We are at war. What do we do now?

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rosietheriveter

So.  The oligarchs got their wish last night, under cover of darkness.  In secrecy and total lack of transparency, in the dead of a December night, they passed a tax bill that robs the poor and middle class to further enrich the 1% and the corporations.  An almost 500-page document with scribbled handwritten notes was presented to them hours before they had to vote.  This is a terrible way to govern.  It is the way things are done in third world dictatorships.

Not only is this bill, should it become law, going to gut the middle class and cause many of them to fall into poverty, it robs the most vulnerable members of society of healthcare (by repealing the ACA mandate), sneaks in a “fetal personhood” law, and gives huge tax breaks for things like private jets and vacation homes, but takes away the child tax credit for average families and the ability of teachers to deduct necessary things like school supplies.   It also cuts Medicaid and other programs many people rely on.

It also will explode the economy by adding 1.3 trillion to our national debt, which is their legacy to our children and grandchildren.   The GOP is aware of this, and don’t care, because it works for them.   It gives them a handy excuse to gut or eliminate Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare later on (neither Social Security or Medicare are entitlement programs — they are trust funds we’ve been paying into our entire working lives!)   But I don’t expect them to be there when I need them in a few more years.  I have no idea what I’m going to do then.    But the Powers That Be will just find a way to blame the Democrats for the economy collapsing and making it necessary for them to enforce draconian austerity measures that are necessary to repair the economy.  Of course, what they say is all bullshit and is just gaslighting.   They never take any responsibility for the damage they do; all they do is shift the blame to others.

Their ideal America is not one where everyone has an opportunity to succeed and pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.   They prefer one where the rights of most of us are stripped away, where voting is suppressed or we can’t vote at all, where dissenters are punished for having a voice,  where honest and ethical reporters are jailed or silenced, where immigrants are deported or locked up, where toxic authoritarian evangelical Christianity is the law of the land,  where women are chattel and property, where slavery is allowed, and the rest of us serfs toil 6 or 7 days a week (because eventually two day weekends will be abolished as well since that was a right that came about due to labor laws of the early 20th century).  Our lives will be brutal and short, just like they were in the Dark Ages.   At best, their ideal society will be a replay of the Gilded Age, which was a horrible life for most people too.   These criminals running our government won’t be satisfied until not one penny is left for us, where the middle class is gone, and we are living in a feudal society where the mighty oligarchs look down from their gated mansions up on the hill at the great unwashed masses of the impoverished existing in their shanty towns down below.

I need not go on about the horrors of such an America, but it’s what they want and it’s closer at hand than most people realize.    The oligarchs have declared war on us, and their greed knows no limits.   Their God is Mammon.  They will kill us either passively (by taking away our means to live or be healthy) or aggressively (that might be coming) in order to keep enriching themselves and feel not one iota of remorse or regret, for they have no conscience.  They gaslight us by insisting that their greed, meanness, and consciencelessness is somehow “godly” or “defending freedom.”

They lie to us by insisting that “more jobs will be created” if the ultra-rich pay less taxes, but four decades of trickle-down economics and the recessions that always result from GOP economic policies have proven this does not work.   Yet, in their willful ignorance, conservatives keep insisting trickle down economics does work, or that if it hasn’t, this time it will (what’s that saying about insanity and trying the same thing over and over?)  But in reality, it’s we, the so-called “parasites” and “useless eaters” who are the real job creators, because it’s demand for products and services that create jobs, not tax breaks for the rich.  Without us to buy their products and services, they would all go out of business.  If we get to keep more of our money to spend, we buy more and that’s what creates jobs, not tax breaks that are mostly invested in offshore banks and used to buy elections and control politics.   Most economists now agree trickle down economics doesn’t work and only creates more inequality between the richest and everyone else.   The greedy oligarchs, not us, are the real parasites on society.

This isn’t a rant against the rich.   I know most wealthy people aren’t like this.    I think most of the rich are still decent human beings, unwilling to rob the rest of us to line their own pockets, but the ones with the most power and the ones who have bought our government and greatly influence elections — the Kochs, the Mercers, the DeVos family, the Adelsons, etc. — have declared war on the rest of us, helped along by the complicit Republican Party, who are beholden to their oligarch donors.  I think the Citizens United decision was possibly the worst thing to happen to democracy and the death blow that made such a pathocratic, kleptocratic government possible.

