HAVE WE MET THE ENEMY AND ARE THEY OURS?

 A series of essays....

 
A VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL BEFORE IT WAS
BURNED DURING THE WAR OF 1812.   (ARTIST UNKNOWN)

Courtesy PhotoQuest/Getty Images

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

‘Tis the season for keeping my favorite ‘soothing hydration’ body lotion, packed with a triple hydration complex and a one percent punch of Aloe Vera, close at hand at all times. Not messing around here, folks! Between the naturally freezing temps outdoors (not that I am out there too often these days) and the artificial heat indoors, my skin begins to dry and crack like an unloved piece of leather furniture. Ugh!

Truthfully, constant hand-wringing feels less uncomfortable when the skin becomes softer and more supple to the touch.

Right along with you, there has been a lot of hand-wringing going on in my household and this past year has been nothing short of eye-opening! It has rewritten, so far, at least one full chapter from the ‘book of life’ and has made us realize how flexible we have to be when it comes to any and all things that deviate from what we had always considered to be ‘the norm.’ Indeed, we have entered the age of what we recognize as modified normalcy and this concept is changing how we feel, think, and react to ideas every single day.

For example: When someone coughed or sneezed nearby us prior to March of 2020, we might not have liked being too close to them for fear of getting a cold. We never dreamt of associating these uncontrollable body functions as possible symptoms of a deadly, air-borne disease. 

Taught as a small child that the Catholic Church represented the religious philosophies of my parents, I passed from one parochial school to another for seven years, totally at the whim of my father’s job and a series of promotions. Gratefully, my early studies included the understanding that others followed their own path towards spiritual enlightenment. By the time I reached high school and we stopped our nomadic lifestyle as a family, I was well aware of and interested in the religious beliefs connected with friends and acquaintances. I felt more worldly and mature for embracing this knowledge.

Similarly, my social studies class and local, small town politics taught me that not all politicians followed the same belief in which rules and regulations should guide them in order to assist the people who helped put them in office in the first place. But, one thing I was pretty certain of was that the Constitution of the United States of America, the official ‘rule book’ written for and adopted by the people, was forever beyond reproach. Ratified in 1788, it has been in operation since 1789 and has become the world’s longest surviving written charter of government.

The brazen coup attempt we saw play out on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021, this past Wednesday, reflected a group of miscreants who pledged their allegiance to a white, nationalist cult bent on overthrowing our government. Seduced and brainwashed by their own president and his minions, their obsession and devotion to him overpowered any sense of right from wrong. 

It is frightening to see how they have become increasingly emboldened by their newfound capabilities and are strengthened and encouraged by their toxic leadership. My fear is that they will only become more sophisticated in their attempts at treason and many more people will die, historical buildings may be completely destroyed, and judging by the numerous children we see within their gatherings, future generations will learn the ‘rules of hopelessness’ taught to them by their parents and cult leaders.

You can’t hold people accountable by just putting the truth in their faces; you have to hold them accountable by putting them in jail and making them pay for their crimes. This is when they might begin to understand the reality of their actions and possibly feel a semblance of remorse. The people who have disparaged what our government truly stands for must be accountable for their actions—right now!

We have met the enemy in this case and, regrettably, the “deplorables” are our own people and not the British this time around. They arrived at our ‘Shining City on the Hill’ from every state, pulled together by hate and pushed forward by their fear of missing out on being a part of something that accepts them for who they are. (You can fill in that blank on this one.) They are people who surround us in our daily lives, linked together and taunted by what they deem a cause greater than themselves with no regard for our safety, their own safety, or the well being of those they love.

Regrettably, they have championed the thuggery of this deplorable president.

Losing their lord and master as leader of this great nation is something too difficult for them to understand, especially considering that this man continues to grind the untruth of his imaginary win over Joe Biden into them day and night, forcing them to react to his pettiness. So, I ask you, who needs to be accountable for his own actions? He may have broken all of the rules set forth by our Constitution, laughed in the face of justice whenever possible, and led poor fools into the fray by means of brainwashing, and gotten away with all of the above, but HE MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS OWN ACTIONS! To dismiss them now would be a failure this country and our government simply cannot afford.

The arrow of time only points forward in this new year. We have learned so much in the past several years: MAGA hats fade from red to pink. The Senate Majority Leader (Mitch McConnell) can fall from his pedestal of power, eventually, just like any other entity. And, hopefully, people can be guided in the right direction and see beyond the trail of lies that have been held in front of their eyes for so long. 

If our neighbors, co-workers, and acquaintances are our enemies today, ideas must change; inviting a civil war into our already coronavirus riddled lives is a doubled-dosed recipe for immediate disaster. We must cut the head off of the snake—today! This president of the next thirteen days must be stopped, even after he leaves office, and must never be considered relevant, again. He must not be allowed to lead anyone else, Americans or Republicans in general, down this path of fantasy and ultimate destruction. May this new year be the beginning of our healing process; the ultimate soothing lotion aimed to appease our eager longing for peace and required understanding.

Promise to take good care of yourselves and those you love.

Copyright © 2021 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

A LOCKDOWN JOURNAL: LIVING WITHIN A STEPHEN KING NOVEL

 A series of essays....

"THE LONGER I STAY HOME, THE MORE HOMELESS I LOOK!"

Courtesy @leskgomemes

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

And so this story goes...

“Awe, for goodness sake! The Senate is at it again. For, at least, the eleventh time, they're investigating Hillary Clinton and the 2012 Benghazi attack, all at the taxpayer’s expense. Don’t fact-check me on that number, but it has to be close. It’s like continually kicking a rock and hoping it will produce blood from a crack you pound into it...before you break your toes!”

