We are all political beings. While I have generally kept my blog a place to share my love of our land and environment, the swearing in of our 45th president has brought my politics to the fore. What is posted below is my post on Facebook from this morning, on the eve of what I see as a very dark time before us, ALL of us, regardless of your political leanings.
Buckle up.
I had trouble going to sleep last night. Not because I was worried about leaking roofs, frozen toilets or how we're going to heat our new home, but because I was thinking about this day. Thinking about what is about to happen to what has arguably been, up till now, the most advanced civilization on the planet. I was so keyed up, so scared, so worried, that I lay in bed, shaking like a leaf.
I am terrified.
There is nothing about the man who is about to become our president, or about our Congress, that I support. The people who are now in charge share not one of my concerns, not for women's health and safety, not for the protection of the environment, not for equality, not for holding up the least among us. They don't support the arts, they believe the free press is a threat against them, they believe our voices should be silenced. They believe that the influence of a hostile foreign nation in our politics is fine since the outcome worked in their favor.
Mark my words--this will not end well.
I'm no political analyst. I have no special training or education or political experience. This is all from my gut--we are in grave danger, and it's not just minorities and women and the environment. It's all of us.
There is a little hope. Best case, Trump is impeached quickly, and Republicans lose control of Congress in 2018, and we can mitigate the damage caused, can mend the fabric of our society. Because make no mistake, this administration is out to dismantle this country. Every cabinet pick--literally every one--has made a career out of working against the very department they have been asked to oversee. And since the new session began, Congress has been moving full steam ahead to dismantle social programs aimed at the most desperate among us, many of whom believed the man who told them he was going to make America great again.
But you see, he wasn't talking to us. His rallies were packed with angry people who were so desperate for change that they handed our country over to a con man--because conned is what we have been. From the day he entered the race, with his inflammatory remarks about Mexican immigrants, he has been distracting us from his real purpose--to line his pockets with the riches of this world. When he vowed to make America great again, he didn't mean for us--he meant for him, and for his peers, who are not you and me, who are people who have never lived a day in their lives worried about how their bills will be paid, how they will feed their families, how they'll afford health care.
It is no accident that Russia was involved in this election. It is no accident that Rex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon Mobil, will be our next Secretary of State. It is no accident that Russia and Mobil have a deal waiting in the wings that will generate $500 billion of oil production in the Arctic sea, that is simply waiting for an ally in the White House to remove the sanctions and get this ball rolling.
To me, this is the crux. I would be willing to bet my life that our new leader has been promised a cut of that deal. I would bet my life that he worked closely with Russia to wage an incredibly effective propaganda campaign that demolished a highly qualified candidate, and that instead put a demagogue in charge of the United States of America.
Trump doesn't care about healthcare, or social security, or the environment, or women's issues. He doesn't care about the price of gas, or public education, or National Parks. Those mundane things he's more than happy to let his cabinet and Congress deal with. He doesn't want intelligence briefings, or to hold press conferences, or even allow the press to report on him. No, he cares about only one thing--himself, and how to enrich himself. So while we squabble over his cabinet picks, and scurry around trying to stop Congress from dismantling every social safety net and environmental regulation, while we march and protest and hold up our signs, demanding to be heard, he will be sleeping with the enemy.
Because now, two of the most powerful countries in the world are working together--or at least their very sick, very disturbed leaders are. He and Putin want only one thing--to make themselves the most powerful, wealthiest men in the world. Russia has not hid their desire to swallow up Europe--they started several years ago with Crimea and the Ukraine. Trump has already stated he does not support NATO, leaving our European allies wondering what their future holds, with the shadow of an emboldened Russia looming. I think he will let Putin do whatever the hell he wants, as long as the profits are huge.
So while we are right to fight for social justice, while we are right to do all we can to protect our environment, while we are right to fear for the loss of scientific inquiry and an education system that increasingly fails to educate our kids, we are missing the bigger point. The MUCH bigger point. My fear, the thing that is causing my terror, is that we are entering into a period when the USA and Russia work together to rule the world, and ruling the world always comes with war. Not a war on women, or gays, or immigrants. Not a war on our environment, or our schools, or our press. No. A real war. With real bombs, and real people dying. And I don't see how this can escape us. I don't see how this won't happen on our soil, considering the weapons available today.
Trump is a puppet, put in place by Russia to weaken this great country. And once Trump has served his purpose, Putin will go after us too. Because there can be only one at the top, and it's not going to be us with Trump in the lead. Trump doesn't have the world view needed to be a global tyrant, but Putin does.
I hope that I am wrong. I hope that this is just my over-active imagination whipping my fears into a frenzy, and things will not be as bad as I see they could be.
But mark my words.
I am terrified.
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