General Discussion

H2O Man

(73,528 posts) Fri Jun 4, 2021, 12:05 PM Jun 2021

Old Dirt Roads

The grass looks greener after a brief shower. Along with one dog, one rooster, and one cat, I fed the fish and birds out at the pond. A week ago, parts of the pond had a large quantity of algae growing on the surface, but today the water is clear. This makes it easier for me to evaluate how much fish food I need per day.

The wind from the northwest picks up, and the leaves of the poplar trees turn upside-down. Dark clouds are moving in rapidly. I've had enough broken bones over the years that I don't need a weather man to tell me which way the storm clouds blow. My mother had drilled it into my head throughout my childhood that I was too stupid to come in out of the rain. But I am wearing my water-proof hat.

The cat seeks shelter near the cabin, and the rooster is hurrying back on the path. The dog and I begin to head back to the house. The rain from earlier makes the flowers -- blue, yellow, and white flowers blanket the field -- appear even more alive. This includes both the wild flowers, and those in the flower beds surrounding the house. Suddenly, a kitten bounds out on her back feet, waving her front paws as she carries out this imaginary ambush. The dog is startled by this furious ball of cotten's attack.

I can hear the rain coming down as I struggle to put dry clothes on. Things that one takes for granted can change at different paces as time goes on. But the sound of rain today is soothing. I'm remined of when I was a homeless teen, stationing myself in the hay loft of an old barn, listening to the rain hitting the tin roof. I consider taking an afternoon nap, even though I'm not really tired. But, instead, I turn on the news.

Sidney Powell assures an audience that she has a secret plan to re-instate Trump as president. Mike Flynn tells an audience that a domestic military coup isn't a secret plan. Donald Trump has been telling people that he expects to be back in office by August. Republicans in DC refuse to support the investigation of the January 6 coup attempt. They say those arrested by the DOJ were mere tourists, now being persecuted by the DOJ.

It would be easy to laugh at Powell et al. In my youth, we would call such clowns ' antics "a gas." But Abbie Hoffman warned us that laughing gas is no laughing matter. While Powell herself may be no more dangerous than a dancing kitten, Flynn and his para-military followers are a serious threat. The information being released on members of perhaps the most dangerous of the far-right, anti-government groups' role in the January 6 insurrection comes to mind.

In the days and weeks that followed January 6, older forum members may recall that I said that those who were rioting believed that Trump would declare a national emergency and impose martial law. The messages that the founder of the Oath Keepers that have been released document that his group had been led to believe this, too. Stewart Rhodes expected that a fight between his group and "antifa" would set this plan in motion, and that Trump would declare the Oath Keepers as his official militia to institute lawn and order. I would suggest that this goes a long way in explaining why members of the administration -- Mike Flynn's brother, for example -- were hesitant to send in the National Guard.

Luckily, the country didn't go down that road. But we came mighty close, and there are still those hoping to hijack our future. They include those tourists that were carrying the confederate rag, and those attacking police officers with American flags. They include the republicans who refuse to support a commission to investigate areas where individuals in Congress helped the Oath Keepers and their ilk prepare for the insurrection. And state officials working to deny non-white citizens their right to vote.

Ignoring what happened on January 6 can only make us vulnerable to another ambush and attack upon democracy. For this fight is not over. It's true that in the months since the insurrection, with the Biden administration leading the country, the grass seems greener, and the flowers are coming into bloom. But there are storm clouds gathering on the horizen. This struggle continues.

I watched an interview with Ben Rhodes, someone I have great respect for. He was discussing his new book, "After the Fall: Being American in the World We've Made." Ben points out the road that we must travel to save democracy here, in coordination with those struggling in other lands. In the age of twitter and memes, its 320 pages may seem unrealistic to some. And that's a shame. But I am looking forward to reading it, and encourage others to read it, too. It is exactly the type of book that used to make for valuable discussions on this site.

Peace,
H2O Man