In addition to the fact that it’s so hard for me to shy away from writing opinion pieces, this is why I keep posting what is considered controversial:
“Writing can teach us the dignity of speaking the truth, and it spreads out from the page into all of our life, and it should. Otherwise, there is too much of a schism between who we are as writers and how we live our daily lives.” Quote from Natalie Goldberg in her book, Writing Down the Bones.
Until I read that quote, I’ve never had such a succinct way of describing the importance of speaking out, and I’m so grateful to finally be able to put into words the “why” of the many years of writing opinion pieces for newspapers and here on my blog.
Other than giving in the urge to let a bit of snark seep into what I post here, I do endeavor to write without judgement of my fellow-Americans. That doesn’t mean that politicians are off limits. I don’t consider many of them as my fellow-Americans; they seen to have agendas far removed from what is really good for the average Joe, or Jane. Their words sound lofty and great, but…
And I’ve trod this earthly path long enough to see what is so terribly wrong in government, especially since the 2024 election.
President Trump is slowly taking over the country, and it’s hard to reconcile how that can happen in a country that’s supposed to have three equal branches of government so one branch doesn’t dominate…
Oh, right. Silly me.
Trump has wielded his new-found power to systematically intimidate and pressure the other two branches so they now do his bidding, even when that bidding is cleverly hidden.
Just a few things in recent news that illustrate how that is happening:
In an abrupt reversal of opinion, House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed the House a day early for the summer break, even as Democrats and some Republicans were calling for a vote on releasing the Epstein Files. A week prior, he’d stated that the files should be released for full transparency in government.
Hope he didn’t get whiplash.
And Pam Bondi might have lost her footing when she had to backtrack her February assertation that the Epstein client list was on her desk, and then… poof, it wasn’t.
There is so much back and forth about the Epstein case, I might get whiplash trying to keep up.
Bondi, whose primary qualification for her role as Attorney General is loyalty to 47, more recently fired Desiree Grace, the prosecutor that New Jersey’s federal judges had named to replace the state’s interim U.S. attorney, Alina Habba, another close ally of the President.
See the pattern here? All these people are all collaborators with Trump, working to ensure that the presidents agenda comes to fruition.
Another manipulation of the court system is the possible appointment of Emil Bove, former head of the Justice Department to a lifetime position in the federal courts. He’s been slated for the Third Federal District, and I repeat that’s a lifetime position just like judges on the Supreme Court.
(Even as I write this his confirmation is pending, and sadly Congress will most likely, once again, bow to Trump’s wishes.)
Since Bove is a former personal lawyer for Trump, nobody has to guess what influence that relationship could have on decisions Bove would make in any case involving the president that comes before him.
Also, there’s this tiny issue of whether Bove will uphold the law. Former Justice Department lawyer Erez Reuveni, who worked under Bove, stepped forward as a whistleblower to say that during a departmental meeting, Bove had said that the agency may need to tell a federal judge “fuck you” in order to carry out mass deportations.
In March, the administration ignored an oral order from U.S. District Judge James Boasberg that blocked the deportations of immigrants to El Salvador. According to Reuveni’s statements, Bove advised the Department of Homeland Security to deplane deportees in El Salvador, despite that order temporarily halting the deportations. Authorities at Homeland Security were also advised to ignore the judge’s demand that all deportation flights turn around until the legality of what was happening could be determined.
All the “friends in high places” and what they are doing should scare the hell out of people.
Yes, some of the campaign promises made are being implemented, but at what cost?
Loss of human rights.
Loss of integrity.
Loss of respect.
Loss of vital social services.
Loss of the rule of law.
Loss of what holds us together as a country.
And so much more.
Is it worth it?
Think about it, then please do share your opinions. All thought welcome and as always, please be civil and respectful.
That’s all for me for today. Hope everyone has a wonderful, relaxing weekend. Be safe. Be happy.