What Would Nellis Say?

This is not who we are!

By Rick Stiller​​​​​​

 

Elon Musk’s team of boy bigots are using a sledgehammer rather than a scalpel to dismantle our most critical government institutions and agencies that protect our rights, oversee our safety and security, guide our economy, and provide benefits and services that we all depend on. Their demolition appears indiscriminate in its rush to eliminate two million federal workers and bring the functions of government to a halt without any understanding or consideration of the ramifications.

 

A South African-born child of apartheid and the richest man in the world, unelected President Musk’s rampage through our government has already canceled contracts with thousands of American farmers who provide food that is distributed to millions of starving people in third-world countries and was paid for from the budget of now-shuttered USAID. Our tax dollars supported a thriving American industry that is suddenly in crisis. 

 

Aiming for another high-priority target of Project 2025, DOGE eviscerated the IRS to hinder the collection of taxes Musk’s wealthy cohorts do not want to pay. In scattershot fashion, they fired the experts who guarded our nuclear stockpiles and the scientists working on containing the approaching bird flu epidemic with no means to reach those people when the enormity of their arrogance became obvious.

 

Only 20% of the federal workforce is stationed in Washington, D.C. The other 80% of the laid-off government employees and essential experts are your friends and neighbors who live and work in communities all across the country. 

 

The Biden administration guided us from a national shutdown to record employment in the years after Trump’s disastrous pandemic response, but unemployment is about to soar again under his current regime. 

 

We are witnessing the establishment of Corporate Imperialism through the privatization of services that we all depend on – like the Post Office and NOAA, the weather forecasting service – combined with the elimination of rules and regulations that have limited the titans’ ability to monopolize their industries or poison the Earth for massive profits.

 

Trump has promised to extend and expand his tax cut for the rich to $4.5 trillion, which will be paid for by cutting critical programs like Medicaid, Head Start, SNAP, school lunches, and many other services that serve the poor. The current plan will add trillions to the federal deficit that Republicans have always claimed they want to tame.

 

Trump, Fox, and the MAGA media empire spent years sowing despair, isolation, frustration, helplessness, and victimization to their audience while glorifying and supporting international fascism in Hungary, Germany, France, Italy, Brazil, India, North Korea, China, and, of course, Putin’s Russia, where unrestricted leaders backed by a gaggle of the wealthiest citizens dictate radically repressive policies at the expense of the citizens.

 

The president and J.D. Vance demonstrated their intent to discard the ideals of our democratic republic in favor of the brutality of dictatorial extremism by shutting down our aid to Ukraine, blackmailing President Zelensky to hand over national mineral rights, and claiming that Ukraine started the war when the entire world witnessed the Russian bombing and invasion three years ago. 

 

In a complete turnaround from decades of treaties and partnership, they told our allies in Europe not to expect American support for their security or our continued participation in the NATO alliance. Supporting Putin’s ambitions to take back the countries of Eastern Europe, Trump said, “He can do whatever the hell he wants.”

 

Russia’s economy rivals Italy’s. They are not an industrial player, and petroleum is the only commodity they export at a profit. While they have an arsenal of rockets to deliver nuclear weapons, their army is populated with reluctant draftees and are antiquated armaments. They have imported weapons and soldiers from North Korea because more than 869,000 of their own forces have been wiped out in senseless battles directed by inept generals.

 

Ideally, this is the moment for Free Europe to create an international brigade to act as a buffer between the decimated Russian army and the Ukrainian forces, with the caution that if one of the allied soldiers is killed or injured, the entire military might of the continent will turn on Russia. Peace could be dictated by the Western powers without interference from the Americans or resistance from the Russians, establishing Europe as a military and diplomatic force capable of protecting their own.

 

Built on disinformation, false narratives, blatant lies, and constant examples of white victimization by anyone who isn’t a white fake-Christian male bigot – think black, brown, yellow, red, Jews, Muslims, gays, and women - right-wing media thrives on communal hate of the “other.” With Trump’s pardon of more than 1600 convicted January 6th rioters, cruelty and violence are perfectly acceptable weapons to eliminate any threat to white supremacy.

 

The ongoing campaign against anonymous non-white immigrants fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries galvanized a large percentage of our population into a paranoid political mob bent on vengeance and retribution. The propaganda machine neglects to inform its legions that those vilified workers fill jobs that no white worker will accept. 

 

They plant and pick our crops, build our houses, mow our lawns, clean hotel rooms, provide the manpower that allows restaurants to function, and deliver many other vital but invisible services. They are striving to become citizens by becoming involved in their communities and paying taxes while they’re at it. With Trump’s terrifying threats, they are fleeing their jobs and avoiding roving bands of ICE enforcers who are shipping their captives to non-native countries that are unprepared to deal humanely with prisoners who do not speak the language. No one should be surprised when produce becomes scarce, building houses takes longer, and everything is more expensive.         

 

Congress has abdicated its responsibility to the rule of law and the power of the purse, and spineless Republicans are offering no resistance to Trump’s blatant efforts to usurp their power and ignore the checks and balances prescribed in the Constitution.

 

A few brave judges are beginning to resist his attack on the foundations of our government by blocking bits of the rash of vengeful and destructive executive orders pouring out of the White House. Each of those documents represents one more step toward handing the levers of ultimate power to the oligarchs who financed the president’s campaign and stood behind him during his inauguration.

 

We are entering a decisive moment when real patriots are being called to rise up in an organic bottoms-up movement to protect our institutions and the norms that are the substance of our society. 

 

It does not matter whether you lean Red or Blue. We are all facing a dilemma that appears hopeless and indiscriminate, where everyone will suffer the ravages of Trump’s crusade to eliminate our rights and benefits, liberties and freedoms while jacking up unemployment and inflation. He is not and never was a “populist.” He has no affinity for working-class Americans once they cast their votes for him. We, as a nation, have to join together to save ourselves…just as our ancestors did to win voting rights for women and civil rights for minorities and to stop the Vietnam War.

 

Everyone has the ability to protest in their own way…whether joining together in the streets, calling their Senators and Representatives (over and over), writing and performing a song, writing and publishing a relevant article or a story, boycotting the businesses of the oligarchs who are trying to take power…firms like Amazon, Tesla, and Meta to name a few, or finding and inspiring friends and neighbors to help end our national nightmare. 

 

We can save our country by joining together to take back our rights, liberties, and self-respect if we are brave enough and committed enough to become true patriots willing to see this through to the resurrection of our democracy. We are The People.

 

We all know this is not who we are, which raises the question of who we want to be? In the darkest hours of our history, things only changed when our citizens realized there was no choice but to join the fight. There is no cavalry about to charge out of the sunrise to rescue us from this madness. We are the resistance, and there is no choice but to embrace a personal obligation to stand up, speak out, and make a difference.

 

I thank you for your support, look forward to your thoughts, and hope you will share this with your friends.

 

Visit www.rickstiller.com to see my novels, essays, and more!

 

And www.rickstillerart.com for floral portraits from my garden.

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