I am beyond disappointed and heartsick at Susan Collins’ and John McCain’s decision to vote yes on this bill.  I mistakenly believed they were both people of conscience and would not put party before country, greed over people.  I was wrong.   Back in July, I wrote a glowing tribute to John McCain after his dramatic “no” vote on Obamacare repeal.   I will be removing that post, since he proved last night he’s no different than the rest of them and has sold his soul too.

And now they want to repeal Net Neutrality too, which will mean we will have to pay more to read what we want to read or view what we want to view, or not get to access it at all.   It’s a form of internet censorship, which makes it easier for huge corporations to control the web, at the expense of the small business owners, everyday people, and small-time bloggers like me.    If Net Neutrality is repealed, we bloggers may find our traffic has dropped drastically, since so many people will no longer be able to access our sites.   If we earn an income from blogging, or sell things online, we will be hurt financially by the repeal.   I have an awful feeling it’s going to pass.

I feel like I’m grieving a death, the death of my country.  It’s not a sudden, merciful death; it’s a long, drawn-out painful one.   What makes it worse is knowing that this country that used to be “the shining light on the hill” for the rest of the world, is now seen as an enemy by advanced western democracies, a country that has turned on its own people and is now turning us against each other.   We are no better than a third world dictatorship (with nukes).   The criminal enterprise posing as our government literally is trying to kill us — or make our lives as painful and oppressive as they can until we die.   It’s slow genocide.   That’s not an exaggeration or a conspiracy theory.  These are bad people with evil intentions.   They want us to go away because we are in their way in their quest for unlimited power and wealth.    But eventually it will destroy them too, for without us to buy their goods (or not able to buy their goods), how will they maintain their opulent lifestyles?

When people begin to die, it won’t just be because the poor, the old, the sick, the disabled, and even children will have their social safety net that keeps them alive stripped away and be forced to fend for themselves in an increasingly hostile, repressive, and unhealthy environment.    It won’t just be because the air, water and land they’re deliberately destroying will eventually kill us.  I’ve also seen a number of comments on social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) from people feeling so hopeless and scared they’re  actually considering suicide.   People will kill themselves because they have lost all hope.   They feel like the bullies have won and believe there’s nothing they can do.   We have an abusive president, and an abusive cabal of conscienceless operatives, who want us to feel that way.   They want us feeling worn down, exhausted, and ready to give up — because when we give up, they acquire complete control.   That’s how Hitler was able to get away with his crimes.  The German people were complacent, and with only a few exceptions (White Rose Society), most people gave him the benefit of the doubt or called him a “buffoon” and believed he was a bad or incompetent leader but essentially harmless.  Or they felt so beaten down and afraid they did nothing.    I see many Americans and the American mainstream media acting much the same way.   That has to stop.

They are waging a war on empathy.    Empathy and having a conscience and sense of real morality (not just being anti-abortion and anti-gay) is seen as something bad by this pathocracy who has wrested power and forced their will on us in darkness and secrecy.    They are sociopaths and and narcissists who believe empathy is a weakness, something for “snowflakes” and “those dirty liberals.”  They believe in authoritarian strongmen who show no mercy.    Their spiritual leader is Ayn Rand, who thought empathy was evil and selfishness a virtue.   Her un-Christian, un-American philosophy is hardwired into their minds, even those who profess to be Christians.   This is a spiritual war, a literal war between good and evil.   There can be no goodness in a society that thrives on selfishness, military might, greed, racism, sexism, and hatred.  There can be no goodness in a society where the only measure of a person’s worth is their success in obtaining power and wealth (or their being born into it).  There can be no goodness in a society that treats its most vulnerable members with hard-hearted callousness “for their own good.”

We are facing our shadow, and the sickness in America that has been hidden for at least 40 years is now right on the surface for everyone to see.   That’s good, because it’s not until the symptoms of an illness become visible, that action is taken to eradicate the disease that caused them.   That some choose not to see the symptoms, or believe those symptoms are actually signs of good health, proves how deep and pervasive the sickness really is.   This cancer of selfishness, sociopathy, greed, and narcissism must be eradicated, and fast.

But how do we do it?   Calling our representatives, sending them letters, going to protests, posting snarky memes, signing petitions, and waiting around to vote in rigged elections obviously isn’t enough.   I don’t have any good ideas.   But we must keep fighting this malicious power however we can (without breaking the law — for now at least) and never, ever give up.   It’s when we give up that it’s all over and they own us to do whatever they want with.  Let’s learn from Nazi Germany and not allow what happened there happen here.   Let’s brainstorm together.   But how do we keep fighting evil without succumbing to despair and hopelessness?   I don’t know.

