Tag: Politics

Blog post, Politics

We shouldn’t be surprised. I bet there’s more to come.

Jamie

Remember when Trump literally told the Proud Boys, on live television, to “stand back and stand by?” How he never explicitly condemned white supremacy? And how Trump supporters literally tried to kidnap the governor of Michigan? And how many BLM protests were met with tear gas and arrests and abductions? Remember when people were mad that a gate was damaged during a BLM protest, and upset about a Target being looted?

So now the Capitol building has been stormed by a crowd of white people waving Confederate flags and Nazi flags (yes, those green Kek flags are related to the Nazi flag), and there is an obvious lack of tear gas and rubber bullets. One moment Trump is crying “Oh, Antifa infiltrated my rally and are framing us,” but then turns around and tells the terrorists that he loves them and that they’re special. Did you know there was literally “MAGA Civil War January 6 2021” merch being sold prior to this event? That they planned to storm the Capitol? One cop even moved the barricade out of the way for the crowd.

Now his staff are dropping like flies because they’re trying to save face days before his administration ends; not because they think it’s the best thing for the country or that they’re unfit for their jobs, but because he’s quickly losing control and power and they want to get away while the gettin’ is good.

I can’t say I knew when something like this would happen, but I can say that I’m not surprised. He is grabbing at power, and his supporters are afraid that once Trump’s reign is over that they’re lose something. Maybe the timing caught people off guard (because it did for me), but the fact that something like this happened at all should shock no one. He is whining that the election was stolen from him, but no one has initiated an investigation. Unlike his win, which had been investigated, and he had been impeached over. If he genuinely believes that the election had been tampered with then why hasn’t he mentioned an investigation at all? Instead he keeps making speeches about his bruised ego.

I don’t think this is the last thing we’ll see. There will surely be more from the MAGA crowd. I worry about inauguration day in particular. Hopefully that is just my anxiety and paranoia talking, but I can’t shake the feeling that there will be more incidents like this, even after we transition into the Biden administration. There will surely be more chaos and fear caused by these people. Brace yourselves for it.

Blog post, News

It’s been a while

Jamie

I haven’t blogged in over a year. A lot has happened in that year, but any time I thought about blogging I felt afraid for some reason.

Now, of course, so many of us are quarantining ourselves at home, and I have a lot on my mind, so why not write something here and tell you what’s on my mind.

I’m as okay as a person can be during the time of COVID19. It’s a shame that it took a pandemic for me to finally get the chance to work from home. I’ve wanted a wfh job for years, and applied for several before I landed my current office job in July 2017. Since then myself and a few others have mentioned to our management that we want to see it implemented in our office. We’re in telecom, and our job duties don’t require us to be physically present there. Now a pandemic is going on, and suddenly all of us were authorized to take our entire work PCs home. I’ve only been working from home a day and a half, but it’s been nice.

Things are changing so fast. The way our government and health professionals and educators are handling this is a strange mix of impressed and disappointed. My friends in education are doing their best for their students and school districts, and I’m so proud of them. I look at our healthcare system and wonder why there are people who still don’t support universal healthcare. I look at our government who can funnel over a trillion dollars into the wealthy elite’s pockets but can’t find the funds to support public college or healthcare, or support those who have been let go and laid off from work due to their place of employment closing.

I see no reason we can’t always make these accommodations for people, to take care of each other the way we are now. People in other countries are performing concerts on the balconies and singing to each other. Rounding up supplies for those who can’t leave their homes to get those things themselves. Washing our damn hands. Free educational materials that used to be locked behind a paywall. Allowing people to work remotely (something people with disabilities and immune issues especially benefit from).

So far I’m doing okay. Being alone isn’t that hard for me; as an introvert, I have prepared my whole life for this moment. However I have slacked off in my prepper habits, so in that way I’m not quite as prepared in that way. I have food, and toilet paper, and a tiny washing machine so I should be good for a while before I need to order anything for pick-up.

Mostly I’m worried about my friends who can’t avoid working near other people, and can’t work from home. I worry that the people around them won’t be careful. I worry about this getting worse before it gets better. I remind myself that worrying doesn’t change anything, and in a way, worrying is like praying for something that you don’t want to happen. Sometimes if you expect the worst then the worst will happen, so I’ve been trying to focus on the good things. I look forward to it getting better instead of worrying about it getting worse, which takes effort, and it is something I have to intentionally do, but it’s helping me.

We can be good to each other, and we can do better. We’re getting there. Take care of yourselves, and take care of one another. If you can, donate money to your local food bank. Look out for our most vulnerable folks. Drink lots of water and wash your hands.

I love you all. Be safe.

Blog post, Politics

Fire is catching…

Jamie

Mr. Trump,

If I were not alive during this time, to witness the news updates of what your administration is doing, I would say your actions are those of a dystopian fiction villain; however, this is real, and your behavior is that of an abuser, an oppressor, cutting off our ties from neighboring countries little by little to isolate our country, and pit citizens against each other. I’ve read works of fiction set in worlds where the media lied to its citizens, where people trusted bloggers over traditional mainstream news sites, where our country was cut off from others and our states’ communication cut off from one another. I thought, “This is excellent and intense fiction, but we would never let that happen here for real. We’re better and smarter than that.”

I was wrong. I see how those worlds can be real.

To quote one of my favorite series: “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” Thus far, your “inferiors” know you think we’re little more than a slug beneath your shoe. We are just another rung on a ladder you are climbing to acquire more power and wealth for yourself, your family, and your fellow financial elite. You do not care for the welfare of the middle and lower classes, but instead view us as things to be controlled and confined.

Know this: history has its eyes on you. I hope future generations will look back on this moment and shake their heads. I hope that our country learns from this and can say “Never again” and mean it. I also hope that maybe, just maybe, you will have a change of heart and stop undoing all the good things we have. I do not wish you harm, but I do wish this had never happened. I do not know how or why the voice of the people was not honored, because you are unfit to serve.

My voice is not loud enough to reach you, and I am not in a position of power. I am not a warrior. Still, I do have a voice, small as it is. I may not be someone who can stand on the front lines of this fight, but I assure you that there is a fight, and I will be here to support those who are bolder and stronger and louder than myself. Right now I have this blog on the internet (and if I am lucky, a handful of people will even read it), and I have letters to write my representatives. Hopefully I will be among those who stand outside with a sign in my hands and righteous fury on my lips.

If my history books, and great works of fiction, have taught me anything, it is that there will come a time when you will be stripped of your power. It may not be soon, but it will happen, to you and those who stand with you.

Because you are Goliath, and We the People are David.

So if we burn? You burn with us.

Sincerely,

Jamie