As someone living in the Free (to be Fascist) state of Florida, I relate. And I have emotions pretty much every morning, even when I try to give myself some respite from the news of the moment. As much as I cling to my civic duties of writing to my so-called representatives (all dyed-in-the-wool MAGA nuts), protesting at the state capitol, sending postcards to voters, financially supporting local social service organizations (I hate calling them charities), etc., I envy my friends who are able to escape this country.
Our two closest friends in this state are moving to Scotland. They actually have to move because the husband is Scottish and has been living in the US on a green card for decades and their adult children are dual citizens of the US and Scotland. Their skin is not brown or black. They don't come from a "shithole" country. But they are afraid simply (and rightly) because they don't have the "right" citizenship. Not that that matters anymore given that ICE is brutalizing US citizens as well as immigrants.
It's incomprehensible to me that any one in power, such as Republicans in Congress, can just sit back and let ICE terrorize whole communities. But it should be incomprehensible. I've been reading a collection of Primo Levi's writing, and he wrote that to comprehend would mean to rationalize, to embrace. These actions by ICE, by the President, by the US Cabinet, by Republicans in Congress are truly incomprehensible.
Your lucidity and verbal precision in a very dark moment for us all is a miracle. Thank you. My humble prediction is that, as it becomes clearer by the minute there will be a blue landslide at midterms and the public outrage mounts, DT will declare martial law and our current civil war will escalate rapidly. Get ready. Act now. Speak loudly.
Thank you for this, Summer. One note, though: after spending much of his career at Yale, last year Tim Snyder was one of the first high-profile scholars to leave the US, explicitly due to concerns about his ability to continue his work under the current regime. He’s now at the University of Toronto.
Yes and there's plenty of scope for us to apply his work here too with our own stupid Maple MAGA movement. And also of course having been threatened with invasion by DJT and his goons.
Beautifully, clearly, succinctly put. As horrendous as what is happening on the ground is the gaslighting coming from the government. For this unprecedented level of deceit to be occurring at precisely the advent of AI, the ultimate lying machine, is a perfect, dangerous storm.
This is mostly just me having emotions this morning, but I figured some of you could relate.
As someone living in the Free (to be Fascist) state of Florida, I relate. And I have emotions pretty much every morning, even when I try to give myself some respite from the news of the moment. As much as I cling to my civic duties of writing to my so-called representatives (all dyed-in-the-wool MAGA nuts), protesting at the state capitol, sending postcards to voters, financially supporting local social service organizations (I hate calling them charities), etc., I envy my friends who are able to escape this country.
Our two closest friends in this state are moving to Scotland. They actually have to move because the husband is Scottish and has been living in the US on a green card for decades and their adult children are dual citizens of the US and Scotland. Their skin is not brown or black. They don't come from a "shithole" country. But they are afraid simply (and rightly) because they don't have the "right" citizenship. Not that that matters anymore given that ICE is brutalizing US citizens as well as immigrants.
It's incomprehensible to me that any one in power, such as Republicans in Congress, can just sit back and let ICE terrorize whole communities. But it should be incomprehensible. I've been reading a collection of Primo Levi's writing, and he wrote that to comprehend would mean to rationalize, to embrace. These actions by ICE, by the President, by the US Cabinet, by Republicans in Congress are truly incomprehensible.
Your "having emotions" is holding true to the Twenty Lessons you shared and is energizing and sustaining. Thank you.
Absolutely
entirely
"One person plus one typewriter constitutes a movement" ~ Pauli Murray
✊
Your lucidity and verbal precision in a very dark moment for us all is a miracle. Thank you. My humble prediction is that, as it becomes clearer by the minute there will be a blue landslide at midterms and the public outrage mounts, DT will declare martial law and our current civil war will escalate rapidly. Get ready. Act now. Speak loudly.
Thank you for this, Summer. One note, though: after spending much of his career at Yale, last year Tim Snyder was one of the first high-profile scholars to leave the US, explicitly due to concerns about his ability to continue his work under the current regime. He’s now at the University of Toronto.
Thank you! I will make a note of that. EDIT: added a footnote!
Yes and there's plenty of scope for us to apply his work here too with our own stupid Maple MAGA movement. And also of course having been threatened with invasion by DJT and his goons.
I am an exhausted American. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks, Summer ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for this. Sharing for all of us screaming, to give us directions.....
Thank you. We need to keep hearing and saying this.
Spot on! Important inspiration and reminders. Thank you for taking the time to share -- much appreciated.
Thank you for writing this
This is dead on. Please stay safe everyonr
Thank you Summer. All of this. Stay strong.
Beautifully, clearly, succinctly put. As horrendous as what is happening on the ground is the gaslighting coming from the government. For this unprecedented level of deceit to be occurring at precisely the advent of AI, the ultimate lying machine, is a perfect, dangerous storm.