This Is Not Normal. Stop Pretending It Is

Editorial note: I protest. I do. Our current political climate is distasteful, driven by hatred and division, and such a departure from when America was Truly Great. Donald Trump is a symptom, not the disease, but unfortunately for him, he is its chosen figurehead of the far right Christian Nationalist MAGA movement. So if you've read any of my other contributions, the theme is recurrent and most often aimed at rebutting misinformation flung rampantly on social media through memes, mindless repetition of extreme rhetoric, and yes, I'll call some of it outright lies. Oh how I wish for a vaccine. The disease is endemic. Unfortunately, funding for that seems to have dried up.

So here are some jumbled thoughts I started jotting down that turned into something. You decide what.

The lack of willingness to work together is the hallmark of our elected body of representation in Washington, D.C.

It's as if they all missed critical lessons on citizenship.

If the swamp needs draining, it needs to start on Capitol Hill. Divisive politics, culture wars, extremist outside influence, and deep-pocketed special interest groups are at the heart of our nation's woes.

Our Constitution was designed to suppress the rise of a monarchical form of government in the United States.

Yet here we are, racing headlong back toward it, eliminating hard-fought civil rights, sacrificing precious freedoms, and bastardizing the rule of law along the way. We tore down the throne once, only to build a bigger one—and now we argue not whether it should exist, but who deserves to sit on it.

We celebrate the passage of laws that save one life form while committing another to possible death, withholding life-saving treatment and threatening imprisonment for daring to interfere. Once a child, thus saved, takes a breath? Job done. It is somebody else's problem.

Instead of crafting and funding a workable immigration system, we demonize those fleeing oppression or seeking a better life. Are they all rapists and murderers, really? We deny entry and remove foreign students for exercising the right to speak freely and raise their voices to protest. But we spread our doors wide for others who are fleeing made-up oppression and sham genocide. The difference? The darkness of their skin, the language they speak juxtaposed to the affluent, Caucasian, English-speaking land and business owners. To hell with the American Dream! Right?

Oh, and let's not forget, we deport the foreign wives of our serving military members. With valid entry documents. Why? Because they brought too many changes of clothes?

We ban books, we threaten schools, educators, and institutions of higher learning for daring to embrace the same standard of education, teaching the very lessons we all grew up with. Are we all monstrous creatures as a result? Maybe, but I think not.

We hide, remove, and "sanitize" history involving slavery, Jim Crow, redlining, internment of citizens born of Japanese parents, Indigenous genocide, and the accomplishments of women in our society. What is a Holocaust? If it makes us uncomfortable (or makes us look bad), it has to go.

We deny science. Climate change? That's a lot of hooey! Never mind that it keeps getting hotter every year. Forget that the oceans are getting warmer, killing coral habitats that nurture the fish that feed us. That sea levels have risen 9 inches in the last 140 years. (For anyone with half a brain, that does not mean more beachfront property—it means less.) Just ignore all those Category 4 & 5 hurricanes and those pesky tornadoes popping up where they ought not be. Droughts, bigger, badder wildfires, frequent and ferocious thunderstorms with softball-size hail? Pshaw! Oh, and those despicable vaccines.

But let's keep 'em dumb so they don't know better. Heaven forbid they become capable of critical thinking.

We live in paralyzing fear of athletes who comprise 0.002% of the general population and 0.001995% of secondary and college athletes. Do you even know one? Probably not. But let us hate them anyway. If it makes you feel good.

We threaten judicial officers and call them left-wing lunatics for doing their sworn duty to protect the Constitution, enforcing the separation of powers, and the very rule of law. All while applauding the pardoning of violent, murderous protestors.

We excuse and elect leaders who commit fraud, engage in sexual misconduct, incite riots, and violate the law with impunity.

Do I have to abide by the Constitution?

"I don't know."

Do U.S. citizens and noncitizens deserve due process under the Fifth Amendment?

“I don’t know. I’m not, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know.”

Let’s not forget:

“I wasn’t aware.”

They are all the go-to responses for questions about constitutional responsibility, executive decisions, foreign policy, and even headline-making controversies. Whether it’s genuine ignorance, intentional distancing, or just a bit of political tap dancing, the goal is clear—obfuscate accountability and sidestep ownership of politically sensitive issues. With this approach, one thing’s certain: The buck definitely does not stop in the Oval Office. (Unless it's Green or Gold.)

So sure—let’s keep banning books, deporting foreign military spouses, silencing protest, excusing fraud, and blaming climate disasters on divine will. Let’s punish educators for teaching history and scientists for warning us about the future. Let’s strip rights from the vulnerable while applauding those who storm the Capitol in tactical gear. Go ahead—keep them dumb, keep them angry, and whatever you do, don’t teach them how to think. Ignorance isn’t just tolerated. It’s policy.

If hypocrisy were an Olympic sport, we’d already be on the podium. This isn’t a culture war. It’s a competence crisis dressed in contempt. The Constitution isn’t a suggestion—and neither is decency.