Monday, November 9, 2020

Wont get Fooled Again

"Much of what they are hearing is emotionally driven, loaded words, thought stopping and thought terminating like clichés such as "Fake News", "Build the wall", and "Make America Great again".

              - Steve Hassan former Moonie from his book "The Cult of Trump"

"It is hard to befool a fool who has been fooled so many times"

               -Munia Khan

From Deadline:

The site of the infamous murder of  Leno and Rosemanry Labianca by the Charles Manson gang is back on the market. Zak Bagans, the star of  The Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures, bought the house last year when it was listed at 1.98 million. Bagan's reportedly bought the home for a film production. But while living there, he claims he decided the project should not move forward out of respect for the Labianca family. The two bedroom, two bath home is now listed for 2.2 million.

So did Zak have a legitimate change of heart? It doesn't seem that he made much of a profit on the sale so, I assume he wasn't in it for money in a real estate sense. I mean it was hardly a profitable "Flip". It just seems weird to me for a guy to all of a sudden develop morals after already going through all the work of getting the house in the first place. It also seems unlikely that  a guy who works on a show called "Ghost Adventures" got so easily spooked, and bailed for that reason. But, who knows... 

I wonder who buys it next? And, I wonder if someone buys it as an actual home or, if another person buys it for its notoriety? I really hope not. The thought that what happened there would make it an attractive place to live in for someone is a head scratcher. But you know me lol - Saint Sanctimonious right? Maybe I just don't get it in this case. Maybe it would be great to live there. Maybe I could gather with the neighbors out front every night at sunset with a 12 pack of Coors-light, and we could reminisce about the Murders. Get my dates in the mood on the couch when I tell them what happened to Leno "In this exact spot". Invite my Manson supporter friends over, and we call have beers in the kitchen and stare at the fridge. Even better, every year we can get together and, through role-play, reenact the actual crimes, videotape it and show it on the blog...

Nah lol. Not for me.  I just do not understand who could believe that buying this house because of what happened there is a good idea. Granted this guy says he bought it for a specific purpose, but I think there is a chance that maybe when he actually spent time inside, the reality of what had happened there finally sunk in. I know I would have a hard time falling asleep in that house. Just walking by that house was enough for me to satisfy my morbid curiosity, and to be honest, that sort of made me feel dirty too. (I have been to the Labianca house driveway with George Stimson, the live-in boyfriend of Sandra Good, and while there a guy was outside cutting the grass glancing over at me like I was some kind of fool.)

Others believe it is peachy keen to go there, and even further than that. And I am seeing more and more lately, that people who really wanna believe something is alright- are going to find some way or another- to believe it is alright. But I wonder sometimes if people really believe certain things, or if they are just allowing themselves to be fooled into believing something they want to believe? But, if the latter is the case, How long can one go on either fooling themselves or allowing themselves to be fooled in the name of self-interest? At what point do you get to a place where it becomes: Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice...

                             "This was the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period."

                                          - Sean Spicer (Press Secretary for President Trump in 2017)

Some people will SAY anything to suit there own purpose. I kinda always knew that. But what the last few years has taught me is that some people are willing to BELIEVE anything to suit their own purposes as well. And that is starting to get scary. I mean, you really don't have to work very hard to fool people who want to be fooled. But how often can you let yourself get fooled before you become... well, a fool? 

Sandy and Squeaky used to really perplex me. To listen to the things they spew, one has to suspend reality to believe that even they understand half of what comes out of their mouths. How could they keep repeating the same old tired lines (Lies?) that Charlie told them when they were naïve, young, and wasted? Didn't they see how they looked and sounded to the rest of us, I used to wonder? I kept asking myself how they became so brain washed in such a short amount of time? But then Donald Trump came along, and I saw grown adults who were not young, wasted, or naïve start to steadily repeat some really ridiculous lines (Lies?) after hearing the President create those lines (Lies?). And Trump was able to cultivate that in just as short a time. 

I really am shocked almost as much by how far the Trumpeteers will go to support Donald, as I am by anything the Manson followers have said in agreement with Charlie. When our President says its o.k. for him to grab a woman by the P.... and then I see a woman wearing a shirt that says, yes he sure can-  Well, I start to become intrigued with the phenomena a little more.

As I started to think about this, I realized that there are some fair comparisons between the leadership styles of both Charles Manson and the  President of the United States. What are the qualities that draw their supporters to them?  Lets take a quick look at just a few:

Charlie preached that Blackie was going to go into the rich cities and terrorize everyone when H/S started, and Trump promises if Biden wins that the Democrats will build affordable housing in the suburbs and it will destroy them. In other words, black people will come into your community and ruin it, along with your property value. In both cases they are using fear to drive home their points. Specifically- fear of the black man. Trump stokes fear and tells the "Proud Boys" to "stand by" for the impending battle. Charlie taught his people to prepare for the impending war. Everyone said that fear was a major factor in Charlies manipulation and Historians will write the same of Trump.

