TERRY MOSHER
TOP OF THE TOWN – As I think about what is happening to us I come back to 1966 when Joni Mitchell wrote and sang “The Circle Game” which Tom Rush made famous in his 1968 The Circle Game album. The song talks about how we as kids explore the wonder of life and dream of what is ahead for us. We can’t go back but can look back at where we came from. This song is germane to what is happening to us today and we wonder what is going to happen to us in all the tomorrows. We are firmly in the grip of the far-right extremists from state legislatures to Congress to federal and district courts and, yes, from conservative evangelicals who claim they are the true followers of God but for me are phony baloneys.
“Yesterday a child came out to wander
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star
And the seasons, they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return, we can only look
Behind, from where we came
And go round and round and round, in the circle game
The Supreme Court’s decisions the past few days, overturning Roe vs Wade and restricting the power of the EPA’s ability to fight climate change are damaging to humanity and I’m afraid there is more to come, especially on voting rights. This court with its 6-3 conservative majority is showing itself as we feared it would. But they are even more frightening than I could imagine. We will be living in Afghanistan if the court continues down this strict right way path. What is even more frightening is the cult of 45 that has taken over the Republican Party and washed over state legislatures in most red states. Our election system is under attack from them, reminding some of us of the early days of the Nazi takeover in Germany and the rise of Hitler and the following World War II.
Then the child moved ten times round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like, “When you’re older” must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams
And the seasons, they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return, we can only look
Behind, from where we came
And go round and round and round, in the circle game
What is really happening is we are in a revolution, although most of us don’t know it. The court, 45 and his allies and the Republican Party along with the extreme evangelicals are transforming our governmental structure, or attempting to do so. So far they are winning. There have been behind the scenes efforts to reshape our election systems to make it easier for Republicans to win. Or, I should say, easier to cheat and make sure they win.
16 springs and 16 summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels through the town
And they tell him, “Take your time, it won’t be long now
‘Til you drag your feet to slow the circles down”
And the seasons, they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return, we can only look
Behind, from where we came
And go round and round and round, in the circle game
The revelations revealed in the last public hearing of the Jan. 6 Select Committee that 45 and his allies planned the invasion of the Capitol in a coup aimed at keeping 45 in power was devastating to 45 and added horror to most Americans who take for granted democracy will always be around. This hearing showed how fragile our democracy really is. Nobody had tested it like 45 did, and continues to do. Nixon didn’t attempt a coup. He tried to stay in power but when exposed he gave up and resigned. This man (45) will not quit, he will not say no to anything. As was exposed in this hearing he could have cared less about his vice president. He wanted to send his armed goons to the Capitol to kill his vice president and any of the Democrat lawmakers they could find, especially Nancy Pelosi.
So the years spin by and now the boy is 20
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There’ll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through
And the seasons, they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return, we can only look
Behind, from where we came
And go round and round and round, in the circle game
And go round and round and round, in the circle game
I don’t know about you, but I’m old enough that I could escape the coming gloom and doom by dying if this far-right trend continues and if 45 or somebody like 45 reaches the top spot, the White House. That helps me, but you may be in trouble if this plays out as it looks like right now. It’s pretty clear to me Joe Biden will not be reelected if he still chooses to run, so that leaves the field wide open for a new person to make a power grab besides 45, who should be in prison not readying to make another run for President. I think some of his followers are tired of him and if I was to bet, and I’m not a betting man, I would bet Ron DeSantis will be the next President. The Florida governor is not a good guy. He is like 45 only smarter and smoother, but is still dangerous. But, then, just about everything I see on the horizon is dangerous from a radical Supreme Court to a Nazified Republican Party that has more weirdoes in it than a clown show. But, hey, don’t take my word for it. Do your own research. And try to stay safe.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are loved.