Mojave Desert

By Tammy Derouin

It just gets exhausting after a while, doesn’t it?  The thought of sitting through yet another round of narcissistic, self-indulgent lecturing by an individual, who has made it his mission to destroy our country, was unbearable.  As I counted down the minutes to the SOTU, I looked for every excuse to avoid it.  I didn’t want to hear the executive’s voice.  I didn’t want to watch his arrogant swagger.  Most of all, I didn’t want to waste my time listening to lies. 

In the end, I forced myself to watch.  As disturbing as it is, it’s always better to know the intentions of the wolf than to pretend he does not exist.  The SOTU was a predictable love fest; Woodstock would have been jealous.  His performance was also quite predictable.  He is always disappointing so he lived up to the low expectation.   

The executive delighted his captive (no pun intended) audience with fairy tales.  He has created an alternate reality throughout his term in office.  It’s a reality which only exists in his larger than life head.  He uses his pen to draw out the plans.  He shows the fictional inflated progress as he continues to give us his mandatory one-way directions.  Selling it like a swindler selling water front property in the Mojave Desert, you become the fool if you don’t take the bait.

The performance to sell this sham is always the same.  It doesn’t matter if the audience is small or large, formal or informal.  He is right and you are wrong.  He will belittle and mock anyone who has the audacity to think differently.  Independent thought, thought which differs from him or the party line, is on the road to becoming criminal. 

The SOTU was quite a spectacle. Arrogance dripped from the walls and self-importance ran rampant.  Our anti-American leader turned our Capitol Building, once a symbol of freedom and debate, into a party, communist style.  No matter how outrageous the claims, the puppet Congressmen jumped to their feet and applauded.  Lies became fact and fact became fiction.  I applaud the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  Their undeniable lack of enthusiasm spoke volumes.  They revealed truth among endless lies and deceit.    

The audience, which is becoming more and more captive, (pun intended), produces predictable results as well.  There are those who jump on the wagon immediately. They give up everything to head off into the sunset.  Blinded by the setting sun, they cannot see the hazards before them.  There are countless obstructions in the road and a looming cliff in the distance.  They will plunge into darkness, denying it all the way down.

There are some who are initially skeptical.  They don’t jump on board immediately, but not wanting to look foolish for not believing the promises of a better life or for not wanting to be called names, they soon join the doomed expedition. 

Then there are those who will never buy into something which sounds too good to be true.  No amount of magic tricks or give a ways will convince them otherwise.  But, that kind of attitude hurts the ruling party.  It hurts the ones who have already been sucked into the nightmare.  They need to keep the myth alive.  You are a tool.  You will be used, abused and discarded as the party wishes.  The party assumes more power which effectively makes you weaker.

The swindler must do everything he can to preserve his image and the image of the destination he has created. The more he mocks those who do not blindly follow, the more it becomes transparently clear he is deceiving the people and destroying our country.

The executive is not a fool.  He’s not naive.  He knows exactly what he is doing.  Once you come to terms with his ideology and stop making excuses for his actions or lack thereof, it will all make sense.  Your questions change.  Instead of asking why, you begin to ask when and how can he be stopped. 

Once you accept the true reality, it is difficult to not feel paralyzed in fear.  The heart and stomach wrenching feelings, unfortunately, do not pass.  It is a sickening feeling to know and understand what is happening to our country.  But, isn’t it better to know the truth than to bury your head in the sand?

What was once considered political rhetoric has emerged as the steps needed to destroy our country.  The truth is being exposed.  There is a continuous effort to bury the truth but eventually it will be impossible to deny.  There will be an awakening, a reckoning and a reset to adjust all the wrongs which we have allowed to take place.  The question is how long, how far will we allow it to go before we wake up and take our country back? 

“A traitor is everyone who does not agree with me.”

King George III