trump and maga's war on America--and themselves

What will it take for maga to understand the fact that every living thing is connected? That we and the planet are as unified of a system as a human body is? That we're all in this together and that harming "not them" intrinsically and explicitly also directly harms them? 

I'm crossing my fingers, but I'm not holding my breath--so far, maga is only upset when their actions cause them direct harm, but they'd still gladly vote again for harming "those people." They still haven't caught on that they ARE "those people" as far as the government they elected is concerned. They still haven't learned empathy or compassion. They're still steeped in hate and fear...fear and hate...and they'd rather feed their anger and false victimhood than get on with their lives or learn how to have better lives. 

It's difficult to believe that they willfully and willingly voted for voluntary scarcity in America, ostensibly the richest country on earth. They VOTED to live in a war zone. They VOTED for empty shelves--shelves being emptied by a purely man-made crisis. There isn't even a pandemic driving this insanity--well, I guess you could count the pandemic of sociopathic narcissism and the greed, hate, anger, cruelty, and fake victimhood (not to mention the stupidity, ignorance, arrogance, fecklessness, and recklessness) that goes along with it as embodied by trump, the republican party, and maga.

But I digress.

So, let's take a look at a few things we can all do to help ourselves through the coming shitstorm of trump's war on America.

1. Stock up on supplies now, but don't do the whole maga-narcissist thing of over-buying and reselling at exorbitant profits. Buy enough to last a few months--I'd say 3-6 months if you can, meaning if you have the money and the room to store such supplies. Here's the list I'm stocking up on:

• Toilet paper
• Paper towels
• Water filters
• Plastic goods, including cling wrap, food storage bags, trash bags
• Laundry detergent
• Dishwasher detergent
• Personal supplies like soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, shaving supplies, etc.
• Canned goods and other shelf-stable foods
• Dried beans and pulses
• Reusable supplies like heavy paper shop towels, shower caps for covering food in the refrigerator, etc.

If you can stock up on prescription medicine, do it. Alas, the system I'm part of gatekeeps prescription medicine, so I can't stock up.

If you have a baby or small children, stock up on those supplies. Use cloth diapers if you have laundry machines.

Stock up on pet supplies if you have a furry friend.

Get a bidet attachment for your toilet if you can, and buy and cut up some cloth diapers to use with it.

As you go through your daily routine, look around and think hard: what would you miss if it suddenly disappeared from store shelves? Then stock up on that.

Again, we're all in this together, so please only buy what you need--don't be a dick.

Better to have and not need than to need and not have, as YouTube ladies like Angela of Parkrose Permaculture and Tabitha of Tabitha Speaks Politics say.

And please keep an eye on any elderly or disabled neighbors or family members--stocking up on supplies they can use could save their lives.

2. DON'T buy jack shit online, and don't buy a damn thing you don't need. trump's tariffs are coming for ALL online shoppers, especially if you're buying from overseas. trump has repealed the de minimis rule, which means that EVERY package coming in from overseas is subject to customs, border "security," and other delays. Tabitha of Tabitha Speaks Politics reports being asked for her W-2 and social security number and other invasive information "to prove her identity" as recipient of a package from Taiwan that DHL sent back anyway after a delay of several weeks. As Tabitha says, trump is "trying" to discourage us to stop spending money on foreign goods, but the end result is us saying a great big Fuck You and not spending ANY money we don't absolutely have to.

3. Again, keep an eye on anyone you know who can't get out to do their own shopping--trump's tariffs are on a glide path to destroy the lives of the most vulnerable among us.

4. Keep saving every penny you can, and keep protesting! It's up to us to drive our electeds to represent US and push back on trump and the republicans. They're all just going to keep steamrolling us if we let them. There is NO reason to let them. So keep calling, writing, and showing up. And don't forget to celebrate Obama Day this June 14th.

5. Get or keep your driver's license, passport, and whatever other ID you need current. 

6. Don't fly unless you need to--musk disabled the FAA for a reason.

7. If you do need to leave the country for your safety, be prepared never to come back. Public figures who openly criticize the trump regime are being threatened with not being let back into the U.S. if they leave. So figure out where you'd like to live and set up an expatriation plan--who knows, maybe we sane, reasonable, educated, democratically-minded Americans can apply for political asylum in some friendly sane, reasonable, educated, democratically-minded foreign nation. I know this sounds extreme, but, again, better to have and not need than to need and not have.

