America is a country in a state of bewilderment. We’re going through unprecedented times where the country I once new, and was proud to be a citizen of, is rapidly disappearing. The current administration is using the “flood the zone” strategy, floating, then implementing policies where two decades ago, the politician would have been met with a tremendous backlash and forced out of politics. Now, anything goes.
For this post, I make it a running list of things I am against – which is the majority – as well as things I’m for. It will be a ‘continuous’ post meaning I’ll continually add to it as everyday, there is some new outrage, something that further degrades the image of America I once held. It is incredible to think that simply being against the current administration, could be to my extremely to my disadvantage in the near future. I am no one important, so for now, that gives me a bit of confidence to not make this post private. Secondly, I must express myself. If the right to express ourselves is taken away, then we can no longer be true to ourselves. Free in body but not free in thought is no freedom at all, and from the way things are going it may follow that we’re soon not free in body either.
Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom—and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech.” – Benjamin Franklin
As an American, it is not only my right, but my duty to express myself as I would. Otherwise we’re no longer America, as the founding fathers intended, but a tyrannical, authoritarian country, something the founders had a lot to say about. For all MAGA harps on being patriotic, expressing ourselves, and especially in support of what we consider good, moral and right, this is what patriotism looks like.
If you speak against MAGA they scream “You hate America!” On the contrary, I love this country and thus I put aside any fear of what MAGA may do when I express what I consider to be good for the nation. MAGA has tried to appropriate the flag, making it only a symbol of their movement which they place on their stupid baseball hats, and put up 42 flags or more when there is an address to the nation. They have partially succeeded in this, for anyone displaying a flag these days is automatically assumed to be MAGA. This cannot stand. Their evil ways cannot last forever, and eventually the movement will fade away just as McCarthyism had its moment and now is seen as a stain on the country.
Trump has always been a conman and now he is grifting the entire nation. Almost everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie and I remain completely shocked how half of the population and politicians go along with it. I’m so disappointed in all of them.
I write this post as a message to my descendants so they will know where I stood during this awful time.
Let’s get to the list:
COVID
Trump and the Republicans are directly responsible for the horrible response to the pandemic and 100,000s of deaths.
- When the pandemic came out Trump took credit for creating the vaccine. Once he understood his base was against it he became against it as well and encouraged people to not receive it. Vaccines, which have saved countless lives and eradicated many feared diseases, were now the enemy and continue to be so. What stupidity.
- Trump himself received the vaccine. He caught it anyway and almost died from the virus. He received the best care, then promptly took off his mask while struggling to breathe setting an example for his followers. By willfully not taking the simple step of wearing a mask they placed their own countrymen in danger of catching COVID. This should never be forgotten.
- Referring to COVID as “Kung-Flu.” I never thought I’d see the day when a politician resorts to schoolyard insults. There are a lot of idiots out there and by referring to the virus as such gave these followers license to harass those of Asian descent. Racism at its finest. Having ties to Asia myself, this will never be forgotten.
- 9.7.2025 – Today in the news I see that Trump is now saying that some vaccines are ‘amazing’
- “Look, you have some vaccines that are so amazing. The polio vaccine, I happen to think is amazing,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “You have to be very careful when you say that some people don’t have to be vaccinated … It’s a very tough position.”
- In trying to understand the backlash against vaccines, I’d say a good part of it is the fault of ‘big pharma.’ As with any company in America profits must always go up and that means selling more drugs to people. The big change came in 1997 when the restrictions on drug companies making commercials and marking directly to the mainstream. Now you have regular people asking doctors for a specific drug instead of doctors recommending drugs to patients. Furthermore, I still find it completely out of place to see young drug representatives selling their wares in doctor’s offices! Money and profit have corrupted public health. Now it is an ‘industry,’ a business, just like any other company. Profit comes first, then people’s heath.
- Therefore, from that point of view I can certainly sympathize with the anti-vaxers. However, as a student of history and having firsthand experience with those affected by preventable diseases in the third world, and that I’m going to trust science over politics, I remain baffled as to the backlash against vaccines. Perhaps a very simple explanation is that people have forgotten what polio does, what smallpox looks like. They’ve forgotten thanks to vaccines! Unfortunately, some can only learn when experiencing the thing firsthand. Looks like we’ll need an even nastier plague than COVID (which was nasty enough!) for people to get the message.
IMMIGRATION
The border was broken and needed fixing. This problem was ignored for too long but given that America needs workers, and illegal immigrants could be had for cheap nothing much was done about it. The old Republican guard knew this and thus President George W Bush floated the idea of amnesty which didn’t get far. So, the can was kicked down the road and now we have a truly racist administration that is kicking out hardworking people simply trying to better their lives.
