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So I responded to a Facebook post this week where someone lamented that they just can’t understand Trump supporters… especially women. That’s what I’m gonna talk about today. And what comes from my writing about it.
And, listen, if you’re willing to jump into the Trumpster with me, then PLEASE be aware that it’s gonna be messy. And you aren’t likely to appreciate everything you’re gonna read here. My post below will give you an indication, and I’ll be clear: This is not about party, it’s about RESPECT. Humility. TRUTH. And in the end, perhaps even survival. [We’re farther down so many rabbit holes than we realize and we’re barely beginning to compensate for cumulative impacts.] So… Let me emphasize: You are not likely to appreciate everything you might read here. We will briefly address Gaza too, though you will have to dig to hear it.

So, if you’re queasy about any of that, get off the ride now.

OK. Here’s my post that grew into this blog:

If you take some time to talk with folks, it’s pretty easy to see why some support him. So I’ve found.

I wish we’d find a way to have real conversations about the very real problems we’re all facing because the democratic leadership has quite a long list of reasons to never support them again. It starts with Gaza and includes the Ukraine and the Fed and basically the corporate capture in which we now live here in the US. Oh, and Fauci and the entire crashing of our economy that was the pandemic. At least word is now coming out more about all those shenanigans.

So… what’s the answer? I’m thinking we need enough people voting for Cornell West and Bobby Kennedy that we won’t (get) a formal electoral college win. Meaning…

We might then have to have some real conversations about how to get along and start working together instead of this continued celebratory derision of each other that seems to keep most people entertained while the natural world around us deteriorates into unlivable conditions.

Just a thought.

Spoiler alert: It’s likely turnout will be down? With so many unable to manage to wait a long line to vote when they are juggling three jobs (oh, hey, Dems? That’s because of inflation). And, with all the climate catastrophes in recent years, we’ll see many displaced from their regular voting locales? [There are so many climate migrants we’ve yet to recognize.] And expecting kids to vote (and to this old lady, kids are anyone under 35) feels a bit absurd when we’ve shown them continuously and consistently that the “leaders” are willing to destroy the planet they were hoping to inherit. All that while stealing from them, if not via their labor, through insane student loan interests, or just by using it all up… I mean, who can blame them for hopelessness?
All this as we watch so-called “leaders” doing little to nothing… save ALL THEY CAN DO… TO MAKE THINGS WORSE… FASTER!?!?

  • Permitting for extractive industries is being pushed faster and faster. [It’s as if some hope to eat up the entire planet asap. Do they not have children? I’ve often said (though not sure I’ve blogged it): The addiction we really need to cure is the one to MORE… and unsustainable ways of life.
  • Enforcement of permitting conditions is a job long left to communities who must beg their Senator to find dollars to do this work – often years after the problems have been impacting them (see Superfund Sites).
  • We continue to hear of the technological wonders that will save us – ANY MINUTE!!! While these “solutions” require even more extraction to bring them to life (and more raw materials than currently exist on planet Earth…so there’s that).
  • And gas is now flowing through Mountain Valley Pipeline. Just in time for all those Finish By Second Quarter bonuses!!! Just like Enbridge’s RUSH to finish Line 3/93 and flow tar sands by 10-1-2021… ugh. Yet, what will we do to find funding to clean up when the project – full of concerning failures and reasonable resistance all along the way – ultimately fails? All pipelines fail. Sadly, figures show the newer ones fail at higher rates than old ones. So, there’s that!

Maybe take ten minutes to see how we got here? This short film, focusing on Mississippi River, provided insight to me. Extolling the engineering marvels of locks and levees, it’s a lesson in humility because most of what humans have done has impact natural life in negative ways. And now those impacts are becoming quite negative… even for humans. Mississippi River is dying, yet she will continue, best she can, regardless of human actions. If the Tao has taught me one thing, it is this: Water is an undeniable force.

Earthly

Speaking of water, we might also consider the places where water is too abundant (Florida) and those where some are finding it difficult to get clean water to end users (Atlanta, Calgary). This latter now includes the largest city in North America with 22 M depending on clean water.

While that’s some concerning news, Caitlin’s latest is a bit encouraging. Thank goodness for (mainly) our US youth. I’m still hopeful for those standing against Genocide. Which… brings us back to the election stuff.

