How
does one stay committed to justice and not go crazy knowing so many people are
literally getting away with murder? I’m talking about police shooting black
folks, war mongers, Wall Street greedy tycoons sending people spinning into poverty,
Republicans hoping to cancel people’s health insurance. For starters.
I’m
a sucker for courtroom dramas (movies, plays or books) where the bad guy gets
convicted and the good guys win. Likewise the fairy tales where the dragon is
vanquished, the giant who hid his heart so he could wreak havoc discovers
someone found it and dies when they squeeze it, the monsters who see their
reflection in the mirror and die from the sight of their own ugliness. But I
know “real life” doesn’t always work that way—the murderers of Emmett Till not
only got off scot free, but earned $5000 telling their story to Life magazine
smirking that they actually did it, George Zimmerman was acquitted after
killing Trayvon Martin and then sold the gun he did it with on E-bay for a few
hundred thousand dollars. That hurts. It is just so wrong.
But
may I say that some perverse part of me is enjoying watching the circus in the
White House, feeling more and more confident that the circus tent will
collapse. Sean Spicer (not anyone’s idea of a great guy) gets fired, the
“Mooche” Scaramucci gets hired and as of yesterday, fired after 10 days in
office. 10 days! How many is that now who have been fired in Cirque du Trumpé? Is anyone waking up here? Are the
Republicans with an ounce left of political savvy and respect for political
process noticing all this and thinking about jumping out of the clown car
before it crashes? In a mere 7 months, 45 has managed to put together the most
confused and corrupt and transient administration in the history of the Oval
Office and no one is predicting an end in sight. I mean, come on, he not only
pissed off Fox news, but recently Paul Ryan as well. Not to mention the ongoing
Russian investigation and unrevealed taxes and family nepotism. There’s no
hiding good intentions behind a smokescreen of rhetoric, just the constant fact
of his pathological narcissism at work and why are his voters surprised about
this? Perhaps the most astounding thing is that 34% still insist that this
Emperor has his clothes on.
But
I think others are starting to wake up. Though no one can predict anything
these days, I’ll venture a guess anyway that the guy is painting himself into a
corner and no one will help him get out. There’s a trap door there and finally
someone will signal “push the button” and he’ll fall away out of sight.
Wouldn’t that be a perfect fairy tale ending? Won’t it be a fine day when the
jury of American voters finally proclaims, “Guilty.” Of what? Of being out of
his mind, out of his heart, out of his body, of being loyal to no one but Me!
Me! Me!, of committing treasonous acts against the country he’s supposed to be
leading, of being the least patriotic citizen in the history of our flawed (but
mostly good-intentioned) democratic experiment. May
it be so!
Meanwhile,
I have yet again the supreme pleasure of gathering in the beautiful Carmel
Valley countryside with some 100 lovely souls here to learn how to raise better
children through the vehicle of music and dance, some 75 who got past the
“America First!” borders and came to invade us with intelligence and love.
Folks from Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, South
Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Korea, Finland, Spain,
Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Russia and more. The month turns to August, signaling
the imminent return to school. But not yet. First two glorious weeks and then
one more in Toronto. May the politico-clowns fall and the teachers rise up!