The Anaether

Where do I even begin. Let’s see. This year, 2021. Not even a week in, and our capitol gets stormed by a bunch of terrorists and traitors. Most of us are shocked but not surprised. Well, I should emphasize that we were just not surprised. At least for me, I knew that this election was going to result in some kind of bloodshed. It was going to be horrible whether Trump or Biden won.

Most of my sentiment the past few days has been basically “Wow, these Trump supporters are real idiots.” Like, come the fuuuuck on. Posting videos and photos of themselves committing crimes, acting like they’re going to get away with it. Acting like Trump’s gonna just swoop down and save them.

A bunch of them mention words like “civil war” or “revolution.” After I saw the vid of Elizabeth from Knoxville who got maced after just barely getting into the Capitol Building, I knew that most of these people don’t have real conviction of their own beliefs. They probably don’t know history that well. They don’t know what true suffering really is. “Civil war” and “revolution” is not for those who will tire out and whine after getting a little pepper spray in their eyes. Like, what do you want, woman? You think revolutions are filled with cakes and rainbows? You’re lucky you only got maced and you didn’t get a bayonet through your chest like they did in the actual American Revolutionary War.

So after this whole train of thought about how incredibly asinine these protesters were, I scrolled through the news and learned that they’d been planning this attack, and they’re planning more attacks. I thought this kind of bullshit was going to be infrequent. Like the plot to kidnap the Michigan governor. But no. There were bombs found near the Capitol Building and pipe bombs found in the RNC and DNC. They’re planning on more attacks on the Capitol just next weekend and on inauguration day. Also, many of the cops and even military members are in on it. They allowed the protesters into the building. They supported the protesters. I’m deeply disturbed by the extent of these absurdities that I’ve seen so far. I don’t want to dig further because every time I do, I get more disgusted and disturbed. The storming of the Capitol Building turns out to be way, way worse than the initial reports and more detailed reports keep coming out.

The terrorist acts on our Capitol this past Wednesday was made possible not only by the ridiculous level of racism in this country, it was incited by our president. He made it difficult for the Capitol to get the security they needed. God… I can go on and on about the absurdities that happened. I’m sorry if I don’t mention the other ridiculous highlights of that tragic day.

Trump is Trump. Most of us know what he’s really about. A liar, a narcissist, coward, racist, misogynist, corrupt in every way, and a fucking mass-murderer of the very citizens he swore an oath to protect. I haven’t even started in this post about the still ongoing pandemic that is now killing about 4000 Americans every day. We are currently at around 383,000 deaths in the US alone. We have 4% of the world’s population, 25% the world’s Covid cases, and 20% of the world’s total Covid deaths. I hope that actually means something to you.

I think about the Trump supporters. There are many kinds. They’re all people, but some of them are truly hateful, violent terrorists. They deserve to be locked up. I can’t say I have much hope for them but there are people who do come around from believing in conspiracy theories. There are people who turn on Trump. Over the years, people have turned on Trump at different times. Many decided to when they saw how he handled our pandemic response.

Then there’s Tammy from Boise. “I wanted to know if my president lied to me today.” I’m pretty conflicted. I know that Trump supporters are all people. I realize that they’re all capable of realizing that they’ve been fooled, even if it takes a ridiculous amount of time for it to click in their heads. It’s entertaining to make fun of Trump supporters who can barely string two coherent arguments together. Probably most of them wanted to be lied to.

But if I think on a higher level and summon the kindness I know we should all have for our fellow Americans, I feel so horrible for people like Tammy. For so much of last year I’ve been thinking “God these Trumpsters are so FUCKING STUPID!” but I never wish for any of them to really suffer, I never wish death on any of them. If you think about it, it’s really a huge tragedy. They’ve been lied to so tragically, many of them would end up dying of Covid from those super-spreader Trump rallies and continuing their everyday lives believing the pandemic was a hoax. Many of them made it so much harder for us. They protest against lockdowns, masks and even call doctors and nurses liars and fakes.

Years and years of brainwashing from conservative media like Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and Alex Jones has gotten these people so convinced that they would say, without batting an eye, that the election was stolen from Trump. Some believed it so hard, they stormed our Capitol Building, interrupted our democratic process, destroyed and looted property, planned to take hostages and had 5 people killed as of today.

