The Escalator

Moving down

the moving

staircase,

(in case

you have

forgotten),

The Escalator

descended

and upended

American

politics

nearly

9 years

ago.

Almost

a decade

of the charades

and parades

of The Escalator

whose descent

has meant

foment

and

torment

with consent

of a once

grand

old party,

now a party

to a criminal.

No longer

liminal

or minimal,

it’s all

so predictable,

as The Escalator,

a dictator

from 

day one,

intensifies

what he denies

and defies

with whatever

flies

in the face

of truth,

decency,

or honor.

Ascending

to power

while descending

to shower

the pathetic

with anesthetic;

the feel good

prescription

of the description

of support

that purports

to suggest

that he 

is an idea

whose time

has come:

A savior

with bad

behavior.

But he needs

complicity

for his

duplicity,

and pretending

that policy

is really

at issue

is the 

connective

tissue

of The Escalator.

The cost

is too great

to amplify

hate

and the haters

he loves

above 

almost

anything

except

escalating

lies,

fear,

and threats

as he bets

on getting

out of 

jail free,

feiging

a victim

of conspiracy.

Out of order

nearly

a decade 

in,

don’t let

The Escalator

win!

Hunter Gatherers

The Biden

hunters

now get

their turn

as they 

yearn

for retribution

for the prosecution

they claim

for their famed

MAGA leader

was in search

of a crime.

But crimes

were found,

(34!!),

around

falsifying

documents

in order

to thwart

the election.

As jury selection

for Hunter

Biden

commenced,

I sensed

a sobering.

What we

are really

confronting,

is the affronting

behavior

not of hunting

and gathering

evidence

unfounded,

but of unbounded

people

of wealth

and power

and those

who cower

to prevent

being

devoured

by 

the Former

Guy.

Most

important,

though,

is not

the hunting

game

(particularly

of fame)

but the gathering

of evidence

and its relevance

to greater issues. 

The Biden

pain

is unimaginable

yet felt

every day

by parents

who aren’t

presidents.

And the drug-

crime

intersection

deserves

reflection

as does

the application

process

to possess 

guns

in this

country.

The Biden

hunters

who investigated

Joe

know

there was no

there there.

But sadly,

his son

admittedly

had done

what those

who didn’t

get caught

often do:

he lied

when he

applied

for a gun.

Bad behavior

was always

assumed,

and now

we’re

consumed

by those

who presume

it doesn’t

matter

and 

that laws

only apply

to some.

Hunter’s

father—

President

Biden—

did not

cry,

“Sham!”

or try

to shut

down 

the trial.

The Whataboutism

prism

seeks to

deepen

the schism

and screams

of victimization.

But the reality

shows

that to merely

oppose 

and compose

fake theories,

electors,

and more

to score

points,

disjoints

and points

to a party

lacking

veracity,

morality.

or substance.

The abuse

is profuse

on  one side

as they deride

endlessly.

But watch 

which 

Hunter 

gatherers

contribute

to retribution

and which

seek a just

solution

to the real

scams

and shams

that are

damning

us.

Border Crossings

Imagine 

a climate

scientist

as president

who is

a woman

and is

Jewish.

Mexico,

you know….

the place

that sends

its worst

first

across

our border

in order

to rape

and murder

before 

taking

all 

the beautiful

jobs here

nobody

here

wants,

has elected

a she/her

who practices

science

and governance

more than

religious 

observance.

We 

have done

none

of the above.

We are

exceptional

in our

deception

of greatness

again

and again

as we profess

with success

a succession

of limited

qualities.

No question

the exception

of America

has been

our freedom,

once 

unparalleled

and profound.

But the grave

wave

of regression

in freedom’s

name

feels 

insane,

not to mention

the election

that has 

2 very old

white men

running

again

and again.

The possibility

of American

democracy

has never 

been more

clear.

And yet

Mexico’s

new president

is a precedent

we have not

yet set. 

In fact,

we are

the exception—

the odd one—

with the highest

glass ceiling.

It’s revealing.

An anti-

science,

anti-

climate change,

anti-

woman,

anti-

Semitic

sizable

demographic

is anti-

democratic

in this country

that gave

the world

democracy.

It’s crazy.

And will

ultimately

be 

an uncomfortable

chapter

of our

history;

not merely

a record

of what 

was,

but 

of what

could be

again.

Bragging Rights

Barely 

a day

later

and I must

savor

this 

sweetness.

The privilege

to witness

the fitness

of justice

and the 

reminder 

that excellence

and truth

endure,

much less

the score

of 34

counts of

guilty,

is now

a matter

of and for

history.

DA Bragg

gets the win

for following

“the facts

and law

without

fear or

favor”

despite

the behavior

of the defendant –

now felon.

Bragg’s chutzpa

to put a

former president

on trial

was unprecedented.

And yet,

the normalcy

of the 

formality

of the

legal process

proceeded

unimpeded

except for 

the gag 

orders

and all 

the antics

of a frantic

defendant 

running

for president.

Now, 

of course,

there’s a

different take

on “Bragg’s

mistake” 

of legal

“interference” 

producing

a dangerous

consequence

as the 

candidate/

defendant’s

base 

could resort

to violence.

Like it’s

Bragg’s

fault.

Through

all Trump’s

contempt

and fury,

the jury

took seriously

its citizenry,

something

anathema

to the drama

and trauma

that is 

Trump.

And Judge

Juan

Merchan

embodied

justice

for all,

apparently

a tall

order.

Though 

many

doubted

the value

of this case,

we can’t 

erase

its significance.

We witnessed

history

regardless

of what’s

next.

Truth 

revealed

what Trump

concealed

to seal

the deal

in ’16.

The sentencing

hearing

will be

interesting.

Cohen

got 3 years,

reduced 

for cooperation

for the same

operation

that Trump

directed.

Meanwhile,

the new felon

will sell on

Truth Social

whatever

crap 

he can.

But Bragg

got the win

for reality

and for 

history:

Guilty

of 34

in 2024,

restoring

hope

in 

and for

American

democracy.

Speaker of the House?

How 

shall

we address

signs 

of distress

right in

our own

front

yards?

Everyone’s

stressed

and pressed

to express

themselves.

Being a part

of the conversation

yet apart

from the realization

that we

are self

destructing,

is instructing.

As a spouse,

one shares

a house,

and the 

responsibilities.

I can’t

imagine

being

sanguine

about 

my spouse’s

tantrums

and visible

displays

that might

convey

some overt

conflict.

Justice Alito

purports

to support

his wife’s 

autonomy 

but no other

woman’s.

His refusing

to recusing 

himself

from 

cases 

related to

the ones

created

by 

the Former

Guy

imply 

that he 

is not

only

a louse

of a spouse

but supremely

unfit

to sit

on the bench.

Last Memorial Day

Remember

last 

Memorial

Day?

Unless

a death

was new

to you,

the beginning

of summer

on the

calendar

probably

felt

like any

other

last 

Monday

in May.

The peculiar,

yet familiar,

combination

of dignified

commemoration

alongside

barbecues,

movies,

and retail

sales,

the way

Americans

mark

occasions,

have a long

tradition.

But our

current 

condition

calls into 

question

this celebration

of summer

and sacrifice.

To honor

those

whose

service

was 

for us,

whether

we asked

for it

or not,

deserve

for us

to preserve

our democracy’s

promise.

Arlington

Cemetery,

where rows

of those

who perished

for this country,

is sacred.

It is

holy

ground,

where

history

is found

among

the graves

of the ones

who saved

us.

All those

wars-

what 

were they

for?

This can’t

be 

the last

Memorial

Day.

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.