Charlie preached that he was the only one who could find the black hole to salvation, and of course Trump and Trump alone can fix it. Without him, the suburbs will burn- our economy will fail, the Mexicans will come over and rape and kill us, China will take over, our military will deplete, In other words, without him to guide us to safety- we are headed for his version of the end of life as we know it, just as Charlie has his people believing he was the only one who could deliver them to salvation.

Both have a lust for young girls. Charlie asked several of the girls if they ever had sex with their own fathers, and Trump has said that if Ivanka was not his daughter- they would probably be dating. Charlie was not beyond raping and sexually assaulting girls who he felt entitled to, and Trump has about 17 woman currently accusing him of the same. 

Both demand complete loyalty from their followers and dissent, of any kind, is not tolerated. Charlie chased off, or worse- anyone who did not go along with the program, and others just ran out of fear. Trump of course, fires his own administration and appointees at a rate we have never seen, and that's never enough. He also wants most of them arrested, or broken financially. Unless, as with the Family, they were one of the smart ones who fled immediately when they saw what was going on. Both Charlie and Trump had people bail on them when they understood who the person giving the orders REALLY was.

Charlie and The Donald both love to be the center of attention. Charlie would sit at head of table at meals, or on the rock behind the ranch and hold court with his people gathered around. Trumps favorite activity in the entire world are his rally's where he can preach to his believer's and bask in there adulation. If you fell asleep or disrespected a Charlie rap- you could get a shot in the head. If you do that to Trump- he orders the crowd to do it for him, and he will pay the legal bills.

Both displayed blatant racist characteristics that may have stemmed from pops. I have read Charlies racism may have been rooted in issues he had from potentially having had a black father. Maybe- maybe not. Donald Trump's father was once arrested while participating at a KKK event in New York. Perhaps Donny was raised that way. Perhaps not, But, whatever the reason, both have shown in actions and words that they had less respect for people of certain persuasions.

Charlie had his trusted Family lieutenants in Bruce and Tex. Trump always keeps a couple of people close who do his dirty work like Rudi, and Michael Cohen, and  his own Family lieutenants Jared and Donald Jr.  They both even had similar Family idiots in Eric and Clem. 

Ultimately, neither really cared about their followers very much for all the loyalty they were given. Trump has told people the only good thing about the virus is that he doesn't have to shake the hands of the people who are risking their lives to see him. Charlie was totally willing to let the others take the fall when it came time for the trial. They both can turn on the charm in private moments, but also both always put there own interests above those of the group whenever choices were presented.

Look, maybe you think comparing Charles Manson and Donald Trump is not fair. (To which one I wonder?) But in my opinion comparing their supporters obsession is...

"He never represented himself as Jesus Christ, he just represented himself as a Christ-like person to me"

      -Susan Atkins

"Mr. President. I know there are people who say that you say you are the chosen one. If you are a believing Christian, you understand Gods plan for the people who rule and judge over us on this planet in our government."

     - Former Energy Secretary Rick Perry

The lesson I am learning these last few years is not that Trump and Charlie said and did what they did. I know a con-man when I see or hear one.  It is that their people believe so fervently in it. People will fight for it. Die for it in some cases. They are not only unwilling to objectively listen and evaluate what comes out of the mouths of Charlie and Trump-  they accept it without question and repeat it tirelessly, and then adopt the lines (Lies?) as their own. That part, I still don't get. Charlie had people who would die for his beliefs (did Charlie really even believe them?) and murder at his command. Is Trump not having the same influence when he tells people in the age of Corona not to wear masks and practice safe social distancing? Telling people the virus is going away, and no big deal? How many people risk the lives of themselves and their families to prove to Trump how tough they are by rebelling against the science? (We know Trump doesn't believe the virus is no big deal- he told Bob Woodward he knew it was)  In both of these cases there is a very good that chance their supporters put the their lives and reputations on the line, and gave up there individuality, for a set of beliefs that were dictated to them by two men who really didn't have any real personal convictions to those beliefs themselves. They were literally just a set of stories they told which served their purposes at that specific time. Helter Skelter was a beneficial bullshit story for Charlie at that time. It served its purpose for him. It got everyone on his page. Covid being gone is good for Trump, The economy can't break records if people are getting sick, so people just aren't getting sick. That is all you need to know. End of story.

In both cases- No analytical thought or questions asked, No real, honest answers needed. Nothing complicated or sophisticated to sort through here folks lol. Both of these guys just say or do what is good for them at the moment, and they both found a group of people who accept it, repeat it, and fight for it like life depends on it. It leaves me asking myself over and over: Are these people all being unwillingly fooled? Or, is there just something inside some people that drives them to be around people Like Charlie and Trump regardless of what they know is the truth. So it becomes, for all intents and purposes, If Charlie or Trump said it- it is the truth. Period.  Just like Sean Spicer said.

Obvious contradictions be damned, Facts be damned, right and wrong be damned. Alternate realities. Alternate truths. No sense makes sense. 

Sigh, It all just sounds so very foolish to me....

-Your Favorite Saint