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Tonight was the last Game Night before I go away on a cruise to Bermuda. Finally, I had the chance to speak with the hostess about current events (she has a F2M trans child), and she is both scared and angry.
But first....
Today would be my last day out and about as Marian for the better part of a week and a half. And I spent most of the day inside the apartment taking care of last minute things such as paying bills and throwing out some trash. Around 5 pm, I started getting ready to go out. I didn't want to get too fancy, so I took out a simple denim mini dress, as it was 80° outside when I was getting dressed.
As usual, I got to game night around 7:45, and was the only (trans) female at the table. The hostess was with her son at a Chess match, and wouldn't be back until 9:30. So, it was 5 of us playing games in the kitchen until the hostess came home. Once she arrived, I made the effort to engage her in conversation, and she noted that in less than 100 days, we have turned into a nation with is a cross between "the Handmaiden's Tale" and "1984". We have gone from zero to 1935 in 3 months! She noted that she is taking almost every trace of social media off of her phone, and keeping it bare bones, in case she crosses a border. I noted that I have a burner phone, and I may bring it on my upcoming cruise. And then, she noted the lack of privacy in smart watches, as they now can track a woman's ovulation cycles. These are scary times, and she could only talk so much before she got overwhelmed by her feelings and had to change the subject. Meeting her again made me think - as soon as I get back from the cruise, I'd better start back on the paperwork needed for a second citizenship. I want my letter of transit while planes are still flying to Lisbon. (See "Casablanca" for its MacGuffin, the letters of transit.)
Right now, we are seeing the early stages of authoritarianism take place in the United States. The people close to the president were chosen not on their competency for their positions. Instead, they were chosen ONLY for their loyalty to the president. They defend the undefendable, only to stay in good stead with their leader. Political, social and human rights are being destroyed to please their leader. Legal non-citizen residents are being imprisoned and deported simply because they exercised a 1st amendment right to say things that make the current administration unhappy. To make things worse, the president has hinted at throwing American citizens into the same gulags now being used to hold non-citizens. Due process no longer exists, save when the judicial branch of government can get involved. And even then, many in the system pledge their loyalty to the president and not to the law.
When will this stop?
The other night, I was watching part of a CNN piece on support for the Orange Snowflake in a rural area in the Midwest. Although many were very unhappy with how his tariffs were affecting their businesses, they were not ready to abandon him. "Let's give him a chance" one person said, as if his personal sacrifice would be rewarded in the long term. The problem is that the "little people" are of no worth to the snowflake. They are only tools to be used when he needs to exercise his power. This wouldn't be so bad if the snowflake wasn't a malignant, narcissistic grifter. It's so sad to see people get hoodwinked, then double down on being hoodwinked instead of seeing the snowflake for what he is - one of the greatest grifters of all time.
There is an old joke in the wine industry:
Q: How do you make $10,000,000 making wine?.
A: Start with investing $50,000,000.
Well, the snowflake has made his millions by telling people to invest their $50,000,000, and leaving them with only $10,000,000 after he has squandered much of their money. He doesn't want to acknowledge that his casinos in Atlantic City went bankrupt - a business which is usually a "license to print money". Most of his other businesses have been scams that provide little (or no) value for money spent, such as Trump Water, Trump Steaks, and Trump University. (The latter a known fraud which resulted in a $25,000,000 settlement to his victims.) Both big and small investors have been scammed by this person, and now he's made the United States his final target.
What does the snowflake want? First, I think he's motivated by extracting as much money as he can out of America, whether it is a series of sweetheart deals that have foreign governments pay him bribes in all but name (does anyone remember the Trump hotel in Washington, DC?), or whether it is by insider trading of anything valuable in the American economy. Second, I think that he's looking to become an all-powerful dictator who can accept no challenge to his idea of current reality. He's a man without principle, and will sell anyone and everyone out for short term gain. He craves public recognition, something which was denied him in the hometown that despises him - New York.
How much am I concerned?
Well, I will send in paperwork for my second citizenship and passport when I return from the cruise I am taking next week. More importantly, I am worried about what border control will look for on my phone when I return from my short cruise, assuming I am targeted for things I have posted online. Right now, I still have a presumption of "Due Process" as an American citizen. But how long will that last? More importantly, can it last with all of the people who have sold their souls to support him?
