Useful Idiots...

While she was dressing to go out she had the news on in the background.

The newscaster's face held in what she thought of us "interested listening" pose. But she could see in her eyes the reflections of "why are we listening to this crap?" Or maybe it was her own reflection she was seeing.

Though she knew why she was listening to that crap. Useful idiots. 

Every movement has them. The ones that are sent out, or set up, to spread a certain message. To either take the heat away from what is really going on, or to move the needle with the "invisible hand."

The woman on the news program was a useful idiot. 

She had no idea that's what she was. She was truly sincere in what she was saying. That's the only way it worked. But she still was what she was. She was there to talk about the offensive Halloween costumes that they saw every year. Horrible things. Pushing outdated and incorrect ideas. The newscaster was wondering why she always got stuck with these interviews. 

Useful idiots. 

The nonexistent War On Christmas was fully manned by useful idiots. The first seedings in of them had started years ago but they were having a difficult time reaching full potential for awhile. They (them, the big THEY) had really hit the bonanza when that talking head idiot started making it a centerpiece of his show every year. THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS! It was good marketing. You saw the shift from people being a little put out that stores started hitting them up for Christmas dollars in November to being able to shame anyone who said anything about it when they went up in October. 

How dare you! You are part of the WAR ON CHRISTMAS! 

So they won a nonexistent War on Christmas. And now you were expected to shop for decorations right after you got the kids off to school in September; to plan your gift list, get your matching pajamas, buy the food that will cost you the entire rest of the year budget all to show that you were not part of the WAR ON CHRISTMAS!

The only misstep they had was in trying to take over Thanksgiving as well. More and more stores opened for the day. And earlier and earlier. They were really close to getting all of the calendar between October and December but then...well...the whispers started. "It's the liberals, trying to take away Thanksgiving with their revisionist history." "You know how they are, they don't want us saying grace around the Thanksgiving table. They'd rather we all be shopping! HOW DARE THEY!"

That's the problem with useful idiots, they are useful, but they are still idiots.  So Thanksgiving went back to being a day off. A Fall colored island in a sea of red and green. But just that one day.

They'd try again later. Of that she was sure. 

She had history on her side after all. 

Listening to the woman on the news talk about ancient religions and peace with nature she nodded. 

The first time they had tried to create a diversion it had been like the Thanksgiving debacle, really. Okay, maybe it was worse. She didn't really feel badly about it. It wasn't her. It was history. She only used they because it was her ancestors. So really it wasn't a we sort of they it was a them sort of they. That's what she told herself.

But basically they had been too successful. And then there had been backlash. 

"...we don't wear ridiculous pointed hats, or fly around on brooms..."

So Salem had been a low point in her family history. Who knew that the reaction would be so strong? Sure, looking back it was clear that old superstitions would lead to violence, but at the time? She had to think that her ancestors were just trying to show it was all very silly business and nothing they should even pay attention to. Little girls playing pretend games. But then crops failed (not unusual, crops fail all the time) and people got sick (again, not unusual) and people started to doubt that praying to their God was doing any good. So they found scapegoats. So many scapegoats. Beyond the two useful idiots that had been part of the original plan. Over 200 in the end with 20 dead...

She shivered a little then. 

"...it's very unpleasant to see your culture maligned with silly hats and warty noses..."

So it was a few years later, quite a few years later, before they tried again. And now they had groups all over the world. Women and men who would go on news programs and talk about the ancient Wiccan religion and how it had absolutely nothing to do with story book witches! They were very convincing. As they should be considering they really believed what they were saying. They were a good distraction. 

She opened the hall closet and grabbed her hat and her broom. She needed to pick up a little eye of newt before she could finish her latest brew. There was a weather system coming in that was going to be bad, very bad. She needed to do what she could to make it less so. To provide the "miracles" that always came after such storms. The world needed witches.

And useful idiots.