Notwithstanding its faults - slavery, native American genocide, Japanese internment, misogyny, persisting racism, favoring the wealthy, the Electoral College - I've always believed America was a respected and trustworthy force for good in the world. By votes of its people, it made efforts to correct those faults, showing the world that, unlike dictatorships, democracy's ills can be self-healing.
Trump's first election challenged those beliefs, but he'd lost the popular vote and, four years later, was rejected and ejected: beliefs restored. Then, despite January 6 and his election lies, threats, mishandling Covid-19, and promises to punish anyone who'd challenged him, he was elected again, though more votes were cast against than for him. Now, only weeks into his second term, Trump's America is, observably, no longer a force for good. Predictable from how he campaigned, America is siding with enemies, forsaking friends and the health of our planet. Once-true beliefs have become untenable. It's hard to take.
Amidst a brave war for democracy in a land murderously invaded by a dictator whose political opponents tend to become dead, America has switched sides. If it still existed, Trump would have us join the Warsaw Pact; his kind of people.
Knowing it can no longer count on us to stand for and protect freedom, the free world recoils. Trump's besotted party, which once condemned Russia's criminal dictator, now praises him. For reasons about which there's speculation but -- not yet -- no revelation, Trump has always done Putin's will. Confirming the obvious, Russian state television's Vladimir Soloviev just said it's "no coincidence" that, after his conversation with Putin, "the phrases [Trump] is saying are so deep and so correct. They are in total alignment with the way we see things."
MAGA is Trump's most dangerous con job. Pretending to make America "great," he's blinded millions of gulliblized voters from seeing that he's eliminating every aspect of its greatness, including standing for freedom around the world. People who've never understood or accepted the value of America's founding principles see what's happening and love it; trying to descale those eyes is wasted effort. But we're approaching the point at which the machinery to bring the world's greatest democracy back into being will have been dismantled forever. More people need to join those speaking out. The need isn't subtle.
Dictators have in common controlling all centers of power: first, the military and law enforcement, to make good on threats. Then the press, legislators, investigators, and judges. With no resistance from Republicans and willing capitulation by others, Trump is remaking all of those entities, purging people who've stood for the Constitution, replacing them with his most loyal sycophants, guaranteed to do his bidding. Which they already are. The latest example: selecting as FBI deputy director former Foxer and current right-wing screamer Dan Bongino, who describes himself as "all about owning the libs." For MAGAs, that's all a resumé needs.
Thanks to America's most hypocritical senator, Trump has our Supreme Court mostly in hand, too. And he's been removing from office everyone whose job it is to keep the government from illegal overreach. JAGs, there to keep the military within legal constraints; inspectors general, ethics overseers, and US Attorneys who'd been investigating him. Moving us further toward autocracy comes his delusional executive order granting interpretation of laws only to himself and his Attorney Genuflector. In their silence, Republicans, other than Alaska's Senator Murkowski, have purged themselves.
MAGAs hear Trump refer to himself as "the King," see the White House officially picturing him wearing a crown and rejoice. "Command us, Your Majesty. We believe your promises, even as they go unfulfilled. Attack those we fear or hate and we'll ignore the harm you're doing, including to ourselves." (Sick, but not sic.)
Ironically, the victim of the biggest con of all is Trump. The Project 2025 creators he's hired have convinced him he's in charge, encouraging his monarchical madness. Meanwhile, they're getting him to implement their true agenda: erasing the vision of America's founders, in which they've never believed, that individual freedom, defended by the law and by separation of powers, should be paramount in a democratic republic; that ultimate power resides with the people.
It's starting to feel like this: Following Project 2025 page by page, the Projectors are securing their anti-American dream of a Christian Nationalist theocracy, by and for only straight, white, native-born, wealthy males; limiting the vote, if they could, only to them. So certain they were of Trump's malleability, they published their plan pre-election. With no pushback from them, free to use the presidency as an ego-fondling, tribute-providing ATM, Trump ceded to them the real power. Especially Elon Musk: boastfully, recklessly ruining lives, barely denting the federal budget, lying about reasons and results; convincing MAGAs they're seeing patriotism at work.
Time is short. Watch this speech by Illinois Governor Pritzker. Its truths are self-evident, its warnings a cri du couer. Stay for what begins at 4.00.
Right on the money. Even if it will no longer be My money.
ReplyDelete"It's hard to take." Four little words that encompass and explain my current reality. I've talked and written so much about my upbringing and indoctrination as a Female/ American/ Catholic/ White person, and that the essence of all those facets of my persona was to let me know that I am #1 Privileged, #2 Fortunate, and #3 Responsible. I have an enormous gratitude to 'all the everyones', beside my parents, who are responsible for giving me the means and opportunity to live a decent life and to be mostly secure and prosperous. I thought often about this big world, and my place in it, mostly anonymous but part of this giant place called America where we willingly help the less fortunate, we feed the hungry, we clothe the naked, we welcome the stranger, and we recognize that we have an obligation to lift up those who need it. Yes, we've done a lot of really bad stuff too, but mostly I think we've been a force for good.
ReplyDeleteI hate that it is being taken away by a group of B-listers who have lied, cheated, stolen, and finagled their ways into power. I have an image of all those jerks as middle-schoolers striving to have friends and be included, but even then, their classmates knew they were wrong-headed. They were broken then and they are still broken. No morals, no ethics, no driving force except revenge.
Yes, it is hard to take.
Well-said, as usual, MEH.
DeleteThis is Vance's hometown newspaper. Ouch...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AoKCqNrWEE
In Vance, Trump actually found someone who's a more horrible human being than he is.
DeleteThey talk "waste, fraud and abuse" as always to steal money. Reagan made it famous.
ReplyDeleteThey are simply finding 880 million out of Medicaid. Not 880 of waste fraud and abuse.
Everytime they say that? Make them list what they found. They can not. There's no such thing. Yet? They won. I failed remedial math 2ce. But I am not stupid. The people that believe this crap? THEY are stupid. They are stupid and it will never change. People who do not educate themselves? Never educate themselves. They are ashamed and will fight to the death to be right. Including making up stuff. Or preferably? Someone else make up something and everyone go along with it as cover for the stupidity. That in short is the entirety of a person who is fundamentality stupid. One in five Americans are functionally illiterate as well.
That's what we are faced with and these stupid people are sealing their fate. The entire south will be poor as anyone in the country. The fly over states as well.
Wait till rural areas feel it. The only thing they can brag about is owning their own chickens unlike the fools in Seattle paying 1 buck an egg.
Yes, yes and yes. Time for action, baby... words are too hard for them. Gonna attend an Indivisible protest this coming Sunday deepinahearta Orange County, California. Glad I found your link again. https://gortnation.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-four-commandments.html
ReplyDeleteI"m glad, too, that you found your way back. And good for you for the protest. Enough of them in enough places might make a difference.
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