By God This Was No Tourist Visit
– By Ed Kociela –
Roll tape, please, and keep it cued up.
The gaslight treatment that the former’s team of hyenas is perpetrating on the American public remains unshakable as the loony fringe of the Republican Party surge in propping up the Big Lie and other assorted abominations littering today’s political landscape.
On the heels of Rep. Liz Cheney’s continued stand to slam home the truth, the dissonant voices of the insurrection are being cranked to high volume. The ear-splitting madness of this visceral assault is like enduring the yowling of feral cats in heat.
We saw it again last week when they ingloriously kicked Rep. Liz Cheney out of party leadership, when Rep. Marjorie Green Taylor verbally assaulted and abused colleague Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a fit of Trumpmania, and when folks like Rep. Andrew Clyde, Rep. Jody Hice, and others ask us if we are going to believe them or our own lying eyes.
Well, roll the tape. There is plenty of it to prove these people are rocking unevenly, teetering over a chasm that appears to have no bottom.
There is almost endless tape on MGT ranting about conspiracies, AOC, and extolling the former as he sits in exile in Florida. The links are easy to find and so numerous I won’t waste your time.
However, you can go to https://time.com/5938095/video-capitol-riot-impeachment-trial/
And https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfwbhC2Un2Y if you want to counter the flat-out lies about how Jan. 6 was not an insurrection.
I mean, how can anybody possibly agree with Clyde, who said video from that day looked, to him like “a normal tourist visit” or Hice, who claims that Ashli Babbitt, the former’s supporter who died during the insurrection, was the real victim, or Rep. Paul Gosar, who referred to those arrested by the FBI for their attempted overthrow of the U.S. government as “peaceful patriots?”
We saw it, man, live and in innumerable replays as these “tourists” desecrated all that the nation was formed upon and has done us well from the very beginning.
But, those values, that respect disintegrated somewhere along the way. I mean, for God’s sake, we find ourselves defending and praising Cheney, who was one of the most ardent supporters of the former’s policies during his short, but destructive term. I admire her dedication to the truth, especially when it comes to the Big Lie about the election, but her politics still scare the hell out of me.
But, truth, you see, isn’t solely based on one side or the other, it isn’t adjusted according to “what aboutisms,” and it certainly is not negotiable. There is no gray line, something is either true or it is not. You cannot use rationalizations to prop up a lie. You can only exacerbate credibility and look the fool when you try to stretch the truth or look for loopholes that make something “kinda true.” It’s a matter of character, something followers of the former are lacking.
I understand that none of us is naïve enough to believe that politicians are married to the truth. But, it has never been this bad. Ever. And, it is embarrassing, especially when the administration pussyfoots around, trying to make nice with these liars. Instead of calling them out, for the most part they are trying to politely negotiate the turbid waters, which leads to more and more disparity and radical behavior. In Utah, for example, it is believed that during this week’s special legislative session there will be an effort to pressure the governor to declare that this is a 2nd Amendment sanctuary. While it would have no teeth – federal law usurps state law – its separatist symbolism indicates a mentality desirous of drifting further from the feds. We have already seen other manifestations of this as reps in 43 states have proposed some sort of legislation that would result in new and more stringent voter suppression laws, based, of course, in the racism that pushes the nation’s pulse and results in another slap at the democratic process. All of this, to be sure, has been thought of, discussed mildly, considered by many, but only in those quiet places where people can do so away from the lucid masses because even they know they are off the hook crazy. However, we can point to the former, who during his four-year term, was the enabler who never met a conspiracy theory he did not embrace and who, I believe deep in my heart, has no feel of duty or dedication for the good of the nation, exercising his power and authority on laser-like target to fattening his own brand and bank balance.
You know, I had really hoped that by now we would have been able to put some healthy distance between us and the last four years, that he would disappear into his bungalow in Florida and gorge himself on Big Macs as he binge watched reruns of “The Apprentice,” but the former and his minions will not allow us that pleasure. Instead, they creep around like giant slugs, leaving behind a slime trail that we cannot escape. We are now, and for the foreseeable future, stuck in that slime that refuses to wash away and leaves a terrible stain upon all of us.
It would be nice if someday we could emerge from that, but unless we end up with some formal charges or indictments soon, I fear we will be stuck here for some time yet.
That is a shame because we have already had more than five years of our lives frittered away – four by a corrupt, incompetent conman, a year and a half by a vicious disease that crippled the entire globe.
We’ve got a lot of time to make up for, a lot of living to do when we actually get back to normal and bury this COVID-19 thing, a lot to look forward to because we certainly don’t want to look back. And, next time we ask to roll the tape, I hope it for something cool, like maybe Paul McCartney or the Stones going back out on the road.
Anything to soothe our damaged souls.
Viewpoints and perspectives expressed throughout The Independent are those of the individual contributors. They do not necessarily reflect those held by the staff of The Independent or our advertising sponsors. Your comments, rebuttals, and contributions are welcome in accordance with our Terms of Service. Please be respectful and abide by our Community Rules. If you have privacy concerns you can view our Privacy Policy here. Thank you!
Click here to submit an article, guest opinion piece, or a Letter to the Editor
