Reminder: 290 and 67. The 290 represents how many U.S. House of Representatives members it takes to override a presidential veto (all Representatives are up for reelection this year). It takes 67 U.S. Senators to override a presidential veto (35 Senators are up for reelection this year with 22 of those being Republicans—the ones we have to concentrate on the most). These numbers are very important this year at the ballot box because it will take this number of votes to help right this vast ship of a country for all of us, not just the billionaire class.
As I was riding to my Sunday writing group with a friend, we were doing a little small talk and catch-up. I shared with my friend that I was not quite sure what I was going to write about today, which is not the usual. What to write about when there are so many things happening in what seems all at once, and things that seem inevitable no matter what we say or do.
Do I write about Natalie Harp, the close personal assistant to Trump? A thirty-five-year-old woman, a woman the Republican’s keep calling a young lady to distract us. A woman called the human printer for Trump. A woman who based on reporting, writes quite unusual, seemingly quite submissive, letters to her boss (Trump). A woman who only recently received a security clearance, because she had refused to follow the process for over a year, hearing highly classified conversations Trump is having with foreign dignitaries and others. A woman who once, as reported, jumped into the trunk of a sedan to remain close to Trump, and in another incident, ran after his golf cart to be by his side. A woman Trump chose above others, even those in his own cabinet, to hide and escape with him in the food truck in Turkey.
Do I write about the fact the United States surpassed the $40 trillion dollar mark for our national debt? A debt that Trump himself, and the Republican sycophantic congressional members from both terms, solely increased by close to $12 trillion by giving tax cuts to the billionaire class. A debt that we, our children, our grandchildren, and many more future generations will need to tackle to survive.
Do I write about the Iran War that we continually win, but are also continually not winning? A war Trump keeps saying Iran can’t win because we have destroyed most if not all of Iran’s military, yet Iran continues to have the ability to strike targets across the Middle East. A war that is costing us billions. A war that seems to have no end objective. A war in which the United States might have committed war crimes. A war in which our Service Members are placed in danger while at the same time neglected by the Trump Regime and Secretary Hegseth. A war in which the American public is seemingly being lied to about how bad our bases in the Middle East have been damaged, thus not being able to support our troops. A war in which Trump has stated military personnel, who have been held what might be characterized as hostage, for over 260 days on an aircraft carrier without shore leave or a break, haven’t been deployed long enough; this is an ultimate slap in the face since the Trump family reportedly used its influence to keep Donald J. Trump from having to serve in the military.
Do I write about how the Epstein files are still being blocked from release? Even after a law, signed by Trump himself, states the Epstein files must be released and provided clear direction how that was to occur. Todd Blanche and the Department of Justice are still fighting the release of the files, possibly defying a court order to do so.
Do I write about the congressional members, who are still in office and have the ability, to read the Epstein files on the floor of Congress? Members who would be immune from prosecution. Members like Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, who have publicly stated they would release names. However, as with the victims, no one has released or read names into the Congressional Record. Even Marjorie Taylor Greene had said she would release the names while in office, something even she didn’t do before resigning.
Do I write about the tariff war going on with our closest ally and neighbor, Canada? Trump tried to change terms of a tariff negotiation with Canada, and sadly I must say, rightfully walked away from the discussion. Canada will now place a 50% tariff on many American goods entering Canada as Trump places high tariffs on goods we need from Canada. It appears there will be no more discussions.
Do I write about the transportation secretary? How the secretary is hiring gamers as air traffic controllers? Two thousand new hires and counting. Two thousand gamers managing flights putting millions of passenger’s lives at stake.
How the U.S. Supreme Court is compromised? Where the rule of law bends over backwards and contorts like a pretzel to give Trump what he wants almost 100% of the time. Where the lower courts are doing their jobs, but are then slapped down by the six partisan judges, many appointed by Trump himself.
Do I write about how the world was slowly, but now ever more quickly, turning its back on the United States because of how Trump, and his kakistocracy—a government where the worst people — those least suited to lead — are in charge? How the person in charge of public health is allowing our food to become so contaminated it isn’t fit to eat, or has decided immunizations are now the enemy? How the person in charge of our military believes our soldiers need more testosterone and appears to be hiding what is really happening to our brave men and women who are willing to put their lives on the line for our great country? How the person in charge of the treasury blames everyone except for himself or Trump that prices are high, inflation is increasing, and doesn’t appear to be worried the bond market is not doing well? How the secretary of the interior, who is in charge of our National Parks, seems hell-bent on destroying them by allowing roads to built in pristine areas to increase mining and logging? And so on, and so on.
It can all seem overwhelming when trying to concentrate on everything happening all at the same time. This can cause us to start feeling hopeless and helpless, as if everything is inevitable. Flooding the zone with shit, as Republican Steve Bannon, advocated doing, is meant to cause paralysis in us.
Knowing this is what keeps me going. Keeps me from giving in. Keeps me from throwing up my hands and throwing in the towel. Keeps me motivated to take action as well as write weekly.
These are trying times to be sure. But, not all is lost yet. Voters are showing up and electing Democrats who care about democracy and the American people, while at the same time sending older out-of-touch candidates and far-right candidates packing or out-of-the-running in primaries. Companies are starting to fight back when the Trump Regime tries to bully them into acting a certain way. People, like you and me, are fighting back at the ballot box, by speaking out, by peacefully protesting, and in many other ways.
Each of us, to remain sane and motivated, need to choose our most important causes to protect. We can’t concentrate on everything, but if we choose just a couple, we can take action on those specific causes. This will help keep us from shutting down, from being overwhelmed, and keep us keeping up the good fight. It helps us not fall into their trap. It helps us fight for the future of our great country, which in turn is a fight to protect our families now and into the future.
So, today, take a break if you need. Then, come back energized to take action to protect us all, and take back our country from those who, wittingly or not, are moving us towards authoritarianism, fascism, dictatorship, and a loss of our personal freedom and liberties. We can and will do this together.
Don’t despair, take action, no matter how big or how small. Just do.
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