Mad As Hell But Taking Dan Rather's Advice

It all boiled over yesterday after that vicious attack on Paul Pelosi (meant for Speaker Nancy Pelosi), Ke being approved back into Facebook, and the threat implied in Randy Quaid’s GQP tweet.  What happened is very clear proof the coup on our democracy is not over.  And people like Ke and Quaid and are making outrageous disgusting behavior the new norm. And “Christian” nationalists keep dragging God and Jesus into their sorry behavior. 

This is how I feel:

I'm As Mad As Hell

And then I read Dan Rather’s tweet.  Dan Rather is one of the very few journalists I trust for the truth. His advice today makes complete sense to me.  I plan to put aside thoughts, grief, and despair about the evil doings of the GQP, trumpers, and “Christian” nationalists.

Today my daughters are coming for a visit.  I’m planning a nice roast chicken dinner and we’ll visit and then either watch a movie or a Netflix series.

I am going to reread Jane Goodall’s The Book Of Hope.  She said that many times she’s felt anger and despair about what was happening but still kept nourishing that flame of hope that things will get better.  She suggested several things to remember during dark times and now, of course, I can’t remember them all.  Worthy of a reread for sure.

I’m going to be phone banking, encouraging voters to mail their ballots or go to the polls.  Some of the dialers I use have software that will bring up locations for voting and if anyone is unsure where to show up, I can give them answers.  I do feel much better when I talk to voters and share our views.

There will be music almost 24/7 this weekend.  Right now, I’m listening to Tran Siberian Orchestra’s Lost Christmas Eve. Yes, I know we haven’t had Halloween yet.  This music comforts and soothes me. 

And then there’s Country First.

I do have hope in spite of being angry.  I am staying steady.

 

Country First Gives Me More Hope

Yesterday I was feeling meh.  My mood’s been a little dampened because of all the onslaught of hateful news. Kanye West, a popular rapper now known as Ye, has been sounding off in all his racist glory against Jewish people. This isn’t really new for him but because he’s popular and black to boot, Rethuglican white supremacists are loving it. They held this disgusting huge banner over a major throughway in CA proclaiming that Ye was “right about the Jews.”

Then there’s continuing mind-blowing news from the battleground states. In Georgia, there is a good, Christian man serving right now and running for re-election. And he’s a minister too! You’d think the voters there would be overwhelming in favor of Rev. Raphael Warnock but … he’s in a tight race with the Rethuglican candidate.  Is it because Rev. Warnock is black?  No, his opponent is also black, a tRumper former football player who is now brain dead, Hershel Walker. Walker is a tRumper who has talked big about right-to-life and no-abortion-no-exceptions but … he’s had at least 2 women abort their babies and paid for the procedures.  He has out-of-wedlock children he doesn’t see.  It should be a no-brainer, right?  Well, nope.  The reason the tRumper sheeple are going for Walker is because tRump supports him.  Warnock is a Democrat.

In Pennsylvania, the Lt. Governor John Fetterman is running against snake oil salesman Dr. Oz.  Dr. Oz has been criticized for pushing and selling products that’s supposed to improve health for this or that reason.  It’s all bullshit and he’s been called out on it.  He is slick and knows how to perform for cameras.  Fetterman has some excellent ideas but recently suffered a stroke.  He’s recovering well but still is working through auditory processing issues and speech issues.  So, they had a debate and to hear mass media tell it, Fetterman was a disaster.  Other more independent journalists say he did a good job. Fetterman’s doctors say he’s doing great. The polls show them running neck and neck.

Stupid people are blaming Joe Biden for the so-called recession and high prices.  But it’s happening because of tRump policies.  Corporations are gouging customers openly and freely.  Why is this Biden’s fault?  The Rethuglicans voted against a measure that would stop the gouging.  Yet it’s all Biden’s fault.  I could scream.

President Biden has gotten so much done in the last year and it’s been mostly with partisan cooperation.  He gets zero credit from the media and therefore from Rethug voters—like that doctor who told me he’d vote for a dead possum in the road before he’d vote for a Democrat. Such anger. Why?

Many stupid people are determined to vote against their own self interests.  Rethug legislators have come right out and said they were going to tear social security and Medicare down, rip it to pieces.  One elderly woman I was interviewing just scoffed and said she didn’t believe it would happen.

Yeah? Didn’t we all believe Roe would never be overturned?

So, for all these reasons my mood has been a bit low.  I’m not saying I’m not without hope.  I continued to nurture a small flame all through this avalanche of evil and stupidity.  But I’m weary from all the hatred, divisiveness and the downright mulish stupidity of tRump supporters.

Out of the blue yesterday, I got an email from Rep. Kinzinger, one of the heroes on the January 6^th investigation committee.  He and Rep. Cheney both stood up to support democracy and the Constitution and they have both lost their seats and positions within the new GQP that has taken hold of what used to be the GOP. Rep. Kinzinger’s email invited me to attend a seminar for a group called Country First.

I am so glad I got that email.  I attended the webinar and was impressed with the speakers who were there.  They all had very compelling messages.  There used to be a time when Democrats, Republicans and Independents would work together to come up with needed legislation.  Their policies and beliefs were different but they were able to find common ground to work with.  They stood by the Constitution and our democracy.  I remember; I lived through years of cooperation between the parties even when they disagreed.

Country First wants to find common ground again so that the country can function. Right now, it’s an obstructionist mess with nothing getting done. This is going to involve a lot of seed planting. The obstruction and bipartisanship won’t change overnight but it can change by supporting politicians like Kinzinger, Cheney, Andy Kim, and other legislators who have the courage to do the right thing for our country.

I’ve shared information about Country First on social media platforms. I’m sharing the link here and hope that people will visit, read all the mission statements, join and volunteer in some way.  I know there’s a lot of us out there that feel the same way Country First feels.  We’ve got to plant those seeds.