What May Lie Beyond the Lies, Colltalers
Amid the growing chaos, outrage, and despondency the Trump presidency has sowed all around in just weeks, few things are easy to predict where they’ll lead us to; others are impossible to guess; and many may go either way. And yet, they all offer hints to enlighten anyone.
If what has happened in less than a month will be the norm, brace yourself for a lot more of the same: the president will continue to amass a staggering collection of mistakes, rallies will continue to resist and try to push them back, and not much else is likely to be accomplished.
Among last week’s deranged highlights reel, was his promise to ‘destroy’ the 1954 Johnson Amendment, pillar of church and state separation; rollback of regulations put in place to prevent another 2008-style financial meltdown; and the blatant invention of a political massacre that never happened, to justify the refugee ban. At this point, however, to simply recap the lunacy is futile; we’d rather add elements of analysis.
Because, for the around-the-block crowd, as unpredictable as it all seems to be, there are actual ways to gauge part of what’s happening, and its outlook, with some accuracy, given the appropriate pondering and sense of perspective. History, for instance, is always a good friend.
Thus, as Trump seems far from exhausting his arsenal of misfires, insults, and misrepresentations, public disgust and opposition toward them continue to increase. And this dynamics has already shown that it won’t be contained by U.S. borders, or diplomatic filters. Beyond the foregone conclusion that this collision course may only bring about disastrous consequences, though, all else is really up for grabs.
Will his non-sensical, and ultimate dangerous, course of action hit a wall and be curbed by circumstantial limitations? Will he be stopped by his own party, in an extremely rare display of cojones? Will he choke on his own intoxicating rhetoric and be forced
to sit out or be gone?
Will the resistance on the streets coalesce into an organized movement of opposition? Will different progressive forces in society eventually cannibalize themselves, and undermine any possibility to offer solutions millions desperately need them to provide? Will most of everyone simply grow tired and decide that nothing can be done, and we may all as well go home and hope that it all goes away and a new day dawns?
All such possibilities, of course, are on the table along many others, even without including their repercussions around the world. In this particular set up, we may be players or pawns, and what everyone does will add up or not to a final resolution. But there are other scenarios.
One is that there’s a devilish method to the chaos and if not the president, then someone close to him, and evidently cleverer, is already arming a few moves to exercise ahead of the outcome of the current ideological clash. Whether the Trump administration succeeds in dismantling over two centuries of democratic institutions and opens the way to a fascist regime in the U.S., these dark knights already got an answer for it.
That’s not a speculation on conspiracy theories, or an attempt to fuel the flames of insanity that have engulfed the banks of the Potomac River. Instead, it’s the pure realization that the group that finds itself atop of the world’s most powerful nation did it so out of a methodic strategy and sheer determination. And it’d be risky and naive to expect they’ve not prepared for at least a few steps ahead of the present situation.
Again, a number of probabilities come to mind, if one takes a crash History course, for there are many examples, and their variations, to guide the dedicated student. But be forewarned: there’s no sugarcoating them, as historical facts are rarely devoid of immense tragedy and hardship.
Let’s keep it simple, logical, and granted, obvious, just so we can move on. One such scenario, which has happened so many times, is what one would call, the ‘disappointing curve.’ Let’s focus of that almost 30% of Americans who voted for Donald Trump hoping for the best.
Not all but most of them are still expecting he does good on his word of ‘cleaning up the swamp,’, doing away with a perceived Wall Street sway over Washington, promote an immediate revival of industries long put out of business, and reestablish America’s domination of the world (as it never have), just to keep it brief. It’s clearly obvious that every single one of these premises has already been compromised.
But let’s suppose most still don’t see it that way. And let’s face it, unless there’s a cataclysmic event between now and 2018 (knock on wood), only the midterm elections may deliver the first visible blow to his masquerade; it may be the first moment they may start thinking about it.
Then the race to his reelection will be on, and anyone can be sure, he’ll be very much interested in re-impress them all again, by promoting some sort of sleight of hand to keep his viability still afloat. It’s possible. But what if, at that time, things may not turn out that easy his way?
That’s the moment of reckoning every American should fear, and work as hard as possible for it not to ever happen. Why? Because we fear that, when Trump’s lies lose their power, and they very likely will at some point, and his image of a screaming bully no longer is enough to compound the illusion that he’s an effective leader, what will happen? Trump steaks and ‘the very best’ real estate deal to the right guessers.
That’s right: when all else will fail, Trump will surely declare an international war, just to divert the inconvenient attention. And we’ll know then that that’s was the plan all along. It’ll seem so obvious, and it’s even possible to picture a number of public figures lamenting they haven’t thought of it before. A war of convenience, a war to boost business, a war to please hawks, and above all, a war to assure his second term.
This is really a frightening prospect, Colltalers, and it pains us to realize how it’ll ‘perfectly’ fit and cap this mad agenda we’ve seen put into place by the White House. That is, if we leave it all up to them to decide. We do not want to be alarmist about this, for there’s indeed enough screaming and shouting about nothing in the world these days, to make us question even the relevance of raising yet another terrifying flag.
But it needs to be mentioned. War has served as just such a purpose as recently as 2003, in Iraq, and many times before. Once again, overnight, people will be forced to change the subject of conversation, and even if the ‘evidence’ is dubious, to complain then about jobs and unfulfilled campaign promises will be deemed unpatriotic. The only room left, if any, will and must be then occupied by opposing the war.
We’ve seen signs that his machine gun of gagging responses has already been directed at China, Mexico, Iran, Australia, for crying out loud, and if you’re wondering what nation would or should be coming up next, boy, do we have a few dozen that would fit this horrific bill.
There isn’t any point to wonder which. What we must is to prevent one of Trump’s dim-witted spurts of anger to coincide with a Pentagon’s well-oiled, ready-to-go geopolitical target, because then, as they say, who are you going to call? The current spineless Congress? No kidding.
For now, though, the beatings will sure as hell to continue, and we must keeping on saying no, no, no. No, we’re not to be silenced, no, we’re not submitting to it, no, we’re not folding banners and going home anytime soon. What’s happening is simply too important to take a time off.
Yes, there’s reason to be positive about it; there are signs that people who never even cared about any of it are suddenly joining in and taking attendance of friends and neighbors. And yes, much remains to be done and many still to be reached and comforted at this difficult time.
We’re in the thick of it, so it’s Ok to feel a bit of despair, and a lot the bitterness about our current predicament. It’s fine that we’re still reeling, for we’re humans and all that. But we can’t drop out, even if we’re personally still safe; many are not, and may depend on those who can still raise their arms and be counted. We’re not asking anyone to join a party here; but we need your solidarity. Winter is almost done. WC
CollTales 