NewbJeep

Long time, no post! The XJ has been problem-free for just about two years now. A miracle.
Over the years when it rains hard, my right blinker acts up. It always seemed to correct itself so I just let it ride. I knew I'd have to pay the piper one day and today is that day.
TL;DR: This is crispy-fried. What are these and can a Newb replace them?
I noticed last night that when I shut down the engine, the rear blinkers lights stayed illuminated. Wanting to just go to bed, I unhooked the negative terminal and punched by ticket on the train to Dreamland.
This morning after a little searching around with my nose and smelling burnt electric, I removed the panel behind the spare tire (or where smarter people than myself keep a spare tire).
I could see no obvious signs of smoke or burning so I wiggled a few things, pulled on some others, checked the fuses and was generally at a loss. Internet searches told me it could be the flasher relay. I hopped in and drove off to my local auto store and picked up a generic flasher relay and hoped for the best. As I returned to my Jeep, I noticed smoke coming from the rear hatch. Not rolling but definitely filled the cabin. Am I nuts for partly thinking, "Oh, good! Now at least I can find it." Well, I found it alright. Water had leaked onto a sponge housing the end of the wires in the picture and the end of that harness was smoking like Tommy Chong. Again, smarter folks than me would have unplugged the wiring that runs to the light bulb before driving it but I went to public school.
Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance for some help. Cherokee Forum and its knowledgeable members have saved me thousands over the years.