Trump referred to them a ‘murders and rapists.’ He said Hatians in Springfield “eat cats and dogs.” The mask is off, this is simply racism, as neither of the above are true. In his first term he implemented the extremely cruel policy of separating parents from their children. And they call themselves “Christian?” This simply doesn’t make any sense at all? But, sense has gone completely out the window. Many people now no longer think for themselves but rely on social media and Fox news to tell them what to think. In fact, the average IQ has gone down 12 percentage points since 2012 I’ve recently read. The main message of Christianity is to “love thy neighbor” but MAGA has changed it to “hate thy neighbor.” It isn’t more complex than that.
Regardless, the border did need fixing and many are in this country illegally. There are more humane – and Christian! – ways to go about it all. Trump however, operates only in transactions and thus while greatly increasing funding for ICE tells ICE to lay off farms and hotel workers, so his followers can continue to exploit their labor and not go out of business. I understand it is a difficult affair to resolve this problem and I do not have all the answers, but deporting hardworking mothers and fathers who have committed no crimes and are going through the immigration process is not the answer. The bottom line is it is not Christian, nor American to treat people so harshly. Yes, deport those who have committed crimes, or put them in jail, but distinctions must be made. The way they are going about it is pure Steven Miller racism.
ELECTIONS
Trump caused an insurrection in the 2020 election. We’ve all seen what happened and I’m baffled at how people can still support him. Given this fact alone it seems the version of America I knew and loved has been changed forever into something grotesque. Since then he’s outright denied he lost.
With his recent election he began circulating lies about election interference and was threatening investigations into those areas where he was first seen as losing. However, when those areas turned in his favor he promptly shut down all that election interference talk. How do people live with themselves, supporting such a demagogue? It is as though they are suffering from a fever which does not allow them to think clearly? I’ve seen this before, and it is the fever of Fox news. Any day now, we’re going to find those weapons of mass destruction in Iraq right? I had known that lies have caused wars before (Gulf of Tonkin), but I believed with all the media and technology that it wasn’t possible to happen again. How can one was a tremendous war based on a lie and not be called on it? Well, I’ve learned you can not only start wars based on lies but change the entire fabric of American society as well. I’m stupefied.
ALLIES
Allies, otherwise known as friends, are good to have. Trump has alienated ALL OF THEM! I’m stupefied, baffled, befuddled, pretty much to the point of questioning reality itself on many of these points I’m listing, let alone all of them together!
Under Trump, it seems we we’ll not only not have allies, but perhaps straight up enemies if he is allowed to continue. Yes, he may get a few short term victories but the damage is done. Yes, some deals and arrangements needed change, but there are ways to go about it, smarter ways than say, making enemies of Canada. For my entire life, America was the leader on the world stage. Now that reputation has been smashed, most likely to never recover given the divisions and how technology will continue to amplify those divisions.
America has always had social problems. One need to look no further, nor for a bigger example than how it has treated African Americans since its founding. Economically, the New Deal was a cohesive force but that was traded for profits by NAFTA and sending good manufacturing jobs overseas. Given declining economic status the many white American males turns to Trump, whose demagoguery makes them feel some sort of power, some sort of control.
THE ENVIRONMENT
Ask any kindergartner if they think we should take care of the planet. What do you think their answer would be? Now ask any Republican the same question. We’re seeing the tremendous effects of climate change, we see plastic polluting our beaches and take a look at the air quality index of any city. You will not like what you see. And what is the Republican solution? It is to create MORE pollution!! Thus, I must once again, question reality as a whole. For almost the past decade, I must have slipped into an alternate form of reality where down is up, left is right and bad is good. And the absurdity continues to ratchet up each time I look at the news.
NEWS and FACTS
Anything Trump doesn’t like is “fake news.” And, just about everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie. He is actively working to suppress media that does not blindly adhere to him. From kicking media outlets out of briefings, to attacking independent media sources he is the enemy of not only free speech but of facts as well.
*Fake news has now been upgraded to fake AI! A good portion of the population can’t tell the difference between facts and opinion (or entertainment) now, AI is going to take this to a whole new level. The future is doomed when it comes to knowing what is true and factual versus what is not.
JD Vance and current Republican politicians
The VP is quoted with the following
- “I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical asshole like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he’s America’s Hitler.”
— Private message to a friend, February 2016
- “Mr Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.”
— Op-ed in The New York Times, April 2016 - “Trump brings power to those who hate their lack of it … Trump is cultural heroin. He makes some feel better for a bit. But he cannot fix what ails them, and one day they’ll realize it.”
