Making a list and checking it twice.

March 4, 2023

Another in a series of observations of life as I know it.

The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is oft interred with their bones.

-William Shakespeare, the Tragedy of Julius Caesar.

~~~~~

I am a latter day Calvinist of sorts. Well, actually, my own version of it. That is, EVENTUALLY, bad people get their just desserts. On days when the news is filled to the brim with all of the evil that men do, I cling to the notion that there will be a major comeuppance now or in the future. In this life or the next. For good or ill, I can hold a grudge for a very long time.

Another week, another raft of crimes and calamities wrought upon the population. And the hits just keep on coming. I am not so naive to think that at some point, near or far, that there will be a cease fire of sorts. That all will be well. I fervently hope for better days ahead, and am pleasantly surprised when good conquers evil, if only for a hot second. When neighbors reach out to help one another or come to the aid of total strangers. That makes me happy. Sometimes, people pay good forward. It happens, much to my constant shock and awe. I am lucky to know many such heroes, and am grateful for every one of them.

But then, there’s the flip side. As a rule, because my memory is flawed, I make lists that may (or may not) assist me in accomplishing a task. So today, more for my own benefit than anything else, I am compiling a tally of greatest hits. The guys I have earmarked for some form of Calvinist predestination. In other words, sooner or later, these trolls are gonna get it. Bigly. I am not proud of this, but I want suffering to be part of the equation. I know that this is not mine to do. That’s ostensibly why we have the Rule of Law. I have no input. Which is why the list helps. There’s a record, probably crumpled in my coat pocket or left on my desktop where it will sit in digital perpetuity. But it will exist, and maybe someone, other than me, will pick it up and carry it forward. At least that’s my fervent prayer.

So here is my MOST WANTED list of those who I have targeted for retribution. And believe you me, I want pain to be involved. Physical or mental. I’m not picky. These twits, if I had my way, would be placed in some Hieronymus Bosch version of Hell. Add or subtract as you wish, as I will from time to time. This is a work in progress. As the kooky Lost Cause adherents down south are fond of saying, forget hell? Not gonna happen. I am just getting started.

1. Donald Trump. If I really have to explain this, then you need to spend time in private reflection.

2. Ron DeSantis. Well, Florida, you made your choice to have your right to liberty and equality excised with a sharp gator knife. You can’t say “gay”, and teachers cannot even whisper “black”, much less educate their students in actual history. And now, well, the good guv wants bloggers who write (unfavorably) about him and/or the state legislature to be “registered” with the state. Failure to do so will result in a $25 fine per day, capped at $2500. Calling Joseph Goebbels!

3. Mark Gordon, governor of Wyoming, is due to sign a total abortion ban, which would include abortion medications (approved by the FDA, by the way). No word from Liz Cheney, late of Wyoming. What a godforsaken place.

4. Walgreens drug chain. It will not distribute the so-called abortion pill in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas or Montana. States where abortion is still legal, I hasten to add. This erstwhile pharmacy is doing a carefully choreographed dance to avoid lawsuits from attorneys general in backwater regions of the nation. As Rupert Murdoch glibly said, it’s not a red or blue state decision, it’s a green one.

5. Alex Murdaugh. Check him off the list, for now. Appeals are coming, rest assured. How his legal team will be paid is anyone’s guess. The only word that constantly keeps floating to the top of the septic system is “wicked”. As in something wicked this way comes. Corrupt, evil incarnate, subhuman? The man is awful, and thank goodness a jury of his peers in the Palmetto State, found him guilty. More cases are pending. That thud you heard yesterday morning at 9:30am EST, was one of the mighty falling.

6. Greg Abbott, governor of Texas. I am not going to waste any effort here. Anyone who loads up flying cattle cars of impoverished immigrants and sends them to winter-cold blue states and the District of Columbia, should really skip Go, do not collect $200, and head straight to Hell. No get out of jail free cards for you, Greg.

7. Vladimir Putin. The Stalin wannabe. Trump has his portrait hanging near an altar at Bedminster. Putin, Xi and Kim are the newest trio of strong men who indiscriminately wave the red nuclear button when dinner isn’t served on time or the West fails to fall compliantly into place. As the world swings perilously toward the right of the global pendulum, I fear that tiny Ukraine is in mortal danger. Putin cannot be dismissed as just another crazy.

8. Kevin McCarthy. What a sniveling, simpering idiot. And a weak one at that. The man would dismember his mother if he found it expedient. He is so wimpily stupid, he displays his hand of cards backwards. Full suits clearly visible to all. He gave away 40,000 hours of tape to Fox. Need I say more? Top Secret documents can be had for your vote.

9. Fox Spews. All of them. Every single slithering asp. There is no usable gradient for bad to worse. The entire team falls into the subzero strata. The only remorse any of them feel is that they’ve been caught, red handed, by Dominion. I hope that Dominion does not elect to settle out of court, and that it asks for every dollar of current and future income, liens placed on houses and cars, and that all of it be made public. For all to examine—the wicked that men and women do.

10. George Santos. This is a late entry because I abhor stupidity. If you are going to traffic in lies, at least do it well. Cover your tracks. Show some creative flair. Santos is nothing but a dumb bum. A fool who got caught out before he could even find his office in the nether regions of the House Office Building. Even his fellow Republicans find him icky. And that, my friends, says it all.

11. Guv Bill “Cheer Girl” Lee of Tennessee. I have previously explained his stance on drag, LGBTQ issues and other minority issues, especially transgender youth. Me thinks this pretty boy may protest too much. Fortunately, Revlon has cut him off from their monthly mail order make up delivery service. There is hope.

As my high school religion teacher, Mildred Cline, used to exhort us, Read, Mark and Inwardly Digest. This list can expand exponentially, and sadly, it will. Those who cling to evil must be held to account. I am patient and can wait. As they say, vengeance is a dish best eaten cold. Dig in!

Caption: Panel three of Hieronymus Bosch’s triptych “The Garden of Earthly Delights”, depicting Hell. Museo del Prado.