Snow could fall in the tropics. ‘Even a crow can fly facing upwards!’. The intense political saga that is spanning out is perhaps the ‘most disturbing and dangerous’ development that I have experienced in my lifetime. It is reminiscent of a scene in Mahabharata. After the Kurukshetra war, after all the Kauravas are killed and after Ashwathama massacres the sons of Pandavas, Sri Krishna makes a statement.
He declares to Panchali that the ultimate calamity, the war, the entire annihilation ensued not because of bad people, not because Dhritharashtra was favoring his sons, not because Duryodhana was mean and revengeful, nor because Dushysana was licentious, or of Sakuni’s cunning tactics. Krishna says, it is because the good people did not protect virtues and righteousness, that they did not stand up against the morally wrong, against malice, against avarice, and against all the evil that happened. It is because Bhishma the most revered Pithamaha, chose to side with the Kauravas, Drona, the sage teacher wanted his son to be the hero, and Karna was fuming because Arjuna took all the laurels…all of them good and virtuous people did not stand up against the wrong.
The ongoing Washington chronicle should remind us of Sri Krishna’s wise words. Spoken a Yuga away.
For whatever reasons convincing to each of the voters who chose him, we have a leader inclined to be a megalomaniac; a power-hungry, racist, sexist, deceptive, self-centered leader who would go to any length to stay there, whose only political party and interest is self against that of the country, who would trample every principle or eradicate anyone who stands in his way.
Presumably good, ethical voters chose a leader, a self-centered, habitual hypocrite with delusions of grandeur, and an abhorrence for others, who would go to any length to stay in power, whose only political party and interest is self against that of the country, and who would trample every principle or eradicate anyone who stands in his way. And sadly, the ‘good’ people continue to compromise their 120 principles, enduring and endorsing the disgrace.
The memo in question brought in by the Republicans and approved by the WH may have some validity that the FBI overlooked certain legal requirements in exposing the treasonous rascals working with foreign governments, laundering money, and committed disastrous things. All the uproar is only a means to an end that the GOP wants to donate ammunition for ‘their new-found god’ to mess with the investigation that may find him guilty. They are least concerned to find the truth; their power and personal agendas are more significant than our national interest. It does not matter if it is Comey or Rosenstein or Mueller or Straus or the FBI or DOJ, it does not matter if they were all picked and approved by their own party, they would be trashed and replaced by someone who would relish to scratch where their hero itches.
The memo in question brought in by the Republicans and approved by the WH may have some validity that the FBI overlooked certain legal requirements in exposing the treasonous rascals working with foreign governments, laundering money, and committed disastrous things. All the uproar is only a means to an end that the GOP wants to donate ammunition for ‘their new-found god’ to mess with the investigation that may find him guilty. They are least concerned to find the truth; their power and personal agendas are more significant than our national interest. It does not matter if it is Comey or Rosenstein or Mueller or Straus or the FBI or DOJ, it does not matter if they were all picked and approved by their own party, they would be trashed and replaced by someone who would relish to scratch where their hero itches.
The ‘men of god’, the priests and the evangelicals, who were vehemently eloquent about Clinton and Monica’s obscenity, are suddenly condoning the hush money paid to silence a prostitute. Many among us remain loyal to the new leader since the stock market is up, (it is tanking, sooner than I thought), the new tax laws would save us a few bucks or the Muslims would not be allowed to enter the country, or the Mexicans and the dreamers would be kicked out, or the blacks may never come out of their ghettos, or they can save the money printing food stamps. They are callous about the millions who may lose their health care coverage, or pensions or disability allowance or mortgage payments or fees remitted for their children in college. Many of us even think that certain brown skin may be considered white by the leadership. Wishful thinking! go, ask the rednecks.
All the tiny details about Ohr, Strozok, Lisa, or Steele are inconsequential. The FISA, the Fusion, the GPS, the Memo, the Russian Collusion, are all fragmented pieces of our apparently shattered system. People like Page, Manafort, Papadopoulos and Stormy Daniels are little pawn villains on the big table playing opposite the roles of bishops and rooks impersonating the likes of Comey and Mueller and Wray and FBI as the ultimate beneficiaries move their pieces sitting in their estates, golf fields, fancy aircrafts or the highest offices of the countries they rule. Suddenly, our legal system, national security, news media, freedom, democracy and all that this great country has accomplished in the last two centuries could be trampled for tyrannical objectives. The ‘United States’ is beginning to look like the ‘Banana Republic’ and a mocking stock to the rest of the world.
One could choose to be fatalistic, accepting the entire charade as an inevitable, impersonal event beyond us. Some may even choose to feel a sense of winning. But as Krishna commented, if the good people were to stand up with the right, there is hope that the Special Counsel may establish the truth. And that justice prevails!
Dr. Venugopal Menon's 'Thoughts of a Lifetime' 