Pay Attention, Children

One of the great tricks the devil knows is that we are easily fooled. We want to be fooled. We want our fears quelled, want to be soothed, and want to be told that everything is fine. And so the devil tells us the sweet lies and tells us to trust, trust, trust, and they will take care of everything. And as we are trusting them, they are giving us a show. They preach to us about how unsafe the world is, how dangerous the people are around us, and that they must trust them to protect us. And as we are wrapped up in the story we nod, because things do feel unsafe. And as we are wrapped up in their lie they point to the criminals, to the liars, to the impure, and to all of their enemies, who are now our enemies as well. And as we see the people that are being singled out we smile, and we nod, because the devil is making us feel safe.
Feel safe.

We are asking the devil who our enemies are and, lo and behold, they are the same as their enemies.

How helpful.

Many people scoff and bristle when the word fascism is used regarding the current President and his regime because we refuse to put down their min-American flags and guns to pay attention to what’s going on. And sure, that’s facetitious, but not far off base. People are so entrenched in their hero worship of Trump, too intoxicated in having their narrow view of the world echoed by the administration, and too afraid of a world where they are surrounded by people they hate just for being different. It’s easy to turn and look the other way when you are getting exactly what you wanted and voted for.

Only, at a cost that keeps rising.

Oh, they cut some liberal programs, and they remove redundant jobs, and they take funding from indoctrinating colleges and programs, but it doesn’t hurt you. Until it does. Until the food benefits your family needed are cut. Until the health insurance your relied on disappears. Until services your family can’t live without are gone.

Waste.

They’re cutting waste.

Sure.

But where’s that money going?

Oh, right, to the lavish military parade to celebrate Trump’s birthday (I mean the Army and Flag Day, right…). Something we would have mocked and decried if a Democrat had tried such a thing.

Then there’s the money spent on deploying military into U.S. cities to quell protests that didn’t begin to get violent until this new, heavily armed presence.

And hey, if you’re going to be here illegally then you have to go, right?

Oh, sure, you can tell me you’re trying to go through the right channels but you should have thought of that when you came. Maybe you should have been born here.

And isn’t it weird people are sent to a foreign prison for the rest of their lives for just being here illegally? Oh, right, they’re all criminals and gang members. I forgot. They told us that. So it’s true. Innocent people are never arrested under false pretenses or mistakenly.

Trump doesn’t make mistakes.

He’s playing chess.

Just, one that we’ve never seen before.

The sort where no one wins, but it’s a long, drawn-out game with lots of long pauses and delays. And while we’re trying to figure out his next move, his people are moving different pieces on a different board and making the rich richer.

Oh, but, you know, what do I care?

We’re making America great.

Sure, sure.

And Trump is getting rich by hocking phones, coins, shoes, and anything else they can spray paint gold and put his name and face on. He’s more interested in being a home shopping salesman than he is in being a world leader. Oh, and people will shrug it off and say, well, what about… But we have NEVER witnessed a President who so boldly ignored every rule, regulation, and shred of decency to chase after money. Especially money he SHOULDN’T NEED. He’ll never live to spend it all but by god he wants it all. He deserves it. Maybe they’ll build him a gold pyramid when he’s gone and shut the nation down for a week or two for mourning.

But we’re great.

It’s great that my kid will get a stunted education. It’s fine when history is hidden, science is abandoned, and teachers are fired for daring to teach the truth. At least those foreigners are gone.

And next, it’s the gays.

And then, and then, and then…

And when does it get to be too much to be so afraid all the time? To be so angry all the time?

When are we great?

When our allies hate and mistrust us?

When war is spreading?

We all know enough history to understand that what is happening isn’t OK, isn’t right, and isn’t what the dream that is America is.

We are six months into a four year term and we are seeing things gutted and tossed aside without any explanation other than to say – it’s cutting waste.

Yet, we want to spend all that money to give our great leader a happy birthday, like a big boy.

When even our judges, and elected officials are being threatened, something is wrong.

Not that any of this will convince the cultists who worship the great, golden calf called the “Don.” Sure, the tariffs hurt, the cutting of government jobs hurts, the sale of the steel industry to foreign investors, it all hurts but not as much as that itch at the back of their heads that they get every time they see a person of color, or someone in the LGBTG+ community, or someone who doesn’t bend the knee to their god, or their leader.

The devil tells us that the fear is right, that they will keep us safe, and all we have to do is everything they say without question.

And why would we question anything because we’re great, aren’t we?

The tariffs are exacty what was promised.

As was the cuts to jobs, aid, funding, and freedoms.

We all watched the Jan. 6 insurrection but some of us saw it for what it was and others see it as a day of freedom. Were it to happen today, against Trump, well it’d be treason and they’d all be hanged, wouldn’t they?

The rules change depending on who is in charge.

There is no fairness because they don’t play fair.

We all need to pay close attention because if this nation, if this world sees the future, we will all be asked – how could you let this happen?

And many of us didn’t, but for an awful lot of people this exactly what they wanted. No matter the cost.

And when the devil takes the money from our pocket and food from our table, all while smiling, well, that’s was voted for because they need it more than we do.

They need it all.

And some day, some day, we’ll get it all back, ten-fold.

When we are great again.

And they choose when that is.

But it’s coming.

If you believe in fairy tales.

Or prefer to believe in lies.