Is it just me, or have these last few weeks been the worst? I find myself listing the tragedies and obscene acts by politicians and celebrities just to keep myself from getting buried beneath the sheer awfulness.
- Hurricane Maria leaves thousands of Americans without food, water, power and/or shelter in Puerto Rico. The White House complained that helping these people was going to mess up “our” budget and told the people that they were lucky they hadn’t
- The funding for CHIP expired on 30 September.
- The US votesd against a UN resolution condemning executing people for apostasy, blasphemy, adultery, and same-sex relations.
- The birth control coverage mandate has been removed.
- The dreamer program (DACA) has been ended.
- 59 people were murdered by one gunman in Las Vegas, leading to a massive surge in gun sales.
- The justice department has filed opinions in court stating that businesses may fire employees for being gay.
- The justice department has also determined that Title VII does not apply to trans people.
- The House has banned abortions performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
- The President of the United States is spoiling for war against North Korea.
- The administration is actively trying to undermine the ACA, limiting the registration period and declining to advertising the enrollment dates.
That’s a hell of a list, and I’m certain I haven’t remembered everything. That’s the point though; there are so many terrible things happening (or, more accurately, being done) so quickly that it is difficult to focus and fight on all of these fronts. It’s overwhelming to me, and I’m not even in the line of fire for most of these
Most of these acts target minorities. I don’t see any way to look at this list and come to any other conclusion, and I started writing this before today’s little PR stunt. In case you missed it, the President sent Vice President Pence to Indianapolis for the express purpose of walking out of a football game during the national anthem. They spend a reported quarter million dollars to have the Vice President protest against men who protest against race-based police brutality.
So, if it’s wearing you down, I just wanted to let you know that it’s getting to me to too. Honestly, I’d be worried about anyone who doesn’t feel the weight of the events of the last few weeks. No matter how tempting it is, I implore you not to tune out for the sake of self-care. Doing that is a privilege possessed by people who aren’t (currently) under threat. Stay alert, stay angry, and for fuck’s sake, register to vote.