CIVILITY, FROM AN UNCIVIL PERSPECTIVE.

     I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoy a degree of incivility. I often skirt the outer ring of civility, that is what satire does, but there is a greater service done by incivility than black humor. Incivilty at one time drew a line in the sand for what is no longer acceptable. Ironically, that haven of civility gave birth to a sense of too much power by people who do not know the limits of civility, and don't much care. These are the people who believe that cultural sensitivity (political correctness, PC) is something to belittle. And now we have forgotten the location of that line in the sand.

     Politicians are a convenient target of opportunity for humorists, satirists, and comedians. "Humor is comforting the oppressed by oppressing the comfortable." There is no better time to start oppressing the comfortable than now. In my life, where I barely remember Eisenhauer, become politically aware with JFK, conflicted over LBJ, hated Nixon, did not hate Gerald Ford, was wildly approving af Jimmy Carter, strongly disliked Reagan because of the hardline military image, vacillated between disappointment and amusement in Clinton. I grieved that Albert Gore was defeated by a trick in the election law that allows the Electoral College to overrule the plurality. I marched in the streets with signs that called, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, the Axis of Evil. Barack Obama was an inspiring leader who disappointed us liberals sometimes. But the First Lady planted an organic garden. During all of that time I was often on the outer perimeter of civility, but (I think) rarely crossed the line. 

     The time for tepid civility is over. We are confronted with the most uncivil public servant in our history, surpassing even Newt Gingerich in ferocity, equaling Joe McCarthy in malignant abusiveness. Donald Trump is the emerging power of the abusive, ugly wing of the Republican Party that was usually kept in the shadows. It must be stopped! To its shame, the party elders have taken no opportunity to trim the accidental presidents' sails. They must be held responsible for allowing this, not by weapons and bullets, but by ballots and public displays of incivility.

     This is not the time for satire, it is the time for insult, sharp and brutal. Wit that goes to the evil heart of the target and gives them only a small opportunity for redemption (I'm a liberal, after-all). Catcalls and middle-fingers are not too extreme. Throwing a drink, or soup in their face will remind them of their political adherence to party over country. To tolerate this level of incivility at the expense of race or religion, or even sexual orientation can no longer continue. This is no longer a threat to our country or liberal democracy, It is a threat to the planet, to it's very ability to nurture all life, including us. That this level of incivility was done in service to corporate oligarchs is equally disturbing. That they were joined by a country hostile to our national interests is even more distressing. We must never again let the one-tenth of one percent control our ability to give  "consent of the governed". They must never feel comfort outside their golf clubs, and there too, if possible. We must also actively engage the ugliness of fascism and white rage. Never allow them the haven of normalcy. 

     This is not the case of a public debate. There is no debate allowed if you are not a Trump supporter, and there is no debate allowed amongst the Trump supporters. Orders come down from on high. Anyone who deviates will risk being called disloyal. If you disagree, you could suffer the fate of being primaried, or vilified by the president or one of his designated spokespersons. This is NOT democracy! In truth, we have been on the road to creeping oligarchy for a long time. Trump merely put his foot on the throttle. 

     The cause is not just the Republican party, though they deserve the lions share of blame. The real villain is a handful of billionaires who have used thinktanks and other vehicles to both control the political message and elect compliant legislators. These groups started by putting people in low-level party positions and training them through organizations such as, the American Legislative Exchage Conference (ALEC). They are groups that operate below campaign finance regulations and, as their influence spread have struck down more of those regulations. We now have a core of legislators dependent on those groups for campaign funds. The term bribery comes to mind, though we have been too cautious to use it.

     We have witnessed in recent years, the complete inversion of decency. Respect for authority is not possible when those in authority use their power for self-enrichment, or worse to put their knee (metaphorically as well as physically) on the necks of the oppressed. Respect for religion is not possible when such a large percentage of the faith community buy into this libertarian version of Christianity, vacant of empathy and altruism. Respect for opinion is not possible when opinions are not supported by logic or reason, or empirical thought. At such times, civility is no longer possible.