Cruelty, Killing and Lies

 

 

A view from my bedroom door.

I woke in my Geneva flat next to my adorable dog and my beloved husband. He was scrolling his phone for messages to help him arrange his day.

I reach for my book. There's no need to rush. We have no morning deadlines so we can take our time and enjoy the little things of the day: a cup of tea, a meal bought from Les Halles in downtown Geneva, perhaps a Netflix, more reading, playing with the dog.

Outside rain falls gently. My view is of bushes and a plum tree. It will drop sweet fruit in a few months. The leaves are still. In some of the winds we have had recently, they danced as if possessed. It is a great analogy for the contrast of my feelings: personal calm but chaos around me.

It's like all is right with the world, but it isn't.

When I put on the news, I hear two Israeli embassy staff members were shot and killed in D.C. They're a beautiful young couple about to announce their engagement. CNN focuses on their lost future. The pain of their families is unimaginable. 

In contrast, I think of the 50,000+ people killed in the Gaza genocide. Why aren't there pictures and stories of individuals who have died given similar attention? Is to die by a one-man shooting worse than having a bomb dropped on you?  Then there's the Gaza starvation and the babies that even if rescued will suffer with development problems. Food and help are just outside the borders, but are not being allowed to help.

Lost dreams aren't just for one group of people.

The news then goes to Trump lecturing the South African President. They sit in the same chairs where other guest White House dignitaries have sat: the guest to the left, Trump to the right. Wood is ready for a fire in the gold trimmed, white fireplace between them. Cabinet members sit in a semicircular around the two men.

Trump attacks him with lies about the genocide in South Africa. Trump has already saved some white Afrikaners from an alleged genocide. He has not saved anyone from Gaza and he has also wanted to deport other refugees including some of the Afghans who helped American troops seeking refuge in the U.S. I guess they don't count because they are not white Christians. Fake genocides call for more action than real genocides.

No need to go into the diplomatic rudeness of attacking visiting leaders from other countries before the press. 

The TV switches to the Big Beautiful Budget Bill or as my husband calls it the Billionaires Boondoggle Bill. That is the one that will kill people too, who will not be able to afford medical care, who want to breathe clean air, who wish to drink clean water and to eat safe food. Silly people.

The U.S. now claim that they can't afford things like scientists who will take their talent to other countries. No need to have weather warnings and after a disaster, FEMAs ability to help those who have lost everything is compromised.   

Ordinary U.S. citizens when they are tossing in the beds at night and are worried about paying increased taxes can take comfort knowing how much better off the rich will be. They can take patriotic pleasure in a multi-million dollar military parade rather than fund vital services. And how happy they will be in the knowledge that their hard-earned tax dollars will allow the president to have relaxation time on the golf course. 

If they are worried about their own jobs, safety at work, lack of union protection, they can be reassured that Trump will be increasing his own wealth. Netanyahou said today that he will continue until Israel will reach its goals and implied that Trump's plan to turn Gaza into a resort is possible. Oh happy days.

It doesn't matter that bond market investors, those who lend money to the U.S. are signalling that the U.S. is an unacceptable risk. 

It doesn't matter that the Billionaires Boondoggle Bill will add trillions to the national debt. My memory must be slipping because I've heard Republicans whinging about having to cut the national debt. 

Wait!

They now have to spend lots and lots of money to fix a gift plane. 

And there's that great idea to have a $175 billion defense shield against an enemy in a future attack.A variation known as Star Wars was proposed by Reagan only to be debunked. I guess its okay to make people safe from things that might or might not happen when they aren't safe from ordinary things in their daily lives. 

As I write this, Rick is doing his own writing. The dog naps after a walk. The trees do not move. The rain has stopped. There is no chaos in our personal life. We have to fight to not let the catastrophe around us destroy us.