Hi! Do you know me? I didn’t think so. I’m an American citizen, no different than any of the other 325 million people who proudly call themselves Americans. Except apparently I’m totally different and isolated from some 82 million of my alleged fellow Americans.
I’m a pleasant mix of German and Irish Roman Catholic. I could be anybody, but what I am is a proud American. My great uncle on my mother’s side has his name inscribed on a marble wall stretched across the USS Arizona. My uncle on my father’s side was killed on active duty in a jeep accident in Germany before I was born. My father, rest his soul served in the signal corps in the Eisenhower White House. I have a water color painting of the iconic George Washington portrait painted by Ike sitting in my daughter’s living room.
There’s nothing special about me. In fact my story is retold every day by tens if not hundreds of millions of American families from coast-to-coast. It’s the legacy of America. And we all have one thing in common. We all have family members who have taken an oath to protect and defend the constitution of the United States. Our family members, friends and relatives all served and died so that our democratic way of life could survive.
And what has all of that gotten us? As of today, Thanksgiving Day of 2023, we have a fat, racist, fascist poltroon who is now the odds on bet to become the GOP nominee for the US Presidency next November. And are you ready for this? There are some 70 million Trombie fascists that would rather stick their right arms up and scream Heil Trump! than would put that goddamned right hand over their heart and sing The Star Spangled Banner.
How is this possible? How is it possible that some 35-40% of the American population is ready to jettison the unique, democratic principles that are directly responsible for all of the freedoms and pleasures they hold so dear, and swear fealty to an overt fascist dictator?
And it’s not like Traitor Tot is going out of his way to be subtle or anything. Just listen to his f*cking rallies. He’s already telegraphing that if he’s reelected he’s going to turn the Department of Justice into its Russian equivalent. A toadying state organ that prosecutes and imprisons whomever Trump determines to be an enemy of the state.
And he’s already bragging that he’ll build mass internment camps to house the unclean, while his government undertakes a mass deportation unlike anything the United States has ever seen. F*ck me! we already tried that in 1942, while thousands of Japanese detainees signed up to defend this country in uniform. How much more national humiliation do we need?
He’s already swearing and promising that if he gets back to the White House, the free press will be a thing of the past. And with a lick spittle DOJ to back him up, anybody who dares to defy or criticize him, including me, will soon be modeling an orange jumpsuit.
And here’s the kicker. This is the one that should have every American who ever had a friend, relative, or loved one stand up, take the oath, put on the cloth, and defend this great country. If Trump gets reelected in 2024, by late 2025 recruits signing up for the US military will no longer be swearing an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States. Instead these new recruits will be swearing a personal oath to Donald Trump.
I honestly want to know. How in the hell did we get here? In any previous generation El Pendejo Presidente would already have long ago been hauled off in chains to durance vile. In fact, in any previous generation, with normal leadership, Trump would have been convicted in the US Senate on impeachment charges, and we wouldn’t even be here.
Instead we can’t even seem to find a way to hold this nation al disgrace responsible for his crimes, to the extent that judges can’t even muzzle him to keep him from intimidating judges, court staff, prosecutors and potential witnesses of jurors for his trials.
Is this really who we want to be? Worse yet, is this what we really want a fat, early onset Alzheimer’s fascist wanna be to force us to become? I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to grasp or comprehend how a 3rd rate con man and 36% of pissed off, willfully delusional, mental misfits in the electorate could actually have a real shot at turning us into a banana republic. I’m too old for this sh*t. But unfortunately, it’s far too late for me to back off now. Anybody want to join me for one more tilt at the windmill? Our veterans and ancestors are counting on us.
I thank you for the privilege of your time.
I’m in. My late father-in-law was an officer in active duty on the USS Missouri. My Dad and Uncle were among the thousands who built the Missouri at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Later my Dad served in the Army Engineers in England, France and Germany. Happy Thanksgiving Murph and all Team Politizoom.
I’m still waiting for the media to give anything like the attention to the majority of us who want to kick ETrump’s ass from here to Canarsie compaored to the MAGA morons. Man bites dog and all that.
I am a. Vietnam veteran count me in , I took an oath.
