There are only a few times in my life I have felt this bad about everything: September 11 2021, 2016, and 2024.
The last time Leader Dearest was in charge he had people who actually understood how the country worked with some respect for the rule of law. They all told us not to give him a second chance. He’s learned his lesson: no more people who say no.
The forces of fascism have been working a long long time in this country. They moved the overton window of political speech so far that the rest of the world considers the Democrats to be Center-Right, Republicans to be Right, and then the loudest voices are even further to the Right. From a global perspective, it seems, we have to functioning political Left.
They read 1984 and took notes on how to make Oceania happen. They read Brave New World and took notes on how to make Fordism happen. They read The Handmaid’s Tale and took notes to build Gideon. They read Atlas Shrugged and took notes on how to become John Galt. They who? The Heritage Foundation is one of the groups, several other think tanks, the Seven Mountain Dominion creeps. The lot of them. They have been working a grand plan to bring fascism, probably even full totalitarianism, to the United States.
Fortunately the Constitution is hard to change. We know the 14th and 19th Amendments are on the List of Things to Erase, and I suspect the 22nd Amendment and everything after that is on the List as well. It takes a lot of work to amend the constitution and I don’t think they’ll manage to change that, but I suspect they have a plan.
Here’s what we could lose:
- Repeal the 14th – Make Blacks Property Again
- Repeal the 19th – Make Women Property Again
- Repeal the 22nd – Make Presidential Term Limits Illegal Again
- 11/13/2024: He’s testing the waters on this one.
- 1/23/2025: They’re trying to make it official
- Repeal the 23rd – Make the District of Columbia Unrepresented Again
- Repeal the 24th – Make Poll Taxes a Thing Again
- Repeal the 25th – (no catchy phrase, but this establishes the succession in case the President is unable to do the job. I suspect Vance is keeping this one in his pocket, and if he uses, oh boy are we in trouble.)
- Repeal the 26th – Make Age Discrimination a Thing Again
- Repeal the 27th – Make Let Us Set Our Government Salaries a Thing Again
I know I am on the List of People to be Dealt With. I’m low on that list because I’m a cisgender white male, but I won’t drink the Flavor-Aid. I know my marriage is ultimately at risk of being dissolved as a legal thing. Yes, I take that personally. But I know ahead of me almost everyone I know and love is at a bigger risk. Even people I don’t know are at a bigger risk.
Imagine being “deported” to a country you’ve never been to because you have melanin.
Imagine being sent to a “reeducation camp” and forgotten about because you love someone who has more melanin than you, or because you love someone with the same genitalia, or because you don’t love at all.
Imagine being told you are losing your job and cannot get another one because you aren’t a member of The Party.
Imagine losing your house just because someone wealthier than you wants it.
Imagine being in prison for not agreeing with the government about what God looks like.
Uncle Josh, I hear you say, you’re blowing things out of proportion. First, I’m a writer and that’s kind of what I do. Second, they’ve said these things. They published the playbook. They’ve been planning a long time to make this happen.
Why? Why would they do this? I have no idea. Some people just think having power makes them special, I guess. Having power with no responsibility is their goal state.
My religion and my philosophy teach me that no one does evil willingly, but I simply cannot see the good, even for themselves, in their plan.
I have processed some of my fear, and now I have to plan for action. I hope you join me in the effort.