It's the Stupidity, Stupid!

Haha! And we thought it was the economy.

Photo by Holly Ward on Unsplash

I lost it today.

Scared the pets out of the room with my ranting to myself. I’ve been working hard at self-care. Making sure I’m eating — reasonably — well. Drinking fluids other than Matthew McConaughey’s Pantalones tequila (along with a shot of Best Maid dill pickle juice.) Getting regular exercise.

Reading about topics other than the current five-alarm political fires. Listening to flamenco guitars or classical music or the ‘love’ playlist my wife and I share which is now nearly 50 some odd hours of curated bliss — everything from Ozzy Osbourne to Jimmy Durante. Appreciating the cacophonous gathering of birds at the feeder I cannot seem to keep supplied with seed.

Especially as the temps drop into the single digits.

(Never was an Osbourne fan, but I love this song.)

Basking in the hygge of five fake, but utterly believable, candles while our brand new extraordinarily large Costco television is tuned to one of the dozens of fireplace scenes. This is what the Scandinavian Standard website says about the concept of hygge:

Hygge embodies a feeling of comfort, contentment, and well-being through simple and everyday experiences. It encompasses a range of feelings and experiences related to coziness, togetherness, and an appreciation for life’s small pleasures.

Because I know no one wants to click links.

In these darkened days, you might want to make yourself very familiar with hygge and forest bathing and all of the contents at your local marijuana dispensary.

My rant emanated from a misguided decision to check out the Health Politics Note-page on Substack. It was my own fault. I’d suggested folks break out of their ruts and check out other “topic” pages other than the “home” Note page.

There were posts about ivermectin becoming available over-the-counter in various states and how bills were being introduced to make that even more of a reality. There were posts about — what were, most likely — the same states acting to outlaw the mRNA vaccine.

And then there were posts fawning over Elon Musk and his DOGE workers for doing everything possible to make America great again. Ostensibly finding fraud everywhere they look.

I knew looking in these places would be a fool’s errand.

I don’t know with one hundred per cent certainty that ivermectin is harmful for you.

I don’t know without a doubt that the mRNA vaccine isn’t harmful to you.

But my gut tells me I’d rather follow the guidelines of the CDC, or the NIH, or the reporter on PBS, or my doctor, well before I’d follow reactionary politicians in backwater states (I’m including Texas in this even though I know how many diehard liberals live there) who pose for Christmas cards with their entire family armed to the teeth. My gut tells me that everyone who bows down to the idiotic whims of a man who shamelessly lusts after dictators of all stripes is NOT TO BE TRUSTED about ANYTHING!

Ranting again. I should breathe.

Neither Musk or his puppet president, or anyone who believes them, are to be trusted. They are less trustworthy than your common criminal.

Yet the disinformation stew we are all swimming in has convinced ordinary Americans that only these distasteful, duplicitous crime bosses are to be trusted with their government, their rule of law and their lives.

Even if some of the things that have happened over the first few weeks of this administration were ideas you can applaud — like the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico or the removal of paper straws from the White House or the excising of words that trigger conservative snowflakes — the people ‘moving fast and breaking things’ are some of the ugliest assholes to ever walk the planet.

Screenshot of Mapquest app. They still call it the Gulf of Mexico. It’s the little things.

Their assholery is on display every day.

Who sides with assholes? Who sides with undeniable, flagrant assholes?

(This is how I rant in the privacy of my home. I devolve into a flurry of spittle and profanity.)

I get the animus toward regulations. I own a small business. I have to work with numerous government agencies. I loathe the paperwork more than I loathe licorice and the texture of liver and websites with so many advertisements I can’t scroll properly.

I get the teeth-grinding over the pronoun thing and the often performative land acknowledgment rituals and the policing of every word used no matter its intent.

I get it.

But I don’t get following assholes over the cliff and into the abyss. I don’t get cheering teen age-adjacent assholes pawing through my personal data while they effectively sieg heil on their social media with impunity.

As Lincoln spins in his grave as if attached to a rotisserie, the Speaker of the House is ecstatic at how fast Musk and the PINO (president-in-name-only) are ‘breaking things’. Speaker Johnson, whose son closely monitors his sexual libido via app (and vice versa — nothing weird about that), is ecstatic to have them do an end-around on the Constitution because this means the House is free — not to govern — but drum up more stupid reasons to investigate the Bidens son’s laptop.

I will never forgive the assholes and their worshippers. It is not in my heart to do so. They’re gleefully destroying order, decorum, tradition, balance, precedent, manners and civility. I’m sure there are more to that list, but you get the idea.

The time is now to stand up to these assholes.

All of them. Everywhere. They’re publicly outing themselves every single day. Raising their voices in public spaces and acting like they own the place.

Shout them down. Shame them. Refuse to allow them to bully others. Make them social pariahs.

(Pick your asshole to stand up to wisely. Some might be “packing”. Make sure you’re in full view of many other people who are also not assholes.)

As for the government we have that’s hanging by a thread, download the 5Calls app and blister your representatives’ phones. It’s easy. Even a conflict-averse, introvert like myself finds it a snap to use. They give you the names, the links, the topics, the script, the phone numbers. Most of the time — especially now — the voice mail picks up or the voice mail is full. They’re reporting thousands of calls an hour. Even the staff hired to deal with phone calls can’t field all the phone calls.

I’ve read several articles that say phone calls make all of the difference with your representatives but, if you can’t bring yourself to phone them, even with all of the prompts 5Calls gives you, send them a postcard. Postcards fly right through the Congressional mailing system because they are not an anthrax threat. Letters take weeks.

It’s an uphill battle. Most Americans — as always — are not paying attention. Many Americans remain in a figurative — or possibly literal — fetal position. Some Americans simply can’t get enough assholery in their lives. But the squeaky wheels need to squeak because that’s one of the best weapons left to us.

Don’t forget to squeak at all of them. Even your Christian Nationalist representative who truly does believe they’re “eating the cats, they’re eating the dogs!” (I don’t know why that old fart kept ranting about cats and dogs, he hates animals.)

Meanwhile, I’m going to rant because the pets are all safely out in the backyard. Besides, it’s just as cathartic as writing.

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Found this thanks to Canadian, Neil Shooter on Substack. Thanks, Neil!

Also, it’s time to learn about VPNs and end-to-end encryption and Faraday dealios. Maybe I can just call in the Geek Squad.

In any case, Jillian Ratliff’s Substack column is a good place to begin your journey toward going dark or, at least, darker than you are at the moment.

Jillian Ratliff’s Substack on cybersecurity.

Thank you for reading! I really meant to write something more joyous and light. - JLM