The Deep State from Rattlesnake Ridge

The Shadows We Cast Haiku

The Deep State from Rattlesnake Ridge

This week, between caring for Alice who came down with a stomach flu on New Year’s eve and bringing in enough firewood to keep the woodstove cranking as I watched the thermometer plunge from zero to minus 10, then minus 20 and then down to minus 30 degrees below zero, I managed to catch just a bit of news where I heard that President Trump had turned his attention to what he – and Steve Bannon – despite their recent fall out, refer to as the “Deep State”.

For those folks who don’t breath the rarified air of Washington DC., The “Deep State” is a term that has gathered some cache over the past few years as the whipping boy of both the far left and the far right – mostly those who never heard of a conspiracy to which they didn’t subscribe. They somehow have become convinced that there is a nefarious and shadowy group that acts to undermine elected representatives of the people. 

Based on this, I thought I’d take a shot at describing just what the “deep state” means here at 2,500 feet above sea level in the shadow of Rattlesnake Ridge in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

At 32 degrees below zero when I click that special button on my key fob that starts my Jeep remotely, making it warm enough to keep Alice happy, I thank the “Deep State” at General Motors that makes sure that my Jeep works at this God awful temperature and that the “Deep State” at EPA, the US Department of Transportation and the NTSB make sure it doesn’t blow up or seize up on the road. . . no matter who the President is or who’s in charge at GM.

When I walk into my house, turn on the lights and turn up the heat. I thanks the “Deep State” at the NH Electric Cooperative and Franklin Delano Roosevelt for providing the rural electrification that made it possible for electricity to power lights and an oil furnace to keep us warm and dry even in below zero temperatures and the “Deep State” at Dead River Heating and Propane for their oil and for our friend “Deep State Dave” the driver who dares our steep driveway even when it is covered with snow.  

At the Grocery Store when we buy meat or fresh and frozen vegetables all winter long we thank the “Deep State” at FDA that regulates the safety of beef and pork and chicken and veggies as well as the Deep State at Market Basket or Hannaford’s that makes sure they arrive on a regular basis so that we are never without the sustenance to keep hearth and home together – no matter who is President of the USA or CEO of our grocery chain.

When I stop in at the Pharmacy to get a prescription I thank the “Deep State” at the FDA that makes sure my drugs are safe. “Dr. Mike” our pharmacist one of the cogs in the “Deep State” counts every pill twice and checks to make sure that my prescription doesn’t interact dangerously with other medicines I take.  “Deep State Zita” takes the time to ask about Alice and our son Zach and still makes sure I’m not overcharged.

When a police officer stops us for a broken tail light I thank God for the “Deep State” department of Justice, the local police and courts and the “Deep State” at the ACLU that create a nexus of counter-veiling forces to assure my rights, even when I’m wrong.

When I turn onto the highway to return home, especially in a snowstorm, I thank God for the “Deep State” at the Highway Department and the Department of Safety and State Police that assure passage and protect our safety on the roads.

During the last few months we’ve read of several thwarted terror attacks here and abroad. You can thank the “Deep State” at Homeland Security and the Department of Justice for that. 

The “Deep State”, to those of us who do not see gremlins behind every bush, is just another name for the hard working, patriotic folks who go to work every day and do their jobs, even when some blowhards and politicians denigrate them and their efforts. 

This week President Trump took credit for the fact that no American had died in a plane crash on US soil in 2017 - though an army of journalists working feverishly over the past 24 hours has been unable to uncover a single point of contact between the President and anyone from the FAA or airline industry. With the entire airline regulatory infrastructure still in the hands of Obama appointees he might want to thank President Obama, or just the “Deep State” at the FAA.