We have met the enemy and he is us

America has lost its collective mind. 

Some will argue that we lost it years ago and they may be right.

Today we are saturated by “truth bombs” on social media which are anything but, given to us by narcissists, climate change deniers, rapists, misogynists, racists, far left extremists, far right extremists, senior citizens convicted in civil court of business fraud, judges who pocket wads of sweaty cash, and trashy lawmakers getting caught walking the dog during a family friendly showing of "BeetleJuice" . . . I mean "Boebert" the musical.

America the Beautiful, this ain’t.

It’s easy to blame Donald Trump. But it would be wrong. He remains nothing more than the latest symptom of a peculiar American illness born from hubris, ignorance and arrogance.

We have no sense of humor and the joke is on us.

Look at what passes for an independent press today. Wait. Forget it. Drop some acid, down five shots of Wild Turkey, hit the bong, down some edibles and shrooms then snort some Adderall and cocaine to top it off – then it might make sense. At least you’ll be too numb, if you take some oxy, to feel the pain of what passes for news in today’s press.

There are fewer people producing news, fewer companies owning more outlets and fewer experienced reporters delivering the news. Our founding fathers knew that a free press unafraid to speak truth to power and an educated populace were essential to democracy. Today? We have neither. We have an insipid media landscape riddled with dullards, idiots, partisans and clowns. The voting public is littered with people too stupid to understand how stupid they are. They all interact on social media which looks like bed wetting time in preschool.

A good friend of mine, who I met years ago on a trip to Europe, will not bring his family to the United States anymore to visit. He notes that there are “too many mass shootings”, healthcare is questionable, our education system “produces ignoramuses”, we have a higher percentage of our population incarcerated than any other country in the world; and he believes we don’t have a free press. “You’re a third world nation except when it comes to the size of your military,” he said firmly. As for our politics, “It’s too much like Russia,” I was told. 

“Hey, we still invented rock n’ roll,” I countered. He laughed, but he’s not bringing his family to the U.S. for a vacation. He said he preferred some place “more democratic.”

Today in the United States, there are many who won’t defend democracy and proudly say we are not a democracy. Also, there are people who defend Vladimir Putin before they’ll defend a Democrat. Putin had his opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, put to death and there are some members of the MAGA party who’d gladly follow suit when it comes to Democrats. Extreme liberals may “cancel” you. Extreme Republicans will just kill you. That’s not an exaggeration. 

Speaking of that, in what recently should have been the top story in the news on every network and in every major newspaper, former Vice President Mike Pence has refused to endorse his former boss after Donald Trump was linked to the January 6 insurrection that could have cost Pence his life.

That story was definitely underplayed when it broke.  “Here’s why that doesn’t matter,” read the headline in the Indianapolis Star. Trump said, in response, “We don’t need weak people.”

MSNBC reported that Pence’s refusal to endorse Trump wasn’t a bombshell. But it should have been. Pence is an evangelical who anointed Trump as the charismatic, godlike leader to end all godlike leaders. His refutation of Trump should mean something.

But in this numbed up, dumbed down world, it means little, is reported less and is viewed the same way most news viewers look at weather predictions – always wrong and who cares.

Meanwhile, Fox News reported that “Biden awkwardly wanders off stage at Arizona campaign even as he ‘couldn’t resist’ a baby.” Give me a break. This is an issue? That’s like calling attention to President Obama’s tan suit. Most politicians hold up babies. Hell, my mom has a picture somewhere of John F. Kennedy holding me up as a baby – right before I peed all over him.

Meanwhile, Peter Navarro, who I last saw in the White House, showed up to begin a four-month jail sentence for Contempt of Congress. As Nora Benavidez – a First Amendment advocate pointed out — you can go to prison in Georgia for a First Amendment protection protest and serve a longer sentence than Navarro for trying to subvert the 2020 election results.

Yes. America is that nuts. And still, according to a recent Politico-Ipsos poll of Americans, 70 percent reject Trump's claims of presidential immunity. And, 59 percent said Trump should stand trial in the federal election subversion case before Election Day.

It’s crystal clear why Trump is keen on delaying the inevitable.

He doesn’t want to go to jail and is running a revenge campaign, bilking the ignorant and spending their money trying to get back into the White House. His takeover of the former Republican Party is complete, and in an effort to grab as much cash as possible, his leadership has already sacked about 60 staffers at the Republican National Committee.

God knows you don’t want to be on the down ballot in the MAGA party. It is doubtful Trump will give you any money. He’s too busy taking it himself. 

But as I said, from the beginning, Trump is just a symptom. The weirdness is everywhere. Walt Kelly said it best in Pogo; “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

How else do you explain Robert F. Kennedy Jr? His family has denounced his independent run for the presidency – based on his extreme quackery. They say the acorn doesn’t fall too far from the tree, but in Junior’s case it appears to have been hurled by an NFL quarterback into an arena of craziness.  Kennedy has about as much chance of winning the presidency as Aaron Rodgers has of being traded back to the Green Bay Packers. And there’s another nut for you. I’m not even talking about the Sandy Hook conspiracy theory he may or may not have promoted.

A notorious anti-vaxxer, Rodgers once defended his peculiar brand of lunacy in the locker room after a Packers/ Washington Redskins game.  He refused to answer a question I asked – and I can’t even remember what it was I asked about now. But I do remember the finger pointing and Trump-like snark he delivered to a few reporters that day. He’s perfectly suited for politics – thin skinned, not too bright, and has an overinflated view of his own self-worth.

It’s a wonder Trump didn’t pick him for vice president. It’s not unforeseen that Kennedy would consider him. If he’s not available, maybe Kennedy will go with Joe Rogan – another lunatic. 

We could talk about the craziness of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, but we got what we deserved after we allowed him on the bench despite cogent, sober testimony from law professor Anita Hill that Thomas had sexually harassed her while he was her supervisor at the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commision. The fine, old cannibals in government ignored her and we’re all worse off because of it.

We could also have a hearty laugh about Judge Aileen Cannon. She’s in over her head adjudicating the Trump Mar-A-Lago documents case and looks like a rabid puppy chasing its own tail. It would be kind of cute if it weren’t so seriously crazy.

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It is true the MAGA party has dominated the craziness – but that’s only because every President Since Richard Nixon that came from the party that also gave us Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower, has been a step down the evolutionary ladder.

Would anyone in the MAGA party today support Lincoln’s platform? How about the progressive “trust busting” of Teddy Roosevelt? Or, would they listen to the dire warnings of the military-industrial complex given to us by Eisenhower? Nope. Today it’s all crazy, all the time on the MAGA channel.

The Democrats are marginally better, but only manage to crawl over the low bar presented by MAGA. As recently as last week, I had discussions with Democrats who say Biden isn’t old. I personally don’t care that he is; in fact I think he’s far more cogent than equally old and demented Donald Trump and his minions. Those minions include a plethora of morons, including Reps. Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, Elise Stefanik, Marjorie Taylor-Greene and Lauren Boebert, who are merely auditioning for powerful posts in pompous Trump’s next regime – should it come to pass.

The Democrats who tell me Biden isn’t old are just out of touch and are trying to make an argument that doesn’t need to be made. Come on. Unless Biden lives to be 175 (Maybe with the right incentive Dr. Ronnie Jackson would endorse that), he’s an old guy. He’s a senior citizen. End of story.

Make a joke about Biden’s age, though, and you’re called a Trumper. Hell, in one case I merely repeated Biden’s own joke about his age. My audience didn’t get it and thought I was disparaging the president. I was just quoting him!

No sense of humor.

But the MAGA members remain far worse. As recently as last week, I was speaking with a Trump supporter who told me, “I don't care if he's broke. I don't care about indictments. It's all because Satan is coming after Trump who is here to do the lord's work. Trump won't be brought down by Satan.”

Me? All I could say was,  “Especially if Satan’s propping him up.”

They didn’t laugh at that either. I thought it was hilarious.

And when the Trumpers started defending Trump’s use of “Bloodbath,” and screaming that using that word was just triggering liberal “snowflakes” I reminded them that I didn’t worry about liberals being triggered by that word. I’m far more concerned about gun-hoarding lunatics who would shoot others based on what Trump says.

“They deserve it,” I was told.

Welcome to 2024.