I’m in too! My father, rest his soul, was a Machinist Mate First Class on the USS Florence Nightingale. He served in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. And he hated what the Republican (fascist) party is doing to the country he fought for!
Did somebody hit Thumbs Down accidentally!?!?!? HOW could anybody reading Murph’s article and priscianus’ comment disagree with what they said? In fact, this article is one of the BEST Murph has written. So why… Oh, wait, unless you’re… One of THEM!!! 😱
This reads just like the typical propaganda put out by the State Sanctioned MSM! It’s the usual “accuse your enemy of doing the very thing that you actually ARE doing” narrative, and it would be hysterical if not so insulting. “Early onset Alzheimer’s” obviously describes the corrupt career politician Joe Biden than President Trump. Biden’s busy shaking hands with invisible people and getting lost on his way into the White House while Trump maintains a schedule of rallies that Biden couldn’t do on his best day. We don’t have to “wait for Trump” to witness the most egregious weaponization of the Justice Department, the two tiered political persecution against Conservatives and the censorship of the news organizations and social media being done right now by the Biden Administration.
I believe we have found the turd in the punch bowl….Go away Kevin, you’re as delightful as a Karen…..
“They” do come here. We had a pet troll, once. I don’t remember his name. But he would say something insulting and we would pile on. It had entertainment value for a while, which is why I allowed it. Then he just got overbearing so I bounced him off into cyberspace. But yes, MAGAs do come here. And they send us emails about how Trump’s going to win bigly and kill us all. Hey, maybe that’s our future. Who knows?
if they only live to kill at first then they should dig two graves.
I ask myself the same questions, Murf. I have serious conversations with people about moving to Canada or repatriating to Ireland. I could get dual citizenship in a heartbeat because three of my grandparents came over on the boat circa 1905. I’m serious as a heart attack. I can’t figure out what has gone wrong in this country, either.
The Roman Empire became depraved before it fell. They didn’t have Fox News, but they had characters like Caligula, who made a mockery of all their institutions before somebody knifed him in the Coliseum. Maybe it’s human nature that empires can only endure so long.
I truly have no clue. This is not what my relatives lived or died for, either. I have a great uncle who was a war hero, buried in Arlington Cemetery. I’m sure he would be utterly appalled at this.
I’m as bewildered and disgusted as you are.
Beautifully written piece, by the way. One of your best.
I sure hope he doesn’t get back in office cause are country is *ucked if he does go back to the white house
Neighbors Against Grievous Government Actions is in
Ursula. You can’t give in now. You’re fighting the good fight. You and I and maybe Murf and Denis are of an age and are so tired. But our recent ancestors fought and died in wars for nothing? My father served in Korea and fortunately for me survived. We can keep on doing our parts in our own ways
If I left the country, (which I probably won’t — at least not to go to where there’s winter) I would keep blogging and fighting the good fight. I just am terrified of what this country could become under another Trump term.
Because I can predict EXACTLY what he would do, if reelected: He would claim he was “robbed” of his rightful second term and so he was “owed” a third term. God forbid you ever have to see the truth of this prophecy, but I guarantee you, that’s how he would rationalize staying in office.
Must be the same joker, Ursula, who clicked on Thumbs Down AGAIN! My dad was a “lifer” in the Air Force. He was stationed in the Panama Canal Zone when Pearl Harbor was bombed. My mom and my older sister came back to the States, but my dad was kept on high alert because the United States believed the Panama Canal was a prime target for any or all of the aggressors in WWII. After the war, my dad served at the Pentagon for nine years, plus several other places. My aunt (my dad’s sister) was one of the Angels of Bataan, who along with about 98 other Army and Navy nurses and a few dozen doctors plus hospital staff, hid as many as three thousand military and civilian patients in the jungles of the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines for four months before Japanese troops broke through the infantry line. The Japanese eventually held thousands of US, British, Filipino and other military personnel plus some civilians suspected of being spies, for three years in POW camps throughout the Philippine Islands and other South
Pacific islands. I’m writing a book about my aunt, entitled Mercy More Than Life: Sally Blaine Millett: WWII Army Nurse. Publication sometime Spring 2024. I’m hoping and praying my book’s release will coincide with tRump having his sorry **s locked up in prison. Thanks again, Murph, for an EXCELLENT article!
