It was a rainy morning in our little piece of the Midwest. The skies were low, the snow ugly but melting and it was an all-around dismal start to a day. But inside Bert’s it smelled of bacon and eggs, there was a low hum of chatter, and we were gathered around our table in the backroom.
We were just about to get into some serious discussion when Hunter Wilde poked his head in and asked if he could join us. Hunter is not technically a Mumbler although he is being considered for membership so we chorused “sure.”
He said before he ordered he had something he wanted to get off his chest so we all sat back and told him to fire away.
“First, sorry, fellas, for being tardy. I was heading out 30 minutes ago but a blurb on the TV caught my attention. I thought it was a rerun of an old “Dallas” segment and I wanted to see Heather Locklear before she got old. But it was just Pam Bondi, who looks wrinkle-free but is 60-year-old. I’m betting her plastic surgeon drives an Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider.
“I like that car and was gonna get me one, but the bas price of $4 million was just $3,940,000 over my borrowing limit. But on the way to the diner, I dropped my hankering for the car, and a string of conjoined thoughts swarmed my mind.
“Is it a harsh reality, fantasy political dreamscape, or going-down-an-endless-rabbit-hole of global Tinker Toy folderol, this time of creation of an historical bouillabaisse of desires, wants, and demands coming from on high?”
“Boys, that is not a rhetorical question.
“In reality, it takes a bit of each ingredient of impending disaster to create the international turmoil roiling continent to continent and putting the entire world into an hypnotic trance. It seems all continents and their clusters of countries, states, and territories are on hold, asking three important questions:
“What have we done?
“What are we doing?
“What are we going to do?
“The single common denominator to the pure combined feeling of constant consternation and chaos is our fearless leader, President Donald J. Trump.
“That’s not to emphatically state Trump is solely responsible for the worldwide dumpster fire; it is not in his personal power, persuasive penchant for gimme play-pretties, or presidential preference to hold sway over the entire world.
“The responsibility for conjuring up the frightful condition of our small planet the actions and reactions of distinct segments of the world order. So, why are U.S. citizens in a briny pickle, a toxic shower of constant aggravation, astonishment and apathy?
“And why is our country wallowing in a discombobulated state of anxiety and bewilderment? Why are Trump’s actions blowing up alliances, creating undertows of distrust among allies throughout the world, and bypassing normal safety policies and procedures in order conceive and plan any projects without the normal executive safety net?
“Three words gives him permission to do what he wants when he wants: Because he can.
“Will he further exploit that “say-what?” supreme court ruling to continue his heavy-handed manipulation of ‘truth, justice, and the American way’? Of course he will. Because he believes he can. And because we allow him to do it.
“The ‘we’ is not limited to just you and me. The ‘we’ includes who are afraid of losing power, prestige, and ability to get preferential treatment whenever they venture out in public.
The ‘we’ are major donors who willingly write checks heavy with zeroes who expect quid pro quo in services or governmental contracts.
The ‘we’ is the Supreme Court justices who refuse to acknowledge that the Constitution and prior rulings are more important than ideological whims.
The ‘we’ includes that segment of the ‘us’ that refuses to accept facts over misguided “factoids” and beliefs and will never state publicly they are driven by deep-seared prejudices and selfish motives.
“And the ‘we’ includes you and me, and our reluctance to get involved in the messiness associated with change and change of consequence.
“If all the ‘we’s’ don’t wake up and get involved, the biggest change of all is going to become reality: Our 250-year experiment in democracy is going to end.
“And that is the scariest potential change of all the possible outcomes.”
When Hunter got done we looked at each other. It was Sam who finally spoke up.
“Damn, Hunter, that’s a load of serious shit for before breakfast.”
Dean mumbled “well, he ain’t wrong.”
About that time Alice came in and asked what we wanted for breakfast and we ordered and moved on to talking about Kristi Noem’s airplane, the $70 million one with the big bed for mile-highing.