I’m troubled by the use of the “better off than 4 years ago” talk I’m hearing of late because I’m pretty sure the Dems think this is a talking point in their favor (as they watch the Market ‘Do Great!’). My concern is that this is based in complete bullshit as I can’t think of ANYONE who is doing better now than four years ago (save those heavily invested in the market, which ain’t most of us, at least not with any sense of control over those investments which often are via employment retirement plans).

Not that 4 years ago was that great either… to be clear.

In addition to the financial aspects, I’ve seen social aspects that indicate Trump might actually seem a better choice for so many. Not just those who hope in him for a savior (which he sadly won’t be for most of them) but also for those who see him as a problem. [If you never read his platform for the first election, it’s easy to see how you could remain baffled at how so many had faith in Trump. I didn’t read it until election night but I gotta say, it was attractive. Especially for poor rural whites.]

But for the anti-Trumpers, he brought LOADS of people in the streets to reject him, loads of donations flowing to community groups standing for protections of people and place, and solidarity to stand against him with so many awakening to the blatantly obvious oligarchy. Perhaps my favorite reason to like him (though, “like”… meh – not really) was that the people were getting at least SOME of the truth. If only because Trump often liked to say the “quiet parts” out loud. Had we spent less time ridiculing him, and more listening and investigating what he was saying, we might have been far better off.* I can think of a few examples…

I mean, thanks to him, #MeToo came to life, bringing justice for some and relief and encouragement for MILLIONS of women. We saw so many stand together to protect vulnerable people being targeted across the spectrum. We witnessed as (mainly women and children… unironically?) sought justice from environmental to economic to social. We watched the birth of BLM in the wake of George Floyd’s sickening public execution by law enforcement officers who no longer served their public. And now we know of many many more similar places of violence in America which is no surprise for a country whose profits are so firmly based in violence and destruction in the name of democracy? More on that in a moment.

I recently argued with a friend that at least under Trump we weren’t a sedated mass thinking our government was now caring for us – because it’s CLEAR now, THEY WERE NOT. They really haven’t been for a long time. [Though I’ve LONG SAID it all started going downhill fast in the 80s, Dan will tell you it really started when Wallace got bumped. And he’s right.]

Breaking Points coverage

So, let’s focus on healthcare [actually just the pandemic, and specifically to Minnesota’s perspective, though in a not too detailed way because, really, the problems are legion…] as evidence of how the government was NOT caring for us. I’ve spent quite a lot of time investigating and watching the COVlD debacle unfold since January 2020 and here’s a short list of my concerns, not necessarily in order of importance. Again, this is the tip of the iceberg.

  • Minnesota lost a HUGE number of their small businesses during the pandemic. Many of the family owned resorts could not manage to survive through a season or three of reduced capacity and most small businesses had a HUGE burden to comply with MANY rules compared to those big corporate interests so they were unable to open, losing out on business as Big Corps like Target won the day. This also left most consumers with few choices which likely also allowed the Big Corps to raise prices – all based on their own increased costs so they said (though later reports showed much of the increases only raised CEO profits as costs were NOT truly rising for the big corps. Huh.). Oh, and now Fauci has admitted the 6′ rule was based on … NOTHING.
  • Minnesota lost a HUGE number of her citizens to COVlD. But hey!! Those Federal COVlD dollars gave us a HUGE surplus for using all the specially recommended (read: really expensive) treatments!! Sadly, these ‘treatments’ largely didn’t work (Remdesivier & ventilators), save those that did (monoclonal antibodies, which we too soon saw tossed to the garbage bin by ‘leaders’) so, in the end, we lost lots of folks, even while gaining big refunds for doing-as-told by the CDC. CHA-CHING!!! [Based on the early figures, Minnesota had the second highest earnings per victim than all other states at $380,000. Only West Virginia, at $479K per victim, banked better. So… worth it? I still think not.]
  • Minnesota still continues to lose on average ten more folks a week, reportedly to COVlD deaths. While, for sure, people die every day… I can attribute some of these deaths to a continued refusal to use proper treatment protocols, or even implementation of cheap and simple precautionary practices that prevent illness, like ensuring everyone has a sufficient level of Vitamin D. (Since no one profits from that one, you’re not likely to be advised on this plan for health? Though it’s a portion of the reason Sweden did so well as they supplement their foods, you know, because their people realize that the lack of sun exposure is an issue to confront. Wow. Smart!)
  • COVlD vaccines were promoted as Safe and Effective yet most of the people I knew who were vaccinated STILL GOT the illness!! And still are getting it, sadly. Vaccinations, specifically those made with the mRNA liquid nanoparticles, are now being shown to have massively concerning adverse impacts. Though… unfortunately, in the Corporate States of America – where we’re still pushing these mRNA jabs – EVEN FOR BABIES for crying out loud – we will hear little to nothing about these horrific impacts in commercial media. [And THAT is how you know they are STILL NOT caring for us.]
  • As Fauci and his cohorts come under more investigation, like his sidekick David and his buddy Peter at Ecohealth Alliance, we may yet hear truth about the causes and impacts of the profit-based decision-making of our so-called “leaders”. Yet the news will likely come first from Australia or the UK? Just sayin’! Because commercial media is still “Brought to You by Pfizer!!”

