Thoughts from the ammo line (I Will Survive editon)

[Valin]

Power Line

Scott Johnson

Apr. 12 2024

Ammo Grrrll contemplates RENEWAL AND RENAISSANCE. She writes:

Every single winter in Minnesota – and several summers here in Arizona – I have looked in dismay at the trees and other dormant, frozen, or parched foliage in my yard and said, “Well, THAT ain’t comin’ back.” And I am always wrong. It feels good to be wrong. That which looks dead and gone springs to life, warms the heart, and renews the spirit.

The tree right outside the office of famous novelist Max Cossack was a forlorn statue of thin, barren twigs, and just within the last week, it has burst into green life with an exuberance that makes it seem to say, “I was just playin’ possum! Don’t EVER bet against me again, silly Grrrll!” (“Oh yeah? Well, the tree that was there when we moved in got eaten to death by termites, so don’t get too cocky…”)

(Snip)

Maybe just a bit of historical perspective would be wise and helpful.

Take the Middle Ages. Please! Ba-dum-bum. Now, if you are unhappy with a politician, you might have four to eight years to endure his reign. Many people thought they would not “survive” eight years of “Bushitler” (because even the most milquetoast Republican is called Hitler eventually). But, you know what? They DID survive. Most even thrived.

Even more of us who did not fancy seeing our beloved country “fundamentally transformed” believed that we would not survive eight years of Obama. But, again, we DID. Those years coincided with my retirement and move to Arizona. There were many positive aspects to those years for me, including the Great Obama Ammo Drought of 2012-14 wherein I stood in line for hours waiting for scarce ammo and got my “handle” and my Friday guest column on Power Line. And being gifted at this advanced age with dozens of wonderful new friends.

Sadly, if you were born a serf in the Middle Ages, you were not looking at four or eight YEARS, but four or eight CENTURIES of misery with no relief in sight for you, your son, your granddaughter, or any of her offspring’s offspring. And forget voting out the King! In one Peasant Revolt, they came close to winning, but in the end the King promised reforms, the charismatic revolutionary leader was killed, and – are you sitting down? – the King reneged on his promises! “No, surely not,” I hear you cry! “Such a thing could never happen!”

(Snip)

But the point is that if you cry “Wolf” enough times, eventually nobody listens. Think about it – one side or the other has predicted doom and “the end of our precious democracy (sic)” during every election since I have been a voter! John McCain was going to put Whoopie Goldberg “back in chains,” remember? Ya basta! Enough!

My best advice for the long haul is do not focus overmuch on politics and screens. Cultivate new and old friends. Focus on God and family and love and things that are beautiful. Walk in nature. Listen to beautiful music, whether Brahms, Haggard, or Alison Kraus. Write in a journal. Practice gratitude and forgiveness, although not of this current Administration — at least until it repents!

And while I am all for lighting a fire under every patriot to fight like heck this election, it will not be the “end of the world” if we lose. But the good news is I don’t think we will lose. I really don’t. I see the beginning of “green up” – not the Greta Thunberg kind – where buds of hope and courage appear daily. If I am wrong, well, then we will live to fight another day, like General Washington at Valley Forge. The doomsayers who have already waved the white flag – especially so that they can say “See? I told you so” — are less than helpful. Courage!