We are so low that the only way to go is up---but how? When a Senator, Rand Paul, can threaten a communicator of truth in the sciences, Dr. Fauci,, publicly, it feels that our civilization is just a big free for all and it gives people permission and a license that anything goes. This is not a time to be silent. Thank you Jessica.
As I lay in bed recovering from yesterday's Moderna booster, which, like the second dose last summer, gave me a rather pleasant feverish feeling which morphs into all-body weakness :) I'm not in my usual mood to mince words:
These fuckers are dangerous. It's not just on vaccines and women's health care, it's elections and whatever else they work themselves up into a foam at the mouth about. They believe things that aren't true - I almost suspect quite willfully, because the alternative would be to discard tightly held beliefs, about race and gender and science and religion among other things - they're angry, many of them are heavily armed, and, increasingly, they seem to think they have nothing more to lose.
I'm not confident about our country defending itself from this internal threat, simply because the rest of us generally aren't violent. I would fear that the two groups we would most call upon for defense, at least initially, the police and the military, may be far too compromised with sympathizers in the event of widespread insurrection. It's why people legitimately fear political violence in this country - that's how this shit happens.
Ultimately I wonder whether we might be forced to accept 'compromise' with these people, the way societies often have to do with armed insurgents. Idk I am just not confident in pushback against these people, and I would like to see liberals and progressives use other tools to fight back, like cyber warfare maybe, and possibly also mass strikes and (nonviolent) social disruption and action, à la the French.
Right now everything looks like too little too late. End rant.
It's an excellent comparison - and one of the reasons this kind of violence can thrive and those who spread rumour and sow hatred get away with this, is that US politicians have always refused to call this violence and the enablers of violence by their name: terrorism and terrorist propagandists.
Those who attack health clinics/workers are 'Christian terrorists' in the same way that the 9/11 group were 'Muslim terrorists'
It's funny how the Right always called Al Jazeera terrorist sympathisers and doesn't mind when its offices are bombed, while Fox News has been the real apologist for domestic (Christian) terrorism, probably for longer than Al Jazeera has existed.
Small wonder it's these same enablers of Christian terrorism who now are responsible for so much of the Covid disinformation campaign. They and their 'base' thrive on hatred and have always glorified violence.
I'm not sure it will be possible to end violence against women's health workers or Covid related terrorism, or indeed, attacks on government buildings, as long as people like Tucker Carlson aren't being treated in the same manner as terrorism junkies like Mohammed Khalifa.
Yes and what worries me is that we don't, mostly I think because we know that almost 47% of the country voted for the terrorist in chief, Donald Tr*mp (I hate writing his name out, it's an awful word). A significant portion of that 47% needs to start standing against political violence and rigged elections, among other things (such as flat out lies), because I don't think the rest of us are a big enough majority on our own. If they don't - if they are more against Democrats than against those things - well then that's how things quickly spiral away.
As an former English teacher and women's historian, I have been fighting this battle for a long time. WORDS MATTER. They are powerful, and those who say it is their right to spread hate under the guise of free speech play a dangerous game.
We are so low that the only way to go is up---but how? When a Senator, Rand Paul, can threaten a communicator of truth in the sciences, Dr. Fauci,, publicly, it feels that our civilization is just a big free for all and it gives people permission and a license that anything goes. This is not a time to be silent. Thank you Jessica.
Oh, I so very much hope your opening phrase is true! I think it's going to take a lot of courage though.
The abusers and enablers don't care about the victims. Period. Just power.
As I lay in bed recovering from yesterday's Moderna booster, which, like the second dose last summer, gave me a rather pleasant feverish feeling which morphs into all-body weakness :) I'm not in my usual mood to mince words:
These fuckers are dangerous. It's not just on vaccines and women's health care, it's elections and whatever else they work themselves up into a foam at the mouth about. They believe things that aren't true - I almost suspect quite willfully, because the alternative would be to discard tightly held beliefs, about race and gender and science and religion among other things - they're angry, many of them are heavily armed, and, increasingly, they seem to think they have nothing more to lose.
I'm not confident about our country defending itself from this internal threat, simply because the rest of us generally aren't violent. I would fear that the two groups we would most call upon for defense, at least initially, the police and the military, may be far too compromised with sympathizers in the event of widespread insurrection. It's why people legitimately fear political violence in this country - that's how this shit happens.
Ultimately I wonder whether we might be forced to accept 'compromise' with these people, the way societies often have to do with armed insurgents. Idk I am just not confident in pushback against these people, and I would like to see liberals and progressives use other tools to fight back, like cyber warfare maybe, and possibly also mass strikes and (nonviolent) social disruption and action, à la the French.
Right now everything looks like too little too late. End rant.
Thank you, as always, for helping us frame the questions we need to ask,
It's an excellent comparison - and one of the reasons this kind of violence can thrive and those who spread rumour and sow hatred get away with this, is that US politicians have always refused to call this violence and the enablers of violence by their name: terrorism and terrorist propagandists.
Those who attack health clinics/workers are 'Christian terrorists' in the same way that the 9/11 group were 'Muslim terrorists'
It's funny how the Right always called Al Jazeera terrorist sympathisers and doesn't mind when its offices are bombed, while Fox News has been the real apologist for domestic (Christian) terrorism, probably for longer than Al Jazeera has existed.
Small wonder it's these same enablers of Christian terrorism who now are responsible for so much of the Covid disinformation campaign. They and their 'base' thrive on hatred and have always glorified violence.
I'm not sure it will be possible to end violence against women's health workers or Covid related terrorism, or indeed, attacks on government buildings, as long as people like Tucker Carlson aren't being treated in the same manner as terrorism junkies like Mohammed Khalifa.
Yes and what worries me is that we don't, mostly I think because we know that almost 47% of the country voted for the terrorist in chief, Donald Tr*mp (I hate writing his name out, it's an awful word). A significant portion of that 47% needs to start standing against political violence and rigged elections, among other things (such as flat out lies), because I don't think the rest of us are a big enough majority on our own. If they don't - if they are more against Democrats than against those things - well then that's how things quickly spiral away.
As an former English teacher and women's historian, I have been fighting this battle for a long time. WORDS MATTER. They are powerful, and those who say it is their right to spread hate under the guise of free speech play a dangerous game.
Thanks for continuing to write truth. Sometimes it feels like we're speaking into a black hole. Nevertheless, we persist.