Power and control

Like a fool, I was watching CNN earlier this morning, and heard a series of unsettling stories. First, the condo building collapse in FL. Because it’s a condominium complex, the condo association is the responsible party.

As we know, an inspection was performed in 2018, citing serious damage to parts of the building, and noting the damage was continuing. The estimated repair cost was more than $9 million. Subsequently, more damage was revealed and the repair cost estimate rose to nearly $15 million.

They had just authorized work based on the second estimate, but it was too late. There is a class action complaint filed already, with at least one resident saying she had notified the condo association many times of water leaks and other anomalies that were consistent with structural damage.

Posse up, lawyers.

Second, TFG (The Former Guy) is making more noise about being returned to the White House and reinstated as President soon. Very soon. His supporters are more than convinced that he won the election last year, by 8 million votes. It was a landslide, they say. A reporter asked one of the duly convinced supporters what might happen if TFG is not reinstated. The response – “There will be a civil war, because the militias will take over.” Hmmmm.

At the urging of GOP lawmakers nationwide, states are divesting their own election boards of much of their power. THey are ceding power to the legislature, making it easier to contest and overturn elections. If the Democrats had originated this plan, the cacophony of GOP legislators scream about “State’s Rights” would be deafening. Just sayin’.

Third, four Cathoic churches were set ablaze in Canada over the past 48 hours. At least two were burned to the ground, and investigators have declared all of them to be of “suspicious” origin. It doesn’t take advance degree status to link this to the recent discovery of hundreds of unmarked children’s burial sites in the nearby area.

These unmarked graves, more than 750 of them, were the remnants of the Indian residential schools that had been opened in the late 1800s in both the United States and Canada. The schools were opened to remove indigenous children from their family homes, on what had been tribal land, to “educate” them.

The “education” of these indigenous children consisted of cultural genocide and abuse of all kinds. The Catholic Church opened the one containing the recently discovered unmarked graves, but the government was responsible for other schools of this kind. In many ways, the government and the Church allied to “better” the Native children so they could lead better (Christian, European-style) lives.

Stories from people who survived being house in these “boarding schools” describe brutal abuse, often sexual, and being forbidden to speak their native language. The hair of boys, usually long and free-flowing, was forcibly cut; this was traumatic for young boys whose hair was considered a tremendous spiritual asset in native culture.

When the unmarked graves and burial sites were discovered, speculation arose that the presence of so many of these graves was a cover-up by the Catholic Church. Whether it was a cover-up or simply neglect doesn’t remove the absolutely heinous glint of the effort to “civilize” indigenous people, forcing incomprehensible European customs and conventions, and even language, on them without their assent.

Stripping conquered nations of their culture appears to be Page 1 of the colonial playbook. It was done to the Africans in the United States and Canad, it was done to Latin Americans who were enslaved and forced into the New World. The names of the enslaved were changed to Christian names, or names derived from European traditions. Their agency as human beings was removed entirely. To enforce this colonists utilized tools of intimidation – beatings, rape, deprivation. Hail, the conquering army?

Fourth, I’ve had enough. I’ve had enough posturing, pontificating, lying, and delusion. No more. I don’t want to hear anything else about Critical Race Theory until you can demonstrate that you know what it means.

I don’t want to see any more snarky emails warning me that AOC and the radical left are corrupting children’s minds with anti-American lies. I suppose that’s happening when Hillary (remember her?) isn’t spilling and drinking their blood in the basement of a pizza parlor somewhere. I am not in the mood for hearing whining insurrectionists wanting to be released from jail.

And most of all, I have had enough of people who know better investing ANY time, energy, or thought to nonsensical conspiracy theories and the people who spread them. Just. Stop. It’s enough. We’re turning into a nation of pubescent gremlins reading their first porn with a flashlight under the covers.

If you want to look like fools, be my guest, but please – I beg of you – leave the rest of us out of this. Nobody with any sense believes TFG is coming back in August, or next March, or any time in the future before the duly elected President has completed his term. Nobody believes anything was stolen from him or you, or especially that lunatic with the horns who considers himself a shaman but cries if he has to eat non-organic food.

I’m sorry reality is so hard for people to swallow. Myself, I’ve had to swallow decades of polite racism, insulting justification for heinous treatment, and minimalization at the hands of people just like these naysayers. It’s enough.