Pay no attention to that man...

For Trump, I think it's the license to be an absolute asshole to the parents of dead soldiers, the victims of disaster, to elder statesmen, to decorated warriors, and even to our neighbors that bothers me most. In his defense, he's ALWAYS been an asshole. It's one of his more endearing qualities. His minions see the curtain moving and would rather cower before the pyrotechnic facade than see the man for whom he is. If anyone dares approach they will hear his thumbs tweeting out, "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain."

The problem is he is not Oz. I mean, THAT would be swell. That means he would be the oafish huckster caught up in his own bullshit and that a precocious young girl could yank him back from the precipice of stupidity so he could steer the balloon back to Kansas. I've been to Kansas, so I understand his reticence.

But "the Donald" is an Oz of a different stripe. He's Ozymandias. If you haven't heard of him, go here. If you do know him, let's run a checklist to see if our POTUS qualifies for the honorific.

Grandiose self-image:  Check
Unchecked ambition:  Check
Eternal enmity toward those who disagree with him:  Check
No shame nor taint of conscience:  Check
Uses human shields:  Check, check, check, check, check...
Loathes the sick, the poor, the handicapped and especially immigrants:  BIG Check although he's sure some of them are very fine people...

We hereby affirm that Donald J. Trump is OUR Ozymandias!  And like most despoilers reeking of hubris, he will be remembered. His craven image will join the pantheon of the misbegotten dedicated to those that could have done so much more if they'd only had a heart. Until then, we may look on his works and...

Okay okay, I get it now...

I gave up on this blog last year after the country lost its shit and put a television personality in the White House. I have to apologize for that. I've always said that we get the presidents we deserve. 100% of vociferous malcontents agree, "He's the BEST! He's doing EXACTLY what we wanted." If by that you mean he's systematically undermining the very foundations of our democracy, then YES, yes he is!

While I knew he would be the usurper of all that is holy in D.C., I hadn't counted on the depth of our elected official's sycophancy. By now, ten months in, I am amazed that someone from either side of the aisle hasn't hung themselves from the gallery railing around the house floor out of guilt. It only takes a few minutes on C-Span to see what I'm talking about. When the camera sweeps the room watch for the ones with their heads in their hands and it's that kind of day, AGAIN! And there are more than three years to go. I mean, what were we thinking?

Personally, it's the vivisection of the GOP and to a lesser extent the Dems that enthuses me most about the current state of the union.  The two parties have had their run.  It's time again to renew our faith in the systems our forefathers worked so hard to get right. They knew Democracy will always be messy.  So stop demonizing the other side and let's get on with it for Christ's sake! Obviously the GOP needs to divide itself along the lines set out by the Tea Party. So let them be the third party. Go forth and be the party of usurpers. Selah.

As for the remainders, let them become NeoPublicans. No more GOP. Leave the Republicans in the grave they dug for themselves beside the historical Anti-Adminstration and Toleration parties. Time for new blood and ideas to bear up the weight of all this inanity. Time to heal thyself, gentlemen and gentleladies. Our country is at stake. Demagoguery has no place in a democracy. Leave that shit in church where it belongs.

This country can stand the strain and if by blood we need to seal the deal then count me among those who take the fight to our enemies. The enemy of truth. The enemy of thoughtfulness. The enemy of tolerance. The enemy of science. The enemy of the natural world. The enemy of reason. The enemy of hope. Let us declare war on all those that oppose us in this our holy quest. The quest for real democratic ideals of equality, opportunity and shared responsibility that our forefathers intended. Let us do THEM proud again. Yes yes, some were slavers AND the Mother Church burned people at the stake so can anyone say, "Bygones!"

America is STILL great. Our preeminence has not waned nearly as much as the naysayers of Breitbart, Hannity, Drudge, Limbaugh or Jones would have us believe. So let us start with THEM! Let's put them back where they belong--in their place along the tattered edge of reason. Out there on the fringe with the tin-foil hat crowd. The chem-trail theorists. The birthers and the bigots. Let's starve them for air.  Let us once again be embarrassed by our ignorance and make amends. For there is no shame in ignorance save for the sole exception of maintaining it.

But therein lies the rhubarb. If someone enjoys the aforementioned purveyors of pettiness and pseudo-outrage then they are indeed lost to reason. They're simply there for their daily ration of spew. They would rather brush their remaining teeth with hemorrhoid cream than be bothered with the WHOLE truth about anything.

Trust me, I can tell you this.