If we elect a lying, demented despot....
Floridians are still recovering from the double impact of
Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Fueled by record ocean temperatures, both storms
rapidly intensified from tropical storms to Category 4 and 5 hurricanes within
hours.
By Nick Anderson
The powerful storm ravaged the Appalachian Mountains,
delivering torrential rain that triggered severe flooding, reaching as far
north as Ohio. Up to 30 inches fell in some areas, leading to unprecedented
damage in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. Thousands of residents were
stranded, facing power outages and water shortages, while roads and
communication lines became impassable, leaving entire communities isolated in
the wake of Helene’s destruction.
FEMA offices in hard-hit Rutherford County and elsewhere
were forced to modify or suspend their on-the-ground operations in response
to threats of
violence due to the lies and misinformation spewed by Donald Trump and his cult
minions.
The Trump Weave: Reading From the Same Incoherent Script
Some of Trump’s lies are laughable. Most are not. Some
cause immediate harm to Americans, many of whom claim his allegiance, all of
whom deserve better from a presidential candidate.
From Haitians eating pets in Springfield to FEMA agents out
to get Republicans, Trump has no compunction for the harm his
shameless rhetoric causes. Political expediency trumps all else (begging your
pardon). Instead of offering solace, the words of a true leader in a time of
need, he elicits hindrance and harm, stoking fear, sowing distrust, and
disseminating lies.
That’s what he always does, of course. Trump is a one-trick
pony. Even his cult followers leave his carnival shows early. They’ve heard it before. They
know how the plot ends.
Laced with incoherent non-sequiturs, Trump “weaves” together
a dark tapestry of retribution, the coming invasion of sub-human “animals,” and
of enemies to be crushed.
MAGA: Give it a Rest
We’d all like to stop simmering in this relentless cultural
anger his cult relentlessly projects. To just give it rest. But Trump doesn’t,
so we can’t. Trump, Trumpism, MAGA—whatever we call it—is dangerous. Even to
Trump’s supporters.
Unable to allow the government to function, Trump vilifies
FEMA while Mad Madge claims that “they” control the weather.
NOAA, FEMA, and meteorologists are all complicit in a dastardly scheme to seed,
grow, and steer hurricanes toward red states. How
afraid must people be to get them to vote for you?
Welcome to the lunatic fringe that is now mainstream
conservatism, the shattered ruins of the Grand Old Party. As unsettling as the
devolution of the GOP is, in the larger context of the MAGA and similar
movements worldwide, it represents an even more frightening prospect.
An Inflection Point
We swing at an inflection point in history. Or maybe it’s
just history repeating itself. Nonetheless, we live in challenging times, full
of unimaginable promise and peril. We can no longer rest in the comfort of
business-as-usual. Things will work out. They always do. First, no, they don’t.
That’s a bit of revisionist history reserved for the cossetted class in the
colonized first world.
We live in an age of polycrisis, where the
growing social, environmental, and economic stresses can lead to widespread
systemic breakdown if we are not careful. In some instances, they already have.
This is no time to f$#ck around.
We either allow the forces that MAGA and Trump’s lies represent to push us backward, ruin the planet, and trigger human suffering, or resist the dark forces of fear, suspicion, and hate to advance into an uncertain future with our eyes and hearts wide open. It won’t be easy or comfortable, but it is our only option.
Thomas Schueneman https://tdsenvironmentalmedia.com
is the founder and managing editor of GlobalWarmingisReal.com and the
PlanetWatch Group. His work appears in Triple Pundit, Slate, Cleantechnia,
Planetsave, Earth911, and several other sustainability-focused publications.
Tom is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists.
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