I did have one thought.  We could register as Republicans (as odious as that is).  That would throw a monkey wrench into their voter suppression efforts and also keep us from being tracked down and surveilled.   We could still vote for who we want to vote for.  What do you think?

As down as I feel today, this clip from “Animal House” put a smile on my face.  Bluto is right — let’s get going!   #Resist!

You are also invited to join my Facebook group if you’re wrestling with Trump trauma like I am.   You will be required to answer one question.  Trump supporters are not welcome.

Post-Trump Trauma Support Group.

47 thoughts on “We are at war. What do we do now?”

  1. As I hear people talking in Europe, not many do understand, why he was elected and after having seen, how he is acting now, less are understanding anything. Maybe we will start to see American refugees in Europe, unless something huge and good will happen, which is difficult to view from here. Wish you and all Americans a worthy life.

    Liked by 4 people

    • A lot of people are hopping the border and immigrating to Canada already. In fact there was like a record number of people wanting to move to Canada once Americans found out Trump had a fighting chance at becoming president. It continues to grow. I recently moved to the states with my husband (it was a matter of convenience for us etc) but am originally from Canada so I have heard all the fuss and it’s astonishing how many people are actually still trying to immigrate to Canada. I am suspecting it will raise numbers for the UK as well. But a lot of people in America do love their country, and won’t part just because Trump is president. Trump is losing support fast though and his numbers continue to increasingly shrink. I heard he broke some record for losing support in the fastest and highest number possible even faster than Obama (A president many Americans speak against still and still blame Obama etc)

      Liked by 2 people

      • Trump is very unpopular, but a good third of the country stick by him no matter what.
        They are unreachable. I wish I could move to another country, but even if I could afford to, I feel that I must stay here and keep resisting. If all of us leave, then who will fight for those who are left? We are needed here. I think right will overcome wrong, but it will be a struggle.

        Liked by 3 people

        • Yes it is a shock he still has some support, even if the numbers are shrinking. :/

          Yes they are unreachable which is sad. I wish people could be more easy going when it comes to politics and be able to work things out or reach some common ground. Unfortunately when it comes to strong political beliefs that is a pipe dream. lol. You are right, your country needs you.

          Personally I am Canadian, born and raised. Just moved to the USA this year with the hubby. I have visited the states many times before, I always enjoyed my stays and I do like the people, but I do disagree with a lot of the politics etc. But as a Canadian I don’t have much of a voice so I try to stay quiet for the most part. Haha It will be a struggle, but who knows? Trump is losing support in record numbers, but it stil feels his days aren’t numbered. But I do highly doubt he will be reelected. I was shocked he was able to run for president personally, and was astonished he won.

          Liked by 2 people

      • Thank you for writing this. It is interesting to follow the development from Europe.
        I think, that it would be better to remove him from this place and let people stay in US, but I don’t know, how it can be done practically.

        Liked by 2 people

          • You are so right, we just need this new case filled with lies to be public too. Upstairs that also for his behavior to many women. We can only hope, that he delivered all in public, so it will be possible to judge him.

            Liked by 1 person

        • No problem. 🙂 I am from Canada (only moved to the USA recently) yes it is interesting to watch the development and politics from out of country. Now I am kinda in the heart of it I guess.

          I also think it would be better to remove Trump and not the people. I don’t think that will work though. I keep hoping his days are numbered, and as much as he still has some support, his numbers seem to keep shrinking. I don’t know if he was ever even fully supported in office, a lot of Republicans spoke out against him, saying Hilary Clinton would have been an easier candidate to work with and get things passed through office etc. He didn’t have support by his own at first, I was very shocked he made it passed the ability to run for president. I was completely astounded when he won. I am just glad he isn’t my president and if need be I can retrieve back to Canada if I wish. We can hope he continues to lose more support and maybe by some chance through that he will be voted out of office.

          Liked by 1 person

  2. Great post! I can’t imagine feeling so hopeless as to contemplate suicide. Let’s just hope like hell the younger generation can save us. I hope Trump’s base starts to wake up once they see how this tax bill will affect them. Or are they that stupid? Jobs are not going to be created because businesses pay less taxes. Business owners are just going to line their own pockets, and act like you are lucky you have a job. It makes me really sad that so many Americans are so flipping ignorant. The Republicans don’t give a rat’s ass about the people who voted them into office.

