I've been trying to avoid dwelling too much on politics

 

"Hail! Hail! Freedonia, Land of the free and the brave."

Around 90 years ago, the 4 Marx Brothers made a movie called "Duck Soup" which lampooned the lead up to war and the absurdity of fighting that war.  I wonder what witticisms Groucho would say if he were still around to see the Orange Snowflake make a mess of America and the world.

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Only a fool would take the GOP speaker of the house seriously when he blamed the House of Representatives' shutdown on Zohran Mamdani's run for Mayor of NYC.  How could a man from an opposition party, not involved in the Federal Government be the cause of the shutdown?  Sadly, this is the level of lunacy that passes for GOP logic these days.

As I see it, we will have some interesting pain points for DC politicians coming up as I write the entry:

• 11/01/25 - SNAP Benefits (Food Stamps) & ACA Healthcare Subsidies End.
  
  This is going to hurt poor people, especially in the GOP run states.  Families will not have the funds to buy enough food for their families, nor will they be able to pay the healthcare insurance premiums coming due in 2026.
   
• 11/04/25 - Election Day.
  
  Although there will be no nationwide election, several local elections may indicate how disenchanted people are with what's going on in Washington, DC and tell us who they blame for the impasse.
  
  
• 11/05/25 - The Shutdown becomes the longest in American History.
  
  It will be over a month since the last full paycheck for virtually all Federal workers (save for the Post office).  Given that most people in America live paycheck to paycheck, and that they are 3 paychecks away from financial disaster, the pain becomes very real for most government workers.
  
  
• 11/21/25 - The day the GOP's Continuing Resolution Bill expires.
  
  This is an interesting date.  The speaker of the house has kept the house out of session, so that the newly elected representative from Arizona can't be sworn in.  Why is this?  He doesn't want the 218th vote to be cast, so that a house resolution makes it to the floor, calling for the Epstein Files to be released.
  
  If the house stays out of session, there is no Continuing Resolution bill for the senate to approve, so the House GOP line that the Senate Democrats must pass the bill to reopen the government.  At this point the speaker has a hard decision to make: Does he keep the house shut down and be THE cause of the shutdown?  Or, does he bring the house members back in session, and see the Epstein File resolution pass?  
  
  

Sadly, the Democrats in the Senate caved before this entry was to go live.  In one sense, this is a good thing, as the GOP didn't decide to "Go Nuclear" and eliminate the filibuster. (I did not support this option, as I was "all in" on the shutdown.)  At least, we'll get some movement towards releasing the Epstein files, now that the congresswoman from Arizona has been sworn in.

 

It's so easy to be depressed these days

 

There's a certain emptiness that I've been feeling as of late.  Social tensions around the world are propelling those in the developed world, left behind by social and economic change, to attempt to turn the clock back to a time where their privileges put them in a more comfortable place.  (Whew.  That was a lot to say in one sentence!)  In short, the "former haves" in the developed world want to go back to the 1950's where Gays/Lesbians were in the closet, Latinos hid their identity, and Blacks "knew their place".  The only transgender person that people knew about was Christine Jorgensen, and she didn't elicit the fear in some people that an out-of-the-closet transgender person does today, 

It is easy to want to retreat into a fantasy world.  But many of us are unable to do so for the next 3 ⅔ years.  They have either socially and/or medically transitioned long ago, and their legal/social identities differ from those assigned at birth.  Over time, many of us will gradually lose the ability to get passport renewals due to the Orange Snowflake's hatred of transgender people.  But what can we do to keep sane in a crazy world?

First, we have to partially disconnect from social media, as well as excessively biased news media.  Social media platforms, such as Facebook, are geared to keep us clicking on the latest "news" whenever we hear our cell phones beep.  So, find ways to turn the beep off if possible, and then skim the platform on a device other than a cell phone.  Staying informed of the news while disconnecting will be harder.  We have to choose local (if possible) stations that focus on community news, and not propaganda being poured down our throats.  (I'm reminded here of one TV station holding corporation whose "newscasts" I'd avoid, as they require all of their newscasters to present a propaganda segment as if it were local news.) 

Second, defend critical thought.  The snowflake is attacking Harvard University because it rejected his son.  Good riddance!  The snowflake is vengefully punishing Harvard for this rejection.  Now is the time to support institutions such as Harvard for standing their ground and maintaining their values.  Why, you might ask, is this important?  Every time that the snowflake causes us to give up a piece of our humanity, we give up parts of our freedoms.  At first, we might limit what we can say in public.  Next, it might be who we do business with. And then, we could be wrongfully putting people into prison camps - or worse.  It happened once in Central Europe, and could happen here now.  People are weak, and they would rather live in fear than to take the risks which would set them free.  So, stand your ground whenever possible. 

