God, or whatever supreme being, spirit or entity to whose existence you subscribe, has, at the very least, one irrefutable quality or characteristic, if you prefer.
A cosmic class sense of humor. With not just a little splash of irony and impishness thrown in for good measure.
The how I know part of today's sharing shortly.
Alt-right activists held torches and
marched late Friday through the University of Virginia campus in
Charlottesville.
Chanting "blood and soil"
and "one people, one nation, end immigration," the group rallied
around a statue of Thomas Jefferson before they clashed with counter protesters.
The march came hours before a
Saturday rally that police anticipate will attract as many as 2,000 to 6,000
people, in an event that could be the "largest hate-gathering of it's kind
in decades in the United States," as described by the Southern Poverty Law
Center.
Before the group left the
university's grounds when police arrived and ruled it unlawful assembly,
outraged city and UVA officials condemned Friday's gathering.
Larry Sabato, director of the University of
Virginia Center for Politics tweeted."In my 47 years of association
with @UVA, this was the most nauseating thing I've ever seen. We need an
exorcism on the Lawn,"
Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer
released a statement referring to Friday's rally as a "cowardly parade of
hatred, bigotry, racism, and intolerance march down the lawns of the architect
of our Bill of Rights."
"Everyone has a right under the
First Amendment to express their opinion peaceably, so here's mine: not only as
the Mayor of Charlottesville, but as a UVA faculty member and alumnus, I am
beyond disgusted by this unsanctioned and despicable display of visual
intimidation on a college campus," he added.
University of Virginia President
Teresa A. Sullivan said law enforcement is investigating the "intolerable"
violence displayed on the campus.
"I strongly condemn the
unprovoked assault on members of our community, including University personnel
who were attempting to maintain order," she said in a statement. "Law
enforcement continues to investigate the incident, and it is my hope that any
individuals responsible for criminal acts are held accountable."
Friday's rally took place shortly
after a federal judge granted a temporary injunction allowing alt-right
activists to hold Saturday's "Unite the Right" event in Emancipation
Park around the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Earlier this week, city officials
had tried to "modify" the rally's permit to move the demonstration
more than a mile away to McIntire Park, citing safety concerns associated with
the number of people expected to attend the rally and counter protests.
Jason Kessler, who organized the
"Unite the Right" rally, filed a lawsuit Thursday claiming the city's
intentions will violate free speech rights.
"While the City is disappointed
by tonight's ruling we will abide by the judge's decision," the city said
in a statement late Friday. "The goal in moving the Unite the Right Rally
from Emancipation Park to a larger, more accommodating space like McIntire Park
had nothing to do with the content of the demonstrators' speech.
First, let's skip over the small talk, cordial chit chat, how are you, nice to see you portion of the conversation here and get right to the meat of the matter.
America has never known a time in its history when it suffered from a shortage of ignorance, hatred, prejudice and/or bigotry.
And let's not lie to each other, or ourselves, while time and circumstances have made it occasionally necessary to deal with the rationing of gasoline, meat, water and other basics of life due to short supply, there's never been a need to be concerned, for a single nanosecond, about our always available and ever flowing, overflowing, abundance of stupidity.
So, my fellow 'Muricans, while the hairball of hatred that got coughed up in Charlottesville was as vile and viscous as those little gatherings of great minds always turn out to be, no one either involved or aware stands a chance of proving any assertion that there's anything new going on here.
In fact, this particular mass of mouth breathers was possessed of neither the inclination, or even ability (the latter of those the more likely) to come up with a new mantra to inflict upon the mainstream, rather, they fell back on an oldie but goodie, a classic former chart topper from that stack of cracks in the foundation of goodness, compassion, kindness, even just basic, simple human decency.
Blood and soil.
Not to be confused, of course, with blood, sweat and tears which was, depending on your particular areas of interest and/or SAT scores, either the iconic conclusion of an historic moment offered up by Winston Churchill or the 70's pop band responsible for such conventional radio staples in the day as "You Made Me So Very Happy" and "Spinning Wheel".
