Truth Hurts
Torch your Tesla
Elon Sucks
Burn those fucking ugly trucks
Screw the racist Nazi King
And his Orange ding-a-ling
Don’t despair, you have a choice
Use your wallet as your voice
Resist the darkness of this troll
Buy a Ford or Kia Soul
Keep the hope and dream alive
Be cool about the car you drive
Don’t be fooled by all the noise
From boisterous bullies and their toys
Torch your Tesla
Elon Sucks
Burn those fucking ugly trucks
Screw the racist Nazi King
And his Orange ding-a-ling
The idea of “being an American” is deeply tied to the nation’s founding principles and values. While interpretations can vary, there are some core ideals that are often associated with the American identity:
On the global stage, American values have often been associated with ideals such as democracy, freedom, human rights, and economic opportunity. These principles have shaped the nation’s foreign policy and international actions over the years. Here are some key aspects of what America has stood for internationally:
America promotes democracy internationally through a combination of diplomacy, aid, advocacy, and partnerships. Here’s how it generally operates:
Arty articulates that “being American” transcends mere geography or ink on a birth certificate.
“Being American” comes with firmly formed and instilled principles and values crafted painstakingly by our forefathers – principles that we’ve fought for proudly at home and abroad, both individually and collectively – values that feel intrinsic to our identity.
Our forefathers didn’t conjure up the American system of government in a vacuum. They considered admonitions from two of the greatest thinkers in world history (Aristotle and Plato) who stated, “Inequality brings instability, and demagogues exploit free speech to install themselves as tyrants.”
Our forefathers were so concerned about the rise of tyranny that they devised a system of governmental checks and balances to prevent it from occurring on our shores. Today, we’re discovering that the system they devised is only as strong and viable as the humans who serve in it.
Donald Trump is the tyrant that our forefathers feared. He is “American” by birth and residence only. His actions, deeds, words, and values are ardently un-American and tyrannical.
With backing from his Russian BFF, Donald Trump is twisting our Democracy by the nuts into submission. He is hammering, bending, and malforming America into an ugly, extortionist, and oligarchic fiefdom.
Unless true Americans stand up to him and the congress of cowards who fear him (as well as the billionaire class that sustains him), the definition of what it means to be American will change forever.
We must not let that happen.
What makes America’s drift towards oligarchy and fascism so difficult for many to handle is that it involves the dissolution of our American identity.
Our parents and teachers taught us that America welcomes immigrants, detests fascism, and protects the vulnerable – and we were proud to be associated with these values – so much so that these values became our values – they defined who we were as individuals and as Americans.
I always viewed myself and most of my fellow citizens as kind, tolerant, and fair. My view changed almost overnight when America elected an unkind, intolerant, and unjust leader to represent our nation on the world stage.
The impact of the 2024 election felt seismic and personal all at once. And when I witness my fellow citizens support America’s shift towards fascism and authoritarianism enthusiastically, well, that’s been a fucking gut punch that I wasn’t ready for.
But I’ve absorbed it, and now I’m ready to move on.
I cannot love, respect, or maintain friendships with people who casually voted for a convicted felon and serial sexual abuser.
I cannot go back to the relationship I had with them before the election, knowing that they support the chaos, vindictiveness, cruelty, and anti-intellectualism going on around me.
What America do you want to live in?
That’s going to be decided in the next 2 to 3 years.
My Republican friends and family members seem unable (or unwilling) to contrast the Republican party of their past with what that party represents today. It’s a party that your father, mother, and younger self would never have supported years ago and it’s a party unworthy of your support today.
The war between Ukraine and Russia began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. This invasion was preceded by years of tension and conflict, including Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine2. The full-scale invasion in 2022 marked a significant escalation in the conflict
Yes, there have been numerous credible reports and investigations indicating that Russian forces have committed war crimes against Ukrainian citizens since the invasion began in 2022. These war crimes include deliberate attacks on civilian targets such as hospitals, schools, and residential areas, indiscriminate attacks on densely populated areas, abduction, torture, and murder of civilians, forced deportations, sexual violence, and destruction of cultural heritage.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of war crimes related to the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia. This is part of broader allegations of war crimes committed by Russian forces, including deliberate attacks on civilian targets, abductions, torture, and murder of civilians, and destruction of cultural heritage.
It’s commendable that you want to support Ukraine despite the complexities of international politics. Here are some ways you can help:
The relationship between Donald Trump and Russia has been a topic of much discussion and investigation. While Trump has consistently denied having any financial ties to Russia, investigations and reports have revealed several connections.
Despite these connections, Trump has maintained that he has no financial ties to Russia. The full extent and nature of these connections remain a subject of ongoing scrutiny and debate.
Before I get going, I need to jettison some of my anger about America’s shift regarding the war in Ukraine.
I’m angry that millions of Americans don’t seem to care their President is a fucking liar. They don’t seem to care that under Trump’s authority, America has flipped its position on Ukraine, signaling support for the nation that unlawfully invaded them while committing war crimes against Ukrainian civilians.
This past week, in America’s name, Trump stood on the world stage and knowingly lied about who started the war in Ukraine and then regurgitated Russian talking points about President Zelensky being a dictator.
Let’s get to the point. As Arty states clearly, there is no ambiguity about what happened on February 24, 2022.
After Putin unlawfully invaded Ukraine and committed war crimes against Ukrainian citizens, America stood shoulder-to-shoulder with law-abiding nations around the world in condemnation of Russia. America and our Western European allies offered humanitarian, military, and moral support to help Ukraine defend and fight against Russia.
Before Trump became President again, standing up for Ukraine wasn’t a sticky wicket politically. Ukraine was not threatening Russia. Ukraine was simply next to Russia—there for the taking. The “right and wrong” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was so clear that even our divided Congress came together almost immediately to support President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people.
I was proud of our government’s stance, but honestly, it was a no-brainer.
Right??
Now look at where we are today. Trump is working directly with Russia while excluding Ukraine from negotiations and labeling President Zelinsky a dictator.
What we need to remember about Donald Trump is that he’s purely transactional, has no moral compass, and has a penchant for revenge.
Why is this important regarding the war in Ukraine? Whether you curry favor or scorn Donald Trump, you can expect reciprocity—he’s a tit-for-tat president unfettered by morality or the rule of law.
Donald Trump dislikes President Zelensky because, in 2019, Zelensky didn’t agree to Trump’s request that he “do us a favor” and investigate Joe Biden, his political rival, and his son Hunter Biden.
Trump threatened to withhold military aid and a White House meeting as leverage to strong-arm Zelensky.
A House investigation found that Trump’s actions constituted an abuse of power (pressuring a foreign leader for personal political gain) and that he obstructed Congress by instructing his administration to ignore subpoenas for documents and testimony.
Donald Trump hates the fact that Zelensky would not be bullied and probably blames the Ukrainian President for his first impeachment.
Trump likes Vladimir Putin because Putin and Russia curried favor with Trump by interfering in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election to undermine Hillary Clinton’s campaign and boost Donald Trump’s chances of winning.
Russian interference included hacking and releasing emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton’s campaign chairman, as well as spreading disinformation through social media.
The U.S. intelligence community, the Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee, and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation all concluded that Russia engaged in an extensive campaign to influence the election in favor of Donald Trump.
The people who know Trump best – the ones who served in his administration and the high-ranking officers in the military that he commanded, spoke clearly before the 2024 election, telling Americans in no uncertain terms that Donald Trump was a fascist and a threat to our democracy and democracies around the world. However, the price of eggs was through the roof, a handful of trans athletes competed in events, and the local library hosted Drag Show Readings. And so millions of Americans turned a deaf ear to the warnings and voted for a convicted felon and serial sexual abuser. Today, the consequences of that decision are unfolding before our eyes.
It’s clear that Congress, which has the constitutional authority to check the President’s powers, lacks the courage to do so. And we can forget about the Judicial branch, which granted Trump immunity from criminal prosecution.
American citizens will have to right the ship. The longer Trump’s actions go on without protest or dissent from citizens, the more momentum Trump and the MAGA movement gain, and the more dangerous and difficult our task becomes.
With each passing day, more executive orders come, and Elon Musk swings the DOGE wrecking ball at federal institutions and agencies to weaken the government and solidify executive power and authority.
It’s up to American citizens to demand a moral, competent, and just government that supports democracy and works for the people instead of an autocratic, oligarchic government that demands fealty from the people.
The clock is ticking.
Turning a democracy into an autocracy typically involves several strategies, often used in combination. Here are some common tactics:
Regarding Donald Trump’s second campaign for the US presidency, he has been accused of employing some of these strategies. For example, he has been known to challenge democratic norms, criticize the media, and promote conspiracy theories. However, it’s important to note that the US political system has strong institutions and checks and balances that make it difficult for one individual to transform the system into an autocracy completely.
You’d have to be pretty dense not to see that Donald Trump is following the autocracy playbook pretty closely.
In terms of the following statement from Arty, I have some thoughts:
However, it’s important to note that the US political system has strong institutions and checks and balances that make it difficult for any one individual to completely transform the system into an autocracy.
In theory, this is correct. The US political system is indeed set up with checks (judicial and legislative) that are designed to prevent a malevolent person in the executive branch from dismantling democracy and instituting an autocratic dictatorship. But these systems are only as effective as the people in them. When members of the judicial and legislative branches lack the courage to check the executive branch — or if they support the autocratic goals and objectives of the executive, the system does not work.
Since the 2024 VP debate, we’ve all watched JD Vance sidestep whether Trump lost the 2020 election. Most recently, Vance was asked five separate times in the same interview but refused a yes or no answer.
Anyone with an iota of intelligence understands that JD Vance knows Trump lost but was instructed never to say it. Trump won’t allow any of his people to utter the word “loser” when talking about him—he’s too fragile. So, like the good soldier, JD refused to answer, sidestepping more than Al Jolson and Fred Astaire in a game of dodgeball.
Yesterday, Vance got a message from his boss that sidestepping wasn’t cutting it and to fall in line with the election denial. So, when asked AGAIN if Trump lost the 2020 election, he said “No,” which we all know is complete bullshit.
How do we know it’s complete bullshit? Because it’s been almost 4 years since the votes for the 2020 election were tabulated, litigated, and re-tabulated, yielding the same result – an overwhelming victory in the popular vote and electoral college by Joe Biden, with no evidence of vote rigging or cheating, in what the lead Trump election official called the fairest election in a generation and in which Trump’s attorney general called Trump’s assertions of a stolen election “total bullshit.”
Zero evidence that Trump won.
If I were a reporter, I’d follow up with JD Vance and ask why he has refused to answer the question for the last several weeks. Why didn’t he say “No” the first time he was asked? Now that JD Vance has officially joined the Election Deniers club, I would press him to explain precisely why he thinks Trump won. What evidence does he have to come to his conclusion?
It was almost comical watching JD Vance refusing to answer the question about Trump’s 2020 loss because we all understood (to an extent) the Vance Dance – He didn’t want to piss off his boss by being honest, so, sidestep shuffle-shuffle, sidestep, no answer.”
Embracing the lie is anything but comical because it shows us that JD Vance cannot be trusted with the most basic of things: facts, math, counting, and recounting.
If he denies something so clear and definitive, how can he be trusted to be truthful to the American people?
Everyone knows Donald Trump can’t be trusted—that if he loses AGAIN, he’ll refuse to accept the result. Some of us might have had an inkling of hope for Vance—that when faced with basic math that proved he and Trump came out on the short end of the election, he would man up and say, “We lost.” That hope is now gone with his one-word answer, “No,” and it’s the biggest reason to vote against this ticket.
Vance’s election denial is the latest example of the public humiliation by association that anyone close to Trump goes through. The cowardice of simply going along to get along will stick to Vance long after the stench of Trump fades.
Vote blue in 2024.
There’s a crook in the race who’s a felon
all his tweets are full of misspellings
let’s put him in jail
protect pussy and tail
and bid adieu
to his fat ugly melon
Democracies don’t breathe on their own
a voice ain’t the same as a phone
Kamala’s the traction
for you to take action
to keep Donald Trump
from his throne
You walk in the booth and you pull it
you beat him with ballots not bullets
don’t sit on your hands
or wave from the stands
you have to commit to the fullest
Trump’s Veep is creep and a fraud
a populist prick with a sword
beware of JD
he’s cruel and shady
and thinks he’s
the hand of the lord
Our democracy is starting to teeter
we don’t have much time on the meter
walk into the booth
cast a vote for the truth
and swat Trump away
like a skeeter
It’s time for a new generation
to save the soul of our nation
with a foot in the door
you’ll settle the score
And send Trump to his
incarceration
You walk in the booth and you pull it
you beat him with ballots not bullets
don’t sit on your hands
or wave from the stands
you have to commit
to the fullest
More than two years ago, Russia invaded Ukraine.