— The Atlantic essay, July 2016 - “Trump makes people I care about afraid. Immigrants, Muslims, etc. Because of this I find him reprehensible. God wants better of us.”
— Deleted tweet, October 2016
There are many others but that will do. My point here is that politicians will do or say whatever it takes to get them elected. There are very few who can stick to their principles, their moral center when it could possibly mean defeat. Unfortunately, this now applies to the entire Republican party. They’ve gone all in with this conman and there is no turning back, even when it comes to him having committed the most despicable acts which they’re hiding by not releasing the Epstein files.
There is one picture that perfectly encapsulates the willingness of politicians to completely discard their morals and convictions or the opportunity of an office. Marco Rubio is a prime example of this but the better picture is of Romney having dinner with Trump after calling him completely unfit for office but lured by the possibility of an appointment.
I also want to blame the Democrats for getting us in this mess. I consider them less evil, more for the public good but they too have been corrupted by money and so many of them refused to give up power: Pelosi, Feinstein, RBG. Their love and addiction to power became more important than what was good for the nation.
Soldiers in American Cities
Sending the National Guard and Marines into American cities sets a very dangerous precedent. What was the purpose? It was for show and more seriously to desensitize people to American soldiers in the streets. One small step here, another larger step there. I believe the end game here is for soldiers to be in the streets during elections probably to intimidate or cancel elections outright for whatever lie the administration things would work best. We’re on a path to fascist dictatorship and it looks like the institutions designed to prevent such a thing are quickly crumbling.
Musks Nazi Salute
Elon Musk lost his senses a long time ago. It was also apparent that he was high on ketamine in a lot of those spotlight appearances when the “Department of Government Efficiency” was wreaking havoc across a lot of extremely important government databases. Yes, Elon is crazy, we know this.
What was extremely shocking – even with that sensation having become quite numb over the last few years – is the various reactions to his Nazi salute.
This is an image I’ll never forget. As shocking as Musk’s Nazi salute was, I was crushed to see the reaction from the crowd next to him. People are laughing and clapping! If only the “greatest generation” were still around, there would be hell to pay. Looking at this imagine, I feel like something broke, reality was altered after 2019. Perhaps COVID had a modifying effect to varying degrees on everyone’s brains with people such as those in this picture being most affected?
You can always count on MAGA to continue with their idiocy week after week but was EVEN MORE surprising was the reaction from news sources, even Jewish ones! It ranged from moderate, to confused with many trying to explain it away or brush it aside as one Jewish news source called it “An odd salute.” Where was the outrage? Something like this should have gotten him deported, but no we’re living in bizarro world.
And speaking of Jews, but focusing on Zionist Israel I’m reading how any criticism of Israel could get college students into trouble. I’m not understanding how one government employee can give Nazi salutes and then criticism of Israel be banned. Something in the nature of reality definitely broke in 2020.
QATARI AIRFORCE BASE IN THE USA
Just when you thought things couldn’t get crazier than they already are, this administration finds a way. And this time even MAGA is saying “WTF??” For the first time ever, there will be a foreign military base on American soil, from a country that supports some groups that America would consider terrorists. But we’re not going to unpack that complicated geopolitical can of worms here. Let’s just say that it doesn’t appear the administration remembers 9-11 and the subsequent campaign against terrorism. Now a country that had supported some of those elements gets to have a military base in our country. What the hell is going on??? Even one of the many queen of MAGA crazies – Laura Loomer – is up in arms.
Well, I’ll tell you what it is – money. The USA is more of a business than it is a country and money drives everything. It’s been this way, I would guess since the founding with only a few small periods of positive progress; the only difference is Trump isn’t afraid to drop the facade and grift this country for all he can. It’s in his nature and pairs perfectly with the engine this country runs on.
In America we’re all one nation at baseball games, on the fourth of July and when we’re under attack. This ‘communal’ sentiment however turns immediately to accusations of “communist!”, “socialist!” when it is suggested we should retain this feeling of national community / unity should it involve any government policy of actually helping your fellow countrymen.
HEALTHCARE
The last sentence offered a great segue to this topic. Trump is cutting the government subsidies which, from what I read, over 20 million Americans afford healthcare. His administration has shut down the government over this issue and blamed the Democrats. So let me get this straight:
The Democrats want to help over 20 million Americans afford healthcare, and most of this number is comprised of Americans in Red States – states that voted for Trump! Trump does not want to help them so he shuts down the government and blames Democrats – Democrats who are actually trying to help American people live healthier lives and for many….. not die.
Logic is no longer part of our nation I’m afraid. The following cartoon comes to mind and although imperfect, makes sense to post here.
