Not all of us are good at sums.
Math seems an unknown language
But, Here’s a rule of thumb
we all can glean,
“Evil adds up”
ignored if not unseen
by passersby who briefly notice
the drunk huddled with his rum
in the doorway,
below the underpass
as they scurry by.
Integers of one
are not the same one as I,
we tell ourselves.
That one is different
than the one who is I.
Integers add up
in natural disasters.
Tornados, hurricanes
fires and floods
multiply the integers
until the numbers draw the light
of media to their plight,
for awhile.
The numbers are reduced
by such attention.
When media lights go off
we passersby forget the
need to finish the subtraction.
Not a single drunk,
but entire blocks of numbers
are left in evil’s hold,
seeking shelter and warm beds,
a drink of water, a loaf of bread.
Crime lords and government
corruption and economic destruction
multiply exponentially the evil done
to entire communities
forced to flee to safety as refugees.
Evil adds up until its mass
is beyond measure
as we passersby seek our pleasure.
A father and daughter on a park bench
in Merry Old England after touching
the handle as they closed their door,
poisoned by secret police abroad,
sent from Putin and his minions
whose minions are legion,
fallen angels from The Cold War,
who explore every nation
with a single message,
“You cannot hide from evil.”
There is no place to run
as evil has been left to grow,
to multiply beyond every border
of the New World Order.
The people of Ukraine know this well,
after years of dividing their nation
from the hell they struggle to quell.
They are not mere passersby
to the evil driving tanks in their streets,
sending missiles into buildings
where children dwell.
Each piece of war equipment tallied
and accounted for.
Numbers measured on both sides
of the equation of war.
The only story that adds up
is that evil has multiplied
to drive the suffering
to basements and train stations below
the streets of an entire nation.
Ukrainians do not clutch a bottle of rum.
They clutch one another,
measuring the possibility
of survival upon evil’s arrival
on their own doorsteps.
They seek a drink, a loaf of bread,
the warming comfort of sleep
in their own bed.
Lesson learned that evil adds up.
Passersby add to that equation.
Passersby who drop coins in a cup
and tell themselves they do good.
Fearful little men
I cannot capitalize the word “ men” in the title. I do not refer to honorable and secure men; but only to insecure little men who must bully others and prey on the weak to prove they are bigger than they are. What they fear is our seeing the truth of who they are, our recognizing their cowardice. At heart they are frauds, con men. It does not matter, in the end, what condition led them to conclude they must cover up fear. Brave men act honorably despite fear. That is called courage: admitting fear, facing it, overcoming it. Refusing to admit fear, conning others to believe they fear nothing, succumbing to fear is called cowardice.
What we see happening on every front around the world is a fraud by cowardly and fearful bullies, supported by dishonorable men who have found fraud a cover for hanging onto great wealth. Dishonorable men hide behind bullies. Honorable men call them out.
Much of the fear of bullies is fear of being seen. White men( and women) know to fear the knowledge held by people of color who have been denied access to wealth and power by dishonorable white people. People who face the threat of harm pay more attention to those threatening their well-being. abused children and women, for example, have a heightened sense and are poised for defense in a way those privileged to have led safe lives need not.
The world has been awakening to past threats which denied human rights to too many since the Declaration of Human Rights, the creation of the United Nations,; and, the example of human rights leaders such as Ghandi, Mandela, and Rev. Martin Luther King, jr.. the feminist and gay rights movements have also posed a threat to white male bullies and misogynists. The Holocaust awakened western democracies to the dangers of anti-semitism. These waves of awakening threaten the hold of the wealthy and empowered, who may not themselves be bullies. But, those among this group who are dishonorable support the bullies without acknowledging their responsibility to those threatened with harm.
The first group of bullies includes persons such as Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, “ strongmen” on every continent. They are weak and fearful men who cannot accept responsibility for their self-perceived weakness which they hide through braggadocio, fraud and deception. The second group includes persons who push bullies to the front as “ leaders” to hide their own weaknesses and fears, and maintain their hold on wealth and power.
What we are watching in Ukraine is an example of a bully without honor committing a fraud, rewriting history, pretending to be a strong man by preying on others he can subjugate for his and others’ benefit. He is allowed to do this because of that second group, the dishonorable holders of wealth and power: banks, financial institutions, Swift, nations run by strongmen, Right wing media talking heads, heads of state, legislators.
It takes honor and courage to be a democratic republic, the strength to believe in yourself and fellow citizens despite your fears and theirs. Cowards prefer autocracies, undemocratic institutions, and oppressive denial of human rights. It takes honor and courage to speak truth to power as a member of a political party or legislative body. It takes honor and courage to follow and enforce the rule of law. Too often, dishonorable cowards use police forces and judges to guard bullies from legal consequences, and to enforce subjugation of those they fear. We refer to these acts as “ abuse of power.” Those abused by the justice system see more clearly the truth behind the dishonorable seeking only power and wealth.
The same principles driving Putin to subjugate Ukraine are those which drive the Republican Party. This is not new. But, it has been in place for so many years that we who are privileged to avoid the bullies( no one can entirely)for most of our lives have been all too willing to ignore the abuse of others. Racism and sexism are not new. The honorable and courageous among us recognize and admit this despite our fear that we are complicit in the fraud of white supremacy.
I think the reason the invasion of Ukraine is so troubling is not only that Trump,Manafort, Flynn, the Devos family and other American oligarchs, the Republican Party, and FOX TV ( it is not a news station) supported, and continue to support Putin’s agenda in Ukraine. It is far worse. This is a world-wide agenda to undermine democratic institutions and human rights in every city in every country.
Those of us who value honor must oppose this fraud against humanity with courage and persistence. President Biden is right that this will not be easy, that it will take time. My heart aches for the pain, suffering and death being aggressively visited upon Ukraine which will occur in the meantime, the number of African-Americans and other persons of color who will be abused in the meantime, the number of young people who will feed the coffers of oligarchs by the sale of guns and drugs as they die from school shootings and overdoses.
Follow the money. Connect the dots. And for all of us, for every democracy stand together and speak out. Register and vote. Challenge every con and lie. Protect the electoral process. Do not stand silent before the bullies. Have courage! Hold honor dear.
Leave a comment
Filed under COMMENTARY
Tagged as bullies, courage, cowards, democracy, fear, human rights, racism, sexism, UKRAINE, USA, voting rights