Take a Deep breath
“Paranoia strikes deep. Into your life it will creep. It starts when you’re always afraid. Step out of line the man come and take you away.” — Stephen Stills
I don’t know how much I have for you today. Most of the late evening and morning has been like walking through a fog. I keep telling myself just to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Allow me to tell you a little story I think most of you already know.
In the immediate aftermath when Jesus was crucified, his followers were despondent. Their leader had been executed. They went to his tomb three days later and it seemed that someone had stolen the body. In the immediate intervening years following the crucifixion it was illegal to be a Christian in Rome. So, Christians got by through symbols so they could reveal their intentions without anyone knowing about.
Masses were celebrated in homes at the kitchen table. That tradition in almost exacting detail was replicated through the early 1960s when the second Vatican council changed how the eucharistic prayer and the mass would be said. It wasn’t until Constantine that Christians in Rome felt safe. Most of the apostles were later martyred including Peter (the first pope) who refused to be crucified standing up. He wanted to be upside down because he had denied Jesus during his passion.
I’m not saying that the Roman soldiers are coming to round us up, but many of us will be a lot less boisterous than we used to be. I’ve never felt scared before following an election. I’ve been disappointed. I’ve been angry. I’ve been utterly depressed, but I have never felt quite like I did when I woke up this morning.
There will be time to ask those nagging Monday morning quarterback questions we always ask in these moments. Was Kamala the right candidate? Was there something wrong with her message? Was she hurt by the lack of transition plan from Joe Biden to her? Would the Democrats have been better off having a clean primary process without Joe Biden? Was the “garbage” thing a clear gaffe at the end that cost her a couple of key percentage points?
I don’t have answers to those questions right now and while we should ask them in due time, I am going to ask everyone to take a step back and take a deep breath. This is collectively who we are now. It really is a matter of a few percentage points shifting one way and not an avalanche. I know it must feel like one.
There are still decent and loving people in this world. Perhaps we can develop some sort of signal to find each other in a sea of divisiveness and hate. It is okay to be sad. It is okay to be angry. It is okay to be depressed. I’m not sure which one is winning out in me right now. It might be confusion more than anything else. I still don’t know how we got here yet.
The remainder of the United States has just become for the next four years, a macrocosm of the State of Texas. Enclaves of BLUE controlled by a RED administration.
1I am gobsmacked at how the country that elected Lincoln, FDR, JFK and Obama has moved to electing a sexist, racist, isolationist nincompoop (he is not smart at all) to the Oval Office. How far this nation has fallen. I am a 75 year old and hope I live long enough to see those who facilitated this (looking at Mitch McConnell and his ilk) realize the horror they have facilitated.
2I remember what my mother and grandparents told me about surviving Hitler from 1938-45 in Vienna.
3I was a volunteer for Kamala and Tim. We worked our talls off.
4The excitement and joy was everlasting. My own precinct broke records with early voting. It seems that my under grad poli sci professors were right. There is in every constitutional group a sector that craves fascism. There is nothing that can sway them. I couldn’t believe that at the time. My generation had just spent our most innocent years seeing and hearing reporting on World War 2 which ended with the atom bomb. That finish alone convinced us that a rise to fascism in the US of A would never happen. How wrong we were. Our hardest job now is to try to shake off the shock and figure out what’s next. The incumbent president has some power over what is happening that could put a whale of a hole in the successor’s plans. If I were still holding power in the Oval, I would get the military leaders that Trump hates the most out of the country. If they rremain and are arrested, it will be a kangaroo trial like no other with an ending of these men lined up against a wall facing a firing squad formed by some of Trump’s best choices. Imagine that on screen around the world. Also imagine forcibly finger printing every female of any age as they will now belong to the national government. Believe me I could go on, such as what happens to government defense contracts all the way down to sub-contractors inasmuch as Trump will now be Putin play toy. There goes our long range protection.
Well, right now I need some sleep. It might just bring some bigger and better ideas on how to save whatever is last of this country.
Sorry Mr Carraway but IMO your opinion does not get to the real core. Mine also may not but the magats have been at this since whenever. They tried to remove FDR by force in the late ’30s. This is about money, race, and white power in this country then and they now have it.
5Again IMO the election of trump can be laid upon 1 person in spite of all the others involved over time.
James Comey FBI head who just before voting in ’64 made allegations against Hillary of a criminal nature and then withdrew it. This was enough to tilt the electoral college to trump.
Whether he did this out of ignorance or intentionally, either way he was in the wrong job and has not been held accountable.
These people are going to gerrymander the midterms to make them useless.
However there is one possible upset that could happen before Jan.
Trump is a pile of human garbage but saying that as a talking point didn’t work. After all, there are dozens of walking human garbage dumps in Congress and on the Hill and they get re-elected. The Christian fundamentalists didn’t vote for Trump they voted Republican to move the U.S.A towards a Theocracy. The 20% are so happy now that they will get their tax cuts while we get a tax increase. Didn’t break with the Biden Gaza policy. Lost that group. The Republicans will, now, realize their dream of rolling back any vestige of the “New Deal”. Social Security, Medicare and ObamaCare are gone. Finally During Trump’s last term Isreal moved their capital from TEl Aviv to Jerusalem. Now they will tear done the Mosque on Temple Mount and build the third temple. That will light up the Middle East. Going to be an interesting four years.
6Nick said:
“ I still don’t know how we got here yet.”
I can’t see the past few months clearly either.
7Today, I’m glad the future is still blurry.
For now.
I hear you Van Heldorf and don’t disagree. It is just difficult to simply say they are a bunch of assholes and make that an action plan. I need more time to process this.
8I’m taking a couple of words from a recent message forwarded to me. It’s from words of comfort sent by a female pastor in Austin.
Midwives tell you to breath and push. So breathe and keep pushing for what you believe in. Regroup and stay after it.
9Mr Carraway – Think Joe
10A small majority are and always will be raciest and want to control women. They won this one but the fight go’s on.
11Biden should:
121. Pardon his son.
2 Arrest and JAIL TFG based on his felony convictions, his mishandling of secret pubs, violation of the SHITHEAD ACT,
3. name 6 libs to the Supremes immediately.
4. Use that immunity that the Supremes created for presidents.
I am shocked at the number of mindless Americans who buy into the Rethug hatemongering. I fear that all too soon, they will come to experience the terrible consequences themselves.
13https://whatdoino-steve.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-numbers-dont-add-up-national-gaps.html
This guy sums it up nicely, imho.
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