8. As always, turn OFF the fucking news. Just turn it off. Scroll YouTube for headlines, but absolutely minimize what you watch. Even when the creators are compassionate and empowering, the very environment we're all in is too toxic to support our mental and physical health for long. So please just turn it off and watch gardening videos. Or makers. Or cooking channels. Or museums. Or history channels. 

9. Even better: go out and take a walk. Go commune with nature. Move your body. Breathe some fresh air. Maybe even pet a few dogs and talk to a few neighbors.

10. Grow as much of your own food as possible. As Tabitha of Tabitha Speaks Politics says, you can regrow foods like celery and onion from what you buy from the store. Don't throw those root ends away--stick 'em in a pot. Grow whatever herbs and spices you can. If you don't have an outdoor garden, try growing whatever you can indoors in pots or on your balcony or deck. Anything you don't have to buy will help.

11. Self care is a necessity, not a luxury. Meditate. Even 5 minutes a day helps! Take a nice, long, hot shower or bath...or a cold one if that's what you prefer. Hug a friend, a pet, a stuffed animal. Rework your personal reward system away from retail therapy and into creating something positive for yourself and others. You're important just as you are; we need you; so please take care of YOU.

That's all the helpful advice I can think of for now. I'll add as I see, hear, or think of anything. Thanks for being!

And now...some videos and memes to annoy and amuse.

First, the videos...

I DON'T respect christians. I DON'T respect religious beliefs. When you voluntarily delude yourself, you open yourself up to all other manner of delusions--all of which harm you and others. So NO, I don't respect christians or religious beliefs. This shit is HARMFUL!!!!!

I'm old enough to remember when w and his goons had Governor Don Siegelman, who opposed w's fascism and criminality, arrested and thrown under the jail. I have to believe that Siegelman's conviction means that the jury of his peers that found him guilty was honest. I think that we'd have heard something by now if that hadn't been the case. But it was chilling at the time. Governor Tony Evers, who stands accused only of standing up to trump, has released a statement saying that he may find himself under arrest for his pro-democracy, pro-Constitution, pro-America stance. We need MORE of this, not less. Standing up to the bully is the only way to get the bully to back down--bullies like trump are nothing if not dyed-in-the-wool cowards.

Why Trump’s Sense of Victimhood Could Be the Most Dangerous Thing About Him

(Remember, madame president* donaldina jessica trump HAS to punch down on her victims because SHE has to be the Biggest Victim. Kinda like whining that she's being treated "worse" than Abraham Lincoln, who was murdered. I still want to ask trump what she thinks of the funeral they had for her after she was shot dead in the head--was her funeral exciting and inspiring enough for her?)

I've known for a long time that Neil DeGrasse Tyson is weird, and I remember thus not being surprised when women accused him of sexual misconduct, but having him go full maga was not on my bingo card... 

Good parenting is an act of radical resistance in trump's America. It takes understanding that kids are fully-fledged humans just as adults are. You have to communicate, negotiate, be patient, and put in the time and attention. I've known since I was a kid that hitting and screaming at kids is lazy parenting at best and physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse at worst. Adults do not turn out "OK" BECAUSE they were abused as kids; they turn out to be reasonably high functioning adults IN SPITE of being abused as kids.

Now, the memes...

FDJT and the republicans he rode in on

Fuck reagan and the republicans he rode in on, too!

You're kidding--he's only 39? Hate really ages you!

THIS!!!!!

Me neither, JoJo. Me neither. As a brilliant protest sign said, "Elect a rapist, expect to get fucked."

Still makes more sense than reopening Alcatraz. If you ever doubted that trump is so demented that she thinks that TV and movies ARE the real world, her desire to reopen Alcatraz should convince you. I think she and all of miss putin's republicans should go live on Alcatraz and then tell us how they like it. Of course, they're welcome to take Kilmar Abrego Garcia's place in El Salvador, too.