Careless Cruelty
A little perspective:
Joe Biden called what was recently said about John McCain at a White House staff meeting (that he's dying anyway so why worry about how he would vote) "rock bottom".
It wasn't.
That comment; that casual dismissal of the life and death of a good man as no longer relevant because he won't be able to vote against the Trumpers for much longer, is merely the harm being done to vulnerable Americans every day finally trickling UP to the powerful.
John McCain is ending his days surrounded by family and friends, and such casual cruelty won't hurt him. Millions of people are being hurt, and even killed, by the policies and by the Knock-the-Crap-outta-them attitude Trump signals his followers to adopt.
Children of immigrants are being separated from their parents. Trump wants to take money away from children's medicine to help pay for his own tax cut! He and the GOP are trying to gut medicaid, which will leave millions without access to affordable medicine. As a major Ebola epidemic appears to be ramping up in Congo, Trump is slashing US aid to fight it!
Mr "We should do way worse than waterboarding" wants a former torture administrator running the CIA. Trump just repealed the protection for thousands of Hondurans who have been living and working here since they had to flee their homeland. He eliminated funding for after-school programs, for crying out loud, saying they don't accomplish anything when every study shows that they do. He is attacking Native American health care and recently rescinded a transgender policy for no other reason than that he apparently likes to hurt people.
These and so many other policies large and small will harm people: financially, emotionally, and physically.
People. Will. Die.
I think what was said about McCain was sleazy and saddening, as is the fact that the democratic party is defending him far more strongly than the Republicans are. (Well, when you have outlived your usefulness to them, they leave even their heros dying by the side of the road).
But let's be honest: John McCain doesn't need those jerks or their kind regard. Millions of Americans and suffering people around the world DO. Basic decency toward senator McCain won't save his life. It *could* save the life of many, many other people. But they won't get it.
And THAT is the bottom of the barrel.
Tracy Meisky is a poet, writer, singer, songwriter and all-around boat rocker from way back. Feel free to look around, but if you break it, you bought it.