A Real Consequence-Free World

The Maundy Monday Newsletter - This Week in History January 5 - 11.

There’s a fictional place I created many years ago that I like to visit from time to time. It’s a place I can get to quickly anytime a situation arises, and I need to make a decision. I’d like to think that my fictitious world is much like the Neighborhood of Make-Believe from the Mr. Rogers Television show I grew up watching. It’s just on the other side of reality, and you travel there through a weird, train tunnel that somehow was built inside your home.

I call it “Consequence-Free World.”

“Consequence-Free World,” or CFW, is an impressive place where everything is dandy, everyone is happy, and any decision I make has no ill consequences.

Let’s establish something. The word consequence has no formal negativity in its etymology, which dates back to the 15^th century. In the strictest interpretation of the word, one can have positive or negative effects for the decisions one makes.

But for CFW to exist outside our world, we must associate consequences with negativity. Because who wants to ride the weird train tunnel to a place that takes away having positive outcomes?

Let’s finish this premise with an example: I don’t think anyone would suggest that a consequence of saving money is that you can use it to make a payment on a large purchase. We would use the word “result” instead.

But we would say that there should be consequences if you incited or actively participated in an insurrection on January 6, 2021.

Has it really been five years since my neighborhood and country were attacked?

Yes.

What an incredibly bizarre path we have forged to be in a place where Donald Trump is president again, a Congresswoman is leaving office after publicly breaking up with him, not over this, but over whether he is on a sex predator list, and this one-eyed goober, who was convicted and sentenced for seditious conspiracy for 18 years is now free thanks to having his sentence commuted.

Speaking of goobers, this one is Speaker of the House!

January 6, 2021, will forever be the moment for me that the entire country, either by force or by enthusiasm, hopped into the train tunnel to a world free of consequences.

Of course, we remember the brave United States Capitol Police officers who fought off the armed mob of white men and women who needed to overturn an election that Trump has yet to concede, and never face any consequence for such deranged behavior. USCP officer Brian Sicknick’s consequence for defending our elected officials was his life. The consequence for DC Police Officer Daniel Hodges defending the Capitol was having goobers trying to gouge his eyes out.

We arrested more than a thousand people, convicted and sentenced them, only to have Trump commute or pardon most of the people who beat officers, hunted the vice president and Speaker of the House, and tore up the People’s House, all because they believed a lie.

The only consequence that Trump has suffered was a temporary ban from Twitter, the platform that allowed him to connect with millions of Americans and then millions of bots, exploiting and gaslighting people further into the MAGA cult.

In my CFW, I can tell bosses to “shove it,” that pizza and beer make me infinitely smarter, and everything that I need to do can get done even though I refuse to do it.

But it’s a bummer to know that we live in a country where cowards like Rob Portman, John Thune, and others chose their own careers and lifestyles over the rest of us and never delivered the necessary consequences on Trump, convicting him of impeachment.

Lastly, remember that on January 6^th, Nancy Mace was a newly elected representative from the low-ranking state of South Carolina. She was pissed at Trump for the insurrection he was leading, and she wanted to be the face of the new Republican power to stand up to him. So she wanted someone to punch her in the face so she could twist it into something else, where she looked like the hero.

Of course, Mace, the first female graduate of the Confederacy’s West Point, turned out to be a coward, too, and now, along with everyone else, wants that free ride of no consequences ever.

Okay, let’s highlight what else happened this week. As a reminder, these events mark their anniversary, ending in 5 or 0. Here’s what I got:

1. Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords was shot on January 8, 2011. Giffords became the first Jewish person elected to Congress from Arizona when she defeated Randy Graf for the 8^th District in 2006. On January 8, she held a constituent meeting in the parking lot of a local grocery store near Tucson. Jared Lee Loughner traveled a short distance to confront Giffords, and upon seeing her, shot her point-blank in the head. Giffords miraculously survived, but Loughner murdered six people. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2012. In 2020, Giffords’s husband, Mark Kelly, won the Senate seat.

2. Common Sense was published on January 10, 1776. Thomas Paine penned the pamphlet that argued for independence from our British Overlords. Personally, I do not believe “common sense” is a thing, but I do recognize this specific written piece of essays. If we all had “common sense,” we wouldn’t need warning labels on packages that explained that you shouldn’t put them over your head. Paine’s work would fuel the passion that would culminate in the American Revolution later in the year. So be ready for a lot of American Revolution history stuff this year, my friends.

3. Apple released iTunes on January 10, 2001. The media platform allows you to manage content, create playlists you can run and work out to, among other things. Apple stopped making new versions of iTunes for its Mac computers in 2019. I did not know that. My workout playlist is embarrassingly bad.

---

I’ve noticed in the past few days that people have posted their favorite books they read in 2025. Here’s a quick Top 3 reads for me:

Paper Girl – By Beth Macy

This is a memoir about growing up in Urbana, Ohio, and how it has changed since local papers disappeared and partisanship took their place.

Less – By Andrew Sean Greer

The Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2017 is about a “lesser-known” novelist who travels around the world when he discovers his former partner is about to marry—fun and fast-paced.

Duel – By Thomas Flemming

A detailed account of the days leading up to and following the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, and how incredibly stupid the entire affair was.

Of course, I mentioned Four Thousand Weeks when I read it.

Here are three books I look forward to reading in 2026:

President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier – By CW Goodyear

Dorothy Day: Dissenting Voice of the American Century – By John Loughery & Blythe Randolph

The Art of the Personal Essay – By Phillip Lopate

Finally, I turn 50 this week. It’s hard to say how I feel about it. I don’t feel terrible about turning 50, nor am I overly excited about it. I’m blessed to be 50. It’s going to be a heck of a year for me in many ways. Anonymous and I are taking a few trips planned to stretch this 50^th birthday celebration throughout the year. So like the American Revolution – be ready for lots of “Being 50” content. That will be fun, right?!

With that being said, I’m taking Friday off, since I’ll be partying all week.

I’ll see you next Monday. Have a great week! Appreciate you all.

Okay,

Chris

Blue is excited for partying all week!