Finally, the Orange Snowflake is a bully.  Bullies tend to be weaklings who have mastered an art of projecting power.  Don't be afraid to challenge a bully if you have the power to fight back.  If the law is on your side, use the court system to stop him and his minions.  If public opinion is on your side, use it to attack him.  And, if there is any form of resistance you can offer, no matter how insignificant it may seem, then offer it.  The most important thing one can do to a bully is to show how weak s/he really is.  Resistance and always being aware does just that.

It's so easy to be depressed.  But don't be.  We live in challenging times, and we overcome.  It will take time, effort, and money.  And we have the lessons of the past, from prior civil rights movements showing us the way.  So keep calm and carry on.

 

Resistance is Futile. (Yeah, right!)

 

Lately, the last thing the Orange Snowflake wants us to have is hope.  He wants us to feel that resistance is futile.  The reality is, resistance is not futile.  If one looks at the court cases he has been losing, and one can see that even a biased court system can hold him to account, or stop his attacks from a specific legal angle.

For some, staying off of his radar is the best thing to do.  For others, it makes sense to go out in the world without fear (but remaining cautious), as we need to show the world that we exist and are nothing to fear.  And still, for others, one has to take on a public fight.  If one can go stealth, one can still support the trans people who are unable to be stealth where they live,  If one can't go stealth, one can still try to live as normal a life as possible. And if one is already in the public eye, one can take on an open fight and force issues into the courts, where we have a better chance than with the snowflake's growing gestapo force.

 

I have scheduled 4 future cruises.  In normal times, 2 of them would have been taken as Marian.  Given that I don't know how US Customs is treating transgender people (pre-op, post-op, or non-op) with or without gender conforming id since the snowflake took office, I'm erring on the side of caution.  Yet, I am looking for ways that I can travel in a mode closer to my authentic self than I do now.  This will likely have me have photos of me in Mario mode wearing a toupee in an androgynous style, and use that when traveling as Marian.  (I'd be in full Marian mode, with wig and breast forms on a cruise ship, or when I reach my destination.)

 

My resistance is to live my life as openly as I can.  If someone challenges me, I will say that I am trans and see what happens, then act accordingly.  Hopefully, this age of lunacy will end soon, and we will see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Until then, I will resist the snowflake as best I can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neither of us wanted to brave the cold.

 

Senator John Blutarsky.  The fictional character had more to say for him than the excuse for a man running this country now.  The current president reeks of corruption, ineptitude, narcissism, and treason; while the future Senator Blutarsky dealt a blow to corruption at his college before moving on to politics. 

But why do I reference a great bit of comedic fiction in today's post?

This weekend, I picked RQS up at the station, had dinner out, and then spent the rest of the weekend (for the most part) relaxing inside.  Although we took a drive on Saturday to pick up ingredients to cook some French Onion Soup (with a slight variant or two from Julia Child's recipe), we stayed comfortably warm inside my apartment.

What does one do when one stays inside?  For the most part, it was watch TV and read books.  I've learned that I have to avoid over-watching the news as of late, as I'm getting sick each time I see President Musk and his lackey, Trump, destroy my nation from within.  I've read the outline of what they're doing in history books, and I don't like how the story ends up.  So, I've had to remind RQS that we need to watch more videos of people clearing up the mess around abandoned houses.  (We tend to enjoy videos from Midlife Stockman, as they tend to be the most relaxing.)  

Sunday came, and I could have gone to church.  I was conscious early enough to have done so.  Instead, I decided to drift back to sleep for another 3 hours.  By the time noon came, we had a decision to make.  Do we go outside in the cold, or do I make the warm, filling and tasty onion soup.  The soup won out, of course.  So, I sliced up 6 onions, then cooked them in my new Dutch Oven.  (I bought a cheap one, just for the onion soup.  If I like cooking with one, I may buy one of a better quality later on.)  Although I burnt some of the onions while cooking and scraped out the residue before continuing with the preparation, the soup came out OK.  This was the highlight of the weekend - something which allowed us to relax, and not fall prey to the fear the snowflake wants us to feel.

Why do I mention fear?

Supposedly, the snowflake has been intimidating GOP congressmen and senators with death threats.  (This was reported in a YouTube video, where one Democratic congressperson mentioned this to their constituents.)  If this is true, and I have no evidence of this, it's another step towards authoritarianism.  We have to counter this by first remembering FDR's great words (from another context): "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."  By refusing to surrender any of our rights, and having others do the same, we can defeat this monster.  If not, we might as well remember the fictional Rick Blaine's dilemma in regard to the "Letters of Transit", and make appropriate choices.