I feel so much despair and hopelessness right now.

Despite the piles and piles of Covid victims, the overcrowded hospitals, the cries and pleas of stressed doctors and nurses, (some have killed themselves from the pressure), the massive unemployment, evictions and starvation, people’s minds haven’t really changed. Not enough, I’d say. At all levels. Individuals, institutions like schools, governors, all the way up to our president. It’s like a sick joke. Dystopian writers couldn’t imagine this astronomical level of bullshit. The comedy writes itself.

Just over a year ago, Trump got impeached… and acquitted. Now we’re trying to do this again. I have no idea how this is gonna go. I don’t know the rules. I don’t know if he can pardon himself and all those treasonous terrorists.

I just know that it deeply frustrates me to no end that he’s gotten away with just about everything. America, what more does a president need to do before you decide to remove him from office?! Trump supporters seem angrier than ever and completely disconnect all these problems we’re having from the fact that so many major problems have happened under Trump’s watch.

I’m so angry with the Republican party. They really fucked us. Other developed countries found some way to try keeping their citizens from losing their jobs, becoming homeless and becoming food insecure. I hate this ridiculous narrative that media outlets like Fox News keep peddling to their millions of viewers: “It’s too expensive.”

Socialism is evil. Biden will turn America communist. Universal healthcare is too expensive. Free education is too expensive. Poor people deserve to be poor because they’re lazy. Rich people earned their fortune. We shouldn’t have to give government subsidies for people to sit at home and be lazy. But please spare no expense with our tax dollars for fighter jets and missiles to throw around somewhere overseas in some foreign conflict we don’t even understand.

Republicans, conservatives: what the fuck is the plan?! Are unemployed, homeless and starving Americans still too fucking lazy?! Are they too sick with Covid for you? Are they too brown? Too black? You still gonna tell me they all deserve what they get? Do you have better ideas on how to help Americans who are suffering?

The US has the largest GDP in the world at about $20 trillion. China is at #2 with some $13 trillion. We are the richest country in the world. China moves super fast when it comes to getting their Covid numbers down. Why the fuck can’t we do that? Even if we don’t do that, what about relief funds for the millions who have lost their jobs, are starving or are becoming homeless?

Canada’s GDP is somewhere just over $1 trillion, and their GDP per capita is something like $45k. For the US it’s about $60k. Canada had this relief program that provided eligible citizens $2000 a month for up to 7 months.

I received $1200 last May. Then last month they passed a bill giving everyone making less than $75k/year another $600. That’s it. I mean, I’m definitely not one of the people who needs the checks. But I’m sure millions of others have been needing the kind of relief that Canada was willing to give to their own citizens.

Why the hell does the richest country in the world choose not to help its own citizens in the way that’s so painfully obvious to other developed countries?

The rich and powerful are corrupt, and there’s a filthy amount of money to be made by brainwashing people into stigmatizing government-provided social safety nets so that it’s more acceptable to create this socialist system for the rich. Years and years of brainwashing and smearing policies and people who truly understand the needs of our people.

I’m talking about shit like what happened with Hillary Clinton. I know probably among people who would agree with me about most of the stuff I just wrote before this paragraph would now start to disagree with me when I mention Hillary. The most I can remember of people’s complaints about her were that she was a liar, she was careless with her emails, and Benghazi. Most people can’t even clearly articulate exactly how any of that shit was bad or any worse than what Republicans or Trump have said or done. Hillary got smeared for 30 years, and it stuck. We were too misogynist and stupid to elect her for president. She was fucking qualified. She was a Senator and Secretary of State. She was experienced. When she was First Lady, she didn’t have to do a damn thing. But she pushed for universal healthcare and she was instrumental in creating the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provided health care coverage to more than 8 million children. Compare that shit to “Who-gives-a-fuck-about-the-Christmas-stuff” Melania. After the September 11th attacks, Hillary helped with the recovery in New York City and the Pentagon. She was also there to help find and kill Osama bin Laden.

