The cartoon here reminds me of these lines from St. Augustine’s Confessions, somewhere around 400 CE:
What was God doing before he created the Earth? Some people say He was building hells for people who thought too much, but I don’t believe that.
It will be interesting to see how long this anti-government fad will go on, and how many lives will be disfigured (or lost) in the process.
In the meanwhile, it gives fools like Marjorie Taylor Greene an opportunity to come off as extra-stupid.
At this point, Trump doesn’t need public support; as I’ve written elsewhere, he’s either a lame duck, of, if his coup is successful, he’s the first king of the United States.
Republican congresspeople, however, are in a different situation. The need to appeal to voters and, as indicated above, the positions that their party is taking are anything but appealing.
In the video below, we see Vermont senator Bernie Sanders explain how painful it is to watch the United States develop a tight friendship with dictator/butcher Vladimir Putin and Russia, and turn against our traditional allies in Europe.
At left is something from pro-democracy activist, influencer, and writer Andrew Wortman, who started ‘America Rises’ to help inform others how to save U.S. democracy, which is not only the only way to save our country, but a necessary precursor to stopping the climate crisis.
A reader sent me the rendering at left. Funny, I didn’t think he knows any more than I do on the multi-national economics of food, which isn’t much.
Looking it up just now, it does appear that the U.S., does in fact import many foods from China, including fruits, vegetables, spices, tea, snack foods, fish, and shrimp. In turn, the United States exports many foods to China, including corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, dairy, beef, pork, tree nuts, and sorghum.
Is this a bad thing? Is it some sort of tragedy that the layout and skill set of the U.S. makes us better at growing bumper crops of corn, where the Chinese are better at harvesting and processing shrimp? Or is just another attempt to upset ill-informed people?
May I submit that it’s humor?
Everyone’s so serious about everything. Sure, it’s hard to find things that bring smiles to our faces under the present circumstances, but it’s not impossible.
Just ask the guy on the left.
I hear you, David. A couple of comments in return:
1) I readily admit that you deserve better than this at this stage in your like, though I suppose that could be said about all of us who can perceive how completely malicious Trump and this administration is. Speaking for myself, soon to be 70, yes, I too am angry and stressed, but I feel most sorry for the young people who will live long lives in a country that, for decades to come, will be desperately trying to rebuild its democracy and fight its way back to some level of sanity and normalcy.
2) If that’s a recent picture of you at age 80, you look great.
Thanks for the note.
To the reader who sent the meme at left, I respond as follows:
A few of those who voted for Trump have realized that they made a mistake, but there is certainly no avalanche. The president’s supporters still deeply revere the values we see in Project 2025, and that applies to both the MAGA lowbrows and the amoral rich: the dismantling of the federal government, the consolidation of power in the executive branch, unquestioned loyalty to Trump, the appointment of unqualified (though loyal) hacks to key cabinet positions, reprisals against those who supported prosecution of Trump for attempting to overthrow the U.S. government, the criminalization of abortion, white supremacy, environmental deregulation, the defunding of public education, and certainly the abolition of wokeism/DEI.
In terms of apathy, I have to agree that many Americans believe they are powerless to turn any of this around. For example, a huge portion of this country has turned off cable news in a desperate attempt to preserve its sanity.
What this Navy admiral says is true, but it goes straight over the head of the typical American voter, who is incapable of seeing that Trump is diminished, ill-informed, untruthful, etc.
In large measure, the United States got exactly what it wanted and deserved.
