This Missing Person

Maybe there’s been too much talk about Donald Trump lately. But it seems just so darn hard to not have a little chin wag about our swooshy-haired “Trumpeter,” doesn’t it? Even though he is more than capable of blowing his own diamond encrusted horn.

Whether he’s rewriting history, starting new fashion trends for immigrants or just spreading the love amongst African-Americans at the Trump Tower of Power, Mr. Trump seems to be, well, stealing the limelight…from unsuspecting, poor lightbulb owners, and making a cheaper form of offshore limelight, ignoring all quality control on said limelight and then selling his limelight back to you at its most expensive. Your time.

Folks, maybe we should shift focus here a little, open up the dialogue, and be a bit more, I dunno, open-y. Maybe we should not talk exclusively about Mr. Trump and just throw caution to the impending winds of apocalyptic hellfire, and talk about both the people who support Donald and whoever those other people are – I believe they call themselves “other candidates.”

Peoples, America is a free speech haven. We know that. If you want to say I am a lanky 6'2" when I am really a spanky 5'11", that’s your right. I can even argue with you, but I choose not to. (I’m both, by the way.) But what if you start telling everyone I’m 10 feet tall? (I used to be.) That’s a lie, isn’t it…when I’m not on TV? I mean, what if people started to believe you? There’s no more comfortable elevator rides for me…according to you. No more shriner’s cars…according to you. No more challenging tree climbs in Central Park during my time off. Something I love to do, so I can practice my suspended yoga somewhere.

Some of the news anchors and reporters on the Right have been wonderin’ about their stretchy speechifyin’ lately, pulling back from their more common position that their words matter, even have an effect, especially in light of the tragedy in Colorado last week.

Vicki Cowart, president of Planned Parenthood for the Rocky Mountain region, is quoted on AlterNet as saying, “We’ve seen an alarming increase in hateful rhetoric and smear campaigns [and] [t]hat environment breeds acts of violence.”

Now, that remains a giant chasm between words and action and, hopefully, those that don’t get that will, well, fall into a giant chasm. But even the Republican’s own candidate, Ben Carson, remarked on the remarkably neutral (#wink) Face the Nation that “[t]here’s no question the hateful rhetoric exacerbates the situation.” Exacerbates not causes.

But perhaps something can be said about the environment created over time by all this nasty talk, mostly in the media. Maybe words do have an effect, over time; perhaps no one knows this more than famous Bible people like Noah, Moses, and celebrities. (Watch an interview.) What happens when these trash talk environments are constantly recreated, over and over again…Housewives of Atlanta?

And it’s a long held belief among Christians that the word, mostly in the Bible, is a powerful thing: “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not.” (God’s words. Not mine. Although you can stream this episode starting tomorrow, so…just sayin’.) But they are a powerful thing anywhere, folks, grounded in a religious tradition or not. And we’re here now, un-passed away, and that means our words, too. That’s the truth…from a 6'4" man.