Violent Solutions?

Lately, I’ve noticed that many of my Facebook posts and comments, in retrospect, seem to hint that I believe violence might be an effective solution to the stupidity infestation in our government.  This coming from a self-professed liberal is shocking to some of my left-wing brethren – many of whom are the quintessential tree-hugging, peace & love, Subaru-driving stereotypes in the eyes of all right wingers. That’s great. I love ‘em for that; and that’s why they’re my friends. But not all liberals fit that mold.

I’m not saying it’s now, but I believe there is a time and a place for violence.

When the Confederacy of American Rednecks was screaming to take up arms and “Take our country back” from the dark-skinned man who had occupied the White House, my response was, simply, that the “American Way” to address grievances was to wait another four years and settle it at the polls.  Well. Instead of shooting all us libs with those many guns they so cherish and ache for a reason to use, that’s what they did. So, far as I can tell, we’re no longer under that persistent threat of hordes of pickup trucks pulling up at the anti-pipeline rallies and machine-gunning us all into mass graves – but we’re all in danger, just the same. And, so are most of them. They just don’t realize it yet.

Of course, I’m talking about the healthcare situation.  Liberals, as you know, are the only sinners in America.  And sinners are the only people who get sick and die. It’s God’s will. That’s how He weeds out the bad seeds from civilization. Republican lawmakers (people who make the laws) have stated that if people lived healthy (physically and spiritually) lives, they wouldn’t get sick. If you don’t get sick, what do you need with health insurance?  These esteemed lawmakers believe that people more likely to catch one of God’s little plagues should have to pay more for health insurance than, say, that nice preacherman who lives up on that hill. Preacherman votes for esteemed lawmaker, and suggests that his congregation do the same – lest they want to end up in a fiery pit and watch their white flesh melt. What are they gonna do?

One Congressman from the great state of Idaho recently said, in response to a question from somebody at a town hall meeting “Nobody dies because they don’t have access to healthcare.”  I suggested that if someone was to pop a cap into his femoral artery and then keep paramedics and doctors from responding, he might be inclined to alter his position. But he wouldn’t die from not having access to healthcare – he’d die because his body had emptied itself of blood; and it’s necessary to have blood in one’s body to sustain life. See how that works?  But I’m not suggesting that somebody shoot the stupid son-of-a-bitch, I’m just proposing a scenario in which, in those last few minutes before he goes to meet with Jesus, he might change his mind. But, then, there’d just be another one just like him come along to take his place.  You see, our elected officials aren’t the problem. They’re merely a symptom. They are nothing more than the personification of the collective idiocy that elected them. And as long as these people are more interested in sticking it to the liberals than they are life itself, this is what we’re going to get.

I haven’t seen the numbers, so I’m only speculating, but there’s probably more of “them” who depend(ed) on ObamaCare than there were of “us.”  Will God take care of them once they don’t have insurance, and therefore can’t obtain medical attention, when needed?  Will they simply not need it, by virtue of not being “liberals”?  I think I know the answer to that.

So, what to do?

Suppose, for a moment, that the country (government) had been taken over by Christian Scientists. Nice folks, I guess, as long as they aren’t in a position to make your healthcare decisions for you. But, if you’re not a Christian Scientist, and you’re having to live by their rules, what do you do? 

Say, your wife, like mine, needs a kidney transplant. The government tells you they’ll pray for her. That’s sweet. But not all that comforting. She had insurance that would pay for it, but now they’re talking seriously about doing away with that. You’re told you can now go anywhere you want to get insurance. But the insurance companies can deny coverage – on the grounds that she already has the kidney disease (pre-existing condition). So now, you’re without insurance. And, oddly enough, the prayers haven’t improved her condition; and, oddly enough, doctors and hospitals won’t give her the transplant if somebody doesn’t pay them a shitload of money; and you don’t have, say, a million dollars in the bank to pay for it. Your fault, for not living a more frugal life.  Suppose that.

So, like those anti-Obama rednecks, yes, I can see that I’m starting to recognize the virtues of violence, in theory. But, practically-speaking, it’s still not a viable answer to this particular problem. They’re better at it, and more prepared than us. The only thing to do now is wait, and let them diminish by attrition; then go back to the polls and try again to get a government seated that has more interest in keeping its citizenry alive than they do making money for corporations.  

But I’m not going to shut up about the nimrods in office and the clueless who support them.  For whatever that’s worth.

 © Rick Baber, 2017