On Thoreau's prescience, Hiding in Plain Sight

This month I've added readings from Thoreau and the Art of Life: Precepts and Principles to my morning meditations. Today's readings were from a section on "Human Society and  Culture." There was printed, inter alia, one — Journal entry, 1854

Who can be serene in a country where both rulers and ruled are without principle? The remembrance of the baseness of politicians spoils my walks. My thoughts are murder to the state; I endeavor in vain to observe nature; my thoughts involuntarily go plotting against the  State. I trust that all just men will conspire.

Therein Mr. Thoreau has captured much of the anger and frustration many of us experience these days of the tRUMP regime and the new coronavirus. Fortunately, we have our own contemporary version of a Thoreauvian perspective, if we've sense enough and backbone left to listen. Sarah Kendzior has a new book, published day before yesterday. It's about "The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America." Since I didn't receive a prepublication review copy, I've not read it yet, but I did read, several years ago, her previous publication The View from Flyover Country. Based on that, and the KIRKUS Review's assessment ("A passionate call for immediate action against the “transnational crime syndicate” that has supplanted the U.S."), I plan on reading Hiding In Plain Sight well before election day. (In fact, I hereby request that any member of my family reading this get me a copy for a birthday or father's day present.) I'm hopeful that a careful read will offer insights into how we can successfully evict a failed real estate developer slumlord from the White House and make a corporate-dominated Congress more responsive to real people than it is to corporate "persons." I trust that all just people will conspire.

Meanwhile, have you watched any of the "transnational crime syndicate"'s daily briefings (political rallies) on the  coronavirus? I haven't. In fact, I think the media is doing us all a significant disservice by covering these events that appear to be intended to do little more than keep "dear leader's" name and orange face in front of us. I've not been able to confirm the source, but I did come across what's reported to be a transcript from one of the recent briefings, with "himself" answering a question from a member of the  media. Read it for yourself and see if you really think we should suffer through a second term of this.

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves 

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: 

All mimsy were the borogoves, 

      And the mome raths outgrabe. 

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son! 

      The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! 

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun 

      The frumious Bandersnatch!” 

He took his vorpal sword in hand; 

      Long time the manxome foe he sought— 

So rested he by the Tumtum tree 

      And stood awhile in thought. 

And, as in uffish thought he stood, 

      The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, 

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, 

      And burbled as it came! 

One, two! One, two! And through and through 

      The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! 

He left it dead, and with its head 

      He went galumphing back. 

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? 

      Come to my arms, my beamish boy! 

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” 

      He chortled in his joy. 

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves 

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: 

All mimsy were the borogoves, 

      And the mome raths outgrabe.

(I bet you recognized the preceding is actually:)

Jabberwocky

By Lewis Carroll