Bridge over troubled water . . .

Hard Times and Hope

Despair is not misplaced in light of the consequence of elections.

But humanity cannot sustain hopelessness.

Against a backdrop of America’s history — let’s own it — of genocide against First-Nation Peoples, of hundreds of years of slavery and crisis and epidemic-level lynching and Jim Crow (make no mistake — it still exists, even if on the national-level we had Democrats in power) — we cannot be surprised that white-supremacists get elected.

And when the Democrats had the best prepared Presidential candidate in decades, who waged a warrior’s campaign of hope and joy, the Constitutional electoral system would elevate persons so monstruous they would be comical if they weren’t sadistic (Trump/Vance/Musk).

But let us not pretend we did not have Jim Crow even under Clinton, Obama and Biden, for we have a Federal system, and populous Red-States like Texas practice cruelty.

As when Governor Greg Abbott had erected barbed wire traps in the Rio Grande that did nothing to stop the trafficking in humans and in drugs, did nothing to stop terrorists or gangleaders, but drowned a young mom and her little ones, while Texas authorities hindered the U.S. Border Patrol from rescue.

This occurred even during the most progressive national administration, under Joe Biden, because under the Federal system, state Governors are powerful.

Let us turn the logic around.

Even under a neo-Fascist President and his misbegotten Administration, Blue State Government is powerful and stands protectively between the citizen and her evil Federal Administration under the 10th Amendment to the Constitution.

Already, Governor J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) has pledged to cooperate with other Blue State Governors to protect state residents, citizens and immigrants.

This will require resistance.

Resistance must thrust against sadistic plans of Stephen Miller and Thomas Homan — the latter having had power way too long, a 21st Century J. Edgar Hoover in endurance in office — for Homan, as he long ago, very long ago dreamed and designed, plans to yank little ones from their loving moms and intern them in camps where the bureaucratic red tape designedly shreds any tracing of child to parent, and where the living conditions are meager, and through neglect some kids were . . . abused.

The bridge over troubled water . . . and these are very troubled waters, as the Rio Grande and Texas’ sadistic barbed wire traps . . . that bridge has to be us.

The troubled are not us.

We are the resisters.

The troubled are minorities targeted by privileged Ivy-League graduates such as: Trump, JD Vance, Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz.

What on earth is the Ivy League turning out?

JD Vance perpetuates the blood libel.

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* Background: The Anti-Defamation League explains:

The “blood libel” refers to a centuries-old false allegation that Jews murder Christians – especially Christian children – to use their blood for ritual purposes, such as an ingredient in the baking of Passover matzah (unleavened bread). It is also sometimes called the “ritual murder charge.” The blood libel dates back to the Middle Ages and has persisted despite Jewish denials and official repudiations by the Catholic Church and many secular authorities. Blood libels have frequently led to mob violence and pogroms, and have occasionally led to the decimation of entire Jewish communities.

https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/blood-libel-false-incendiary-claim-against-jews

JD Vance, after the Republicans — Governor of Ohio and Mayor of Springfield, OH — begged him to stop, doubled down on the obscene libel that local Haitian immigrants stole pets and ate the kitties and puppies in blood Voodoo rituals.

This enflaming of hatred spurred violence against innocent Haitians and JD Vance continued the hate speech in the face of opposition from his own Party.

This is the opponent.

These are the troubled waters.

Our job is to oppose.

To resist.

To speak.

To write.

To be heard.

We are little people. We don’t command the billions or the worldwide audience of Elon Musk, but are only seen and heard by individuals.

We resist, and we must be realistic.

To resist, we need inner strength.

That strength is provided in part by community, as the friends we have on this platform, as humanly frail and faulty as Substack is.

We have to nourish ourselves. Watch over our own health. Nourish our minds and spirits. Love our family. Love our neighbor. Love the little communities we gather around.

The only thing I know to do is to focus on one issue — I am but one person — and my issue is the poor and forsaken, which in the perverse world of Trump/Vance/Musk/Thomas-Homan-(Greg Abbott!) means to focus on the defamed immigrant.

The mother, the children.

My means will be support of well established civil rights groups that are experienced in resistance and legally competent: The ACLU, the NAACP, LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens — founded 1929), Southern Poverty Law Center.

Against the behemoth of the Federal Government this feels frail.

But realistically, each is only one person, and at least we can be in communities of resistance.

An example: The Washington Post had bowed out of endorsing Kamala Harris for President, even in face of Neo-Fascism ultimately elected.

Ultimately, the Post lost Ann Telnaes, a wonderful cartoonist.

It lost a proud journalist I love to follow: Jennifer Rubin.

These have founded a new site on Substack, “The Contrarian,” which I highly recommend you subscribe to.

Here:

https://contrarian.substack.com/

We have have independent-minded and disciplined journalists, high among which is Jennifer Rubin; leading civil rights groups; blue states and their governors; each other.

Euripides in his plays was sometimes faulted for endings that were made too neat by means of a Deus ex machina. For example, Media is transported to Elysium on a heavenly sedan out of reach of Jason.

We don’t have a Deus ex machina.

We have each other.

We must be the bridge over troubled water.

Maybe a small group will not be that visible.

But if we can each help one person, in Talmudic Wisdom, that is helping a Cosmos.