    Liked by 3 people

      • No kidding! Stupid is too nice. It’s that sheeple effect. Critical thinking is a concept most Republicans are not familiar with. Why bother to learn the facts when their divine leader can tell them what to think and believe. It’s a damn shame.

        Liked by 1 person

    • If anyone saves us, it will be the Millennials. This fits in with fourth turning theory, which I actually believe in (even if Steve Bannon does too). Read Strauss and Howe’s “The Fourth Turning” or “Generations.”

      Here’s a couple of posts that might interest you.

      Millennials are our only real hope for change.

      Generations explained.

      I agree with you about trickle down economics. Giving more tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations isn’t going to create more jobs. It never has before and it never will. The real job creators are the consumes, who purchase the products and services! Without us “useless eaters” and “parasites” they would all go out of business! What do they do with all that extra money? They use it to buy more power and more elections, or invest it offshore. That’s what they do.

      Liked by 1 person

    • No. Not stupid.

      They believe – with the fervor of an ancient spirit-infested shaman – that they are small-g ***gods*** – and therefore have “full and complete control of all facets of life, from conception to decomposition.”

      Hence, they believe can ‘magick’ their way to greater-and-greater levels of predatory initiations, and ultimately become in truth what they currently think themselves to be – so that like a certain (fictional) chemistry teacher, they can ‘unleash their inner ***psychopath***’ and become serious self-deluded criminals, with sufficient funds and power that they can buy laws, lawyers, and ritual/social purity – and become ***gods*** in truth.

      Liked by 2 people

      • They believe they are God-ordained to take everything away from us, because in their evil minds, God prefers them and wants them to destroy us to bring about a “Christian planet.” This is what Christian dominionism and reconstructionism is all about. They believes the means ALWAYS justifies the ends in bringing about God’s kingdom, no matter how cruel. It’s a terrible perversion of real Christianity, and good people whether Christian or not, can smell the evil emanating from them.
        They are demons using religion as a cover for a dangerous cult of greed and power. Wolves in sheeps’ clothing. Actually, no. The wolves aren’t even hiding behind a sheep’s mask anymore. They are out in the open and more aggressive than ever.

        Like

    • When it comes to Trump I don’t think it is a Republican vs Liberal, or right vs left thing. Republicans even in office themselves have came out now and before the election happened they didn’t support Trump, and Clinton would have been much easier to have in Office to get bills passed, work with etc. Everyone is pretty much speaking out against Trump, it’s no secret. Trump has few supporters left and even more few in office left of support. I may be more of a socialist believer, and very liberal, but that doesn’t mean my beliefs are right for any country. I want to see leaders who can accomidate both sides.

      I just moved to the states and they are very republic, yes the people. They like it that way. Not all states, but like I cant hate on the states because they are more republic and for a long time have been. No one is forcing people to move to the USA and they are not saying their capitalism or republic views are for other countries.I don’t believe you will necessarily change the way the states are. I just think they deserve a better president than Trump be it republic, liberal or whatever. The label doesn;t matter Trump is neither, he is a narcissist lunatic.

      There have been successful and good liberal and Republic presidents it just has not happened in a very long time. Dates back before the 90’s, the USA didnt just start to fall, it started to fall a long time ago just no one saw the signs until it was too late. It is now here, and people are watching the collapse. I will say I was always opinionated of the states, especially with their politics until I moved here. The people are great. but a lot of their views and beliefs are different form my own. There is nothing wrong with that though. As long as they don’t hate on me for my socialist, liberal, sensitive easy to get along with attitude. 🙂 Americans are not ignorant, well some are but all countries have ignorant people even my own. I have seen Canadians be as ignorant as Americans. The problem in my opinion in most societies is we are so busy fighting with each other beliefs instead of actually realizing most governments are the problem, left or right. None serve rights of all it’s people. It is why I am for smaller governments etc. The left can be as deranged and blind sided to the right. If we want a livable society for everyone we as humans really have to get along better and recognize we do want different things, and have different beliefs.

      Liked by 3 people

  3. But if we register as Republicans, we won’t be able to vote in the Democratic primaries. I think our only hope is that the fools who voted for Trump will have a rude awakening when they can’t get chemotherapy or other things they need. They’ll be talking out of the other side of their face about the “liberal elite.” Idiots!

    One thing I don’t get about the idea that the fat cats need us to buy their products. If they already have all the wealth, why would they even need to make products for us to buy?

