Reason For The Season (Christmas 2023, Postscript.)

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. ~Luke 2:1-14

...

Every one of the thousands at the airport, about to leave for Jeddah, was dressed this way. You could be a king or a peasant and no one would know. Some powerful personages, who were discreetly pointed out to me, had on the same thing I had on. Once thus dressed, we all had begun calling out "Labbayka! (Allahumma) Labbayka!" (Here I come, O Lord!) Packed in the plane were white, black, brown, red, and yellow people, blue eyes and blond hair, and my kinky red hair -- all together, brothers! All honoring the same God, all in turn giving equal honor to each other.

That is when I first began to reappraise the "white man." It was when I first began to perceive that "white man," as commonly used, means complexion only secondarily; primarily it described attitudes and actions. 

In America, "white man" meant specific attitudes and actions toward the black man, and toward all other non-white men. But in the Muslim world, I had seen that men with white complexions were more genuinely brotherly than anyone else had ever been. That morning was the start of a radical alteration in my whole outlook about "white" men. 

~Malcolm X, letter written following the Hajj.

I saw the above posts on Christmas, literally at two near-enough points for them to be right on top of each other on my Blue Sky timeline.

Whatever the fuck else these fucking people might tell you (and trust me, that'll be a lie too, as anybody who's ever done actual foodservice ordering...or made Christmas Dinner...can tell you in Jason's case, here, because that's a good deal on prime rib.) 

The racism is the actual fucking point.

But because racism isn't considered a virtue in line with their narcissistic view of themselves, they're endlessly willing to lie about it.

These motherfuckers basically want to deconstruct America, likely splitting it in two...and at worst, burn civilization itself down...not really for some grand ideological project or reason but simply because they want to say racial slurs openly, publicly, and without consequence.

And when or where they think they've "Won" they're shockingly open about this.

So, Elon Musk basically blew 44 Billion$ and completely burned down his reputation to give racist MAGA CHUD's a place to jack themselves off and say stupid shit?

On Christmas.

You know, that holiday supposedly about peace on Earth and goodwill towards all people, that celebrates the alleged birth of a brown Middle Eastern Jewish heretical prophet.

Like, what's even the damn point??

I'm not kidding when I say that if I was one of these fucking people I'd probably have trouble getting out of bed in the morning. 

Trust me, I say this having all too recently been on antidepressants, were I one of these nuts I'd have to be doped up on some pretty strong shit to keep me from harming myself. 

Seriously if I were in some kind of a bad enough state to think that Donald Trump is God...what else even is there?? 

What if we don't want to live like that?? 

All Trump even offers people is violent revenge [fantasies] for a whole bunch of imagined slights, some BS hint that if you let Trump get back in power he'll let you share in the endless narcissistic hand-job (for himself) that he'll try and remake America into?? Very likely splitting it asunder in the process. 

And yet, the highest aspiration that the average Trump Supporter seems to even have is that they'll get to have their jackboot on somebody else's throat for a minute before they, too, die a terrible death in service to his ego. 

And Trump would try to spin the resulting wars as him being some kind of heir to Abraham Lincoln, trying to keep the Union together...right up until he ends up in the dock for treason and war crimes. At which point, faced with Power he cannot sleaze his way out of, he becomes a mewling little bitch begging for his life and throwing everybody else under the damn bus like the coward he actually is.

And yes, at that point we would absolutely find out that Vladimir Putin somehow did all of it, even, hell especially, the parts Trump himself was loudly and publicly responsible for.

But, Ask the average Trump Supporter "Why??" At this point, and their answers in my experience still are "I don't know" and "I like the shit he says." Mostly because even their lizard brains know that admitting to their racism might get them in trouble. 

They cannot or more likely will not say why until they know they don't have to make up stupid jokes on Twitter to express their racism on Christmas anymore. 

This is literally the entire end goal of the entire mass "Conservative" project of amassing shitloads of guns and political power. 

If I were somebody like Mike Pence, I'd feel like I'd wasted my life. 

I mean, like, all of it. 

That's why I don't get why people become Republicans anymore. It's not like the people involved, or the philosophy itself (whatever that even is anymore) is going to appreciate you.

(Unless you're somebody like Donald Trump...and here's a hint; Most of these fucking people don't actually like him either. But they sure think getting him back in power will give them whatever the fuck they think they want.)

