At War With A Nameless, Faceless Enemy

 

We hear so much about the "deep state" and no doubt many may wonder what it is or even whether or not such a thing really exists. 

But anyone who's worked in a modern large organization can begin to fathom how such a shadow entity can develop, grow and amass pervasive power.

So, Yes -- there really is a Deep State! And it's inhabited by real people. But who are these deep staters?

Well, they're often nameless and faceless. 

They're bureaucrats and functionaries. And their jobs amount to simply keeping their jobs. Nothing more and nothing less. Their own survival and the survival of their veiled power and the system they've developed to attain and keep that power is all they really care about. That is their raison d'etré.  

What's more, they seem not to really believe in anything -- no core beliefs or grounding principles other than power and, if they are public servants, big government. All too often, it appears as if they could be working for any bureau or organization anywhere. And many of them do appear to have no particular allegiance or individuality. They are like interchangeable parts that just keep the big, ugly, oppressive power machine running and keep its potentates fat and happy.

They are hired hands, yes. But they are not necessarily there for any one person, for a cause, for some genuine belief or principle or (perish the thought!) for some greater good. They wouldn't know from that. In Washington, they've become a new nihilistic tribe of takers who pose as policy wonks, technicians, directors, managers, schedulers, handlers, unnamed sources, paper shufflers and quick-change artists.

It's sad that our "leaders" have apparently turned themselves over to this dreary, soulless lot. 

To call these hollow lackeys "numb" would be a compliment. Most of them don't even realize how insulting and patronizing their mere presence is. After all, they can't be blamed for anything. Don't you know? They're just doing their jobs!  And when your job is simply keeping your job and perpetuating your power, this spawns an enormous amount of malice and damage because, ultimately, you're a parasite. 

These sycophants are now everywhere. They inhabit whole buildings wherever you find government, such as it is. They're an industry in Washington. They've pretty much taken over Capitol Hill but you'll also find them near government agencies throughout the country, in state capitals, amidst lobbyists and consultants, among the military, in the military-industrial complex, within think tanks, foundations and academia, in the financial community, within large corporations, within the judicial system and certainly among the media. These sorts of places are their breeding grounds.  And they feed off one another - or one another's carcasses. 

But it gets even worse as these bureaucratic phantoms are now supercharged bots front loaded with artificial intelligence.

The emergence of this new elite (with its frightening emerging tools) that exists solely for the benefit of the establishment and its court, has contributed to the immense alienation of the people from their government and, indeed, from all mega entities. These vacuous apologists have helped to bring about the pervasive sense of anger and frustration that people now feel. Ordinary citizens know that they have been patronized, deceived, manipulated and effectively locked out. And the attendant cynicism in the land is epidemic. Peggy Noonan says these sorts of people spread the contagion of cynicism. Here's how she puts it: 

"Anything that increases public cynicism in America is, at this point, a very particular and damaging sin. It spreads an air of social defeatism. It saps the civic will. It makes earnest and trusting people feel like dopes and dupes. It makes trusting parents look clueless to their children.

"Cynicism is also a virus. Once everyone knows nothing is on the square, as they used to say, they too become more corrupt just to maintain their position.
"Cynicism doesn’t just make everything worse; it creates a new kind of bad. It kills, for instance, the idea of merit. You don’t rise through talent and effort; you rise through lies, connections, silence, the rules of the gang. That gives the young an unearned bitterness. That is a terrible thing for adults to do, to deprive the young of the idealism that helps them rise cleanly and with point."

Is there a more cynical, calculating, powerful elite in America today than the likes of the Obamas, the Clintons, the Bidens and their enablers in corporate America, academia and the media?

Is it any wonder then that a huge army of people are outraged?

What was surprising in 2016 was that someone actually came along and dared to give voice to what ordinary people knew; what they were thinking; what they were saying; what they were telling one another. With a refreshing disdain for the elites and their empty-suit minions, Donald Trump basically told the establishment to eff off. How did he get to this point? How did he do it? Well, he seems to be a shrewd businessman with a very keen BS detector. He knows mediocrity when he sees it. He doesn't want "I just work here" people on his staff. Apparently, he doesn't want them anywhere near him. That does not seem to be the way he built his business. That does not seem to be the way he operates.

And he's been there, he's done that. After all, Trump said this in his acceptance speech: "Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it. I have seen firsthand how the system is rigged against our citizens." And Trump nailed it again when he said this: "America is a nation of believers, dreamers, and strivers that is being led by a group of censors, critics, and cynics."

Understand, we've never viewed Donald J. Trump as a full-fledged panacea. He's been a flawed leader -- at best, a diamond-in-the-rough. But he was aptly suited to the times -- times that still make him a significant national figure commanding huge allegiance. 

Is it any wonder that all the might of federal law enforcement seems to have been marshaled against this man -- that the most powerful entities in our nation appear determined to take him down? But Trump will not go quietly and he is the master of surprise -- of defiance and disruption.

This is why Trump confounds his enemies. He's not clinical. He doesn't follow their formula. He doesn't determine what to say or do according to polls. He's resistant to handlers and suspicious of pre-prepared talking points and those who manufacture them. He never met a teleprompter he could cozy up to.  He's relentlessly unpredictable and this delights ordinary people from whom he takes his cue -- the ones he calls "the forgotten Americans."

You remember those Americans, don't you?
They're the ones who actually believe in something. The ones who still think American should stand for something. The ones who still actually pray, who raise families, who pay the bills, who care about and think about and worry about the future, who take responsibility, work hard and help one another. The ones who don't "just work here."

Let's hope there are still enough of us to make a difference!