This is what I wish we could go back to

Well, for the past few days the poor little MAGAts have been publicly lamenting the feud between Elon Musk and President Training Bra. They’ve been wishing they could go back to the good old days when those two were getting along.

Here’s what I wish we could go back to.

I wish we could go back to the good old days when politics were boring, when the president just got up in the morning and did his job.

When Congress was, for the most part, responsible and did what they were supposed to do.

When the mail arrived on time.

When the Social Security checks showed up when they were supposed to.

When America seemed to have a moral compass and stood by its allies.

When the government seemed supportive of the idea of preserving the environment and protecting us from poisons and pollution.

When the government kept an eye on corporations, who didn’t really care about us and only cared about making money.

When religious people seemed to have a moral compass, and supported people who were honest and decent instead of criminals and thieves.

When lying would have cost you an election.

When Americans were decent. When people seemed to care about each other, and what was good, and what was right, and what was best, not only for us but the country.

It just seems these days that all the politicians care about is money and power, and all the people care about is being entertained.

I would love to go back to the days when politics were boring, because that meant that when I woke up in the morning, all I had to worry about is how I could make myself a better person, and achieve my life’s ambitions.

I didn’t have to worry about the future of democracy in the country, and the fate of nations.

About the author:

Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone’s stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra’s Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year’s Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone’s comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled “December” for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman’s Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone’s novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild’s award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”

Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida’s best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.

As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn’t look a day over 94.

Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .