I don’t know what to say anymore. I feel empty inside – bereft of hope – drowning in sorrow – swallowed in darkness.
My expectations of humanity obliterated – smashed into the ground under the butt of an AR-15 in the hands of apathetic, craven, and power-hungry lawmakers.
What does it say about our country that slaughtered elementary school children huddled in corners of classrooms, their bodies ripped open, their fragile bones splintered and shattered, their blood smeared on the floor and splattered on the walls, the final minutes of their lives filled with overwhelming fear and terror, and still US representatives refuse to even talk about gun legislation?
This happens over and over and over again. The next school shooting is right around the corner and yet we remain stuck, unable to do anything because the people we send to congress care more about their job than the safety of your children.
The river of apathy that runs through the halls of congress intensifies the futility and hopelessness we all feel for days after a school shooting.
Now we’ll go through the scripted responses from spineless and heartless Republican legislators – the lies about the threat to the second amendment, the outrageous claim that we need more guns to combat this violence, the blame it on mental illness argument.
We’ve heard these responses so many times that we can recite them almost word-for-word.
Until US representatives who oppose gun regulation get voted out or begin losing their loved ones to gun violence, situations like what played out in Uvalde, TX, and Buffalo, NY will happen repeatedly.
Would Republican lawmakers care enough to act if their child or loved one was struck down by a bullet from an AR-15?
Would Republican lawmakers care enough to act if they had to identify their child or loved one gruesomely and mortally wounded by a bullet from an AR-15?
Sadly, other people’s children and loved ones being mowed down in a hail of gunfire is not enough to get these people to act.
It feels like the fabric that holds our society together gets more and more threadbare by the day.
Calamity fuels anxiety, and anxiety churns our ideas and emotions into a bitter black butter, clogging the arteries in our brain and preventing us from generating optimistic thoughts.
Hopelessness gathers on the horizon, settling in our collective consciousness.
War, disease, and apathy carry the day, leading humanity down a dark and twisting path, permanently away from light and hope.
But my dog doesn’t sense any of this.
My dog still greets me with smiling eyes and a wagging backside – the same way she did when life was good. She still strolls from the patio to the sun-warmed grass, shoulder-rolls onto the ground, and joyfully wiggles on her back.
Somedays, she’s the ray of light that sees me through tomorrow.
At first, it was difficult to brush aside the carnage.
We see the horror of war and empathize with those engulfed by it.
We get angry at the senselessness of it.
We get agitated that one man’s evil ambition can wreak havoc on millions of innocent people who just want to live their lives.
But as the war drags on, we’ll grow to accept it as part of the global landscape.
For Ukrainians, outrage and anger fuel their fight and their will to survive.
For Ukrainians, outrage is ammunition. Outrage is necessary.
But for us watching the war from a safe distance, in 3-minute segments on flat-screen TVs, maintaining the same level of outrage we felt initially is not sustainable. Not because we’re callous or ambivalent, but because that level of outrage interferes with our daily routine and our need to get on with our lives.
Humans are not wired to maintain a constant state of outrage when their environment does not merit it, or when their survival does not depend on it.
For those not directly impacted by war, extended outrage is an impediment. To move on with our lives, outrage gives way to a begrudging (and guilt-laden) acceptance of other people’s suffering.
In a way, turning off our outrage becomes a survival mechanism.
Putin understands this.
Putin is betting that the world will get tired of feeling outrage.
Putin knows that outrage has a short shelf-life and all he has to do for victory is wait us out.
We need sustainable outrage to stand up against the enemies of freedom and democracy.
Religious fanatics in red caps and black robes Choice Appomattox and transvaginal probes Beaten and raped, then told what to do Stripped of your voice, no autonomous you
Back-alley midwives with buckets and hangers Forced into action, like fierce Margret Sangers Matt K and Sam A, don’t care what you think Judge Thomas and Barrett drown Roe in the sink
Ejaculate holder, an object, a vessel A fait accompli, with no room to wrestle Your thoughts do not matter; just do what we say Your handmaid’s dilemma, the American way
From pro-choice to no-voice, a Trump court of minions Precedent killing abortion opinions The fetus and soul are what matters the most Your womanly role is to be a good host
Across from you stands 5-feet seven inches of sunshine, splendidly packaged in twinkly eyes on a lightly freckled face, each freckle perfectly placed by one of God’s angels.
“Nice to meet you, Sandi,” you suck in your gut and shake her hand.
She turns and walks ahead, her hair bouncing playfully on tanned and toned shoulders as you stroll towards the front door of an overpriced, undersized 2-bedroom condo.
You struggle to not let your gaze drift southward.
Newly divorced, you’re looking for your own place for the first time in 30 years – “A fresh start,” you tell yourself, and Sandi’s listing seems to fit the bill — at least on paper.
At 60, you’re done mowing lawns; your achy knees are a weekly testament to that. You’ve convinced yourself a monthly HOA is a small price to free you from that discomfort.
As you enter the condo, Sandi begins her pitch:
“In addition to the living area, we have 2 bedrooms (one with an ensuite) and a lovely eat-in kitchen leading to a cheery patio overlooking the backyard.”
Sandi’s lilting voice bounces softly off the walls of the empty condo, mixing with her perfume to form an intoxicating blend of scent and sound that hangs in the air for you to absorb.
You quietly inhale.
Ballerina-like, she spins and says, “feel free to walk about,” then heads onto the patio, taking out her phone and sitting down in one graceful motion.
You realize you’re barely a blip to her. A soon to be forgotten notation on her calendar.
You sigh.
This unexpected encounter with youthful exuberance brings a heightened awareness to your current station in life. It wasn’t that long ago when purpose and promise filled your days. Now, in the full grip of a midlife crisis, you grasp for what’s no longer there.
Your situation hits you like a two-by-four to the back of the head. You tour the unit numbly; you feel yourself move from room to room, seeing it all but noticing nothing.
You walk towards the patio where Sandi sits in the sun. “I’ll take it,” you say, not because you want it, but just to see her turn towards you and smile.
A recent report from the January 6th commission shows Ginny Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, was communicating with President Trump’s Chief of Staff to illegally (and seditiously) stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
The report illustrates that extremism, guided by conspiratorial thinking, existed at the highest levels of government. Unfortunately, that’s still the case today. The ideas and conspiracy theories that Ginny Thomas referenced to prod Mark Meadows to turn against his country are readily available to anyone with internet access.
Lies and conspiracy theories are nothing new. But social media amplifies them and accelerates how they’re spread. So, to combat this, one must be committed to countering the lies with truth and facts. But, unfortunately, and with few exceptions, Republican politicians have done the exact opposite. They’re embracing the lies and conspiracy theories, not because they believe them but because it’s politically advantageous. In fact, embracing lies and spreading conspiracy theories is now a political strategy of the Republican party. And we’re seeing the effect before our very eyes.
The political proliferation of lies and conspiracy theories is like a constricting snake around the throat of our democracy – choking off reason, rationality, accountability, and integrity.
The lies and conspiracy theories are woven in fear, fake patriotism, and culture war issues such as transgenderism and critical race theory.
I feel sorry for people caught up in conspiracy theories, many of whom are so desperate to be part of something worth fighting for they disregard facts and evidence. But I have nothing but contempt for politicians who look to capitalize on the misguided and misinformed. And that’s what a lot of Republican congressmen and senators are doing.
Republicans clearly understand the connection between technology, lying, and generating support from voters. We saw this on display at Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearing.
Senators Cruz, Hawley, Blackburn, and Graham cherry-picked snippets from Judge Jackson’s court cases and decisions and painted an un-nuanced and inaccurate caricature. That caricature became twitter-sphere fodder for their party’s base and kindling for their political campaigns.
We all saw Senator Cruz checking his Twitter feed after questioning Judge Jackson about racist babies and pornography.
The hearing illuminated a disturbing trend, where politicians are not simply repeating lies and conspiracy theories but are ginning up their own lies and false narratives, which end up on websites and social media accounts, and, inevitably, into the hearts and minds of their constituency.
Since the end of the confirmation hearing, we’ve seen a disturbing uptick in political attacks against Judge Jackson, labeling her as a sympathizer of Nazis and pedophiles. So perhaps we’re witnessing the birth of a fresh new conspiracy theory about Judge Jackson?
I would not be surprised.
And finally, Kudos to Judge Jackson for her grace under pressure.
Had Lindsey Graham asked me to rate my religiosity on a scale of one to ten (as if religion has anything to do with being a sound jurist), I would have said, “Zero. And fuck you for asking the question.”
Judge Jackson is supremelyqualified. She has the intellect, experience, and temperament to be a justice on the United States Supreme Court.
bendingtheneedle 