Author: lou sight

Read: Flags

The idea

of heaven

is appealing,

particularly

when reeling

from life

that cuts

like a knife

with a 

serrated

blade,

alternating 

spiky

and smooth.

Alito’s

flags

read

as symbols

of dread

pledging

allegiance

instead

to Trump.

“Freeing”

speech,

to the 

Capitol

breech,

is more

than 

disrupting

norms.

From 

the first clue

of Q

to 

Brandon,

the cult

has landed

on a key

way 

to unify

with 

the former

guy

through

linguistic

gymnastics

and symbolic

semiotics.

The insider’s

guide

to being

outside

is to hide

in plain

sight.

More 

than a club,

a cult

will sub

established

lingo

for the 

nouveau

so that

only

the committed

are permitted

to use it.

The abuse

is willful

and intentional

to distill

and distinguish

in an english

riddled

with subversive

political meanings.

The political

leanings

are clear

even when

vocabulary

is a mere

game

to reframe

and blame

and hide

inside

their 

own web

of deceit.

The cult’s

conceit

is to repeat

anew

a slew

of symbols

and words

no matter

how absurd

to herd

together

the once

stirred,

lonely,

and aggrieved.

The perceived

connection

with objection

to the status

quo

always

motivates

change.

Linguistic

analysis

provides

the structure

of  culture

and functions

as the glue

and cue

to the cult

of Q anon

and beyond,

supporting

the vibe

of the tribe

who imbibe

the kool aid.

Et tu

Nikki Haley?

I know it’s

scary,

but cults

never

deliver

the heaven

they promise,

no matter

how

appealing.

America, Pure and Simple

We tell

our early

history

like the purity

of Eden,

as though we

began

in the 50s.

Our garden

was victorious,

and thus,

we were born

as us

in the glorious

nation

of Perry Mason.

The wrongly

accused

used 

the best 

defense

to reveal

the pretense

of the guilty.

Mid Century

Modern

beyond the 

aesthetic,

was the 

Cold War

ethic,

pure,

and 

simple.

The 60s revolt

was jolt

after jolt

to the preceding

calm

and conformity.

The enormity

of change

and a lost

war

tore

us apart.

The politics

of identity

was the new

purity

test,

while testing

nukes

against

or from

Soviets

remained

the most 

deadly threats.

After the fall

of the wall,

our Eden

seemed 

on the verge

of restoration

until 

the devastation

of 2001

took us on

an odyssey

of 

and against

hate

and crazy.

We have 

an affinity

for purity

despite

reality.

It’s practically

our DNA

to this day,

whether

individually

or societally.

It’s how we

see,

unless

we profess

to look

beyond

or respond

with inquiry.

It’s messy,

and unsatisfying

to have what

you don’t 

want

or like.

Evil

exists

just

as gravity

persists,

even though

we can

go to 

the moon

or across

the earth

through

the sky.

Our history

of purity

did not

make

America

great.

Like too much

Purell,

we lose

our ability

to quell

super 

contagions.

Our actual

history-

factual

and blistery-

is a longing

for purity

while

being

very messy.

Long before

the 50s

and the trials

that we’ve

endured,

we’ve been

lured

by purity

as morality.

Confronting

evil,

pure 

and simple,

is maybe

the purest

thing 

we can do.

No need

for perfection

or purity

test

to vociferously

and actively

object

to those who

detest

democracy,

diversity,

and the reality

that makes

America

great.

It’s not

a unified

reich.

Eve of Destruction

Adam gets 

a ribbing

for 

Eve’s forbiddin

fruit pursuit.

The her fault

insurance-

blaming 

the wife-

for the strife

caused

when they 

get caught

looking bad

is as old

as dirt.

Alito

and Menendez

used defenses

that their wives’

actions

(as opposed

to their own)

have caused

commotion,

and the notion

of wrong

belongs

to the women

behind

them

unseen.

This “feminism”-

granting

individualism

by naming

her 

the culprit-

is a bit

cowardly;

especially

when hiding

themselves

in plain

sight.

Their fig

leaves

leave

no doubt

about

their own

actions 

and stances

much less

the chances

of absolute

innocence.

The incidents

reveal

their attempts

to conceal

not their

beloveds,

but themselves.

And of course

there’s Ginni,

the other Thomas

whose promise

to stop

the steal

is not 

a deal

breaker

for the Supreme

Court.

And speaking

of court,

thwarting

expectations

of the good

wife,

Melania’s

life 

is her

own.

