Rest

As our very own GBurg reminded us, the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice. And as I responded: And it wears you the fuck out.

With the fall of the Soviet Union, Americans were denied an external enemy against which to unite. Islamist terrorism never really took its place, just putting up never-ending brushfire wars. This allowed the internal divisions which were papered over in the long, twilight struggle against communism to burst out, as left and right fought to define what the country would be. The liberal left fought within the strictures of the Constitution and our political traditions. But the conservative right, bit by bit, became more and more unhinged, as it increasingly cast off any restrictions to their quest for power. It didn't seek power to serve its constituents; it sought power for its own sake, like The Party in Nineteen Eighty-four. And to this end, it attracted the absolutely worst people, people who had no allegiance to a democratic republic, and the compromise that requires. 

Donald Trump wasn't the cause of this. He was the most severe symptom. The disease predated him, and will continue after he's in prison or living on the street after being bankrupted. 

This is the long, twilight struggle, redux. It began against fascism. Then it changed to stand against communism. And now it's back to confronting the reemergence of the Fascist shadow. Evil will never be fully defeated. What we can hope for is to beat it to such a degree that it withers to insignificance, a curiosity against which we have to guard against an irruption.

It's an indication of the pathology under which our society suffers that, in the history of this Republic, there have been four impeachments, and two of them belong to the current occupant of the West Wing. Trump was HL Mencken's aphorism come to life. It will be our struggle to beat back this new shadow.

But we have no other choice, unless we want to live on our knees. There are things worth fighting and dying for. Our freedom is one such thing.

However, for today: Rest. Savor the hard-fought victory. We have many more battles ahead of us. We'll have defeats. But do trust that the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice, if we make it bend so. Any life worth having is not for the timid. 

But, for today: Rest. And breathe. The fight continues.