Did you wake up today talking in pidgin English and wearing cracked, white-pancake makeup? Congratulations! You're now living in Bizarro World, where up is down, good is bad, water flows uphill, green Kryptonite is not your problem, populists cheer presidential power grabs, and Progressives oppose centralized power.
Introduced in 1958, Bizarro Superman was a mirror-image opposite to the 'Man of Steel.' Sometimes an antagonist and sometimes an anti-hero, Bizarro represented the inverse of Superman's instincts, character, and values.
As we survey the boiling landscape of MAGA hats and anti-Trump protests, the unfolding scene strikes us as 'un-possible,' as Bizarro might say.
For many years, the two, major political parties have used the Constitution to blow their collective noses. Figuratively, I mean. Not literally. (We do keep the Constitution pretty well guarded, don't we? Gross.)
But in American politics, partisan hypocrisy is the order of the day. The partisan mind condemns an abuse of power committed by the "other party," but then rationalizes and defends such abuses committed by its own tribe. In our modern-day Bizarro World, the Hypocrisy Hokie Pokie is in full swing.
There's plenty of hypocrisy on all sides, of course — and based on the recent appointments of certain 'Swamp Dwellers' to cabinet positions, the new administration is proving no exception. But for now, just consider the army of outraged activists who have loudly — and sometimes violently — proclaimed their opposition to Donald Trump's Executive Orders, as well as their deep concern for our ever-dwindling civil liberties.
For instance, where were these protesters when the Obama administration:
- Bombed seven countries over the past eight years — actions that contributed directly to the burgeoning refugee crisis?
- Deported a record-setting 2.5 million illegal immigrants?
- Waged its unprecedented "War on Whistleblowers"?
- Established the "Presidential Kill List" -- a weekly exercise in which the President's staff condemns people to "death by drone" with no due process or oversight?
- Abolished habeas corpus with the 2012 NDAA, something even the dreaded Dubya never got around to doing?
At the risk of being falsely labeled a Homophobic, Bigoted, Sexist, Alt-Right, Nazi, Trump Supporter™, how is it 'Progressive' to grant the State the ability to kill whomever it wants, whenever it wants, for whatever reason it chooses? What's 'democratic' about indefinitely incarcerating people without due process?
If the State doing whatever it likes to whomever it wants isn't the definition of totalitarianism, what is? Sadly, few of the 'protesters' vigorously punching supposed Nazis in the streets cared a whit about the Obama administration's abuses.
Principled proponents of a free society should always oppose authoritarian powers, and in this respect, the next four years should be no different than past presidencies. But with each Presidential election, the parade of partisan hypocrisy just leaves us shaking our heads.
So remember, Dear Reader, whenever we hand coercive powers to the State, there's no telling how those powers will be used in the future — or who will wield them. And that's not bizarre — it's just common sense.
WRY GUYS STICKER — Power Corrupts
Power corrupts, freedom movement tee shirts, and this bumper sticker for independent thinkers, skeptics, and other iconoclasts.