QUARANTINE LIFE: CURRENT EVENTS : INDICTMENTS

Nineteen people’s eyes are open today. 

When evil makes promises to the ignorant, whose hearts are already filled with bigotry, and gives them status and hope, they’ll pledge allegiance—to their own detriment. 

They’ll justify and ignore evil’s past and present criminality, and pave the way for evil to continue its reign in the future.

I wonder if it was worth it to hop on the bandwagon. What was the payoff? 

Did they get caught up? 

Were they being blackmailed, or threatened? 

Did they owe him? 

Could it be that they are just as evil as their savior/leader? 

Are they just overly ambitious, power-hungry, entitled, desperate, gullible, greedy, and void of integrity, too? 

Is keeping up the lie their only option, now? 

Perhaps, for some, there’s relief. They don’t have to play the game anymore.

Did they think they could whip up enough anger and strife in the nation for the insurrection to succeed? I imagine they did. They knew, and know that the ignorance, hatred, and religious delusion in America is old and deep. They used it all in an attempt to retain power. They manipulated racist, anxious, gullible people to do their dirty work. Now, many of those people, who were fed a daily diet of lies, have criminal records, and never got the pardons they thought were sure to come.

I guess they didn’t count on some of the spineless people in their ranks, to grow one.

Some are still hoping, by trying to incite a civil war, that idiots will come to their defense once again. What is it with warmongers? With what criteria do they assess and identify their enemies? Who are they looking to fight, and to what end? What makes them think their supposed adversaries are weak and unarmed?

I admit, I’m baffled by the people of color in the bunch. Is proximity still so important that people are willing to work against their own interests? What makes a person so enamored by, and needy of the attention of anyone who has demonstrated that they hate them?

If I were a betting person, I’d wager that THEIR jail time will exceed that of others, even if they DO turn state’s evidence. Someone has to be the example.

The big fish are still looking for pardons, though. They’re still hoping he’ll succeed. That’s why they’re hoping to have their own cases tried in federal court. The little fish, however, who actually thought the rules of the game didn’t apply to them, are on their own.

SMH.

There are lessons in the indictments for us all:

1. You get what you vote for. 

2. Justice might be slow, but it is sure.

3. Truth may be buried, but it never dies.

4. Temporary, or low-level involvement is involvement just the same.

5. There’s always a choice. It’s the fear of consequences that deters bravery or integrity.

6. Peer, or societal pressure makes resistance difficult.

7. The cause YOU championed— that thing that originated with you to conquer lawlessness— shouldn’t be the thing to take YOU down. If anybody knows how it works, and what the consequences will be if it is utilized properly, it should be you. 

8. Shame spawns excuses. Be careful hitching your good name, reputation, and hard work to just anyone. There’s just not enough money in the world to be celebrated or respected one day, and be thought a criminal or a fool, the next.

9. Kids on playgrounds learn quickly that instigators often get away with stuff, and never get hit. Instigators throw rocks and hide their hands. To them, they never do anything wrong—or at least, there’s no proof. They’ve never been checked, nor held accountable. Loyalty is for others to owe and give to them. They never reciprocate. They will lie, make excuses, blame, throw everyone under the bus, and pretend they don’t even KNOW you, before they tell the truth, or admit their part in a thing. 

10. Watch how someone treats others, no matter how well they treat you. Your turn is coming.

11. Don’t ever THINK you’re in a close personal or working relationship, and are exempt when there’s fallout. You’d better KNOW the exact nature and parameters of every association, and, even then, document everything. When the ish hits the fan, that person you already knew was a scoundrel, will quickly turn on you, too. 

You are not indispensable. You, too, can be replaced. If it means saving their own neck, that person, to whom you thought you were special, will emphatically minimize the nature of, or flat out DENY your relationship. They will drag your name through the mud in order to vindicate themselves. That person for whom you worked, sacrificed, or lied will suddenly develop amnesia. 

The very person who hired, or embraced you, will deem you problematic. That same person you protected, helped, promoted, financed, defended, covered, and even conspired with to harm others, will not only disparage you, they won’t even remember your name. If it comes down to you or them, you will lose every time.

12. Be careful who you align yourself with. 

It’s hard to get the stink off if you get too close. Don’t find yourself ostracized, unemployable— or indicted.