“Every time

I hear

you,

I feel

a little bit

dumber”,

hailed

candidate Haley.

Honestly,

I feel this

all the time

every time

I hear,

read,

see

news.

Some want

candidates

to say 

what the

voter

feels,

like:

Make

America

Great

Again.

or 

Yes 

We 

Can.

Defund

(you name 

it)

or

My pronouns

are…

or 

Build

Back

Better

or even

The Climate

Crisis—

no matter 

how valid,

the issues

have been

poorly

constructed

taglines.

These have

caused

backlash,

mockery,

spin,

failed explanation,

but little

social connectivity

beyond 

the already

connected. 

Even

pro-lifers

understand

the misnomer,

and seek

to advance

a more 

effective

rebranding

to keep

abortion

a crime.

Knowing

the fraud

perpetrated

in front

of us,

while

pretending

it’s just

business

as usual,

keeps us

fighting

a rather

uncivil

war

of culture.

Languaging

the culture

becomes

most

important. 

‘Alternative

facts’

is now

an alternate

reality.

‘Alternate’

electors

were

real news,

despite

the 

declaration

that

‘lame-stream’

(Palin’s Seussian

coined term

for mainstream)

news

is Fake 

News.

As 21st

century-

speak 

defines

a new era,

now 

the sides

have different

languages

further

balkanizing

the states

we are in.

I feel dumber

every time

I hear

the attempts

to project

fraud

on the

electorate

when the

evidence

is abundant.

As the 

dumbing

down

gets dumber,

it seems

to get

dirtier.

Disregard

for any 

correlation

between

verbiage

and 

reality

means

anything

can be uttered

or typed

with no

accountability.

Fraud-

shmaud,

as there

is no debate

about 

who they applaud

on his own

stage

staging

a get- out-

of- jail-

run -for -his-

life-

candidacy

for President.

Our feeling

defeated

and depleted

is the goal.

I’ll take

feeling dumb,

but we can’t

be numb

to the inanity

and insanity

being perpetrated

upon us.

Don’t withdraw.

Don’t stay silent.

Don’t be mute.

Don’t be dumb.