Trump has always been erratic, a complete idiot and a narcissist. He disrespected and disregarded the advice from medical experts, and the US has ended up with the most deaths and infections out of any country in the world. Sure, this pandemic would have been a tough problem anyway, no matter who was president, but I’m certain we would have been better off with Hillary. At least she cares, she had experience and I’m certain her decisions would have been made more thoughtfully and carefully. Trump always makes everything about him. You can tell. He stopped talking about Covid after the election. He didn’t walk with his supporters like he said he would when they walked down to the Capitol. He held super-spreader rallies all for himself. He threw his supporters under the bus on the day after they stormed the Capitol. One day he says “We love you, you’re very special,” the next day he calls their protest “the heinous attack.”

You really think Hillary would have disregarded and disrespected medical experts and healthcare workers during such a deadly pandemic? Does pushing for a huge health insurance program for children signal someone who is equal or worse than Donald Trump? What the hell did he ever do to actually help anyone? Did he unite his country? Did he build the wall? Did Mexico pay for it? What about that time he called Americans who died in war “losers” and “suckers?”

I’m sure even if Hillary were president, a lot of Americans probably would have died. But we would have saved at least tens of thousands. Every single one of them is worth saving. It only takes one death in a family to ruin a household. Many of the victims were primary caretakers. Football stadiums hold over 50,000 people in them. Imagine that many people dying over 2, 3 weeks now. Imagine the amount of people who went to your school… high school, college, whatever. A thousand kids in the whole high school, maybe more. University, maybe a few thousand. Now imagine all those people dead, every fucking day now. For months. Again. September 11th was an American tragedy with about 3000 dead, we all grieved and were more united from that tragic event. This Covid pandemic? Another 9/11 death toll every day? Who gives a flying shit. I’m certain that at least tens of thousands of these deaths were absolutely preventable. They didn’t need to happen, and it is unthinkably senseless.

Yeah, we could give $2000/month to every American but we don’t want to. Sure, we could do our part to wear masks and socially distance but we don’t feel like it. Sure, we could hear out the real problems people of color are having but we’d rather not. I could educate myself but it’s too much work.

Guys, vote in your own interest. Go vote, period. Vote in the midterm elections, vote for your local politicians. Wear a goddamn mask and understand it’s not just about you and you still have the power to help save lives by following Covid safety guidelines.

Also, white supremacy is pathetic. It’s a belief that a bunch of cowardly white people use to feel better about themselves. They feel the need to step on someone else’s head to feel validated. Our country is not under attack by immigrants nor Muslims nor “the radical left.” It’s under attack by a whole lot of white supremacists, conservatives, conspiracy theorists and Trump supporters who think they’re being patriotic.

The few major things that do give me hope for this country this year is that we now have Biden as our next president and the Democrats now have control over Congress. I hope we can actually get some real helpful policies passed in the next two years before the Republicans have a chance to flip Congress… whatever’s left of their party anyway.

Our realities are very different. Depending on who you’ve been around and what sources you trust, what kinds of things would be more receptive to you, it may be harder or easier to convince you of certain things. This is why people should firmly uphold certain important principles. Things like respect, responsibility, kindness and empathy for others. Proving the things you believe is tricky, but let’s just say it’s way, way harder to prove that the world is being ruled by a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles than it is to prove that Antifa wasn’t in fact involved in the riots at the Capitol Building. I mean, come on. Fox News thinks people like Derrick Evans, Richard Barnett and the QAnon Shaman were Antifa? The Trump supporters took pics and vids of themselves, named themselves, bragged about their actions and you have tons of different people and sources that can corroborate this, even in older interviews and articles where they were at other similar rallies. Where the hell is their proof of voter fraud? That there were thousands more Trump supporters at his rallies? They know we believe there’s a pandemic, so Biden would of course not hold such huge rallies when it is unsafe and he actually cares about people. Make some actual connections. It’s worth your time to separate the wheat from the chaff so you don’t end up believing a bunch of bullshit and getting caught so hard on camera committing humiliating, treasonous crimes because some idiot narcissist told you a bunch of baseless lies.

I’m really hoping that this year is better than last year for everyone. I really hope enough of us get vaccinated so the extroverts can stop going crazy, people can go to work and school more safely. I hope our healthcare and frontline workers catch a break. I hope our government really comes through for us in providing relief.

Thank you for reading my rant, please be safe out there.