides of the aisle. General Kelly, and secretary of defense General “Jim” Mattis, two good Marines who are being used, much like General Powell was used to advance a war he didn’t believe in. Perhaps these good men have allowed their faith in the oath they took, blind them to the reality of what they now stand for. These great leaders in the fight for freedom are now the tools of those who would destroy everything they fought for. I’d like to speak up for the Republicans who have spoken against this current circus of lies and deception, people like George Will, Steven Schmidt, David Frum and even Charles Krauthammer. These intelligent thinkers, who I may disagree with, know that those who support the lies of Steve Bannon and Sean Hannity are traitors. They can see the fires of hate and the lack of reason that may destroy the great American dream.
Hate, is growing like a cancer across our beloved America. This is what I fear most, that Americans will be fighting Americans. Those who believe differently but still believe in democracy. I’m not speaking of the freaks carrying Nazi flags or extending a hand and yelling “Hail Trump.” I’m talking about the hard working people on both sides who may disagree but still play a round of golf together or even have each other over for the traditional, hickory smoked filled, American BBQ. I’m talking about those non-bigots on both sides that may end up at each other’s throats because the leadership of America has been swallowed by the snake charmers python. The clownish red haired leader is himself the sword swallower choking on his own poniard. The blood of the dictator curdles in his throat as he spews forth venomous blame everywhere but on himself. We are showing the world the worst of America, the picture of tyranny, the smell of the sulfur from the hellish corpses of the death of past nations. Once the red haired, clean shaven, master of deception is revealed for what he truly is, will we have our second civil war or will America climb back on the high wire and once again walk above the city of light on the hill of destiny? Will the greatest show on earth catch fire, like the great Hartford circus fire of 1944, and this time kill us all, or just destroy the souls of the majority of us? Will we have the courage to pick ourselves up and walk the high wire across the high road of humanity, reason, compassion and freedom?
Respectfully
FOOT NOTE: I would like everyone to know that in no way was I comparing myself to the fine Marines that our now serving the current administration. I had orders to go to Vietnam and was stopped at Okinawa because they were pulling the Marines out of Vietnam. We trained and were constantly put on alert and when my tour was over I was sent into “country” to teach South Vietnam troops how to call in air strikes from our Marine planes flying out of Thailand. When the shit hit the fan, we were pulled out immediately because the military didn’t want American citizens to think they were deploying the Marines again.
