Every so often the savage rhetoric expressed at the far ends of the American political spectrum dovetail together. In those moments they morph into some weird mutated monster like those usually reserved for publishing houses such as Marvel Comics. Indeed, on the rare occasions when the ire of both the right and left become focused on the same event, or individual the ugliness, no matter what the source, is revealed to be so similar it is, for all practical purposes, identical.
You see a tad of this phenomena with former FBI Director James Comey. The President of the United States and his wild eyed rubes go into frothing fits every time they hear his name. Simultaneously there are plenty of those on the progressive side of things, myself included, who have no use, or sympathy for the fucker. Let's face it, from our perspective Comey handed, Donald J. Trump the White House in 2016. Yes, some of us find it sweet irony he is now loathed by the very son of a bitch who profited most by the FBI's suspiciously timed on and off again investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails.
Which brings us to this afternoon and the day of Barbara Bush's funeral.
I freely admit I didn't like her husband's politics, or policies and that I celebrated to crazed excess after Wild Bill Clinton handed him his head in the 1992 election. I didn't like her oldest kid either. Honestly, I considered him an idiot completely over matched by the office and utterly controlled by an amoral gang of war mongers and profiteers, chief of whom was Dick Cheney.
That doesn't mean I disliked, or liked Barbara Bush. She didn't make, or execute policy and her presence in the White House, or later in her role as the mother of a president, didn't push the nation into a massive recession, or to the brink of a second great depression. Those were the sins of George Herbert Walker Bush and later, George W. the younger.
It also doesn't mean I will disparage her life and marriage to a guy she obviously adored--hey, when you stay wedded to the same person for 70 plus years love does have something to do with it. Think not? Quick, rattle off a list of names which immediately come to mind when you think of that sort of marriage longevity. Listen, when you're as old as I am staying power counts for something.
Besides, I never celebrate the death of any person, good, or evil. Even when Seal Team Six took out bin Laden my only emotion that night was the grim satisfaction he knew it was Americans kicking in his bedroom door. The only exception to the rule was when Tim McVeigh got the hot shot from the Feds after he blew apart 168 bureaucrats and innocent babies in Oklahoma City on an April morning 23 years ago. Even then there was no urge to dance in the street, or pop the cork on a bottle of champagne.
However, much to the detriment of common decency, people like Fresno State professor, Randa Jarrar, and Don Trump operative, Roger Stone are not encumbered by such restraint.
After she heard of Mrs. Bush's passing, Jarrar went into a tweet storm. Among other things she posted, "Barbara Bush was a generous and smart and amazing racist who, along with her husband, raised a war criminal. I'm happy the witch is dead. Can't wait for the rest of her family to fall to their demise the way 1.5 million Iraqis have. byyyeeeeee."
When faced with the inevitable backlash she accused her critics of being racist. (Ms. Jarrar says she is a Muslim Arab-American.) Then, after bragging she was tenured and therefore could never be fired, she posted a phone number which she claimed was hers. It wasn't. The number was a suicide hot line at Arizona St. University. The crisis center was quickly overwhelmed by a surge of angry calls which, as you can guess, had nothing to do with actual mental health calamities. Additional operators had to be brought in so people with real issues wouldn't be stuck on hold for lengthy periods, or receive a busy signal.
Man, that was one witty practical joke.
Presumably on the far side of the moon from Ms. Jarrar is Trump confidant, Roger Stone. He had been invited to speak to those highly influential Okaloosa (FL) county republicans on what is known to true believers as Lincoln-Reagan Day. That was before he publicly called Mrs. Bush, "a nasty drunk." Then added, "She drank so much booze, if they cremated her, her body would burn for three days."
According to the Okaloosa executive committee chair, Mark Franks, after they read Stone's screed, the committee immediately, "ended our contact with Mr. Stone." Franks went on to say, "It's tough to lose a speaker when you're three weeks out, but this is what I felt needed to be done out of respect for Barbara Bush. I thought he'd be entertaining, but for me this went over the line."
Who knew 21st century republicans had a line any more? Well, you learn something every day.
Be that as it may, Brother Stone had a different take on things. He quickly responded with, "I cancelled my appearance as the sponsors wanted to censor my public comments which is unacceptable." The Hill quoted him as saying in an email, "The day an officious country club republican in Ft. Walton Beach tells me what I can and cannot say is the day that hell freezes over." He went on to write, "...most Americans, most republicans HATE the Bushes."
While a lot of us are out of the loop on things such as Roger Stone's country club membership we certainly know his pal, Donald Trump belongs to a few. However, we shouldn't get into too many incongruities since they tend to muddle the focus of such fierce, although blatantly, faux populism.
So what we have here is a professor of creative writing at a California university--one of those arrogant academic types who working class progressives such as myself sneer at over a bottle of beer--and a fascist ass hole who pretends to speak for people he actually despises.
Neither have any sort of compassion and, as proven by their recent statements, both are suspect when it comes to their inclusion in the human species.
But hey, even in this age of national divisiveness, at least they agree on something.
sic vita est
4-21-18
First ladies have always had a formidable behind the scenes influence on the presidency - it's called being a wife and, someday, a first gentleman as a husband. But, official influence is limited and usually to their favorite causes. Hillary broke that mold but that is a comment for another time. What I'm trying to say is, criticizing a first lady, especially one who made efforts to remain low key, is of no value. As for 41, I kind of liked him, though it was more than a bit hypocritical of both he and Reagan for him to be offered, and accept, the vice-presidency, given some of the things Bush said about him during the 1980 campaign. (Remember Richard Schweiker in 1976? Reagan had a disturbing habit of compromising himself with his running mate choices). But, he was an experienced government hand with a solid resume for leadership, and I believe that experience served he and the nation well when he proved to be smart enough to get us into - and out of, the first Iraq war quickly and efficiently. Anyway, I believe the nation would be better served by focusing on the rascals currently in power.
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