But then, like I said I'd have switched sides the moment I heard the crowd chanting about hanging me...since I have some degree of self-preservation instinct. And yes, anymore there are Evangelical, homophobic or even somewhat racist Democratic voters...because all it takes to be a democratic voter these days is not liking Trump. 

(And for the record I've been saying since 2009 or so that a hell of a lot of today's Democrats...both elected officials and their voters...would have been Republicans in the 1980's. Think about that all you like, and wonder where we'll be at as a country in another 40 years or so.)

It's a low bar, but that's the world we live in.

(And even in the very likely case that Democracy prevails next November, that situation will not improve very much. And that's before you throw in the fact that Trump will try to start a civil war if it even looks like he's going to lose the election.)

If you're not loudly asking "What the fuck is wrong with people??" Well, what the fuck is wrong with YOU??

A big part of this problem is that a hell of a lot of White Americans are basically scumbags, rural people get a lot of the blame for this and not entirely without justification...but I live here. I'm two hours from the nearest freeway...and there were more Trump signs where I used to live.

Seven, eight years ago, things in America were such that a daughter of Latino immigrants who'd worked their asses off in fields (and doing other hard, physical labor) when they got here could rise to be an Intelligence official and a White House national security staffer as a Republican in two Republican administrations and no one was even the least bit bothered by this...no one even noticed, honestly. 

Until somebody gave the Republicans "Permission" to hate.

Now Olivia Troye gets told to "Go back to Mexico" and she was born here.

Think about that, for a second.

These Republicans can't wait to vote other people off the island. 

I think back to how my ex-wife watched the original "Survivor" series just staring at the TV...and how I literally (being a Conservative Christian at the time, mind you) got a bad vibe from it and felt like that shit was Ungodly and wrong, and how my ex-wife pitched a fit when I (citing Scripture in the process of this, mind you) said nobody was going to watch that crap in my house because I thought it was Ungodly and wrong.

Not to mention creepy as fuck, and I've felt the same way about Fox News for a long damn time now.

And the thing is, most of these fucking people will not even understand why until they get their "privilege" taken away and somebody votes them off the Island and they have to fight for their freedom and right to exist just like the Ukrainians...or African Americans, or Latino Americans or both Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims...do.

And the thing is, just like Russian common people vs. Ukrainians or Israelis vs. Palestinians this situation will come about because some absolute motherfucker at the absolute heights of Power and privilege thinks it's funny or in their "interest" or politically expedient to pit out-groups or the powerless against each other.

And who do "Conservatives" side with but those who'd cheerfully throw them into the fire like nothing more than game pieces of some kind.

Because they'd rather be servants in hell than partake of either a Heaven or Earth were people are equal like God created them to be.

Because rich people created things like racism to get idiots to support things that were totally against their own interest, but that made rich people richer.

And I'm going to remind you, yet again, that this was exactly the kind of shit that Jesus Christ as born, lived, preached and ultimately died to stand against.

You either believe in freedom or you don't.

(And if Republicans would let kids go hungry, what do you think they'll do to you?)

There's no middle of the road here.

If you want to actually survive, you need civilization, government that's not about somebody's donkey-show egotistical bullshit or racism or religious fuckery...the list goes on.

Pick A Side.

Because there was a Reason for the Season...and this ain't it.

Слава Україна!

"The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride." ~Volodymyr Zelenskyy, allegedly 25 February 2022, Associated Press

Four

There are times, however, and this is one of them, when even being right feels wrong. What do you say, for instance, about a generation that has been taught that rain is poison and sex is death? If making love might be fatal and if a cool spring breeze on any summer afternoon can turn a crystal blue lake into a puddle of black poison right in front of your eyes, there is not much left except TV and relentless masturbation. It's a strange world. Some people get rich and others eat shit and die. Who knows? If there is in fact, a heaven and a hell, all we know for sure is that hell will be a viciously overcrowded version of Phoenix — a clean well lighted place full of sunshine and bromides and fast cars where almost everybody seems vaguely happy, except those who know in their hearts what is missing... And being driven slowly and quietly into the kind of terminal craziness that comes with finally understanding that the one thing you want is not there. Missing. Back-ordered. No tengo. Vaya con dios. Grow up! Small is better. Take what you can get. ~Hunter S. Thompson, Generation Of Swine.