Shock politics as usual. Pay attention to what's going on behind the curtain, not to the blowhard talking in front of it.
Today, our sound bites tell us that children are being ripped from their parents' arms at the U.S./ Mexico border as a result of Jeff Sessions' directive to detain and prosecute every single person coming into the country without proper papers. The truth of the matter is that those violations have historically been prosecuted rarely in the event that the asylum is granted, but Sessions has gone full crazypants with his "zero tolerance" policy, to the outrage of millions. While all that is happening, damaging legislation is being put up for votes to a group of harried, beleaguered Senators and Representatives. Budgets are being set and...
...Meanwhile in the most populated state in the nation, a measure has gotten enough signatures to go on the ballot to split the state of California into 3 separate states. This isn't the first time it's gotten attention, but piled on top of everything else that's going on....
...Oh right and don't forget all your safety nets for old age are going to go away as a result of the feckless government's inability to cut military spending for its endless wars or to stop giving tax cuts to the people who have/have donated the most money.
I've never been a Republican, and I've only recently signed up as a Democrat, but it's always a "lesser of two evils" choice for me and I hate it.
I've never been a Republican, and I've only recently signed up as a Democrat, but it's always a "lesser of two evils" choice for me and I hate it.
Right now, this is a country of whole evil and I have no voice left at all. The Repubs are swayed by religion and the Dems are swayed by money. Two party system is NOT working. One side or the other is just going to strip away what the previous administration did and only a scant few things will truly stick.
But, what are we supposed to do? We can't stop looking. We have to witness and record the atrocity that is our country in the hopes that history won't repeat itself for the umpteenth time. We'll either make it through this next 2.5 years and start to repair the damage, or we'll tear each other apart into a new something-or-other. We are living though something terrible and dramatic and awesome, in the most literal sense.
Now I go back to not thinking about all this and living the day-to-day, but also feeling supremely guilty for not thinking about all this. Words on a page are all I have left, because it offers me a chance to step back and organize myself. So I'll see you at knit night, game night, work, or whatever social outing we're doing together, because if I don't keep doing those things I might just pack a bag and walk away until I can't walk any further. Thank you for reading/listening. I can't afford therapy.
