Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man

Why am I all out of F&*@s this week (pardon my language mom)?

We have corporate media who are not doing their job. Not covering the nationwide protests showing we the people are not happy with the direction the country is heading. Not calling a lie a lie. Not calling for the impeachment of a tyrant administration. Not saying no to the bully. Not fighting back in court when they are 99% sure to win their cases. They are just rolling over to become what will essentially be state TV since they won’t be able to say anything negative about the Republican administration and Congress.

We have elected officials, from national to local, who mostly are only paying lip service to where we are. Press conferences are nice, but most people don’t watch those. They seem oblivious to new media by almost exclusively appearing on corporate media (see above on its effectiveness—have they not looked at the ratings of corporate media). They are not writing pieces for blogs, not on up and coming social media (like BlueSky), not appearing on podcasts, and other places where the electorate now get its news, and I don’t mean Twitter or Facebook, both of which have fallen in line with the Republican administration through their business practices.

We have courts who consistently are ruling against the Republican administration to no real effect. The Republican administration is ignoring even a 9-0 ruling by the Supreme Court. And why not, there isn’t any teeth to the rulings. This 9-0 ruling was issued over two weeks ago and the Republican administration has not followed that ruling to date. In fact, the Republican administration has directly stated that person will not be coming back to the United States. Yet no one has been held in contempt nor jailed for ignoring court rulings, which means sadly, the courts are irrelevant. This means we are living in a dictatorship because the courts are not doing their jobs in ensuring enforcement of rulings occur and the Republican controlled Congress has already abdicated their responsibilities.

We have Democrats who continue to text or e-mail almost nonstop asking for money. Why should I give them money? I don’t see them doing anything but fundraising and writing “strongly” worded letters. Give me an f’g break, a strongly worded letter is about as effective in the current climate as saying, “please stop.” Why aren’t they attending the protests in their districts? Why aren’t they finding every means possible to halt or at least severely slow down, or even pushback on the dictatorship we are living in? Why are Democrat senators voting to confirm any of the Republican appointments? Why are they not present for each and every vote, rather than making trips, such as Sheldon Whitehouse, a senator who constantly talks about corruption in the courts, going to South Korea rather than being there to vote on the tariffs. These people come across as unserious which means I, like many, are not donating to any of their campaigns while they act as if things are status quo while saying out loud it isn’t. Actions always speak louder than words.

We have a large swatch of Americans who don’t seem to be either paying attention, or are too apathetic to get out to vote. Or as importantly in our current times, to get their behinds off the couch and social media to attend a protest or march in their area or make simple phone calls to their elected officials saying their inaction is not okay. I post as much as any other on BlueSky and I also am smart enough to know that posting on social media and speaking out here on my blog isn’t enough. I’m taking the risk, and it can feel scary, of putting my body on the line to defend democracy for myself, my children, and my grandchildren by physically protesting.

Sorry, this week has just gotten to me a little more than past weeks. Like it has all just built up and the frustration, along with anger, at the situation is just me over the top. Going to detox this coming week and be back to fight stronger next week.

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I’ve often said we all need to be involved in saving democracy in the ways which fit our lives and our comfort levels. These can be blogging, reposting on social media, calling your elected officials, letters to the editor, donating to organizations, and/or marching in the streets. Nothing is too little or too much. Here are some ways to get involved whether from the comfort of your own homes, or on the streets, over the next few weeks:

• Call your U.S. Senator to demand they fight the Republican administration’s defiance of the court in following laws and the Constitution. The switchboard number is 202-224-3121. They will connect you with the correct senators. If you get their voicemail, which I do often, make sure to leave your name and address for your call to be registered as received.
• Call your congressional members and let them know as one of the people they represent, it is past time for DOGE to be dismantled. Call this number and the switchboard will connect you to your representative or senator: 202-224-3121. Even if you don’t know who your members are, they will find them for you based on your address, which they will ask you to provide.
• Call the White House switchboard to express your disappointment in what is happening and that DOGE must go: 202-456-1414 (switchboard) or 202-456-1111 (comments). I recommend the switchboard myself.
• Sign up for General Strike and commit to participating.
• Download the app Five Calls to help let your elected officials know you are paying attention and don’t approve. Website: https://5calls.org/ 
• Join a local group of Indivisible.
• Participate in the action items of50501: 50 Protests, 50 States, 1 Movement.
• Continue to boycott companies who have bent the knee or no longer believe in equality. Don’t buy from national chains or companies, such as Target, Amazon, Tesla, and Walmart.
• Write letters to your local papers expressing your disappointment and tell your stories of how the Republican administration is harming your families.
• Please just do something to fight back!
• Please say thank you in some way to the universities, law firms, companies, and organizations not bending the knee and capitulating to the Republican Administration.