Its army murdered civilians, raped women, and kidnapped children.
In a recent speech, Donald Trump said he would “encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want” to NATO countries who don’t pay their fair share.
In November 2024, American voters must become Guardians of Democracy, swarm to polling places in droves, and drive a stake through the heart of the MAGA movement once and for all.
Donald Trump wants to end American Democracy and Democracy around the world.
This November let’s end him instead.
Joe Biden is a walk waiting to fall.
But Donald Trump is a creeping fracture on the hip of America’s democracy.
Biden is a danger to himself.
Trump is a danger to the republic and the freedom for which it stands.
Do I think Joe Biden is too old for the presidency? Yes, I do. But that problem will eventually take care of itself, as it does for all of us.
We must stop thinking about 2024 as a contest between two men, one who has clearly lost a step, the other hell-bent on lying his way back to the presidency.
The 2024 election is not about Biden or Trump; it’s about good versus bad ideas.
It’s about whether we move the country forward or backward. It’s about whether we expand rights or restrict them. It’s about whether we try to bridge our gaps and differences or widen them. In 2024, either we embrace and promote the ideas of western Democracy, or we don’t.
Trumpism – the metastasizing malignancy of malevolence and malfeasance has taken root in the Republican party. Trumpism is less of a political platform and more of a manifesto of intolerance, anger, fear-baiting, and grievance. And that’s today’s GOP.
To move the country forward and to trigger a “re-set” for the Republican party, we need to bury it under an avalanche of votes that screams DEMOCRACY MATTERS!
Today, banning books, demonizing “the other,” promoting one religion over others, and protecting unfettered access to weapons, even in the face of mass shooting after mass shootings, are Republican ideals, but they’re not American ideals.
While Republicans bitch and moan about pronouns, wokeness, and drag show readings, broken parents relive the scene of janitors mopping up the blood of their children from the hallways and classrooms in schools.
Most Americans are tired of nonsense in the face of real-life challenges and hardship.
The 2024 election, more than any other past election, is about ideas. Foundational ideas. The ideas upon which America will stand or crumble.
Culty MAGA members sing
they bend their knee, they kiss the ring
deny they see a naked king
Banning books and fanning flames
toting guns like Jesse James
thoughts and prayers to stop the bleeding
screaming at a drag show reading
Stripping healthcare, mining coal
pushing myths about the soul
damning those who don’t obey
denying women of their say
Casting stones, suppressing votes
grab our country by the throat
locked into a MAGA craze
they pull us back to darker days
Drinking Kool-Aid from a cup
yelling up is down!
and down is up!
spinning lies and crafting fables
twist the truth to turn the tables
Deny the facts and praise the liar
collectively they all conspire
to set democracy on fire
Culty MAGA members sing
they bend their knee, they kiss the ring
deny they see a naked king
Floating in his own orbit
absent from the ethos of ethics
he was driven by an ugly lust for power
fueled by an insatiable desire for attention
bootlicked and buttressed by a sycophantic public
and buoyed by yes men
The man was wholly unhinged from truth
divorced from morality
and devoid of integrity
Gripped by insecurity
and the crippling fear of being labeled a loser
he cultivated lies and deceit
Like a Shakespearean witch
hunched over a cauldron
of poisonous misinformation
he hatched his plan
to cling to the reins of power
just long enough to topple the republic
For a few hours that day
our democracy flickered and dimmed
teetering on the dark edge of an authoritarian abyss
and if not for the courage of a few
and the rationality of the rest
We’d have lost our democracy
and the hope and freedom it brings to us
It would be a fatal mistake to think
the bullet we dodged cannot be reloaded
The confederacy of cowards
who defended the snake
and helped perpetuate the crime
still walk the halls of congress
and just beneath the ashes
of the failed attempt
are the smoldering embers
of the next
bendingtheneedle