So, if NOW (again) if this IS (again)… THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR TIME (again).
Could we – maybe for the first time? – consider voting for someone in whom we ACTUALLY BELIEVE?
Instead of voting against someone we oppose?

Voting for the lesser of evils is not Democracy. It’s not the choice of the people as is so clear unless you listen to the talking heads in commercial media. Voting for the lesser of evils along the way has not gotten us out of the hands of evil. It’s simply kept us enslaved by the two-party system that feels like two cheeks of the same ass shitting all over most of us as they fly around the world destroying places (to spend big military dollars) so they can go in and play savior rebuilding (with all the taxpayer dollars from America supporting corporate interests doing this rebuilding work) all while our own communities’ bridges, roads, schools, rural hospitals, water systems all over… continue to get little attention. And are now failing in major ways. Just as the weather gets weirder.

Perhaps voting for things we actually support – which means West for me as the only candidate opposing the Genocide in Gaza – might be something to try?
For once?

It’s just an idea.**

* Some of the ridicule that continues about Trump only succeeds in showing how divided those sharing it wish to remain. Some so petty as to make those ridiculing lose their own integrity. And some so seemingly desperate as to make one more keenly aware of how poor a candidate Biden truly is.
[As if the latest news is not showing his near total inability to speak at this point. FFS. If that isn’t a sign of the delusion Americans are trying to continue as they proclaim themselves the “Leaders of the Free World!” IDK what is. The Emperor truly has no clothes. Who knew it could manifest so plainly without anyone saying anything about ot? Fiction becoming fact. Joe is nakedly incapable of managing in his position and it’s embarrassing at this point that no one is acting to correct that.]

** Oh, it’s not like I really hold much faith in our systems of voting even. I mean, gerrymandering and campaign finances are just the start of the corruption. [And that’s not to dis all the hardworking poll workers doing their best, amidst all the division, to bring voting opportunities to folks.] Yet I’ll probably mark a ballot sometime this year. We’ll see.
Vlad’s in the backyard and the US is still being an asshat, talking about seized Russian assets being used to bomb Russia. [Yeah, we’re always big dicks about it. Pretty much… though, as my money is on Vlad in this fight, I’m really wishing the US would just take a MF breath. For REAL.]

I gotta wonder…
When will it be clear to evereyone that Joe (and to be clear, he’s just the puppet figurehead of the Military Industrial Complex and the current Rep for the long reign of insiders pushing agendas) is the source of all the BS over in Ukraine. The US violated the Warsaw Pact.
But hey, not like the US has ANY treaties they’ve honored?

Keep your fingers crossed for a nuke-free summer. 100%

Oh, and just one final thought for the die-hards… Is there really any difference between the two mysogynist, likely rapist (do you know how many date rapers there are?), racist, too old, too debilitated, arrogant, mean, creepy puppet-leaders they’re giving us? [I’m not about name calling here, just naming what’s apparent based on behaviors.] I’m simply asking, really? Are these the best offerings?

We all know it isn’t true but what can you do about it?
Lemme know if you know.

And then we can talk about how to have a Democracy?

Meanwhile, if you haven’t read/heard the recent Chris Hedges speech, it’s full of warnings we might heed.