Cohorts In Arrogance

I watched a clip of MBS and Putin greeting each other at the G20 Summit this morning and saw everything I needed to see, both men cohorts in arrogance. They gleefully grabbed hands for a hearty handshake, Putin laughing and happier than I’ve ever seen him in public. MBS had the same big grin he always has, each man reminding me of a predator satisfied. And why not? They own the president of the United States.

The fixer pleaded guilty to lying to Congress yesterday and he will be sentenced soon. Soon because I have no idea when that will happen because it’s clear Mueller isn’t quite done with him yet. The former campaign chairman still sits in jail awaiting his own fate, now that he lied to Mueller and his plea agreement is in the crapper. All bets are likely off now, as I read this morning that those ten charges that went away, well, they might be back on.

So did the former campaign chairman actually lie or is it that his statements are being compared to those of his former boss? Of course, the “former” aspect of it is in question now that we know that everything discussed with Mueller’s team has been forwarded on to his former boss’s legal team. And then the so-called president of this country hilariously went out of his way to insist that he wrote the answers to Mueller’s questions himself. Then he revised that to say that he spoke and his attorneys wrote down everything he said. Most folks in his position would be looking for a way to get out of this, but not this guy. Nope. He’s going all in, being the strong person, the guy in charge, with everyone else doing HIS bidding.

It’s almost as if he’s handing his eventual conviction to prosecutors on a silver platter.

As bad as the “whole Trump/Russia thing” is, the Miami Herald has published its series on Jeffrey Epstein. Apparently, his victims are suing and all the information gleaned from his criminal trial may now be coming to light. The current occupant of the White House is a friend of Epstein and one wonders what is on his mind more, the “whole Trump/Russia thing” or his relationship with Epstein?

It feels like the dam is about to break open with no fixer around to handle the fallout. I said on Twitter this morning that he telegraphs everything we need to know. We don’t even have to ask him about it because his arrogance prevents his silence. He continually creates his brand with every lie he tells. It’s all he has, after all, because whoever he was has been lost to the lie he tells.

And when he’s gone, irrespective of how that happens, the sense of relief we’ll feel will be wonderful and troubling all at the same time. The truth will still be emerging long after this nightmare ends and we’ll be hearing about this family for years to come.

But most troubling of all will be the cost to our relationships with others. The election of 2016 has divided our country in a way that we’ve not seen in a long time. The racism and nationalism at the heart of this conflict won’t find a simple conclusion. And folks who voted for this conman will have to come to terms with why they threw their support behind a liar. Was it the promise of a wealthier future? Or was it racism’s resonant voice that awakened their fervor?

The chanting alone that continues at his endless rallies should provide us insight as it spilled over into the vote counting in Florida. Chants of “lock her up” were heard from angry people protesting outside the building where votes were being counted. They’ve convinced themselves that the so-called “other side” is rigging everything in their favor while unable to see that it’s their own side doing just that by gerrymandering every district they can. The rigging took place already, folks. The fix was in the second they redrew the map.

It’s unfortunate that his supporters did not understand who he was when he was touching something so intrinsic within them. Had they realized it was all a lie, realized what the rest of us knew simply by listening to him, we surely wouldn’t be in this mess now. But it is what it is and in the end we will be the lesser for it all if we cannot forgive those who could not see the light. Who let their fear of the other overshadow common sense. As difficult as it may be, we have no choice, otherwise the damage done will continue to affect us forever.

At some point, enough is enough.

Blessed Be