Sharon Kennedy: Get your head out of the sand

I’ve done my best to ignore what’s going on in the political arena, but burying my head in the sand won’t stop the disintegration of our democratic republic. Neither will my opinion, but pretending our form of government isn’t in deep trouble is foolishness. I’m not going to parrot everything commentators say 75 times a day. We’ve all heard enough about arrests and convictions, endless motions and possible jail time until we’re ready to scream. I can’t stand it anymore than you can, but that’s the U.S. judicial system and like it or not, we’re stuck with it.

Is there a better one? Why don’t we just arrest the crooks, throw them in prison and move on? That’s what other countries do. Why all the whining about bogus “witch hunts?” Why are millions of Americans cheering for a criminal? DJT is not accused of murder, only attempting to overthrow an election. If he gets in again, all will be well because — as he says — he’ll arrest his enemies, throw them in prisons and disallow appeals. The circus will finally have left town.

The leader of the MAGA crowd is telling us that when the circus is gone, so is our traditional form of government. A new age will be ushered in. There will be no judicial branch and very likely only a handful of hand-picked Congressmen. This time, the swamp will actually be drained. All Democrats will be imprisoned, hung or shot as traitors on the afternoon of Jan. 20, 2025. Some of the best people in the swamp have already left. When Liz Cheney is voted out, Mitt Romney quits and Lindsey Graham turns yellow, there’s no room in it for true conservatives, only loyal MAGAs.

But that’s fine. Give the people what they want. Obviously, it’s not democracy and probably never has been. Since the “settling” of America there has always been the takers and the givers. The winners and the losers. The rich and the poor. Some of the rich were rich when they landed here. Others sailed in steerage and gained their wealth through stealth. They were the smart ones according to the MAGA leader. Remember when he said he preferred military men who didn’t get caught? He considered honorable service to our country as laughable. It took time, but eventually we learned that honor in any form was meaningless to him.

If you think I’m knocking your idol, you’re wrong. Listen to Steve Bannon’s 2020 interview on YouTube. It’s almost three hours long, and it’s a real eye-opener. You won’t leave your chair as you hear Bannon explain why Trump was picked as “our” man. He knew how to connect with the angry mob Democrats were ignoring. He was one of the guys. He cussed, he threatened, he encouraged violence at his rallies and most importantly of all, he lied. With each lie, his crowd grew larger and louder.

Bannon knew his people had found a winner. A “take no prisoners” type of guy who was up to the job. He wasn’t a wishy-washy Republican like those stuffed shirts on the debate stage. One by one he devoured them. The more base he became, the more his base loved him. They continue to cling to him as if he were the Messiah.

So get your head out of the sand because Trump’s not Jesus. He needs spiritual help. Is there any Christian brave enough to tell him it’s alright to admit he screwed up and ask forgiveness? No, I didn’t think so.

— To contact Sharon Kennedy, send her an email at sharonkennedy1947@gmail.com. Kennedy's new book, "View from the SideRoad: A Collection of Upper Peninsula Stories," is available from her or Amazon.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Sharon Kennedy: Get your head out of the sand