
The world is a mighty, vast, complicated, and often frightening, place. As the world shrinks in size, we are confronted more and more with a knowledge that there are people who don’t look like us, talk like us, or act like us who, nevertheless, have a great impact on our own lives.
Technology has made it so. Technology has taken the planet and squeezed the air out of it. It has reduced it to the size of a laptop screen. It may give us entertainment options we never had before, or make our lives more comfortable. But the price we pay is loss of a world we can understand and one that moves faster than we are capable of ever catching up with.
The current world seeks to give those who have been voiceless a voice. Like the notion of a global economy, it seeks a global humanity, one in which all humans have equal power. For countless inhabitants of this country, the shrinking world and the spector of a world run by technology and equal rights is terrifying. If the world doesn’t look like us and if technology doesn’t act like us, then who are we? When the world we grew up in is no longer recognizable to us, where to we belong?
Humans, when confronted with a threat to life, reduce our lives to the smallest possible space. We surround ourselves only with what we know. or we look to someone who is deemed more powerful, to tell us that he or she stands between us and the fears that keep us awake at night. We are children, either pulling the covers up over our heads in the darkness or yelling out to Mommy or Daddy to save us.
Many of us exhibit the adult version of pulling the covers up over our heads. We reduce our world to only what we have complete control over. We distrust anything we don’t understand: science, vaccines, immigrants, unhappy African Americans or gays. We stock up on guns to fight off the maurauders who are waiting at the gates. We take comfort in a parent figure who promises to protect us from the forces that would do us harm. We choose the person who tells us that we are pure, that we are smart, that we are of value, that if we trust him, he will protect us from the Boogeyman who would invade our bedrooms at night.
We listen to the stories about this parent figure. He is a liar. He is a cheat. He is a womanizer. He is corrupt. He cares only for the rich and not for us. We don’t care. It is not relevant to our lives. We care only that he keeps the Boogeyman at bay. We care only that he keeps reminding us that he will make the world a place we can, once again, understand and control.
Many of us have gathered, both in person, and virtually, at the Republican National Convention. We are reminded each day of the Boogeyman and told it is real. We have names for him: the Democrats. Nancy Pelosi. Obama. Immigrants. Black Lives Matter. Gun control. The Boogeyman wants one thing: to take away our sense of ourselves. To make us doubt who we are.
Each convention day, we are told that the Boogeyman is alive and well and headed our way. Each convention day, we are reminded that the Parent is the only one powerful enough to protect us. The price is a small one. Our vote. Our loyalty. Our faith. We give it gladly. We wear caps and tee shirts. We wave flags. It is our cross, our alliegance to a higher power. If there were a church of the Parent, we would worship there.
There are those who continue to tell us terrible things about the Parent. They don’t understand why we don’t care. That is because they don’t understand us. We are faithful to the Parent and we will survive because of the Parent.
RICHARD SZPIN
August 25, 2020
Hey Boomer,
Well written but you don’t take us to the end. Where are we headed? What’s your view? Your opinion of where we are going? Your desciption/analysis of our current situation may be nail on the head right, but it doesn’t take us far enough. [All written from Canada…a country that lives in the apartment above the meth lab of USA. We’re among the many nations that now pity the USA. ] We too watch your presidential campaign and have the very similar anxieties and fears. The American empire is dying but the pace to its final end is becoming breakneck in the hands of your Parent. Woe is you!
Life in the Boomer Lane
August 26, 2020
My personal opinion is that if Trump wins re-election, his #1 priority (as well as #2, #3, #4…) will be to punish any person or any entity (city/state/company) who be believes disrespected him or simply wasn’t loyal enough. Lives would be upended in his insatiable quest for respect. I’ve been told that his staff have said that, if the boss is re-elected, they anticipate moving forward with “no brakes.” We would be on the fast track to authoritarianism. Not only woe is us,. The repercussions will reverberate around the world.
Keith
August 25, 2020
Renee, last week was very illuminating. Not even considering the Democrat convention, which was informational in its own right, it was a particularly dreadful week for the president, yet that news may shock those who watched agog at the first night of the RNC convention. I wrote a post about it and forwarded a version of said post to some folks through emails. One person said they had not heard of this news, so if you will indulge me (this independent voter), I will share it here. The question for those who were agog, is why would they do this? Keith
**********************************
Per an article in Reuters last week called “Former Republican CIA, FBI heads and national security officials to back Biden,” by Tim Reid:
“Over 70 former Republican national security officials including ex-CIA and FBI chiefs will endorse Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Friday while launching a scathing indictment of President Donald Trump, calling him corrupt and unfit to serve.
