Why’s Everybody Pickin’ on Me?

Charlie Brown . . . not the Charles Schultz character, but the one made famous by 1950s do-wop group the Coasters.  The Coasters version of Charlie Brown was the opposite of Schultz loveable character.  The Coaters’ version of Charlie Brown was closer to a hoodlum.  In the song, Charlie Brown despite his anti-social, rule breaking behavior is constantly lamenting that he is a poor persecuted soul.  The key catch phrase in the song is the classic line: “Why’s everybody pickin’ on me?”

Charlie Brown from the song is always breaking the rules.  Smoking in the auditorium.  Goofing off in the hallways.  Disrupting class.  Flirting with the teacher.  Throwing spitballs.  Writing on the walls.  Through it all he sees himself as the coolest kid in the school.  Everyone knows he’s eventually going to get caught.

 

Sound like anyone you know.

 

I must admit that my postings on social media lean towards what some would say is “picking on” our present president.  My Friends and acquaintances think that I am hard on him.  They are always asking “Why am I always picking on him?”  Because he makes it so easy . . . he’s a political “Charlie Brown”.  As the lyrics go, “He’s a clown, that Charlie Brown”.  Also, just as the lyrics state: “He’s gonna get caught, just wait and see.”

 

The evidence continues to stack up against our current president—he’s a clown.  Plain and simple.  From the circus of a cabinet that he has chosen to his total disregard for the Constitution, this individual has proven time and again what a clown he is.  From the constant flip-flopping on tariffs to the gutting of the government, he’s a clown who obviously has no clue as to what he is doing.  He breaks every law and moral value to do what he wants to do.  Damn the consequences of what he does . . . damn the people he throws under the bus.  Besides it’s not his fault . . . the blame all falls on the previous administration.  The circus rolls on. 

 

Obviously, the question for my MAGA friends and acquaintances is whether or not the president’s blatant disregard for the Constitution and moral edicts should go unchallenged?  The man is running roughshod over all that Americans hold sacred . . . the foundation of what makes and made America great.  There are over a hundred court cases challenging this president’s loose regard to governing recklessly through executive orders.  From the pettiness of renaming landmarks and locations to the blatant disregard of human rights guaranteed under the Constitution, this president doesn’t care about anyone but himself and his wealthy cronies.

 

Please do not tell me that you have to crush a few eggs to make an omelet . . . who can afford the eggs?  Don’t tell me that it will take time as this guy plays with our nation’s economic health.  A person who has a horrific track record as a businessperson . . . his record speaks for itself, and it sucks. The whining complaint that people are picking on him holds no water.  The man willfully breaks his oath to protect our nation and its people.  Hundreds of years have been thrown out the window.  For an individual whose promised goal was to make American great again . . . well, he is falling woefully short.

 

Despite what he thinks of himself . . . he is not cool.  It doesn’t matter what he thinks.  He is not cool . . . and we are paying the price.  He is breaking all the rules.  Ignoring all the laws.  Throwing out the Constitution. Bullying.  Threatening.  Lying.  Everyone knows it.  He’s our “Charlie Brown”.  No one is picking on him . . . he’s making his bed, so let him sleep in it.  Plain and simple.  Someone must speak up.

 

Yup . . . Donald Trump is our “Charlie Brown”.  And he keeps getting caught—over a hundred times and rising daily.  Just think, we haven’t even gotten through his first hundred days!  Oh, Charlie Brown . . . he’s a clown, that Charlie Brown . . . he’s gonna get caught . . . just you wait and see.  Oh, Donald . . . what goes around comes around.  At least that is what we hope for.

 

Where is Agent 86 When We Need Him?

The current president of the United States of America thrives in chaos.  He delights in upsetting the apple cart.  He revels in creating disorder and confusion.  He truly seems to enjoy making life a constant nightmare for the citizens he was elected to serve . . . and, get this, it doesn’t matter if you are with him or against him.  Dare I say this with his ban on DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) . . . he is an equal opportunity disrupter.  He really does not care who he is ticking off as long as the attention is on him.  No one should be surprised.  He did this in his last term.  The “orange one” thrives on chaos.  No one can deny that.  Since taking office a little over a month ago there has been nothing but complete disorder and confusion.  That, my friends, is the definition of chaos.

