It's the Stupid, Stupid.

A Facebook friend posted a pic of Jeff Sessions on or about the day we learned Sessions used some alternative truths in his confirmation questioning -- remember the part where he forgot to tell everyone he was just kidding when he insisted he hadn't met with any Russians during the campaign? In the comments below I think I called Sessions a redneck pile of shit. Said FB friend saw me my remark and raised me with his own equally blunt assessment of the guy who was too racist to be a judge in the 80's but just racist enough to be Attorney General in the current clowncar known as the Presidential Cabinet. Truth be told I've never even met the friend in question. We share a fondness for left leaning policies and their practitioners, food, Key West and mountain bikes among other things. I also have reason to believe he is a retired or possibly still working teacher and Buffalonian. But you know how these things go on social media. Friends of friends are close enough so you kind of roll together. 

Out of the clear Blue or maybe I should say the Red sky comes Eugenia T. GreatAgain, who must be a friend of my friend as I know nothing of her. She names us both and points out that "not all of us are rednecks you know, we just want what's best for our country. And you both need to be careful, you're coming pretty close to being racist" My usual response to an unknown collective "us" is You got a mouse in your pocket? But in this case I suggested she might want to recede to her safe space before she melts in the face of all this meanness. She then shoots back that I must have anti-social behaviors, a word she's doubtless gleaned from countless hours of staring slackjawed at Dr, Phil and Oprah. Usually I opt for the block option at this point as I don't know this person nor do I care to and I guess it's considered bad form to flay unknown friends of friends on their walls. Instead I offered this summary of the situation:"I posted a comment about a politician which you internalized and took to be about you. Then you proceeded to tell me I was flirting with racism." I saw later that she'd responded again but instead of reading it I went to Wally Cox for the block. If you're old you get that. 

I guess the point is friends there's a lot of stupid out there. The fact that I am calling a southern politician with a questionable at best history of race relations a redneck strikes me as an in house remark. I am white. He is white. I cracked him for being the kind of white guy that makes being a white guy a shitty thing. A white lady jumps into the fray after deciding I was talking about her when I called Jeff Sessions a redneck telling me I'm flirting with racism. A white guy cracking another white guy being told by a white woman that he's as good as racist makes about as much sense as Kelly Ann Conway on her best day. Which isn't saying much of course. And just off the top of my head I have to ask what exactly does a fellow middle class white person see in legislation that encourages mining companies to unload all manner of toxins into waterways near mines that would approximate "what's best for our country?" Likewise, if we stick to the water theme, how does this fine middle class white  lady consider removing funding that goes toward protecting the Great Lakes as anything close to "What's best for our country?" I'm sure she's ok with spending billions we don't have on a wall we don't need while kids in Flint are guzzling lead in their tap water too. But I have to ask At what point is this "what's best for our country?"  

Those of us who waited in the rain for hours to hear Bernie Sanders speak saw how he was marginalized by the machinations of  DNC insiders. We were told to give Hillary our vote and giver her a chance. And when that didn't work we watched as a crude, ignorant bully and bigot was sworn in a #45. Give him a chance we were told again. Since he's been President #45 has played golf in Florida, what? every weekend? He's continued to shoot his mouth off on twitter and elsewhere and shows no signs of any Saul like conversion on the roads to Damascus or Mara Lago. The only conclusion I can reach as a resident of this planet for 55 years now and a public school teacher for 29 of them is that we're being asked to keep giving stupid a chance. Stupid, friends, is not working. It hasn't worked, it isn't working and it won't work. We need to say no to stupid a dozen times a day if that's what it takes. Just say no to stupid.