Though I thoroughly understand the essence of thoughts to decamp from the U.S. in response to the christo-fascist onslaught, please keep in mind that the most important business for all of us is to resolve those who have given their lives in the defense of democracy shall not have died in vain.
To lighten your load, here’s one for the road. With all the resurgent talk about Golden Showers, it occurred to me that in America, the difference between a Golden Toilet and a Golden Shower is that one does not need to be Donald tRump to enjoy a Golden Shower.😁
Regards, and keep up the great writing.
So telling that you demonstrate the collective i.q. of commenters by spewing one of the most thoroughly debunked accusations about President Trump known to man.
I personally will still be writing, even on my death bed, and so will Murf, I’m sure. I just get fearful of how Trump fucked with the country for four years and it’s going to be so much worse if he gets back in. This is a horrible state of affairs in this country.
With you on this Ursula. My husband is an Irish citizen who also has a cadre of close friends in Canada who would vouch for us. Apparently a problem with repatriating to Ireland is that you have to show a substantial amount of income you will bring with you, so that you are not just living off their social system without having participated. It’s a fair amount.
My dad was a Silver Star medic in the Pacific. He’d be so pi$$ed.
My friend who fought in Vietnam is gone, as is my friend who was a pilot in the Pacific theater in WWII. Both those guys would be shell shocked looking at this level of bullshit. And both of these men had seen a hell of a lot.
Béidh fáilte romhat in Éirinn Ursule (you’ll be welcome in Ireland). Just be sure to pack a LOT of warm (and waterproof) clothing.
Like you, I’ve had relatives involved in both World Wars – one grandfather survived Jutland (and the war) while the other survived the Dardanelles but died while a PoW in Germany. My father was MiA (aircrew over Italy prior to the Sicily landings) but none of that counted with the regime we had here. If you didn’t belong to one of the quasi-religious protestant secret societies, you just didn’t count for anything, so while I may be sitting in relative safety in Ireland, I can understand the fears on the other side of the pond as I watch an attempted right wing coup d’état.
All I can suggest is that you get everyone you know to use everyone THEY know (and on down the line) to make sure that enough people get out to vote (where they haven’t been gerrymandered out of existence) to get rid of the orange thing from Marmalado
ps – we could probably squeeze the Murfster in – it only takes ONE grandparent really
Not unless you install a garage door!!! lol
I’ll give Murfster one of mine. I have three.
I was very welcome in Ireland when I was there. I was young and had Black Irish looks and people were kind to me. I had a wonderful. I just can’t handle winter — but OTOH, if Trump gets in, I might find my way clear to handle a lot of things. The fucker is insane. And he’s already said he’s going after the media and he would probably seek to wipe out little blogs like this one. I might be able to function from Canada and Ireland, is my point, in a push come to shove scenario.
Russia is full of stories where writers smuggled work out. You can’t kill ideas and you can’t kill truth. You can only suppress both.
Aww our pet troll doesn’t like me
Trump and his radicalised cult MAGA toadies, together, are raging against America’s democracy, simply to satiate their craving to regain and then forever hold onto power and white patriarchal supremacy. So, your question “… Is this really who we want to be? Worse yet, is this what we really want a fat, early onset Alzheimer’s fascist wanna be to force us to become?…” certainly is a clarion call to having “… one more tilt at the windmill? [because] Our veterans and ancestors are counting on us…”, as you’ve clearly and succinctly enunciated.
How do those who voted in the very epitome of “White Patriarchal Society” aka Joe Biden, into the White House? 🙄
Murf count this 70 year old misanthrope in. Great question. As everyone is sick of hearing…my five uncles served in WW2, across all branches, one having crawled and shot his way across France. The Mt.Airy,(Mayberry), paper printed a picture of my grandparents, since it was four sons and their oldest daughter’s husband, scattered across the globe. My dad was a Korean war vet, and came home jacked up, continuing a war in our family until I was 30, forcing my mom, who loved him, to shoot him with his own gun. I had another uncle who was an original Green Beret, was wounded in Vietnam, recovered, and went back, survived, and became a drunk. I had a cousin serve there, who later died from cancer, probably from something he was exposed to.