The United States is in utter chaos!  We are a mess!  Where is Maxell Smart, Agent 86, when we need him?

 

Remember Maxwell Smart?  Oops!  I’m showing my age.  Get Smart was a comedy television series that parodied the secret agent genre made popular by all the James Bonds films.  Created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry it stars Don Adams as a bumbling secret agent who worked for a secret U.S. government counterintelligence agency based in Washington, D.C. called CONTROL.  Its main task was to fight KAOS, the international organization of evil”, whose goal was world domination.  Adams character was named Maxwell Smart.  He was Agent 86.  As in any good show, good always prevails over evil and Maxwell Smart—despite his incompetence and bumbling always succeeded in achieving his mission.

 

As a nation, we sure could use him right about now!

 

Daniel Strand, a professor of ethics at Air University, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, writes: “At any and every corner of personal and social life, the primary threat to human flourishing is the disordering of the human soul and social relations into self-centered, individualistic, indulgent, narcissistic, idealistic, prideful, tribal, or sentimental factions. Chaos is a cancer that manifests itself within the soul of the individual and social relations when order disintegrates.”  (Chaos: The Fundamental Problem of Human Society, Providence, February 16, 2016) Chaos creates a real circus, and who among us does not feel lost in a circus beyond our control thanks to the actions of the “orange one” and his cronies.  We are in chaos as a nation and as the citizens of this nation.  Chaos creates feelings of anxiety, overwhelm, uncertainty, stress, a sense of being unmoored, leading to a desire to do something, anything to regain control which often leads to impulsive behaviors, poor decision making, and even physical health issues.  It creates a mess . . . a sense of hopelessness, especially with the onslaught that the president is wielding his Sharpie.

 

I’m concerned.  I am concerned when I see people in my life whom I have always viewed as intelligent, competent, compassionate, justice-minded, peace-seeking, hopeful individuals feeling as if someone has punched them in the gut, knocking them to the ground.  Concerned when so many are telling me that they are scared . . . hopeless . . . lost . . . detached . . . immobilized.  That they are so confused about what is happening.  Wondering where in the world they are living.  This is not the United States of America that they were taught about, that they experienced, that they support and loved.  It is a nightmare as this chaos wreaks its meanness and cruelty upon all that they hold dear with some cock-eyed vision of what will make “America great!”

 

And, sadly, that is their goal.  To create so much chaos that people are paralyzed and fearful of doing anything about it.  The magnitude of the chaos being experienced seems so overwhelming that it seems impassable . . . hopeless . . . that nothing short of divine intervention can save the day.  Not even Maxwell Smart can save the day.  This is the playground of the president and his incompetent administration, and they are exerting it like a bull in a china shop.  This is not the “American way”.  It is not even good Judeo-Christian (or any religion for that matter) practice.  It is chaos.  It is evil.

 

Obviously, Agent 86 isn’t going to ride into the chaos and rescue the day.  So, what can anyone do?  Well, there is much that can be done:

• Contact your legislators.  If it is a Republican member of congress, contact them and tell them to come clean and own their role in the chaos.  They are as much the problem as the “orange one” and his administration.  If it is a Democrat member of congress, contact them to start using their leverage . . . to get some backbone to hold the line.  To stand up, challenge, and be counted.
• Remind all our legislators that executive orders don’t and can’t override federal laws and statutes.  Take them to court.  The Constitution still counts for something.
•  Combat misinformation.  Stay informed.  Do your research.  Don’t take what you see on social media as the “gospel” or the “truth”.  There is a lot of disinformation out there . . . it is built into the chaos.
•  Show up when and where you can.  Let people see that you care.  Know your rights.  You have a right to speak out.
•  Speak out and make public comments . . . attend public hearings to give community input.
•  Find groups within your community for support or to support.
•  Contribute to organizations taking up the legal battle against this chaos.  It takes a lot of funding to wage the battle in court.
•    Call for the freedom of the press . . . support independent journalism. Limiting journalistic access to the president, the administration, and the general government goes against the Constitution.
•  Keep believing . . . this is our country.  We are the people spoken so eloquently in the forming of our nation and constitution.  Have hope.

