Everyone admires the True Idealist, the rare human being with unimpeachable standards who tries to lead his or her life with ethical purity and a concern for one’s fellow man. The Buddist Monks of Kathmandu come to mind, as does Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, Albert Camus and Herman Hesse. To a lesser degree, Martin Luther King, Jr., was an idealist and, for a time, Ralph Nader. The key phrase here is “tries to lead,” because nobody is infallible, even Pope John Paul II.
We have idealists of a sort all around us. Vegans are a type of idealist, as are Greenpeace personnel. Although she, herself, has left us, we still have the Mother Teresas of the world toiling away in nondescript backwaters, risking life and limb, trying to save and improve lives ravaged by warfare. Doctors Without Borders is a prime example.
And then there are the rest of us, a well-intended crew for the most part, quite amenable to aiding the greater good, at least when it isn’t inconvenient. I, myself, am sort of a failed idealist. I led the first twenty or so years of my life in full idealist mode before being trampled by mortal concerns which drew me off the path. I think I have a lot of company. Although many people enter politics out of vanity or a desire to enhance their own lives, most of the politicians I have known got into the business to improve the world they lived in and were ultimately bowled over by that large semi called Reality, packing a full load of lobbyists, campaign PACS with dubious motives, religious fanatics and moronic electorates. All of this requiring concessions to be made, standards to be loosened. After all, how can we Save The World if we don’t get reelected….or elected in the first place? Ah yes, there’s the rub!
We look for, and seldom find anymore, the office-seeker who will speak with an unforked tongue. If it’s tough to find one, well, some of that is our own fault. Politics start on the local level and local voting percentages are deplorable. The candidates who would best serve us are overwhelmed by honkers with a fistful of cash or a famous name. The electorate is uninformed and lazy. Good men who would keep the faith are never allowed to enter the game, to move on to higher posts, bringing their ethics with them. The Governor of Florida, for instance, is an inept criminal who stands in office only by dint of his own personal fortune with which he purchased his position. And his is not an unusual situation.
So here we are with an upcoming presidential election in the United States and the two contenders drawing the most interest are Bernie Sanders, a Democrat who used to be an Independent, and Donald Trump, a Republican who used to be a Democrat. Go figure. Neither one of them, of course, has any chance at all, so why are they flying so high? Same answer for both of them: they take a position on an issue and stick with it through hell and high water, no backpedalling, no apologies. The electorate is thunderstruck at this display of consistency, so unusual in the political arena where most candidates check the wind before answering questions. Just give us some honest answers, the public requests—tell us what you really think. And tell us the same thing tomorrow.
For those of us who admire Sanders, the attraction is obvious. Here is a man who has been on the same train for decades, even when nobody was listening except the Vermonters who kept returning him to Washington. Well, folks, Trump is doing the same thing, he’s just playing to a different audience. That group may not be enchanting to the rest of us but they are quick to advance their favorites, as evidenced by the nation awakening this morning to find The Donald now leading the Republican hyena pack by a wide margin—24%-13%—over his closest pursuer, Scott Walker, Trump’s own mini-me. Walker is supposed to be the more responsible version of Trump but he’s losing his audience to the Big Guy. The other day, struggling to be heard over Trump’s din, he announced that he was ready to bomb Iran on his first day in office. Just what we need—more Republican bomb-throwers. Trump is littering the landscape with the rumpled bodies of his challengers, who more than deserve his scorn. The other day, he said that Texas Governor Rick Perry should be required to take an IQ test, and who can reasonably argue with that? Before that, he discounted Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, India’s biggest embarrassment since the production of the Nano dwarf car, with the statement, “He’s got nothing,” which may be overstating Jindal’s assets. Excuse me, but I think all this is hilarious. I know….I know….as a reasonable Liberal I am supposed to be offended by every word out of Trump’s mouth, but I just can’t help it. He’s dispatching these Republican phonies one by one and there is no end in sight as his ratings climb. Just call it a Guilty Pleasure if you like. We all have them. Some otherwise perfectly normal people watch Falling Skies or The Jerry Springer Show on television. I once saw a person of the vegan persuasion at Fat Boy’s Barbecue. And those monks up there in Katmandu—they’re not exempt. You should see the little buggers jump and howl when the Nepal soccer team kicks in a goal against the rotten Chinese.
Call me crazy, but I can’t wait to see whose ass gets kicked next. Will it be mealy-mouthed Jeb Bush, the “responsible Republican,” who kept a dying woman dangling on life support for months against the wishes of her husband while he was Governor of Florida? Will it be pretty boy Marco Rubio, who hasn’t the guts to speak up for his Hispanic brethren? “Come one, come all, folks—who wants to get in the ring next to wrestle the bear?” I haven’t had this much fun since opening day at the Walmart.