    I’m glad you finally see McCain for what he is. A loathsome Republican $wine. One thing you didn’t mention was the fools who voted for Trump. Without them, and those who voted for the rest of that party, we wouldn’t be in this mess. I’ll bet most of them are full of empathy, at least for fetuses.

    Liked by 4 people

    • I don’t know if it’s true we can’t vote in the primaries. I doubt I’ll ever register as a Republican but it’s a thought anyway. Even if it bars you from voting for a D in the primaries, you can still vote for who you want in general elections.

      The Flynn indictment gave me hope. The Mueller probe is getting closer to the inner circle. It also indicates the justice system still works –barely, even if it’s crippled. I just want to see all of them tossed in jail and the key thrown away.

      Like

      • I had the same thought about the primaries. I actually live with someone who is registered Republican. He can’t vote in the Dem primaries. He isn’t a Rupublican in his values though, it’s just what he registered as a looong time ago and has never changed it. He votes in the general elections though.

        I know that’s not your main point, I wonder if our votes actually matter anyway.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Reblogged this on Rcooley123's Blog and commented:
    Excellent post by Lucky Otters Haven regarding the implications that recent efforts by Congress and the Trump Administration entail for the vast majority of Americans. Passage of the Senate “Tax Reform” bill ( which addresses many issues in addition to the regressive giveaways to the ultra wealthy and large corporations) indicate that the wholesale stealing of our government by the moneyed interests is accelerating. Just as when we fought back against attacks to steal our gains in health care earlier this year, we need to do likewise as the year ends by making sure the conferees do not send anything remotely like either the House or Senate version of this monstrosity gets passed by both bodies and sent to the President for his signature. – RJC

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Pingback: It’s only going to get worse people! | cornfedcontessa

  8. What if we all refused to pay our taxes. Could we come together as the American public and say enough is enough? Could we stop being “offended” by little things and rally our energies away from indignation and focus on something on something really important like not being screwed again by money-grubbing politicians. Enough is enough!!!!!

    Liked by 2 people

    • How do we stop paying taxes? They’re either taken out of our paychecks, or if we’re self employed, not paying taxes can send you to jail or you’ll be forced to pay them anyway by the IRS. How do you suggest we do this? I know we need to get a hell of a lot louder than we have been though.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Reblogged this on Scotties Toy Box and commented:
    I found this to be both well written and very interesting. It says the things I and others have tried to say, only the post does it much better. I also do not have the answer, but as said this has been a long time coming and I can’t help but think some democrats hoping to get their share also helped in this downfall. The many attempts by leaders in congress to deny all science because it might challenge the things they want to do, the programs they want to install, the groups they want to use for controlling the masses. I hope we can pull out of this, but I am afraid if we do manage to fix it , the damage is already done for generations. Be well. Hugs

    Liked by 1 person

  10. No. Not Mammon – Mammon is but a vassal of ***Satan***.

    In a hierarchical environment, ‘lessers’ take on the thinking and behavior of their betters to retain and advance their place in the hierarchy; and since hell wishes to ***devour*** all that exists – “that it may rot in my belly, where it belongs – its ***minions*** will stop at nothing to make the world that is not-hell become an outpost of hell itself.

    Now – where is our version of Dachau? (It was the first camp). Where shall we have our Oscwiciem – er, Auschwitz? (The first instance is the original name in Poland) Who shall lead or ‘security detachment – our SD? Who shall doom us, to either enter the ever-shrinking charmed circle of Volksgenossen- our be killed of as Gemeinschaftsfremden?

    Oh, and those like me are not even good enough to be community aliens.

    We are ‘useless feeders’ and ‘life unworthy of life’. The holocaust started with people like us – the practiced on us to get ready for the big time. I suspect it wasn’t just because we were easy, either – there’s more. The language used is a clue, or so it seems – as in ‘we are not normal people saddled with a loathsome disease.’

    No. As per the tenets of ritual pollution – we ***are*** the disease, and our eradication the greatest good Normdom can conceive – as in ‘the deformed are our misfortune’. (A notion that goes back to the dawn of civilization…)

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Amazing post, Lauren. Your writing blows me away.

    I have been away from WP for awhile, to focus on writing my memoir. But I sent you an email about an idea I had. I sent it right after I saw that this unconscionable tax bill was passed. Did you get my email? If not, I will send it again.

    God bless, my friend. If I were on FB, I would join your post election trauma support group. These are scary times.

    Liked by 1 person

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