It has been said that if the earth’s poles were to reverse, it would mark the death of this planet. As we observed the one-year anniversary of January 6th, we wondered if what we are currently experiencing are the poles reversing on an ethical and moral level. Anyone who was pleased with what happened on 1/6/21 is probably not reading this blog. When wrong is right, murder is praised, and peace demonized, we wonder if this reversal of poles has already begun.
An arrogant, cry-baby kid kills two unarmed peaceful protesters in Wisconsin and is offered the Medal of Honor by Republican lawmakers and a job as a Congressional aid. Yet, a black man cannot take a jog down a Georgia neighborhood street without being shot and killed.
Life sentences for the three white men who killed Mr. Arbery do not seem to be enough. And, all the while, the fiend, Trump, continues to lead his party, mafia style, from a Mar-a-Lago back room as his followers spew falsehood claims. A stolen election, vaccines are bad, the denial of science, and a litany of false claims mark Trump’s ongoing agenda. Surrounding this is his sordid, unsatiated need for praise which is why he loved the deadly and destructive deeds committed in his name on 1/6/21.
Trump’s “leadership” brings to mind the reign of Caligula (meaning little soldier boots), the third Roman Emperor who hailed from Rome’s most distinguished family. Despite this, Caligula is often remembered as being a selfish, gluttonous, and capricious ruler whose ineptitude weakened the Roman Empire during his four-year reign. He was depicted as a cruel and unpredictable leader who liked to take his emotions out on others. He restored treason and put people to death and delighted in watching torture and executions. He flaunted his power which eradicated his political rivals and forced parents to watch the executions of their sons. He declared that he was a living God. He was unhinged. It has been said that not even marriage and the birth of a daughter changed him. Caligula was known for imposing physical and mental cruelty on others and wanted to be treated like a god. As Rome grew to dislike Caligula, citizens began a secret push to get rid of him. As a result, Caligula lost his life at the hands of his own guardsmen.
The similarities of these two individuals are uncanny. While some may question if Caligula was a cruel, sadistic, and perverted tyrant, we need not question whether Trump is. We know the truth. If nothing else, this makes us believe in the reincarnation of Caligula.
A word to Trump followers – the truth is that you cannot worship God and Satan at the same time. As with Caligula, Trump followers want to be in on his political gains and they have been willing to do anything to get them. Trump and his followers continue to impose enormous changes in our laws and our political system from local School Boards to Congress. This is the price that this country is paying for so called leaders filled with self-consumption. The Trump agenda continues to move this country in the direction of weaponizing the justice system and using the military for political gains and clearly heads us into a state of autocracy – a system of government by one person with absolute power. Now, years in the making and more than likely beginning with Reagan, and four years with Trump as President, we now teeter in a state of anocracy – between democracy and autocracy.
Throughout history, evil has lurked at our doorstep. War after war has fought evil and strived to extinguish it. But, over time, things seemed to have slipped back and we find the need to work harder together to keep the world safe from evil. Our hope is that good people will see what is lurking at our political doorstep and grasp what the real threat is.
The thought of the potential loss of our Democracy is unconscionable. It takes love and courage to defeat evil and focus on the good. We may choose to forgive evil or love our enemies or believe that some power greater than ourselves will restore goodness in people. We guess that is what is called faith. But we believe fighting the devil is not just a religious concept and that prayers are fine but action and understanding is where the solution lies. Fighting evil takes good people sticking together, being good people. As we move into 2022, we want to genuinely thank you for being one of those good people.
“I hope that real love and truth are stronger in the end than any evil or misfortune in the world.” – Charles Dickens
This blog is dedicated to Sidney Poitier, a wonderful man and one of the good people, who paved the way for black actors. He was an honorable recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009, presented by President Barack Obama.
“I always wanted to be someone better the next day than I was the day before.” – Sidney Poitier
January 6, 2022