Absent 

from

the trial,

her denial

of her 

husband’s

worth

as a person

was caught

with that 

slap

on the wrist;

not for

the tryst,

just for

being

who 

he is.

He never

blames her,

though,

because

everyone

else is

at fault.

In this case

it’s Stormy,

but being

wormy

is the play

on display

every day

on the Eve

of destruction.

You can

hang

your flag

on it.

Family Ties

The red

ties

were read

as ties

to the defendant,

attendent

to his messaging

and cause:

to bend

the laws,

(if not,

just 

ignore them).

The red

states,

“I’m with 

him”.

We’re

tied to

each other,

like brothers

from another

mother.

That long

red tie,

so iconic

and symbolic

of fiery

loyalty

to wanna-be

royalty,

is the sartorial

symbol

of The Bully.

The refrain

they maintain

is the stain

on the judge

for his daughter’s

occupation.

A conflict of 

interest

is interesting,

except

when 

the spouse

of a justice

had a sign

at their house

that read

“Stop the Steal”.

Or the spouse

of another

one

on 

the high court

resorted

to texting

the Chief

of Staff

on behalf

of the president’s

grift

on the 6th

of January, 

2021.

The separation

of powers

of family

is tricky.

But separating 

families

is kind of

on brand

for the head

of that family 

business.

While his

kin

are not

seen,

the scene

at the courthouse

from members

of The House

auditioning

for Veep

has them

petitioning

against

family ties 

creating

an unfair

trial.

An error

apparent

criticizing 

the parent

who is,

in this case,

the judge,

is the predictable

flipped

script

of the hypocrite,

projected

by the guys

in the long

read

ties.

A Chorus Line

One

singular 

sensation.

Every 

little step

he takes….

to cover 

mistakes

or fakes

or just

makes

a new

story

to obscure

the gory 

details

of some

deal

he must

conceal

because

in the real

world

it’s a problem.

Auditioning

for the 

west wing

or whatever

he

can bring

to their

careers,

the chorus

from

Congress

lined up

to speak

up,

a political

gag

bound

to please

the gagged

sleaze bag.

This stunt

is new,

yet grew

from

the same

transaction

faction

as every

other.

The classless

class 

of 24

tried

to score

points

by shaming

the shamed

who were on

the stand

claiming

the truth

about

the one

who insisted

on the Catch

and Kill

and the phony

bill

for legal

services

not rendered.

The chorus

line

is fine

with all 

the cheating

while

competing

for a place

in the space

toward 

the top

of the 

MAGA world.

The prosecution’s

cast

of once 

bottom feeders

are the redeemers,

while defending

the indefensible

the should-be

respectable

are despicable

all the way

down the

line. 

She Too

Stormy’s 

bedtime

story,

following

the boring

inventory

of receipts

that started

this week’s

dramas,

included 

silk pajamas, 

a detail

that oddly

lended

credibility

to the incredible

testimony.

Stormy’s

story

is familiar;

It’s close,

but no

cigar—

reminiscent

of the intern

and the president—

a young woman,

once again,

shamed

and famed

in a power

disparity,

a problem

unnamed

until

recently. 

Ironically,

(if you can 

stomach

the imagery

mentally),

in her telling,

it was telling

that he

was the

seducer,

(or so

he thought)

reducing

her to

dissociate

during

the inappropriate

act.

There was

the fact

that there

was no

protection

from

pregnancy

or STD

(or STI,

more accurately,

despite

her testing

negatively

prior

to their

activity).

Technically

consensual,

the story

is less

sexual

than

objectionable,

despicable 

in the details

of during

and after.

It’s a story

of power

and control

of a woman

and the 

lonely

silence

bought

and sold

until

her voice

finally

told

what was

ignored:

she is

human

with limited

resources

or recourses

which

reinforces

the disparity

so easy

to overlook

and almost

impossible

to overcome.

It’s the backdrop

to the plot

to falsify

documents

for payments

and deflection 

before 

the election

after 

the Hollywood

Access video

dropped.

Meanwhile,

in the classified

documents

trial,

now postponed

indefinitely,

we see

a woman

supposedly

with power—

the judge,

no less—

seeming

submission

to Trump’s

petition,

perhaps

for a future

position

in a future

Trump

administration.

This is history.

And her

story

will matter

someday

too. 

Constant Refrain

Nudging

the judge;

tempting

contempt;

fines

that are

just fine

with him.

A law

designed

without

the super

rich

in mind,

reveals

how we

think

about 

criminality.

