A few weeks back, I saw a homosexual couple walking down the street holding hands.
It bothered me, of course, since biblically, it’s sinful. Had I felt called by the Holy Spirit to do so, I’d like to think my faith would be strong enough to go witness to them. I’ve had spiritual conversations with gay folks in the past. I’ve alternately been cussed and hugged, and sometimes even thanked for not being hateful.
No one attacked the couple I saw the other day; no one hauled them off in handcuffs. No one really paid them any mind, near as I could tell. What they were doing was not illegal, as wrong as I thought it was. No one deprived them of their constitutional rights as determined by the courts.
After our washing machine decided it was time to go to that great scrap metal yard in the sky, I had to go to a coin laundry. I was in a distinct minority. The lady who ran the place was Latina; many of the customers were of Latin extraction. They talked with each other, watched television, courted, and acted like any other folks in a busy laundromat on a Saturday.
No jackbooted stormtroopers dragged any Spanish-speakers out while I was sitting there; although I admit there were a few who lacked common courtesy, I saw none who obviously had reason to fear a sudden raid by immigration agents. I just saw folks working for a living who for whatever reason, also lacked a functioning basic home appliance.
As I was heading up the highway last week, I waved at one of the familiar generic trucks from the USDA APHIS office; one of the trappers was en route to deal with a dam that a blind man could see would threaten the highway if we had a stiff rain. The trapper waved back. I am sure he wasn’t that worried about getting a paycheck.
The same morning, I received my usual email update from the National Weather Service office. The meteorologists were still working, updating us on the continued deterioration of wildfire conditions locally and across the state.
That night, I tried to dash outside as a military helicopter almost buzzed our house. Like every other man, I instinctively look up when I hear a helicopter. I didn’t get a good look at this particular one, because it was faster than I was, but the windows shook with the sound of freedom, the sound of American warriors still training to keep us safe.
Earlier I had commiserated with a fellow shopper over the rising prices of some basic groceries. We both agreed we just had to make some adjustments here and there. It was awfully nice, we agreed, that fuel prices had dropped so much. We were both looking forward to maybe getting a little bit more back on our income tax refunds.
Life was going on as normal, and indeed, improving in some areas.
Yet over the weekend, thousands of people across the country were protesting about rights being taken away, jobs being destroyed, and “democracy” being at peril. The fact that we live in a democratically elected, constitutionally bound representative republic is an argument in history and semantics for another day.
To all the protesters, I call bumf.
This isn’t 2020. People aren’t going to be so easily frightened again, especially after four years of absolute chaos and true loss of civil rights brought about in part by the threat of en masse street violence.
It was four years of fear for many. Disagree with a school board? Get visited by the FBI. Post an edgy meme on social media? Get kicked off the platforms, doxed and have your job imperiled. Question whether the president is cognitively impaired? You’re a threat to society, and subject to arrest and illegal confinement.
People of all colors have realized that the screaming mimis can easily elevate any race, color or creed above the one that’s most profitable for their purposes right now, and that everyone is just one internet influencer’s criticism away from being demonized. Just as every cop was crooked and every criminal suspect a martyr if their skin was the right color in 2019 and 2020, every illegal alien is now a political refugee and a victim of racism. Anyone who suggests that someone who enters the country illegally actually broke the law is a Nazi thug, a bigot and a minion of the oligarchy.
But people have finally strengthened their spines to ignore the harpies, and I think our country will be better for it.
I have yet to understand what constitutional rights have been destroyed by the current administration. Immigrants still can legally apply for asylum and citizenship; illegals are not citizens, and therefore don’t enjoy constitutional rights, only basic human rights, which welfare and voting are not. The extremist LGBTQ crowd can still try to push their agendas. Women are not being forced into servitude. People can choose to buy an electric car, a hybrid or one that feeds off petroleum.
Children – all children – are slowly but surely being protected from having the most extreme alt-lifestyles presented as normal while the nuclear family is derided.
Female athletes no longer have to worry about whether they will be defeated or even injured by someone who is bigger, stronger and faster by nature of their genetics, but too much of a loser to compete against other males.
Parents no longer have to worry about grownups of the opposite sex declaring themselves to be prepubescent children and parading around naked in locker rooms. Women no longer have to be afraid to be women, and men no longer have to worry as much about being blamed for all societies’ ills because they are men.
America’s enemies are beginning to understand that they can’t expect pallets of cash in exchange for not firing missiles. America’s allies are getting nervous that the sheepdog is now expecting the sheep of NATO to take on their fair share.
America’s financial competitors are worried sick that the U.S. will actually make use of the oil and other resources we have over here, and be able to dominate a market we previously subsidized in the favor of those who don’t like America.
Yes, we as Americans will still have to deal with some first world problems and hardships, but we had it artificially easy for too long.
For instance, I went to buy a particular shirt online the other day; it’s made overseas, and the price was suddenly $20 more than the one I bought four years ago.
I didn’t whine and complain. I adapted.
I found one made in America for more than I paid before, but less than the import now costs. Turns out to be better quality on top of that. I won’t buy another imported version.
Are things perfect? Of course not. There will never be a perfect society outside of Heaven. Are things going to cost more for a while? They always do, and we must remember that the difference between what the media calls today’s recessionary economy and the “magical” times of the previous administration – that’s a quote from a commentator, by the way – was around two percent either way. Will there be those who sway too far in the other direction? Of course – which is why the American voter has to pay attention and actually participate.
A big difference is that now the government won’t be printing more money to pay its debts that were accrued promoting trans-actors in South America, or giving public welfare to illegal aliens, or paying for sanitary supplies that are used to create improvised munitions in the Middle East, or spending millions to discover if abuse of alcohol by college students leads to riskier sex. All of those are actual programs funded with millions of your tax dollars, by the way.
I have yet to see where the new administration has brought on the apocalyptic end times predicted by the left and the media. If anyone’s rights were being trampled by Donald Trump, Elon Musk or the evil oligarchical right wing extremists, thousands of people couldn’t have gathered to protest the other day. True fascists would have beaten down said protests.
Yet in 2020, political protests questioning heavy handed government controls were broken up by law enforcement even when they followed the pandemic rules, while others were allowed to riot, loot and burn due to alleged endemic racism.
I saw several videos from the protests over the weekend, all taken by people who were driving by, intent on minding their own business.
I think most of them had more important things to do than pay attention to people who are terrified that the overcontrolling nanny state they worshipped for so long has turned into a tin god, and it’s headed for the recycling bin.
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