Frankly, many of us who are, understandably and inevitably, appalled at what the Charlottesville mayor, there, referred to as a "nauseating parade" are almost as weary of the lack of originality when it comes to these things.
Blood and soil? Really? That's all you got? A dusty, moderately obscure phrase from the 1930's playbook of ignorance, hatred, prejudice, bigotry and/or stupidity?
I mean, after all, just sitting here spitballing off the cuff, I can come up with some fresher, catchier, infinitely more inflammatory moron mantras than that.
"If You Ain't White, You Just Ain't Right".
"Muslims Ain't No Good, Get Out Of Our 'Hood".
"Green Card This, Motherfucker."
Wait. Here we go.
"Make America Great Again".
Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Already taken.
And, by the way, that other chant you offered up, this "one people, one nation, end immigration" thing?
Please. You're embarrassing yourselves.
In terms of the great idiot incantations of all time, that one ranks a couple of notches below "hell, no , we won't go" and "hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today."
Hold on. Try this on for size.
"Ask not....to be treated like a human being, you slanty eyed, hijab wearing, watermelon lovin', wetback, praisin' Allah piece of shit."
Yeah, Too much. At the very least, given the collective intellect at work here, way too many words.
Meanwhile, back to blood and soil.
For the less knowledgeable on the subject and/or those too lazy or stupid to bother Googling it up, the term "blood and soil" originated in 19th century Germany, the actual German translation, by the way, being "blut und boden". Which, come to think of it, there, mouth breathers, would have been a much cooler way to offer it up during your little Rhodes Scholar reunion, there, at UVA, benefiting from the double delight of showing a little cultural authenticity, even, dare we say, education along with the take no prisoners, kick ass Klingon-esque sounds that the German language provides.
Nothing like a little pllaak, taak, kerplick, aaach to enhance the theatrical impact while making that hairball of hated sound like an acutal hairball.
How cool is that?
The German take on the term was that it represented, according to the Google, a "celebration of the relationship of a people to the land they occupy and the high value and virtue of rural living."
Boiled down to its ethnic essence, "....you is either one of us or you ain't and if you ain't from around here, then you ain't one of us, yew savvy?.... And we don't take to no city slicker, libtard snowflakes around these here parts, either, yew copy?"
New spin on an old snark....
..."same racist, white supremacist, amateur hour Aryan shit, different day."
Not for nothin', by the way, although the phrase originated in the 1920's, it very quickly, and almost frighteningly easily, meandered into the mindset of what became that zany, fun filled bunch of loyal, loving gang of looney tunes, those oven lovin', gas, gas, gas jumpin jackbooted haters of all things not German...
...the Nazis.
And, once again, we find that those very likely non NPR subscribing testaments to higher education at UVA Friday night not only couldn't find the fresh when it came to sloganeering, they couldn't even gather with any sense of originality or contemporizing.
Charlottesville. Nuremberg. Been there, Burned that.
Yawn. Snooze. Seig Heil. Whatever.
Here, though, is where that supreme being sense of humor comes twisting its way into our plot.
As a rule, when I'm writing these pieces, be they for print or broadcast, or both, I have some kind of instrumental music playing in the background. Mood setting, mind clearing, whatever the result at any given time, I simply find it helpful in the process.
And to avoid the inevitable distraction we ADD's experience if we "know" what's coming on a list of musical pieces, I employ one of the music services, choose "instrumental" and "random" and let the music come from whence it comes and play as it will.
As I was reading through the story regarding the assembly of the piss poor excuse for patriotism, before I ever put fingers to keys to begin sharing that story, and these thoughts, with you, a beautiful piece of music I hadn't heard in a while suddenly appeared in my little speakers.
Lovely, eloquent and very moving.
And, today, to be sure, more delightfully ironic, and appropriate, as it gets.
Because while I would never presume that God is, or was, validating what I have to say here, I just have a feeling, in that place where you get those feelings, that he, or she (don't get me started), was, at the very least, sending me a little cosmic wink.
Via a lovely, eloquent, very moving and, to be sure, ironic piece of music.
John Williams' haunting theme....
..from "Schindler's List."
Well played.
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