No mercy for horn-hat man . . .

 Dear you,

My friend Eric and I decided the theme/motto for 2021 should be #NoMercy.

Considering yesterday’s Trump show at the Capitol, our motto is on point.  Trump’s White Nationalist base and the politicians who support them deserve zero mercy.  There it was, on the screen in real time, vulgar, domestic terrorism.  And what on Earth was the dude featured in the photo (above) doing?  What is up with the horns?  He looks ridiculous. He is ridiculous. I do not want to work it out with this man. I do not want to accommodate his barbaric fears and ignorance. He is to be resisted and restrained. As for his political enablers, consider my congressman, Matt Gaetz.  Last night, after the chaos, he still objected to democracy. He looked ridiculous.  He is ridiculous.  Where is his horn hat? He might as well dress the part. Stunningly, sixty percent of voters in my district support Matt. Are all these Panhandle supporters as vile as Trump’s Capitol Riot Crew?  Why, why, would a sane and civilized human being bend that way? The truth is a good number of this voting base is just following the lead of their clan, their corrupt pastors, or believing whatever crazy Aunt June posts on Facebook.  Some among them are like the young man I encountered yesterday.  He works the customer service counter at Publix near Blue Mountain Beach; we met when things were really getting ugly in the Capitol.

Me:  Hi.  May I have four packs of Capri menthol, long blue?  Oh, by the way, how are you holding up during the coup?

Him:  I’m sorry mam?  During what?

Me:  Right now, Trump supporters are storming the Capitol to shut down the certification of Biden’s win.

Him:  That sounds bad! 

Me:  Yeah.  We saw it coming.

(Young man walks away shaking his head to get my cigarettes.  He returns.)

Him:  Here you go.  Anything else?

Me:  Thank you.  Yes, there is something else.  Don’t support our congressman, Matt Gaetz.  He is part of this nonsense.  He lies to you and doesn’t give a damn about your life.

Him:  I think I voted for him.  My family told me to always vote for the “R”.  I really don’t know much about all that.  I just work my hours and go home.

Me:  You are very young.  Where are you hoping to go next?  School, travel, the military?

Him:  I haven’t thought about that. 

Me:  Well, good luck!  Thank you!

(He smiles. I leave.)

I am concerned about “him”.  I am concerned about every person who is stuck, just knocking out hours and going home.  These are the victims of Gaetz.  For them, I say #HaveMercy. No mercy for the assholes in their laughable MAGA hats.  No mercy for the white trash vandalizing the Capitol yesterday.  But here, in this place that I am, I know I must have mercy for “hims” (or “hers”) like this guy.  Unwittingly complicit and unwittingly victimized.  Matt Gaetz and company want to cement young ones like him in place, serving a vampiric economy.  He just does not know.  He means no harm.  He is not the problem. And as I move forward, committed to my #NoMercy approach to Trumpers in 2021, I must be specific.  I must have mercy and not give up on the inexperienced, the uninformed, the stuck. Any given “him” is not necessarily a part of “them”.  It is just hard sometimes, especially after days like yesterday, to be specific. To be merciful. To be temperate.  I will do my best. However, as for “them”, #NoMercy, especially for horn-hat man and Matty Gaetz.

Please consider embracing this specifically applied theme too as we finally rise in 2021.

Love,

Joyce