My Country, Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Strange Bedfellows: Insurrectionists &“Old Money”; Joint Chiefs and The Truth.
I am sorry to report that the white supremacists who invaded the capitol have been so manipulated and so fooled, that they are misguided to the extent that they do not even know who their enemy is, who they should be revolting against. How do I know? Because I grew up in the same poor white neighborhood they did, in a decaying industrial city probably similar to the same as many of the rioters, and similar in poverty as the poor white rural communities as well. And I know that the enemy is not my black or brown neighbors living down the street from my family. No, my father and the fathers of the other families in the neighborhood were not ripped off by our black and brown neighbors who were probably poorer than us. No, we finacially challenged, white families were victimized by jobs being sent overseas by corporate management (the white wealthy “one per centers” class); and by tax policies that transferred trillions to the corporate owners, (also the wealthy 1%) and left us year after year with nothing or very little except for some crummy social programs like affirmative action or welfare payments, while the wealthy power structure got to take the cake and we literally got the crumbs.
No, the real enemy were the fathers of the wealthy families that lived miles away in the other direction, in the affluent neighborhoods that we could not even imagine. This is not to say that all of the sons of those wealthy families were bad guys, to wit the Kennedy Brothers, George Bush’s father, John Kerry all came from long generations of wealth and privilege; but these guys learned the joy of giving back; went on to lifetimes of serving others, especially in wartime, risking life and limb.
By contrast there are the likes of Ted Cruz, Josh Hartwell and most importantly Donald Trump who never served any other interests but their own and certainly never served in the military or any other form of community service. These men can talk a good game, but they cannot walk the walk; they never wanted to; never could. All they want is power and position. They could not give a s*** about programs that really benefit the people who are their victims and who were the invaders of the capitol in protest of their victimhood. People of color and other minorities were (for the most part) not among these rioting protestors. And they are not the enemy.
The enemy is the spoiled over-educated preppie leaders of these working-class protestors against the valid election of Joe Biden (the Ted Cruz type phony), the GOP “leaders” who knew better. They incited the mob to take the risks while they stayed safely out of danger, but ready to take the glory for that which they did none of the hard work…or ready to avoid the blame if necessary, by maintaining the deniability of distance. No dirty hands for them. So as much as I hate to see these rioters, so sadly and angrily frustrated without hope of bettering their lots in life, and so futilely trying to see themselves in a more favorable light as revolutionaries or as righteous patriots, I wish for all of these people that they get themselves educated like a lot of the guys from my neighborhood did and understand who the real enemies against their interests are, and who they should be directing their energies against.
They have been played by these same people who have been screwing them for generations, and their brothers and sisters of color are not the bad guys. The bad guys are the same “rich get richer”, white wealthy elite, who have been unjustly enriching themselves at their expense forever. To the protestor/rioters I say, “it is no disgrace for you to admit that you have been fooled. The real disgrace belongs to those who persist in trying to fool you and screw you.”
“Learn what is really going on in the world, and learn to do the right thing, not the wrong thing”
There will always be bigots and racist people who just want to destroy, but you do not have to be part of them. Forget the Nazi insignias, forget the Confederate flags, forget the prison terms and tattoos of Aryan Nation, and forget the guns and the ammo galore. Join the unified effort to work positively to make this country better. Stop wasting yours and everybody else’s time and energy that should be directed into useful channels. It will make a better place for all of us.
Pay attention to the statement of the Joints chiefs of the Military. Therein is the truth. You can bank on it. Put away your weapons. Get on the right side of the law. Be the patriots who you want to be, who everyone wants you to be.