I never planned to serve, since my lazy left eye kept me out of the Naval Academy, although I had an appointment from Senator Sam Ervin. Once a housemate hung themselves, in a house of political rabblerousers, I joined the Navy, after living in a tobacco barn outside Chapel Hill for months, smoking weed and taking LSD. They wanted to train me to be a spy after a series of tests, but I failed a security clearance by being honest about my drug history. I guess if I was Jared it would have been fine.
I was fascinated by WW2 from an early age, and spent hours pouring through books and pictures in junior high school. I will never understand the carnage, or the degree of bravery and self sacrifice it took to win that war. What I do get is ordinary people sacrificed EVERYTHING so we could live in a democracy. That I get. Despite ALL the flaws and hypocrisy of America, I’m a native son who loves my country, took an oath to defend the Constitution, and vow my children WILL NOT live under fascist tyranny. Apparently, these dolts have no idea of the cost of freedom, or the willingness of our past heros to die to defend it. When I was young, my dad took me to Arlington National Cemetary, and to the tomb of the Unknown Solider. I remember he told me we were free in America because those heros laid down their lives, and their families paid a heavy price. Ive never forgotten watching his reverence for those places. If they could endure fighting on foreign soil, by God, I should stand up when it has reached our homeland. I hate violence, but I’ve faced it all my life for less noble purposes. I hope and pray it doesn’t come to picking up a gun. I didn’t shoot my father when I had all the reason in the world…as crazy as it sounds, I loved him. I don’t love nazis, or child killers by any label. I hope whatever madness has gripped these people will pass, but I fear it won’t. I’ve asked myself many times, what the hell am I willing to do if fascism takes over my country? Hopefully, I will follow the path of patriots and stand up for freedom and my children. Thanks Murf for reminding me what faces us. Besides, I come from Scots…we don’t do well with tyranny. Hell, we don’t do well with ANY authority. Democracy is all I can tolerate.
Meanwhile the Biden Administration has displayed literally EVERY single aspect of a truly “Fascist” dictator! Jailing of political prisoners, and the weaponization of the DOJ especially, in addition to the censorship/control of the media and social media, as well as blatantly ignoring the Constitution’s separation of powers, by ignoring the Supreme Court.
My father was a WW2 Missouri plankholder as well…couldn’t have been said better !
We cannot let such a low class, low life traitor take this country down. Fox and the right wing nuts didn’t expect Trump to swoop in and destroy their decades efforts by the Koch’s, Murdoch, the Heritage Foundation, ALEC and the wealthiest greediest scum of this country as well as Putin, China to make America an Authoritarian form of government.
His supporters never see or hear anything other then then the lies, distortions of the art wing and they are made to hate America and all she stands for because they only see what the right wants them to. The majority of Americans better let the traitors know we are the majority and we are not going to allow a bunch of gullible, ignorant, haters, racists, traitors and fake Republicans take our freedoms, our votes, our country. Hell no. This must stop.
mouse have to mobilize the DOJ. Why they pushy foot and treat this guy with kid gloves is beyond me. Don’t fight him…fight your justice system.
I’m 60 My father was in the Navy during the Cold War. I do remember Vietnam and I also remember watching the Watergate hearings on television. Censorship was and still is apparently a great concern of mine and many others growing up in the 80s? Remember cop killer Ice T and body count? They were all over the news Bush even condemned it! Now he plays a cop on law and order SVU! Ironic I’m somewhat of an artist/ musician and Chef to pay the bills. Art is just for fun in my case but others live for it. Trump will make that all go away no more protest music no more painting whatever your heart tells you to! I wish Frank Zappa was still here he would definitely have a lot to say about Trump. Please just lock this man up! Unfortunately that won’t solve anything! The world is leaning his way,The elections in the Netherlands and Venezuela I believe are both Right wing nut jobs the Dutch guy even looks like Trump? What is going on what is so attractive about hate and vitriolic speech? Anyway I’m worried about the US and the Ukraine and now with Israel and Gaza the world is slipping into war China and Russia And North Korea will take advantage. Trump thinks in 24 hours he can fix all this bull@#$&! These idiots in this country will start a civil war! I’ll help to put down whatever comes my way and will help the oppressed and anyone that is against Trump and his moronic sons and son in law Jared and Ivanka the Ken and Barbie of South beach!