The group, called Former Republican National Security Officials for Biden, includes some of the most senior Republican members of the U.S. defense and intelligence establishment to have served in the administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Trump.
The 73-strong group includes retired General Michael Hayden, who served as national security director and head of the CIA; William Webster, the only man to serve as both head of the CIA and FBI; John Negroponte, the first director of National Intelligence; Michael Leiter, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center; and Mike Donley, former Air Force secretary.
Their full-throated condemnation of Trump and backing of Biden will come three days before Trump’s nominating convention opens on Monday and underscores how the Republican president has alienated some members of his own party, especially among intelligence and foreign policy veterans.
‘Trump has demonstrated that he lacks the character and competence to lead this nation and has engaged in corrupt behavior that renders him unfit to serve as president,’ the group plans to declare in a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal on Friday.
‘We have concluded that Donald Trump has failed our country and that Vice President Joe Biden should be elected the next President of the United States,’ it adds.
The group is one of a number of Republican organizations opposing Trump’s re-election in the Nov. 3 election.”
This group joins others like The Lincoln Project, Republicans for the Rule of Law, Republican Voters Against Trump as well as individuals like former GOP Ohio governor John Kasich, former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin Powell, former DHS Chief of Staff Miles Taylor (under Trump) and conservative pundits George Will, David Brooks, Michael Gerson, and others to condemn Trump and support Biden.
These are voices that should mean something. Taylor said we are less secure under Trump, with our allied relationships weaker and enemies stronger. Former Secretary of Defense under Trump General James Mattis said Trump does not even try to unify the country. Condemning mail-in voting as unsafe, while other Republicans endorse it, to destabilize a process while doing nothing to make it better is just yet one more example of Trump’s divisiveness and deceit.
And, it should be noted the Republican led Senate Intelligence Committee just released a report that noted the Russian influence on the 2016 Trump campaign was even more intrusive than concluded in the Mueller report. This finding concerns me, yet seems to go relatively unnoticed. I would like to hear other Republican Senators answer the concerns of these voices.
Life in the Boomer Lane
August 26, 2020
Thanks, Keith. We have a mountain (a very high mountain) of evidence that Trump is not only unfit for office but dangerous to our democracy and our personal well-being. Yet his cult followers follow. His supporters support. His wealthy backers back. And those who make excuses continue to do so. Are there sane voices out there? Of course. Will they prevail? I don’t know. I only know that so far, we have voluntarily given our future over to this man. It’s chilling.
Keith
August 26, 2020
Renee, thanks. I saw Bob’s raccoon story. It is good. What is not said therein is – how do they feel about a president who has a hard time with the truth (per five biographers and multiple sources), who bullies and name calls people who disagree with him, who has harmed America’s global standing, who has inflamed racial unrest, who has misinformed people from the outset about the coronavirus, who cannot keep people as he runs them off, who per General James Mattis does not even try to unite us….
I can take a candid, honest change agent. What I cannot tolerate is someone who cares only about himself and is the most corrupt and deceitful president in my lifetime. Plus, he would shoot those raccoon sin a heartbeat. Keith
Life in the Boomer Lane
August 26, 2020
In a heartbeat.
Claire Fleisch
August 25, 2020
Reading CASTE and her explanation for some following the parent.
Life in the Boomer Lane
August 26, 2020
I’ll have to check it out. But I’m afraid it will totally creep me out even more than I am already.
Andrew Reynolds
August 25, 2020
Scary.
Life in the Boomer Lane
August 26, 2020
I am scared out of my mind atthis point. I am even scared of how scared I am.
Susan
August 25, 2020
And are you that spooked that you trust that Parent ? He will sell his you and his soul for a penny. The video on the first night of the convention made him appear to be the saviour of the American people. Very scary indeed
Life in the Boomer Lane
August 26, 2020
Any cult is based on a belief that the leader of such cult will save his followers from the Devil/destruction/whatever scares the shit out of them.. Followers don’t evaluate the leader. They simply follow. For many of his followers, Trump is less a political figure than a cult leader. He is, for his followers, above evaluation. Do I personally find that scary? More than you can imagine.