The banality

of evil

knows 

a cross

section

of people,

place,

and time.

The rhyme

of history

is not

really

a mystery,

and maybe

that’s the 

key.

The symmetry

and poetry

of now

is the story

of how

we adapt

to humans

being:

aggressive

transgressive

obsessive

excessive

impressive

offensive

counteroffensive

expensive

reflexive

apprehensive

depressive

possessive

expressive

festive

suggestive

regressive

successive

progressive.

What

will it take

to hush

the guy

who paid

to have

the porn star

hushed?

The Hush

Money

trial,

unprecedented

for a 

president—

former

and possibly

future—

exposes

so much

that is

right

and wrong,

playing

a new song

along

with 

familiar

riffs

we’ve

heard

progress

before.

Hope Against Hope

The devastatingly

beautiful

Trump advisor

gave

devastating

testimony 

for the people

versus

Donald Trump.

The stunning

witness

stunned

those present

when

she broke down

and cried

after she

testified

against 

her former

boss.

At a loss

facing

cross

examination,

she seems

to have 

been

conflicted.

She knew

right

from wrong,

and yet

stayed along

for the ride

until

2022.

She maintains

some

affection,

despite

his deception,

as so many

loyalists

do.

We can

hope

for the best

for the rest

of this trial,

but 

I confess

I’m still

rather

nervous.

So far

impervious,

this should

concern

us,

and disturb

us,

as Hope

springs

eternally

grateful

despite

how

distasteful

the candidate

and president

was.

And I 

still hope

for the best

for the rest

of us,

that those

who know

better

will ,

at least 

privately,

opt

decidedly

for democracy.

Ms. Hicks

seeming

conflicted,

(despite

testimony

as predicted),

depicted

our hope

against

hope.

Just Us?

When is liberty

and justice

for all?

The story

and dream

of America

is a chimera,

but still

a worthy

intention.

The tension

between

rights

of different

types

has always

caused strain

and dissension.

More importantly,

it has caused

reinvention

of what was

to what could

be.

With liberty

and justice

for all:

we saw

and see

the reality

of necessity

and difficulty

of application

with humanity

and humility

and equality.

Each generation

thinks

they are

smarter;

above

and beyond

the harder

times

that preceded.

They won’t

be defeated

this time.

Times

change;

but do 

humans?

The same

needs

and wants

feeds

and taunts

people

throughout

the ages.

Hubris

is

perhaps

the one

that keeps

us 

repeating

mistakes.

Like 

the addict

who is

convinced

of being

invincible

or just

not caring

enough,

we think

this time

we’ll

do it

and it

will be

better

because

we are

more 

clever.

It’s sad

to think

that we

already

peaked

as a generation,

or nation,

or world

order.

The need

for recognition

and even

retribution

in the guise

of contribution

to something

better

is worse

when we 

lose sight

of the reality

of humanity

always

needing

attention

and to

break

convention,

forgetting

the contention

that liberty

and justice

for all

continues.

Take a Message

When is protest

beyond

a request

to suggest

an alternative?

What do you

hear

and fear

and why?

Is memory

from history

your guide

or a side

to which

you decide

shall (not)

be

again?

The rants

and chants

feel scary

when

we know

mob

mentality

easily

becomes

destructive.

It is

perhaps

instructive

to consider

the real

terror

within

ourselves

and  potentially

each community

where disunity

is weaponized

such that

some

feel

terrorized.

We now

take

a message

as what

is not

stated—

but rather

interpreted

as meaning

something

else.

So whether

distortions

are heard

rather than 

said

by the herd,

however

absurd,

the message

left

or right,

may be

wrong

to some

who hear

what’s not

there.

The Pro

Palestinian

protests

on campuses

are not

called

anti-Israel

or anti-war

or pro

Hamas.

The silent

message

left out

is potentially

concerning

to the discerning

ones 

still learning

from history.

Likewise,

most recent

movements

have

messaging

intending

to claim

the same

rights

as others

have gained

with feigned

innocence

despite

incidents

to the contrary.

But being

contrary

is the message

that leaves

us in a constant

state of fear

of terror.

What do you

hear

from fear?

What message

do you take

when what’s

at stake

feels

existential?

The answering 

machine

is an automatic

response

to feeling

left out.

But what

about….?

Protests 

succeed

not merely

to dismantle-

try to

handle

lost

battles-

but to expose

and propose

solutions.

The struggle

for power

is now

or never

for those

who endeavor

to demonstrate

in the current

state

of leaving

a message

after 

the tone.