“Sorry,” he said, while walking into the room from the kitchen.  “I had the faucet running but caught the last part...how did you break a toe?? Only kidding. It’s just indicative of the way Benghazi has become such an obsession among the conservative rank-and-file. I hear they still sell Benghazi paraphernalia like mugs and t-shirts.”

“ Well, they have nothing else to chastise the Democrats with, so they’re grasping at straws. I am muting this puppy for a little while,” she said. “I need a nice, long break from our ridiculous reality. Let’s go bake something yummy for dessert tonight!”

“Between the two of us, I figure it will take us approximately 250 days in quarantine to complete this puzzle. At the rate of two pieces per day, per person, with one thousand pieces all in various shades of brown, beige, and green...yep, that’s about right. We should have scrapped it from the beginning and gone with more color,” he said, while scrutinizing the tiny piece of irregular shaped cardboard in his hand. “What do you think?”

Turning towards him with a smile on her face, “Sorry. It’s like my rule of thumb with books, you begin one and you finish it to the end. Half read books are not allowed. Someone spent a large chunk of time out of their life writing it. Look, we’re making some progress with the right tower! Think how accomplished we’ll feel when....”

“I know, when we look at the completed puzzle...in about 226 days from now! Are you hungry for lunch yet?”

“Here’s your mask and disposable gloves,” she says, while handing the precious merchandise to him at the front doorway. “I hope they have most of the items on our list so you don’t have to go back to the grocery store for a very long time.”

“The list is short. Besides, you can whip up a grand meal from just about anything, no matter what. We won’t starve even if we don’t have ham this Easter.” Mumbling, “Ham for two, please,” and deeply missing family and friends. He slips the clean, white dust mask over his nose and mouth and says, “I’ll be back in a flash.”

“And I’ll be ready to wipe everything down with disinfectant when you get back...including you, mister. Remember to not touch your face! I love you...!”

FRENCH APPLE CAKE...
"THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!"

“You really don’t want to look outside the window this morning. It’s like April Fool’s Day but in mid-April!” she warned. “It’s like somebody has a really whacked sense of humor.”

“I know. It snowed..overnight, didn’t it? It..won’t last. Ground..is..too..warm,” his voice continues to wane and he slowly covers his face with the warm blanket.

“Oh, winter, just go away.”

“Let’s zoom the kids!” she says, with a warm smile spreading across her face. “It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon and I’m sure they’re outside in their yard loving the fresh air.”

Chiming in with equal enthusiasm, “Sounds like a plan,” he agrees.

“Oh, there they are, there they are! Hi. How are you? What’s up...I’d really like to give you a big hug and a kiss right now.. But, I promise to be patient.”

“Okay, they didn’t have any yeast, All-Purpose flour, toilet paper, or hand sanitizer, but....I found our favorite ice cream!!! Love you, Babe.”

“Love you, too, Honey. But, will you still love me when you have to roll me out of this house in a few weeks?”

Watching her wipe the box of Wheat Thins down with disinfectant, “I really don’t think we have to worry about that. I was anxious to check if our local store offered more protective measures between employees and customers this time. We were all fairly lenient a few weeks ago. Everyone seems to have improved with masks, gloves, and plastic dividers between cashiers and customers. We’ve got to take this seriously!”

"OH, WINTER, JUST GO AWAY."

“I swear, the longer I stay home in lockdown the more homeless I look,” she says, staring into the bathroom mirror. “Thank goodness I never got rid of my hair bands after sporting my very short cut. They’ve come in handy as I go for a petite pigtail in between showers.”

“Hey, our granddaughter called me ‘Spiky’ the other day on FaceTime. She said I looked like I’d just stuck my finger in an outlet. I guess Papa needs a bit of a trim, too.”

“Well, desperation dictates, my dear. You’ll know how much our wedding vows meant if I have to ask you to please trim my hair. It’s either that or we take down all of the mirrors.”

“Ugh, commercials. I don’t like it when we watch shows that aren’t recorded to watch later!” she says, while moving a little closer to her husband on the couch. “Fast forwarding through the commercials is almost cathartic for me.”

Taking her hand in his, he suggests, “We’ll just mute them and talk instead.”

“We can’t complain during all of this, you know? Technology has kept us in touch with those we love, we have plenty of food and the means to cook it, it would take us a long time to read all of the books we currently own, including the new Stephen King novel, we talk and play cards and put difficult puzzles together all while trying to figure out who we are as individuals and as a couple moving into an unclear future.”

“I couldn’t imagine not having a warm bed to slide into at night knowing that when I wake-up, there’s plenty of clean water and fresh coffee to brew,” he says, smiling. "But, seriously, I can’t believe that some people are afraid to answer their doors because ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is still on the prowl during this pandemic. Inconceivable! Others have lost their jobs only to wake-up not being able to pay their rent or bills, and wondering where their next meal is coming from. Children going to bed hungry, again, night after night.

All of our lives have been changed forever, you know. We're looking at a completely different world from here on out where the word 'normal' has no meaning anymore."

Looking up at him, “I’d say we are extremely blessed. Having said that, being blessed is our motivation to help those who have far less than we do. Don’t you think? What you and I have to decide is what our plan is after this. Then, we can help others survive and move on. There are plenty of options out there. Besides, being retired now makes us flexible and open for just about anything."

“I like how you think.” Planting a kiss on the top of her head, he looks back towards the television and is surprised to see the closing credits of the show they had been watching gliding up the flat screen in tiny, black print. 

“Well, maybe the next time we decide to carry on a serious conversation we should apply the ‘pause’ instead of the ‘mute button,” she says, snuggling into the warmth of his body.

“Thank goodness for On Demand, I suppose,” he replies, as she elbows his ribs in a playful gesture.

Stay Home. Stay Safe. Stay Healthy. Reflect.

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved