Hate is a cancer

Winter has peaked; we’re on the downhill side. I wonder if ever we will be on the downhill side of undesirable human traits and behavior, or come to an acceptable way to eliminate unacceptable behavior.

Remember the #MeToo movement in its beginning,  exposing so much sexual harassment and sexual assault. How many well known men were caught up, and many famous and powerful, under the force of public opinion, left their post or office. 

Accusations against Senator Al Franken were a sad disappointment to me, and after a short reflection on his championship of women, I admitted to myself there is no do over, just a start over.

Which brings me around to things still so very wrong, and we do not have the national will, or even individual will to address. Seventy percent of Americans feel the government is failing at combating corruption, up from fifty percent two years ago. 

The man in the red hat was going to drain the swamp. And, it’s almost two years until our next opportunity to start over.

We have the governor of Virginia waffling on owning up to being the fellow in black face or the fellow in KKK sheets or neither or both of them, but he can’t remember, and blablabla. He must resign. No do over.

Do we really understand how pervasive open racism is in our country now? I admit I came of age in the March on Washington era. One of the originals, when Peter, Paul and Mary sang. I always tried to see us getting better. It’s close to impossible, now.

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) spent his first week at work since the government reopened harassing a Muslim colleague on Twitter with suggestions that she hates Jewish people. Both were named to the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Rep Zeldin was named the second ranking member and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) a freshman representative.

His accusations were based on an anonymous anti-Jewish voice mail he received.  Rep. Zeldin invited Rep. Omar  to co-sponsor his resolution naming her and known white supremists as examples of anti-Semitic hatred. That in response to her invitation to tea and a discussion of fighting religious discrimination.

How to start over. I don’t know. I wonder if it will be warm enough tomorrow to cut back the sedum and butterfly bushes, or if we should leave them through this week’s snow storm for protection for birds and mice, and cats.