As a graduation present a few decades ago I got a nice watch- a work of art, really, with a transparent face and back crystal that allowed you to see the precision mechanisms at work. I could look at it and marvel at the precision and beauty of it- the detail of the gears, the spring, the jewels- crafted for function and beauty and excelling at both.

Sometimes looking at the inner workings of a machine can transform it from a functional thing you never think about, into a source of endless fascination- a computer with its sub-microscopic circuits, a steam engine, a laser… all become a thing of beauty when you look at their inner workings up close.

Lately, as I am sure you have noticed, the inner workings of a machine we all know have become exposed to clear view in ways we have never witnessed before… much to my disappointment, however, there is no beauty, no subtlety, no craftsmanship to be seen. No delicate mechanisms or gears… instead all that has been exposed to our eyes is the equivalent of a syphilitic squirrel running itself to death on a rusty wheel in order to keep the machine limping along.

The republican outrage machine is lurching wildly from one perceived insult to another- rattling down one track of grievance at full tilt until it jumps the track and bounces onto another… madly screeching away in an insane effort to distract itself from what it has done.

“TRANS KIDS ARE OUT TO RUIN YOUR ‘NORMAL’ KIDS’ SPORTS!”
“KAMALA DARED TO SAY ‘ENJOY THE LONG WEEKEND!’”
“CRITICAL RACE THEORY IS BRAINWASHING OUR CHILDREN!”

All an effort to distract from the fact that the outrage machine with it’s lies and hatred brewed up the violent insurrection on January 6th.

The bemusing thing about it all is that it seems to be working… Half of republicans believe that the January 6th insurrection was actually the work of antifa rioters- despite the 100′s of arrests of violent Trump supporters who proudly boast of their acts.

I don’t know where this machine will take our country, but I am pretty sure it won’t be a thing of beauty.
In fact, it is quite ugly now, with innocent people being chewed up in the gears…
And from the look of it, that syphilitic squirrel isn’t getting tired any time soon.