You people are truly comical, repeating the same “gloom and doom apocalyptic” prophecies of what a Trump Presidency would look like, after the 4 years of Peace we saw in reality, followed by the complete embarrassment of our military in Afghanistan and being brought to the brink of WW3 one year into the Biden’s term!
Oh? You mean the negotiations with the Taliban (and not telling the Afghani government they were doing it) ?
Or was it the bombing of the Russian airbase in Syria (after telling the Ivans they were going to do it just in case Vlad the Putain got too annoyed)?
Or maybe it was the ‘negotiations’ with China that got Iwanna the ‘trade marks’? Or the deal with Jar-Jar that gave him a paltry $2 billion?
I know! It was the constant use of Air Force One to go golfing!
Ich bin eine shizakopf
Navy Wife here. For 15 of the 35 years of my.marriage. I despise the fat basturd.And since I’m have bloggers since 2005 about politics from a feminist, progressive PoV, I will.see you all in the internment camps.
Only the Biden Administration ACTUALLY HAS political prisoners in prison and their political opponents in multiple Courts. Spew all of the propaganda you guys want but some of us live in reality.
Clearly you are not among those living in reality.
oh Kev Kev, you wouldn’t know reality if it hit you upside your dumb head.🤣
Not only will The United States go down the drain with Trump in the White House but the rest of the world will too. Trump is only interested in friends like Russia and China and their dictators in charge and thinks their regimes are the ‘way to go’! Remember Chamberlain giving the Chezcs to Hitler and saying ‘we have peace in our time’. Trump will have WW111 and think nothing of it.
Yes, millions of our citizens (most in fact) have family, friends, acquaintances, who have served in our military. Most probably have grandparents/greats who served in WWII. All who served swore an oath to uphold/protect and all that, the constitution. I think this would make a difference if we did not have an entire political party, a disgraced ex-prez, and the majority of the s.c., who ALSO swore and oath to uphold the same constitution and then took that constitution and used it as toilet paper. Rather than call this swill out as oath-breakers millions of our citizens have decided to use the same toilet paper because after all, how valuable can a constitution be if political and judicial folks take an oath to uphold it and then break that oath?
It’s a monkey see/monkey do thing except monkeys are one hell of a lot smarter than the oath-breakers and their followers.
We got here through the systematic destruction of the middle class beginning 40+ years ago. Those who got uber wealthy from the benefits of the programs put in place after WW2 have squeezed the rest of us to brink of poverty while they shite on their golden toilets and sail their monstrous yachts. Junk bonds, the sub prime mortgage debacle that robbed many of us of our life savings, and a minimum wage stuck at the same rate for 20 years have created the 1%. That makes people angry and desperate.
Add to that, the also systematic destruction of basic education in our schools. Money diverted to charter schools, lack of civics and political science courses, lack of teaching of critical thinking, leave us with a populace who have no tools to understand how government functions.
Add in Fox and the internet and there you have it. A country 3/4 full of misinformed, semi-ignorant angry people who think the people with the most money are the ones who deserve power, not realizing they got that money and power by denying everyone else a fair and living wage. Corporate profits over humanity and human decency.
I’m angry too, but I had the benefit a good early education (in the 1950’s when people believed in the promise of America because there actually was one). There are a couple generations who were passed through grades without learning.
Money is god now. The prosperity gospel has generated an increasing number of so called christians who believe that Jesus was weak and that cruelty and self gratification are now the religion they want to belong to.
My father was an ace pilot in the Korean war. He retired as a Bird Colonel. He told me before he passed that he believed the reason for wars was to generate profits for those in power. He was right.
I also have a brother, cousins, uncles and friends who served. All of them would take up arms again, as would this old woman, to save democracy.
the finding out part would be spectacular.