Bob
August 26, 2020
If you want an idea of the mind of a Trump supporter I got this from a very conservative former college friend from 1970- It is rather scary stuff. So I guess if my “raccoons in the basement” are things like racism, income inequality, universal heath care, etc. then it is ok to do whatever it takes to get those things – like rioting and looting and other such methods. Once you go down the “ends justify the means” path everything is ok.
=================================================================
THE RACCOON STORY
by E. P. UNUM
August 18, 2020
Like many citizens, I’ve wondered and tried hard to understand why President Trump has such a remarkable following. Listening to the media, it’s pretty obvious why he probably should not! But, he actually does have a tremendous following and, so, it puzzled me.
If you want to know how most people feel, and this applies to both democrats and republicans, read below.
The Raccoon Story says it all.
You’ve been on vacation for two weeks. You come home, and your basement is infested with raccoons. Hundreds of rabid, messy, mean raccoons have overtaken your basement. You are beside yourself and your wife and kids are screaming at the top of their lungs. You want these raccoons gone immediately. So, you call the city and four different exterminators, but nobody can handle the job.
But, praise the Lord, there is this one guy and he guarantees to get rid of them. He is dressed in a suit, neatly pressed with a nice red tie and sort of orange hair. He makes a terrific impression, so you hire him. You don’t care what university he attended or if his suit was refurbished. You don’t care if the guy smells. You don’t care if the guy swears. You don’t care how many times he’s been married. You don’t care if he has a plumber’s crack. You simply want those raccoons gone! You want your problem fixed! He’s the guy. He’s the best!
So, here is why we want Trump.
Yes, he’s a bit of a jerk. Yes, he’s an egomaniac, but we don’t care. The country is a mess because politicians suck, both Republicans and Democrats can be two-faced and gutless.
Illegals are everywhere. There are homeless living in tents in our cities, peeing and defecating on our sidewalks. Our businesses are aflame with riots and looters. People are clamoring to get rid of police, which makes no sense at all.
We are sick of it all!
We want it all fixed!
We don’t care that Trump is crude. We don’t care that he insults people. We don’t care that he has changed positions. We don’t care that he’s been married three times. We don’t care that he fights with Megan Kelly and Rosie O’Donnell. We don’t care that he doesn’t know the name of some Muslim terrorist. We don’t care that he takes on politicians like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. We don’t care that he calls out leaders of nations in public to pay their fair share of NATO and stop relying on America to pick up the tab for their defense. And, we especially don’t care that he is not politically correct, and does not use nice words when dealing with China, who launched a virus on the world.
Under Obama and Biden our country became weak and bankrupt, our enemies were making fun of us. We were being invaded by illegals. We were on our way to becoming a nation of victims where every Tomas, Ricardo, and Hasid is a special group with special rights to a point where we don’t even recognize the country in which we were born and raised. By God, we just want it fixed, now! And, Trump is the only guy who seems to understand what the people want.
We’re sick of politicians, sick of the Democratic Party, sick of the Republican Party, and sick of illegals. We just want this thing fixed.
Trump may not be a saint, but we didn’t vote for a Pope. We voted for a man who doesn’t have lobbyist money holding him back, a man who doesn’t have political correctness constraining him. We all know that he’s been very successful, he’s a good negotiator, he’s built a lot of things, and he’s not a cowardly politician. And, he says he’ll fix it. We believe him because he is too much of an egotist to be proven wrong or looked at and called a liar.
For the past three years, while under daily assault from the democrats, and Never-Trumpers he and his Administration built the single greatest economy in the history of the world, until China unleashed the virus on us.
Furthermore, he is doing it all over again. Look at the numbers. We are coming back. But some of the raccoons are still lingering around causing mayhem.
We don’t care if the guy has bad hair. We just want those raccoons, all of them, gone, out of our house, NOW!
You are welcome to pass this on. Thousands of people who haven’t voted in 25 years seem to be getting involved. And the more people that get this email the more that will understand why Trump was elected. The raccoons have got to go!
Now for the record… I have no problem with immigration, but it has to be legal. My grandparents immigrated from Italy in 1900. There were no handouts, no subsistence payments, no free housing. They became Americans, fought in WW I and WW II, raised their families and worked hard. They experienced the American Dream first-hand.
Is our immigration system broken today? Yes it is. So fix it. Don’t just let people pour in. Take care of American citizens first. Clean up our cities. Put an end to the violence, the riots and the looting. It is all communist funded and inspired anyway. If you don’t believe this, go on YouTube and listen to the presentation of G. Edward Griffin, a historian and lecturer.
