“The power of the people is greater than the people in power.” – Cory Booker, US Senator, as he spoke for 24 hours, breaking the record for the longest Senate speech, previously held by segregationist Strom Thurmond.
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In less than three months, the United States as we once knew it has literally been decimated before our very eyes and with seemingly little pushback. More than 100,000 federal employees and contractors have lost their jobs, on the whims of the world’s richest man who claims to be weeding waste and fraud out of our government but somehow managing to enrich his portfolio with billions of our tax dollars as he takes over our air traffic, our space programs, our communications and heaven knows what else.
A man who holds no elected position, who has no background in politics or public service. A man whose name never appeared on any ballot in this country, who is regularly referred to as the co-president of the United States.
In firing these people, we are witnessing the literal collapse of our societal infrastructure. There is literally no part of our societal infrastructure that has not been touched, and the results will be catastrophic. People are being harmed; people will be harmed further, and lives will be lost. The decimation of our public health system and the defunding of medical research alone will absolutely lead to untold numbers of lost lives.
The cabinet members in this administration are ruthless, heartless, and greatly lack in skills. Frankly, despite the cross necklaces some of them wear, they appear to be lacking in souls. Most of them have little in the way of actual experience for the positions they hold. The man in charge of the most powerful military on the planet is a reported drunkard and abuser who can’t even manage to not bungle military communications at the most basic levels.
Cruelty has been the chief feature of the past few months—the complete disregard for American society and lives, disregard for our friends and allies, and the inability to grasp that we live in a world that requires mutual participation.
In recent weeks, under the guise of protecting Americans, this administration has decided to disregard the rule of law and has taken to just snatching legal residents and people authorized to be in this country and disappearing them for the flimsiest of reasons. Though most notably they are going after people that disagree with them, essentially making a mockery of the First Amendment.
In less than three months, we have gone from encroaching fascism to full-blown fascism.
What makes it so painful is that a good third of the American population is cheering this on, caught in a fever dream that being the world’s biggest and cruelest dick is going to make us great and bring us back to some imaginary glory days where racism and all the isms ran rampant. When the only stars were white men. These people are spurred on by their leaders—an aging old man reliving his glory days of power and a drug-addled, racist billionaire—who both believe they are killing off the “woke mind,” when actually they are infected with a dead mind. A mind that refuses to recognize the rich tapestry of today and the richness of our society made stronger by embracing our differences, knowing our full history, and creating a space of belonging for everyone.
Their minds are dead, just as their souls are dead, and they have no guiding principles, though many of these ghouls will claim the name of Jesus. But if Jesus were earthside today, there is no doubt they would be calling ICE on him.
Given the current situation we find ourselves in, it can be hard to stay hopeful. Especially as our political parties have become so divided that elected leaders either feel impotent to do anything or are living in fear of the dynamic duo and their couch-humping wingman.
The daily news isn’t terribly hopeful. It does feel like the villains are winning and that we will never break free of this moment and yet, I don’t believe we can give up. To give up is to accept a fate for ourselves and the world that would be hopeless. Yes, they are gaining more and more power and yes, they probably will at some point enact martial law against the masses, but we also can’t let those fears make us so afraid that we do nothing. In fact, doing nothing would be the worst outcome for all of us.
If anything, this moment requires pushing through our fears like never before. At some point, we are all mere steps away from losing our material comforts and we can’t let our fear of losing the material and the routine stop us from doing what we still can.
As more people take to the streets, this is when those who are the most privileged need to be leading the charge and being visible. This past weekend, there were widespread actions across the country, and they were in many ways ingenious, as we saw middle-aged and older white folks dancing in the streets while protesting.
Many question the impact of such actions, especially the electric slide that was happening outside the dealerships of a certain man from South Africa who sells electric cars. Well, given that the guy from South Africa, like his buddy the old guy with the bad diet who resides in a pale house, have fragile egos. Despite their abundance, they can’t stop talking about the people who aren’t kissing their asses. I would say it is having an impact. Hell, I am writing about it; it is having an impact.
As I write this, US Senator Cory Booker just broke the record for longest speech ever on the Senate floor. The record was held by Strom Thurmond, the segregationist. Booker spent 24 hours-plus talking but, unlike others who have done this, Booker acknowledged his flaws, the flaws of the Democratic party, and reminded us of our shared American history and humanity. I caught bits and pieces, and it was an inspiration and a wake-up call to all of us. We are still in the game, people. All is not lost, and we need to remind ourselves of this every single day.
The uncomfortable truth is that this moment was years in the making. It started after America elected its first Black president. The sad truth is that while many spent years thinking we were post-racial, there are still many who were unnerved by the idea of a Black man as our leader. Hell, the spray-tanned guy currently in the Oval Office was one of the head ringleaders stirring up dissent and stoking racial fears. This moment in many ways is the natural conclusion of not reading the room and assuming progress that was tenuous at best.
This moment can be a place to work from as we fight to reclaim our country from the ghouls who seek our collective destruction. Cory Booker’s words were a reminder of the promise that is still left. Just as it took years to reach this point, it will most likely take years to reverse course and build better—and we must accept that this is now a long game. A very long game that will reveal our true hearts and convictions as we move forward.
The inhumane notion of rugged individualism helped build this country and now is poised to try to destroy it, but it will be our shared humanity and collective liberation that moves us forward to something better, where our shared power will be greater than the people in power or the fortunes of the richest who seek to destroy us. Don’t lose hope. Keep faith and hold the line.
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Image by Claudio Schwarz via Unsplash
