Every day, I read the news and find another reason (or several) to dislike this administration. Every day, I wonder if democracy can survive until the next election, and I fear that what will be left of our country after four years of this will be unrecognizable. How will things look from the ditch we we’ve been driven into? Post-apocalyptic? Militaristic? Authoritarian and repressive? It feels like I’m living through a constant natural disaster and there’s nowhere to turn, no one to turn to, and no way to escape. Increasingly, I want to disappear or at least find refuge among like minded individuals.
From recent headlines:
The owner of Oracle and soon to own a significant stake in TikTok recently said, “Citizens will be on their best behavior, because we’re constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on.” The current administration revealed plans to open up 13.1 million acres of federal land to coal mining while simultaneously dis-investing in renewable energy. The department of housing and urban development is proposing changes to public housing and section 8 vouchers that could strip housing away from 4 million Americans. So if I have this correct, we’ll be under constant surveillance, the environment will be destroyed, and there won’t be any housing. Things seem to be going great. At least it’s called the Gulf of America, some libs have been owned, and grocery prices… oh wait, never mind the groceries thing.
Meanwhile, we are watching, in real time, the erosion of our constitutional rights. Free speech is under assault. Soon being left-wing may get you investigated or labeled as an enemy of the state (talk about toning down the rhetoric). This week the administration issued a national security directive (which is very different from and more significant than an executive order) identifying “anti-Christian,” “anti-American,” and “anti-capitalist” opinions as indicators of left-wing violence. It’s estimated that the FBI’s domestic terrorist watchlist could double in size as a result of this directive. Have I mentioned that I’d like to disappear (but on my terms – meaning I don’t want to be disappeared).
While I try not to subscribe to conspiracy theories, it’s hard not to think of what’s going on in America as a concerted effort by the right to eliminate political opposition, consolidate power, and make America a one-party rule country. Our major forms of media, a crucial check on authoritarian rule, are increasingly falling under the influence and/or control of right-wing or right-leaning billionaires. Algorithms are being manipulated to limit what we see and read. While traditional media, like the New York Times, falters and plays a both-sides approach to facts that don’t require two sides, new forms of media (video games, TikTok, and AI) that are and will be highly influential in shaping the minds and opinions of young people are also leaning heavily to the right or coming under the control of the right. The popular video game maker EA Sports announced a deal to go private to a group of investors that includes Tr*mp’s son-in-law Jared Kushner… and then there’s the quote from Ellison about our soon-to-be surveillance state. Ellison who is involved with the purchase of TikTok and who’s son’s company recently purchased Paramount/CBS. Add to this the threats and directives being issued to Universities and institutions – directives that intentionally erase our history and replace it with pro-America propaganda.
As if these things weren’t enough (and there are so many more batshit crazy things going on), nearly every day, new videos emerge of armed men wearing masks chasing down, tackling, and beating people – some of whom are US citizens, many of whom have committed no crimes. They’re breaking car windows and sending people to detention facilities. The military has already been sent to DC and LA and ordered to deploy to both Memphis and Portland with threats being made towards New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Oakland, Baltimore, and other cities. Most, if not all, of this is illegal, but the judicial system is intentionally (and judiciously) slow.
To recap other news… We’ve had three mass shootings in the past week and the nation’s top military personnel have all been called to a meeting that’s happening at about the same time our federal government is scheduled to shut down. And then tonight the president shares an AI generated video of the two leading Democrats who are negotiating the budget. In the AI fake, one is dressed in a sombrero and the other is saying “we have no voters left because of our woke trans bullshit” and that the Dems have to give illegal aliens healthcare to get votes, “They can’t even speak English, so they won’t realize we’re just a bunch of woke pieces of shit.” This is what the president of the United States shared – the leader of the free world. It’s beyond embarrassing to see how far our country has fallen. I’m not sure democracy or reasonable political debate can survive this petulance and antagonism.
And all of this is just from this week. To say the nation is anxious is an understatement. And that’s part of the plan: flood the zone, create chaos and confusion, enact authoritarian policies while everyone is distracted and stunned.
As with so many things, I don’t know what to do about any of this. It feels overwhelming and is another instance where I’m afraid we’ve reached a point of no return.