Bloody Hands
“The blood of four little children is on your hands. Your irresponsible and misguided actions have created in Birmingham and Alabama the atmosphere that has induced continued violence and now murder.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
I am, like everyone here, angered by Trump's tweets – and the words that spew forth from the puckered sphincter under his nose – about the four Democratic members of the House of Representatives. I recognize his intentions, as I'm old enough to remember seeing the results of such disgusting hatred before. I think we all know what happens when a sociopath fans the flames of division, fear, and hatred, and we know this isn't going to end well unless there is a strong intervention.
I remember that the 16th Street Baptist Church was being used by a group of American citizens in Birmingham as a center for planning their Civil Rights activities. A very little man named George Wallace was stirring a steaming pot of hatred along with the state's white hate groups. On September 15, 1963, four members of the Ku Klux Klan planted 15 or more sticks of dynamite at the church, killing four girls.
Before the sun set that evening, two black teen-aged boys were shot and killed on the streets in Birmingham. One was shot in the back by a white policeman, who acted as judge, jury, and executioner for allegedly not following orders. The other was shot by a white teen, while riding a bike with his brother. The teen and his friend were found guilty of 2nd degree manslaughter, and were sentenced to two years of probation.
When Governor Wallace pretended he was upset by the bombings, Dr. King sent him a telegram that is quoted above. King knew that while Wallace had not planted the dynamite or pulled the triggers, there was blood on his hands. King knew that the radical white racists who applauded the deaths of those four girls and the two boys consider Wallace to be their man, their leader.
Trump knows that there are many threats being made at the four Democratic women. He also knows that the most serious threats being made against the four are those coming from him. He knows that there are unhinged people who actually believe him, just as they believe Sean Hannity and other peddlers of hatred and violence. And, should one or more of these paranoid imbeciles act out, Trump will, like Wallace, try to wash his hands of it. He'll claim he is not responsible for what others do.
None of this is a great mystery. Just like in the Civil Rights era, a significant segment of white society is uncomfortable with change. They feel uneasy with the prospect that non-white people exercise the same constitutional rights that they take for granted that they enjoy. They feel threatened when a brown-skinned woman like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez speaks about social justice. And they are convinced that they are being attacked when a brown-skinned Muslim like Ilhan Omar exercises her power as a member of the House of Representatives.
Groups of frightened people tend to behave in general patterns, with some variation depending upon specific circumstances. A frequent dynamic can be found within small groups of twenty people who believe they are under attack: one person will take on the group leadership. This is distinct from a group of twenty that is exercising power, where there is competition for that leadership role. Note that if those exercise power over another group identify that one-in-twenty leader, they will focus their attention on removing that person from his or her group by any of a variety of means. On the larger scale, of course, we witnessed the results of this with the murders of Malcolm X and Dr. King.
I'm an old white man, who is encouraged by the women now known as “the Squad.” They speak for me, and they represent my values. I say that, even though I have a limited connection – at best – to two of the four. I joined AOC's campaign early in the democratic primary, when few people knew who she was or why she was running. We had agreed to do an interview for this forum, but the timing was never right. There were a number of outspoken critics of AOC here at the time, and when I asked another forum member who supported her if he wanted to do the interview with me, he declined. There were even people hoping Crowley would run as an independent after AOC beat him in the primary.
I've spoken with Representative Omar's office since she was elected. On the day I got my “I Stand with Ilhan Omar” bumper sticker, I was stopped twice while taking a round trip to the grocery store. That averaged being pulled over once every eight miles. Coincidence, most likely, though I don't believe in coincidence. I'm confident that they were just checking to see if I was wearing a seat belt, which I always do.
Trump continues to spout lies quicker than Maximum Security ran in the Kentucky Derby, and he isn't about to allow facts to catch up, much less pass him. This is his very nature – for if one took away the constant lies, the threats, the criminality, and unethical behaviors, there would be nothing left but a large pile of orange shit. And if he is allowed to move this country in the direction he is headed in, that pile of shit will be splattered upon everything good about America.
I wish that the Democrats in the House were moving faster towards impeachment. The evidence of Trump's criminal nature are there, and should be put on full display for the nation. Two months ago, I was confident that we were on the way. Today, I'm not sure, and suspect that their master plan is to focus instead on the 2020 elections. Although I believe that we can do both, and that one reinforces the other, I will be listening to Mr. Mueller's testimony on Wednesday with great interest, and hope it leads to justice. If justice is delayed – meaning denied – I will still be fully invested in supporting all Democratic Party candidates in 2020. But I have serious concerns about how the landscape will be after another year of Trump.
Peace,
H2O Man
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