No ducks were harmed in the production of today's piece.
Bear with me for a few. That'll sound less silly shortly.
An op/ed appeared in the October 31st Washington Post, written by columnist Max Boot. The title of the ed left no doubt at all as to the op of Mr. Boot.
Vote Against All Republicans. Every Single One.
The piece is a clear, articulate laundry list of the flaws, both character and moral, to be found in Trump's baggage, hauled in, unpacked and thrown around the West Wing starting January almost two years ago, making hallowed halls look a lot like a third tier frat house after a kegger gone horrifically wrong.
I'll spare you the details. Suffice to say that Max Boot shows no compunction whatsoever about advising voters to give anyone with a capital R next to their name on the ballot...the boot.
Last rimshot pun using Max's name. Promise.
I was impressed with Mr. Boot's essay, but, more because of what it symbolized as opposed to what he had to say about Trump's shortcomings.
Because while written, again, clearly and articulately, there was no new ground covered. Every one of Boot's criticisms of a Trump failing was simply yet another expression of, at this point in the timeline, a too familiar criticism of the same, too familiar, failings Trump has exhibited day in, day out, hour in, hour out, since the moment he decided it would be fun to relieve the boredom of bankrupting hotels and casinos, scamming university students, stiffing vendors on their bills and treating women like bitches and hos and run for President.
Cause, he must have thought, no one with more than three living brain cells, any sense of honor, dignity or even simple human decency will go any farther than maybe casting a vote here and there for me, before the novelty wears off and they go back to politics as usual and I can get back to bankrupting hotels and casinos, scamming university students, stiffing vendors on their bills and treating women like bitches and hos. I give it two months. Four tops. Six months in the extreme.
Well, now, Donald, that three living brain cells thing turned out to be a bad case of underestimation on your part, now, didn't it?
So, Max Boot simply expressed how sick and tired he was at having to live with the result of Donald dramatically underestimating just how many folks are wandering around out there with two or less brain cells at their disposal.
Again, wasn't what he said that struck me. Or even how he said it.
What struck me was that Max Boot is an author, lecturer and military historian, a self described conservative who has worked for the Christian Science Monitor and the Wall Street Journal, two notches on the resume that, alone, would back up the claim of conservatism. And, until 2016, was registered, and identified himself, as a Republican.
Writing an op/ed in the Washington Post advising voters to "Vote Against All Republicans. Every Single One.
And what do you think happened in 2016 that made this lifelong conservative and Republican renounce both his party and their presentation.
Give you a hint. Rhymes with "the kresidenchul mandidacy of Fonald Jake Thump"
But, back to the op/ed. Inching ever closer to the ducks.
Suitably impressed, even appreciative, reading a clear headed, honest, but damning indictment of the demagogue dimwit written by a professed conservative with traditional Republican values, I posted a link to the op/ed on Facebook, happy to send it on and out for others to enjoy and ponder.
I added a short caption to my posting of the link to Boot's piece.
"...the author is a conservative...and Republican.....the fact that is is reasonable and articulate is the cherry on top."
You'd think, after the last three years, that I would have learned, by now, that nothing, literally NOTHING, gets spoken, verbally or in print, that dares even hint at impugning the majesty of the Trump existence on the planet without automatic, inevitable, ain't no chance in hell it ain't gonna happen pushback.
And I suppose, truth be told, even if I'm not consciously trying to provoke the MAGA minions, there's a little imp bouncing around the playhouse of my psyche always ready to make with the mischief.
Still and all, though.
The push back, in this case, came from a Facebook friend I have very little contact with. In fact, I honestly don't know the woman. Nor she me. It's one of those Facebook friend who's a friend of a friend of that friend of a friend who's a Facebook friend of mine kind of friend. We've all got em. I mean, come on, let's say you have 1000 "official" Facebook friends. How many of those people do you actually know?
Twelve?
And how many do you actually like, respect and/or give a flying fuck about any opinions they might have on the state of the world these days.
Three?
I kid. Big fan of Facebook. And love and respect all my Facebook friends.
The push back, meanwhile, consisted of the following.
"The author is not a conservative and clearly states in the article that he is a former Republican."
As a rule, I don't take the bait of comments posted in response to posts I post. Unless the commenter is a very good friend who I actually do like, respect and/or who is possessed of an opinion I actually do give a flying fuck about, it's been my experience that engaging the pushbackers is a lot like George Carlin's old line about cocaine.
What does cocaine make you feel like? It makes you feel like having more cocaine.
Pushing back at those who are pushing back results in one and only one thing.
More push back. It's enough, sometimes, to make you want to do coke.
But because the lady's appearance in my comment thread was a rarity and you just never know where you might find the next kindred spirit or, even more rare, might find the next mind you can change, I hit a gentle return volley, just enough to send it back over the net.
"Max Boot guested", I replied, "as recently as one week ago on HBO's Real Time at which time he as introduced, unchallenged, as a conservative columnist and author and he, himself, remarked that he was a traditional Republican but clearly denounced the hijacking of that party by the current extremist assembly of demagoguery".
The backhand came whizzing back at me fairly swiftly.
"Well, I can call myself a green Martian, but that doesn't actually make me one."
Note to self. Seriously, dude, you've just gotta put down that racket and stop swinging at those balls bouncing all over the damn court. You're gonna wear yourself out.
There's a good ten minutes I can do, without breaking much of a sweat, in dissecting her comeback, but, let me just do a quick synopsis/recap instead.
I described Boot as a conservative and a Republican. He, himself, live on the TV there, acknowledged being introduced as a conservative and he, himself, live on the TV there, spoke the words describing himself as a Republican who has denounced the current incarnation of the Republican Party.
Let me just be charitable and courteous in my read on the lady's backhand. I'm going to go with "thanks for your thoughts, maybe some further research would help you clarify where Mr. Boot stands."
And I'm going to take a pass on my original, primal, instinctive comeback..."lady, I don't know what the fuck you're talking about which kinda bonds us in a way cause clearly you don't know what the fuck you're talking about..."
Stay with me now. We're mere minutes away from the ducks.
In mid-October, Barack Obama gave a speech at a rally in Nevada. The content was politics, but the theme, not at all subtle, was truth, facts....and reality.
Among other things, he had this to say...
"I actually try to state facts. I believe in facts. I believe in a fact-based reality. And fact based politics. I don't believe in just making stuff up. I think you should say to people what is true."
What a remarkable thing for a former President to say. But, more to the point, what a remarkable thing for anyone to say. Ever.
And, even more to the point, that the current condition of the society in which we all live makes it necessary to even have to say something like that in the first place.
The thing about a lie has always been that it could be shot down by a truth.
A fiction could always be shot down by a fact.
The politics of 2018 America, no, let's call it what it really is, the demagougery of Donald Trump is nothing more, and absolutely nothing less, than the turning of truth and fact...into moving targets.
It's a master stroke of strategy, albeit a Bond villain/evil genius style strategy. But it accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish.
It's a dark, twisted, potentially harmful, even potentially fatal spin on Monty Python's Dead Parrot.
"...it's dead...."
"...no, it's not.....just sleeping..."
The author is a conservative. And a Republican who has renounced the current Republican Party.
He is not a conservative....and the article clearly states that he is not a Republican.
He, himself, acknowledged being introduced as a conservative and he, himself, remarked that he was a life long Republican who denounces the current party.
Well, Green Martians.
A long time ago, in a civilization far, far away......
...if it walked.....and swam.....and quacked.......
Not any more.
Could be a Green Martian.
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