Venting

My uncle shared a post on Facebook the other day.

Perhaps I should elaborate a bit.

My deeply conservative uncle, the one who listened to Rush Limbaugh, had received enough pushback (from other family members according to my cousin, his son) that he posted to Facebook saying he was "open to hearing differing opinions on war, crime & punishment, taxes, the economy, sports teams... But it really helps to know where people are coming from when they express their beliefs" and he asked us to share our belief origin stories.

Now, I have had a lifetime leading up to my current beliefs, and tbh I'm not sure how sincere he was in this, but I took the opportunity to share what has become my spiel on Jan 6.

I have no idea how it was taken, as there was no response from him - or what I presume is his conservative friends who may have read the post. Just some things from my cousin and another random person.

Still, it got me thinking.

The military leans conservative, and part of that is our whole awareness on the importance of unity. On "supporting the chain of command" and "good order and discipline." 

That sure, you can have your own private opinions on all sorts of things... but unless it's an illegal order (or, personally, if the stupidity is enough to get people killed and you're willing to take the consequences of disobeying) then you follow orders. (As an aside - I have no idea if Hegseth is calling all those generals and high ranking officers in to try and force some sort of loyalty oath, but if he did then that is the definition of an illegal order and I pray to God that all of those officers refuse.)

Anyways, I've made the argument before, but I want to say it clearly and with emphasis again - claiming that the election was stolen without the evidence to support your claim is an attack on the Constitution. At least, when it's coming from a sitting president (or former president) and not some dumbass drinking beer in a bar.

It undermines the legitimacy of the government that did win. It undermines the agreement that we resolve our differences at the ballot box.

It is even more of a threat to American than any flag burning imaginable.

Every time Trump says his bullshit about a stolen election it feels like he's taking 100 American flags and burning them in a giant heap.

And all those people who claim to be patriots, but ignore that? Everyone who focuses on some stupid shit?

All of them are enabling Trump as he attacks our very foundations.

And it just keeps getting worse. We are not even a year into his second term in office, and he's been escalating the violence. 

Charlie Kirk's assassination is, of course, terrible. But so was the attack on those Minnesota legislators. The way Trump is using that assassination to try and drum up support for further attacks on the left is horrible.

And, just like Jan 6, something his supporters willingly ignore.

The part that bothers me, the thing that has me questioning my fellow Americans, is how blatantly obvious it all is.

For Jan 6 - months of unsubstantiated claims that attacked the results of that election. Anyone paying attention knew some sort of shit was going to go down that day. 

And all of the nonsense we're dealing with today? Predictable. 

Maybe not the exact shape or form, but it was obvious (if you were paying attention) that Trump didn't actually care about the Epstein files, or know how to make America great again, or have interest in doing anything that would help the average American. 

He hadn't even started his second term before we started hearing test balloons checking on whether they could change the law preventing a president from serving more than two terms.

There is practically zero chance that he is going to peacefully leave at the end of his current term in office.

And yet - it's like we are living in two different Americas.

One where this is blatantly obvious and we're all horrified and scared and wondering what new fresh nonsense is going to come our way...

And the other where they act as though nothing is wrong. Or act as though what's wrong is the Left, and completely ignore anything the Trumpists (formerly 'the Right', but they're not really conservative any more either) did to create the situation - and cheer Trump on as he continues his madness.

How can any veteran, anyone who understands the problem with 'undermining the chain of command', not see what Trump has been doing?

Not see him constantly undermine the legitimacy of Biden's elected government, and in the process undermine the legitimacy of any elected government. Unless, of course, he wins. Then it's all fair and aboveboard. (Except that's not how legitimacy works. If you undermine it when it means letting your opponents win, you're also undermining the results when you win.) 

It's also obvious that he constantly belittles his political opponents. Constantly uses his power to inflame our divisions, dehumanize any opposition, and tries to use any and every lever in his reach to take out any opposition. Threatens and bullies anyone who doesn't kiss the ring.

I don't know how to even look at the Americans who still support Trump. I can't stand more than skimming Facebook, because all too soon I'll find some post that might have been interesting in a normal political environment - but in the current one? It feels like someone whining about the weeds in their garden while their house is burning down.

It makes me sick.