As nice as it would be to have Maxwell Smart come to our rescue . . . we are on our own with this one.  Chaos is a darkness.  In the spiritual journey the wise ones often speak of sojourning through the darkness to get to the light.  The old hymn tells us that the “darkest hour is just before the dawn.”  We are in the midst of darkness.  Let us keep striving to shatter the darkness and bring back the light.  Let us resist the darkness.  We can do this because we are not alone.  We have each other and together “we are the people”.  That is the only thing that will make a difference.  Agent 86 is coming . . . the show was cancelled years and years ago.  As Maxwell Smart used to say, “Would you believe . . .”  Believe!!  We can do this.

 

Red, Red, Robin

People are beginning to post pictures of robins on social media proclaiming that spring is on its way.  The sunny weather and warm temperatures we’ve had in Montana certainly hint about spring coming.  It is tempting to hop on the bandwagon, drop one’s guard, and embrace the impending spring fever that is floating in the air.  But . . . be warned . . . Mother Nature is a fickle old broad!

I spied a robin in our backyard this morning traipsing around the snow that is still residing in the yard.  I can assure you that seeing a robin is not a sign of spring.  Not all robins migrate.  They hang around all year-round.  I have seen robins around the homestead every month of the year.  I’m not sure what is wrong with these hardy aves to want to stick around for a Montana winter.  Maybe they are lazy and don’t want to have to haul butt south for the winter.  Maybe they are not the smartest and didn’t understand the call to fly south.  I don’t know.  What I do know is that there are robins that seem to like hanging around all year round in Montana.  Because of that I do not get too excited . . . spring ain’t here yet!

 

Hey!  It is the start of March, and I said, Mother Nature is a fickle old broad.  Here in Montana, January and February are the prelude to what is yet to come.  The truth is that a lot of snow comes in late March and early April.  One year the lead up to Easter we had close to 70 inches of snow.  Yeah, 70 inches!  It was a great boost to the mountain snowpack, but a big downer for those who had embraced the spring myth.  Some of the best and biggest snows in Montana are in what people call spring.

 

They say in Montana that if you don’t like the weather . . . wait five minutes.  But they say that in a lot of states.  The big joke is that a person can experience all four seasons in a day in Montana.  And it is true.  I’ve decided that there are basically two seasons in Montana—hot and cold.

 

As much as I would like to join in the chorus of spring’s impending arrival, I tread gingerly.  Mother Nature will herald spring when she is good and ready.  In the meantime, we get what we get.  Don’t fall for false signs of spring.  Just because your neighbor is out shoveling snow in shorts it doesn’t mean spring is here.  No, it probably means that your neighbor isn’t dealing with a full deck.  That neighbor who plants those flowers and vegetable seeds . . . not a sign! Nope, it is just the annual sacrifice to the garden gods.  They will be replanting.  The Chicago Cubs starting the season with three straight victories . . . not a sign!  Come on!  It’s the Cubs!  False sign.  Don’t fall for it.  Even the scriptures warn us to watch out for false signs.

 

Don’t get your hope up with the first robin you see in the weeks to come.  It ain’t spring.  It is just a wayward bird who never flew south.  Why would you trust a bird who didn’t take the chance to head south where it is warm and instead stay for a Montana winter?  Don’t let Mother Nature play you like a string instrument.  When she is ready, she will deliver spring in all of its glory.  In the meantime, grab a drink, park yourself in front of a window, and enjoy the roller coaster ride.  After all, the weather changes every five minutes.  It is better than anything you could stream on television.

 

When the red, red, robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along

There’ll be no more sobbin’, when he starts throbbin’ his old sweet song

(Al Jolson - When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along--1926)

 

Be patient.  Don’t fall for it.  Spring will come . . . be patient.  Yup, I saw a robin . . . it was just Mother Nature jerking my chain.