I know it is not a good idea to ask people about their age, but I can reveal mine with impunity. This weekend is the 30th high school reunion. I attended the 10th and 25th. I imagine it will end up being about the same. It comes with a ton of mixed emotions that range from nostalgia, joy at seeing friends nearly forgotten, schadenfreude, and finally sadness.

The sadness comes from seeing what time has done to some people that were close friends in school. I remember having a running conversation with one of them prior to the last election. I think we got to the point where we were talking about the riots and I brought up the story about Trump supporters running Biden’s bus off the road along with the fact that a good portion of the damage in these “riots” was actually done by right wing extremist groups. That apparently was the last straw. We have not spoken since.

Obviously, within the conversation an obvious statement was made. I cannot condone anyone that hurts others or damages property. It was then that I discovered the extent of what had happened. Even though my friend was not a part of those right wing efforts or January 6th, he felt a kin to them and identified with them. So, when I started to criticize them it felt to him like I was criticizing him. If they were deplorable then he was deplorable. That sparked the reaction I got.

The 45th president has continually stoked this along the way. His message seems simple. All of this going on right now is a witch hunt and if they can put him in jail for specious charges then they can do the same to you. If you identify with the former president then it almost feels like they have indicted you. It feels like you are going to jail. They are persecuting you for merely being conservative. Let’s ignore the fact that 45 is not conservative. Let’s ignore the fact that 45 really doesn’t care about his followers. Let’s ignore the fact that he really has committed numerous crimes and wakes up out of bed committing more each day. You will never convince them of that because they have become so wrapped up in it that saying these things about him means you are saying it about them.

This is where the flip side comes in. They continually attack Hunter Biden and Joe Biden because they assume we are the same. They poke fun at him for his age. They question his support because no one carries a Biden flag or wears a Biden shirt. They are confused by this. Do I care that there was cocaine in the White House? Sure, I’d like to know that everyone working for the president is sober. Do I think it belonged to Hunter? Honestly I don’t. It may not have even belonged to a staff member. It was in a place where numerous people from the public could have left it.

Yet, here’s the difference. If it did belong to Hunter then he should go to jail. If it did belong to Joe then he needs to be impeached. If it belonged to a staffer then that staffer should be fired. It’s really that simple. We should definitely investigate this and not just assume anything. Our identity is not wrapped up in who we voted for. It can’t be. For those that find themselves attached to a politician, we really can’t help them anymore. We have to let it go. For those at the reunion, it just means talking about the past. The future for them is all too bleak anyway.