Because Of The Farm
Today, in the NYT was another example of the current Project 2025 Regime vs the US government of the former United States of America. I do not write this ironically. I write this as a woman who holds a passport to a Country that no longer exits.
While we have a Congress that has essentially given up any of its balance of powers and SCOTUS in the same frame, corporations and big tech are taking full advantage of a lame duck leader addled by his own genetic dementia and age ( and no I do not think Biden was ‘okay’ either.
Both mainstream RNC and DNC operatives and the entire circus that is the ‘election machine’ from PR firms, pollsters, billboard companies and handbill printers, every single viral 'social media influencer’ to the toadies working for Mitch McConnell and The ones who kept Diane Feinstein in seats that they have no business sitting. You broke our country into pieces for political expediency and self dealing.
The Josh Rogans and Clinton acolytes helped deal the hand every citizen is dealing with today.
The fact, we must hold our nose to vote for leaders made it simple for a populist to come in and lie daily to our faces. Populists sit on either side of the political spectrum and the fallout is we have no vision for the future. We have no hope for what a more prosperous and stable nation might look like. To care about equity or discrimination is now grounds for fear of recrimination or even retaliation. To want human beings to be treated with dignity even if they are not citizens is considered unpatriotic and criminal. To desire an end to bombing and starving an entire population of people is subversive and anti Semitic. These are not hard things. These are essential right and wrong. These things are about decency and integrity of which we are showing collectively, as long as it isn’t us they are coming after - we seem to have neither.
There are ten states that are on a list of serious concerns of natural disasters - two are mostly “blue states” the rest are deep red and are in a world of hurt. A part of me is so angry and the idea of FAFO should just be the end of the sentence. However, I do not want to see other human beings suffer. I do not want to live in a world where we abandon our ideals of decency and integrity to devolve simply for more billions for those that already have more than they can possible spend, give away, or utilize in their lifetimes for generations!
Cuts in any federal programs that assists states, cities, towns, and the citizens must never come at the expense of tax breaks for those same oligarchs. Yet, here we are and the insanity is the army of Red Hats who are harmed the most are cheering it on.
It is painful to watch as the farming industry, the environment we all rely upon, the people who do the administration and keep the lights on in this Country are being destroyed for immediacy in terms of profit for the same oligarchs.
As this occurs politically and economically, our collective historical record is also being erased or simply deleted. The fear is so great of facing our very real skeletons of the American Experiment that rather than open the doors wide, air out the muck, and move forward - those that have always benefited from their heavy weight on the necks and backs of others are creating a mythology about how we arrived at this place we are in America.
Rewriting or eliminating books, making words that have vital meaning - pejoratives, claiming facts are really just perspective and anyone can put forth an opinion and if repeated enough times becomes ‘Truth’.
To say I am grateful I do not have children, that my generations time to both work and make change is mostly over is not how I saw being an informed and empowered citizen of a democracy.
I feel for the young and the families of today. Will there be open and free public forests and national parks to explore and be filled with wonder in your futures? Or will they be 'organized’ activities like your childhood play dates where depending on your economic status what you can pay for to experience or maybe you can just enjoy it through your virtual glasses or gaming console. Will your children ever feel safe walking to school or playing in an empty field without surveillance cameras or a tracker to determine if you are following the safety protocols?
I’m not sure anyone yet recognizes, once you go down a path of being so afraid of everything around you of every possible hazard or danger or those that are different than you it also changes how you allow a government to control your life. When you turn over your power to a government that says only I can save you , only I have the answers, and therefore, we must get rid of this tired old Constitution and that the Executive must have absolute power to fix all the bad things that you are afraid of - you are no longer free and it will most likely require war to regain what has been given up.
To be free means to always have choice and with choice are consequences. With freedom comes great responsibility. Responsibility to fix prior failures or mistakes. Taking a collective look at your affiliations, your own particular role in being a just and empathetic free citizen. We have a Responsibility to look at more than just our own actions but how our anctions affect others.
Looking away. Continuing to vote Party vs Leadership choosing age and seniority over ideas and change has created this vacuum of ethics and accountability.
Now, as the world faces global climate disruption, famine and poverty become more pronounced as power and wealth is concentrated and in response, so does authoritarianism.
Progressives have gone too far. The far right evangelicals have gone too far. The US two Party system is corrupt and serves only itself. Those of us in the middle flounder trying to make sense of why this is where we are today we feel forced to pick a side or simple divest ourselves from caring about anything.
In the end, citizenship and freedom it is always personal responsibility and self reflection.
Kentucky is struggling after the hurricanes. California will have difficulty trying to rebuild broken fire torn communities, when the forests that are the source of carbon sequestration and holders of both moisture against further warmer and oxygen for our lungs as well as soil erosion protection, when the public land is paved over into more impermeable streets and sidewalks and warehouses at some point we will have gone too far.
Oddly, that is the nature it seems of humanity. We can find a cure for or at least treatment so that millions do not die of aids, or diabetes. However, collectively are unwilling to ensure it is available for all people, all Nations to be used to save lives rather than solely make profit.
Our churches could be solace and comfort and help for those that have gotten lost in our societies, but instead of ensuring BEFORE the pastor has a private jet, million dollar mansion, and a sound system for the mega church - no child goes hungry, no vet is left alone in the horror they face from soldiering, no elderly person is struggling between medication and warmth or cooling and yet it is just the opposite. The Church promulgated hate and division rather than humility and Grace. Exclusion and false righteousness mixes violence ie the guns and god crowd. Really, what would Jesus do?
The money spent on campaigns about ‘pro life’ or anti immigration are not used to change the understanding of the consequences of pregnancy through honest and genuine care about women and children or the population that feeds and cares for our very comfortable American lives getting them green cards and really digging in and changing the laws to ensure those that come to work or escape persecution from other nations can integrate and become productive in ways that make them part of society rather than the underbelly unscrupulous politicians use to campaign upon.
How Americans who still believe we can be better respond as we see masked enforcement and bounty hunters as well as our politicians failing to protect and care for this precious Country will rise or if will be yet to be known.
My hope is we can push back in the midterms and clearly it will need to be from non computer voting because at this juncture there is nothing we can ever trust about these devices and those that claim they are tamper proof especially after Musk has been into every system in our federal government and those like Peter Theil who believe self governance or elected government should be abolished to allow those who know better to be in charge. Start now. Begin to prepare by asking for paper ballots and even if it takes a week to count ensure every single vote cast is counted.
If you’ve made it this far thank you!
I add this link and I would really like to know how you did on the understanding of differing forms of governance. Let me know in the comments
Do you actually understand different types of government ?