Watch, listen, and learn. His presentation is from 1969…51 years ago. But, the content could very well be today. It is extraordinarily alarming.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris cannot get rid of the raccoons. They are part of the raccoon family and are proponents of taking our nation down the path of socialism and, ultimately, communism.
Don’t let it happen. If we do, there will be more than raccoons with which to deal.
— ==============================================================
that little voice
August 26, 2020
Oh my gosh. This is frightening, sickening, and insane. I’m talking about the raccoon piece. It is cult based, Boogeyman inspired. I’m so sorry for the folks living in that fear and who are willing to turn their power over to someone else. I am now scared beyond words, but I still have a vote.
Life in the Boomer Lane
August 26, 2020
I am trying very hard to hope that sanity will untilmately prevail, and that people far wiser than me will make sure that the electoral process will survive. We have lost so much already. I don’t want to think what will happen if we find out that our electoral process is as fragile as other areas of our government have truend out to be.
Bob
August 26, 2020
If you liked the Raccoon story – here is the next chapter. I always wonder why the guy who sends me these does not get the plot about my politics. I have replied to his emails several times to politely tell his stuff is basically BS but he keeps sending them.
The rank hypocrisy of this posting his so blatant to be almost unbelievable. Any time the current crop of Republicans claims the other side peddles fear (and they don’t), accuses Democrats of lying, of being unprincipled you have to wonder what they believe about the current administration.
Disclaimer- I did not listen to the DNC – read a bit but only listened to Michelle Obama’s speech. I understood it was much more positive than this says and realistic about our issues.
====================================================================
Life in the Boomer Lane
August 26, 2020
Bob, this is only the second time in 10 years that I have edited a comment. I read the piece, and it’s everything I expected. The human condition is that we create our own reality. And often, it’s a reality that either harms us or defies logic. No amount of rationality will change how this man sees his world. But I do have the ability to not torture others with it.
Bob
August 26, 2020
Renee-
That’s ok I probably should not have posted it. As we used to say at work a “mind fart”. I usually just delete these, but I thought (poorly) that it might be enlightening for someone who may not see the drivel coming from that side to see what is out there. I agree that we should not torture others with it. Apologies.
I have always enjoyed your blog- good stuff. Do you also follow “Time Goes By”?
Life in the Boomer Lane
August 29, 2020
I love that you read it. No need to apologize. I actually “liked” the article because it showed how intelligent, literate people can be behind this creature. And that’s what makes it even scarier. I’m just walking around scared all the time now. I feel like I’m in a zombie film and the GOP convention just created a lot more zombies. In a bizarre twist, I have started exploring the possibility of getting Polish citizenship, which would make me a member of the EU. Of course I would never leave the US, I know that, but I feel like I have to do something to prepare myself mentally for the worst. It’s an ironic twist, running toward Poland for safety, rather than running from Poland for safety. My deceased family wouldn’t be able to make sense of this. xxoo
Ermine Cunningham
August 26, 2020
All I want is the free-loading raccoon family (along with insane, screaming girlfriend) to get the heck (wanted to say ‘hell’ but refrained) out of THE PEOPLE’S HOUSE and go back to their ratty, cheating lives. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will do a great job. Praying and hoping.
Thanks for letting me express myself, LBL! Keep on writing!
Life in the Boomer Lane
August 27, 2020
That’s a big ask, Ermine, but I’m with you. I no longer care about his being convicted of anything. I just want him gone. I suspect he would spend all of his time playing golf and continuing to lead rallies for the faithful. He can start his own religion. I don’t care. I WANT HIM GONE.
geezenslaw
August 28, 2020
Working toward that day when I don’t just live in my sailboat at a marina. The day when sailboat puts vast amounts of sea water between me and the madness.
Life in the Boomer Lane
August 29, 2020
Now Husband, the Sailor Man, loved your comment.
The Silver Voice
August 30, 2020
A fascinating insight into the minds of Trumpites. It is a matter of amazement to those of us living across the ocean that this person, so lacking in standards and concerned only with his own ego, can represent a political party that has been around for such a long time, and not one of their major players or leaders will shout STOP, even when he threatens the democratic right to vote. We fear for the US, far from perfect, but once the leader of democratic nations. We fear for the world in the hands of this maniac.