Derrick Broze, an activist/journalist from Houston, keeps watch on the entrance to Camp Swift in Bastrop, Texas, on the first day of the Operation Jade Helm 15 military exercise on July 15.
Deep In The Heart Of Texas
“The stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas….”
Which is more than you can say for many of the residents. Calling Texas a conservative state is little like saying it will take a few days to drive from Nome to Patagonia—true, but insufficiently descriptive of the situation. In Texas, Democrats need not apply. It is easier for a wart-hog to pass through the eye of a needle than for a Democrat to be elected to public office in Texas. And they don’t like Republicans all that much, either. Nossir, and once someone becomes a part of the despised “fed’ral gummint,” he or she is immediately held in utmost contempt by the majority of Lone Star Staters. There is no doubt among a large cadre of Texans that the government is out to get them; it’s only a matter of time before the tanks and black helicopters come barging over the Oklahoma border, malice in mind. It’s just one worry after another and the newest threat “could be a real game-changer. But we’re ready,” claims a member of the resistance.
The latest imbroglio concerns Jade Helm 15, which popped up quickly when the government announced it would be holding military training exercises in seven states in the Southwest, including Texas, which would involve aircraft, Navy SEALs, Army Green Berets and other special Operations forces. Oh oh. What was this all about? The plan was to divide the designated territory into “permissive” and “hostile” areas, with Texas among the latter. The militant types, no small package, immediately perceived a threat to take over the state. Crazy Alex Jones, a Texas-based conspiracy theorist and radio talk-show host started the ball rolling. “This is in preparation for the national financial collapse and maybe even Obama not leaving office,” he spouted. That was followed, according to NY times columnist Mimi Swartz, “”by about one zillion internet cranks predicting the declaration of martial law—you probably got the word about the shuttered Walmarts being converted to makeshift detention centers. Governor Greg Abbott’s attempt to calm the population by ordering the state guard to keep an eye on the feds came next, an action that did nothing to confirm the pre-election rumor that he was much smarter than his predecessor, Rick Perry.”
In Bastrop, which may be the hub of the hubbub, Mayor Ken Kesselus has been trying to convince outsiders that his town of 8000 is not a nest of wackos and conspiracy theorists. “Okay now,” said His Honor, in his most reasonable tones, “The last two weeks I’ve had only 22 calls about this stuff. One of them was from a guy in South Texas who thinks Obama is a communist, a Muslim and an evil person and wanted me to warn everybody to hold onto their guns. The other 21 calls were from the press.” Nobody believed him.
Resident Eric Johnson, a handgun on his hip, prowled the area. Johnson has 27 avid volunteers—some armed—positioned across Texas, including a monitor he described as a retired Army ranger. He called them a “neighborhood watch.” Johnson, festooned with a white handlebar mustache, conceals his own guns beneath an untucked shirt. He would like everybody to know that his own Counter Jade Helm is not “radical,” like some other groups. They don’t really think a military takeover is just around the corner. But still….
“It doesn’t make sense that if they’re going to practice infiltration skills and if they’re going to be in uniform that these guys are sneaking up on anybody,” Johnson muses. “Be honest with you, I can’t figure out WHAT the hell they’re doing.”
Finally. Somebody from Texas with an honest appraisal.
Bass Harbor, Maine
We’re Off To The Coxville Zoo….
Not to mention, NYC, Beantown and points North. It’s vacation time again for Siobhan and Bill, much of it on the rockbound coast of Maine--Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, to be precise. We’re going to hook up with longtime pal Jack Gordon and rummage through the Old Neighborhood, if there’s anything left of it, and pay a visit to Fenway to offer our services in the relief pitching area. Heck, we have to be as good as what they’ve got, right? Maybe Siobhan will find a wedding dress. Maybe sister Alice, just in from Cali, will climb Cadillac Mountain. Maybe we’ll visit good old George Bush in Kennebunkport. Maybe not. But anyway, we’ll be back again in two weeks with wonderful tales and brilliant photos for one and all. Next week, Austin Li will be sending you an old vacation column just so nobody is suffering from a PIE jones. Uncle Chuck, you mind those burgeoning plants and behave yourself while I’m gone. And for all you miscreants who are thinking of breaking into PIE Headquarters while we’re away—don’t try it. Stuart Ellison is minding the farm. He’s a big mean guy with a bad dog.
That’s all, folks….
