Hopeless World, Hope

I’m drained. I don’t know how to respond to news anymore. The reality is that every day a small change to American policy is made and it doesn’t seem like as big a deal as the one from yesterday or the one that will change tomorrow. Add them all up, though, and see the big picture. America has been changed irrevocably, and no matter how many Democrats are elected in the midterms, no matter how many are elected after that, no matter the president (go Warren, go!), the changes this administration and the single worst Congress in history, a Congress that could legitimately, literally, not figuratively, literally, be brought up on charges of treason, the changes they have wrought will reverberate all the way until the end of the world in a couple years. We have been fucking coup-ed.

I don’t have hope for a change in circumstances. I don’t believe in the FBI investigation, not because they won’t discover a massive amount of crimes were committed that should disqualify Trump and his entire cabinet from the Presidency, I don’t believe in it because of the aforementioned traitorous Congress. Nixon was impeached and forced to resign, yes, but it was was a very close vote and it is an interesting historical question as to whether or not the House would have actually removed him from office. They impeached him on account of the Watergate thing, good. They did not impeach him for committing treason by negotiating a deal with Vietnam to extend the war because he would have a better chance of reelection. That’s a real thing Nixon did. Nixon personally killed thousands of people for no goal other than his reelection. That’s crazy, right?

I doubt we’d be in the Trump situation we’re in now if we were taught that in school. The younger the better, too. When you’re learning the pledge of allegiance you should also be taught that the country you’re pledging allegiance to is run by selfish, short-sighted monsters that will kill you to get or maintain even the smallest amount of power. I don’t know if Trump was right when he said he could shoot a man and still get elected, I do know that he could do it now and stay in office. Obstruction of justice is a charge that should be leveled against the entire Republican party.

I definitely don’t trust the FBI either. For most of its history, the FBI has been a tool used to maintain the status quo, targeting anyone that pushes for institutional reform. They murdered Fred Hampton for fuck’s sakes (and had a hand in MLK’s murder, too). Whatever progress they make, whatever charges stick, they will remain that tool for whomever takes power.

The news has become a never-ending parade of shit that’s getting fucked up by this corrupt organization and no one with the power to do anything is willing to do it. Some of us have understood and adjusted to the current world we live in now, where power is there to be taken and used with literally no consequences. So many others, though, still believe we live in the old world where norms and traditions were just as paramount as written laws. That world is gone for good.

When James Clapper and John Brennan filed the amicus brief in the lawsuit brought against Trump and Roger Stone, they revealed themselves as part of the latter group. What they said can be reduced to, “By virtue of what we do, we know they committed crimes, the very ones they are being sued for, but we cannot give you the evidence. It’s ‘classified’.” Nixon’s admission of guilt in regards to the extension of the Vietnam War was classified as well. Just like then, maybe classifying evidence that proves our government officials purposefully committed crimes that led to the systematic murder of hundreds of thousands of people should be illegal. Technically it is, but, you know, hey, they’re great at policing themselves.

One of Alex’s old narratives involved a coup, a counter-coup, and then, hilariously, a counter-counter-coup (he has not provided an update, we may be well into six or seven counters-coup). The problem with that is not the sentiment, strangely enough, but it is instead what the definition of a coup is in this circumstance. The overhaul of our government that transformed it into the corrupt kleptocratic oligarchy it is in its present form has more to do with CItizens United than any kind of underhanded conspiracy. That is a coup.

What is not a coup is unrestrained power gone unused. What Trump has revealed in America is an old truth of unstable governments. When no one really knows who has power, anyone can take it and, often, because of the shortcomings of pack animal instincts, people will just fucking go along with it (Hi Nazis!). Everyone knows this is an illegitimate government except, of course, the dumber Republicans and all Evangelical Christians and, like, 70% of white dudes, but no one’s doing anything about it because it’s more respectful to go along with it. Trump only has power because the people who could and should take it away from him won’t.

My point to all of this is that I feel utterly and completely helpless to stop any of the awful things that are going on. I feel more hopeless because most of them fall under the common law of “no backsies”, more specifically packing the judicial system with inexperienced, stupid, monstrous, dumb, dumb, dumb conservative white dudes. I feel most hopeless because the overwhelming protests populated mostly by, and operated wholly by, women are spectacular, but so far ineffective in accomplishing real world change. I am most hopeless because at this moment, the Trump presidency could be wiped away. At this moment, all of the laws and protocols are in place for the undoing of so much. At this moment, 70% of the people running things right now could be indicted for a plethora of offenses. The ensuing chaos would be far more preferable to the currently ensuing chaos.

And not just that stuff! Rafa Nadal was injured at the Australian Open so he can’t win another major until the French Open; he’s my favorite tennis player of all time. I gave up on football so I take no joy in the Super Bowl. The Bulls suck. I’m, at best, a mediocre comedian. I barely write anymore. Prince is dead. The whole world is shit and I’m not making it better.

But that line of thinking isn’t acceptable anymore, is it? Time to give up on hope and get on with fighting against them. Next time you’re hopeless, next time you’re feeling like there’s too many problems and the world is too big a place and there’s nothing you can do, remember this: Rand Paul’s neighbor beat the shit out him. It wasn’t even that hard to do. If you’re feeling as hopeless as I am, you can beat up a senator, too. Personally, I’m gonna go with Sessions, cause that Peter-Lorre-in-Casablanca acting little bitch needs to be made to cry in public.