It would be easy to blame all this insanity on Covid. The months long isolation, the fear, and perhaps an unknown consequence of exposure to the virus which caused huge numbers of us to part with reality. You know--like the brown acid at the Woodstock music festival that sent so many of the crowd into fits of paranoia and panic.
Alas this isn't the case. We know this for a fact because Donald Trump was elected before any of us had even heard of the damned bug.
So the question is, did Don Trump cause the mass hysteria, or is he simply a product of it? Personally, I like to think it is a little of both. It was already there, but Big Don brought it out of the mental closet, so to speak, nurtured it, then spread it like a run amok arsonist in a drought stricken forest.
However the contagion is spread, it reared its ugly head this past weekend in the sleepy little hamlet of Manheim, PA. The town, located in the southeast corner of the state, hosted the latest installment of what is billed as the, "ReAwaken America Tour." The event, attended by all manner of right wing and conspiracy adherents, was held at the--you can't make this shit up--Spooky Nook Sports Center.
The ReAwaken America Tour is a combination of traveling fundamentalist revival, lurid carnival, and fascist politics. It was co-founded by, "Oklahoma Young Entrepreneur of the Year," recipient, Clay Clark. Clark, moved to Tulsa from Minnesota some time ago so he could attend Oral Roberts University. His main gig before the Tour was owning a DJ business which provided tunes at wedding receptions and other events. He showed up on the right wing radar when he sued the city of Tulsa over Covid restrictions.
Many of the speakers at the gathering were the usual suspects. Tour co-founder, Mike Flynn, now known among true believers as, "America's General," was there. He had a book to promote and words of warning, "We have a battle in our country," he said. 'I mean Christianity is under attack. Honestly if feels like everything is under attack."
Mike Lindell, the My Pillow guy, told the audience, "Coronavirus is still the China virus and Trump is still the rightful president."
Eric Trump asked the crowd, "Does anyone in this room not think we won Pennsylvania?, It was the biggest fraud." Then he called up his Dad and let him make a short statement broadcast over the microphone. The insurrectionist in chief promised, "We're going to bring this country back."
Also haunting the halls of Spooky Nook was Roger Stone. The Washington Post reports he was collecting cash donations for his, "defense fund," in a plastic trash bag.
All of this pales though compared to what, Julie Green, the prophet, told the audience on Friday. Apparently Ms. Green is in direct communication with the Almighty. According to her, "Says God, you cannot stop my son who is the rightful president. He is on his way back and how he takes his position back on center stage, you will never see that coming because you won't see me coming. And I am with him."
Ms. Green's web site tells us YouTube cancelled her account for, "unknown reasons," but she can still be found on the social media outlets, Rumble, Telegram, and TruthSocial.
The Sooky Nook center provided a portable stock tank for baptisms. The Post reporter counted 46 dips into the cold water by the end of the confab. Also popular were tee shirts which read, "Jesus is my savior: Trump is my president."
Clay Clark told reporters the price of a ticket was on a, "whatever you can pay," basis, but the average attendee paid anywhere from $50 to $75. VIP seats cost $500. The estimated crowd numbered a little over 5,000 souls. Brother Clay insists the tour is a break-even deal.
One has to wonder though. After all you have to be a little suspicious when cash is being dropped into plastic garbage bags, not to mention Clark himself might need some, "defense fund," donations. He is currently being sued by the Dominion voting machine manufacturer for defamation.
Besides, no one involved with this enterprise is a socialist. God forbid it--just ask them.
10-24-22
A favorite piece of dialogue from an old MASH TV episode goes something like this: "I will make certain you stay loyal to the country which will hound you for the rest of your life." This is most interesting, as television writers of that era knew nothing of 21st century right wing politics.
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