Democratic Experiment

Dear you,

A hell of a time to be an American.  I identify with this: "Dozens of monkeys escape from US research lab." Run, babies, run. They are used for experimentation.  We are now  subject to experimentation too. Our mad-scientist-captor is a big MAGA blob called the Trump regime 2.0.  Our Republic has always been an experiment in democracy. Now, the majority of us who voted in the recent presidential election decided that the experiment needs tweaking, it needs a strong man and a team of oligarchs to straighten things out. Like those beautiful monkeys imprisoned and used for experiments, acceptable losses for someone's twisted idea of a greater good, we too should run. Only a week after Trump's win, we are informed of the following:

Elon Musk and Vivek W. will handle the economy, the structure of governance, through a brand new thing called the department of economic efficiency. My oh my.  Musk. We know his intentions. Musk’s Twitter/X is the Blueprint for a MAGA Government. Fire everyone. Turn it into a personal political weapon. Let chaos reign. Don't get me started on their love of cryptocurrency and what that will mean for the US dollar and banking.

Matt Gaetz is Trump's nominee for Attorney General. Gee, since the new GOP controlled senate will allow recess appointments and wouldn't object even if Matt had to endure a confirmation process, I think we know what this means.  He is loathed by so many in the GOP, but hey, who cares?  What the new autocrat says goes.  They will turn their heads and kiss the ring.  This is Trump's test for the GOP senate: stand with me no matter how absurd my choices are.  Disagree? You will pay. 

Mike Huckabee is the ambassador to Israel. Mike, the guy who thinks Palestine should not exist.  The far right Christian dude who offers lip service to Netanyahu because he sees Israel as a part of the ultimate "second coming" plan. The great nation of Israel is just a useful tool, part of Mike's dream narrative of the return of his wildly fictional savior. Meanwhile, the starving children in Gaza . . . 

I refuse to even mention the names of the other barbarians who will now be in charge of national security, defense, and for the love of god, that man who will choreograph the "mass deportation" horrors to come.  They shall remain nameless.

America just voted itself into a cage of fear, inhumanity, and devolution - backwards and downwards we go. Many, millions of us, are not having it.  We reject the cage. 

Tennessee Williams:  A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages.

Never, never, never give up! Shake the bars. And if necessary, run baby run.

Love,

Joyce

The Morning After

 Dear you,

So, my America has voted to elect a convicted felon for President. More than that, the felon is going to (try to) erase many, so many, democratic institutions we have long fought to build.  Well, there is that. And then there is also this:

Competing images of the new head of oligarchy-style USA:  What does this mean?  It is so simple, so obvious, so easy to diagnose.  The photo of our next POTUS (big orange Donald to the right of Harris) on solid news sites like CNN, CBS, or MSNBC depict this:

While on FOX, his acolytes depict him as something like this:

Ah, the grinning fool (which he is, but add dangerous to that description) versus the "strong man" scowling at his liberty loving enemies.

A picture is worth more than a thousand words.

Trump won America in this election. Shocking? Not really.  But the millions of us who still love what we are meant to be woke up this day sad but resilient.  Tomorrow is another day.  And we, millions of us, know the grinning fool who poses as strong man does not wish us well.  He is our next president, a poser. With power. He is indeed the scowling dude who is also a grinning, deeply dangerous fool.  Sleep well, and get ready for what comes. 

Here we go. Carry on! 

Love,

Joyce 

The situation . . .

 Sit·u·a·tion:  a set of circumstances in which one finds oneself; a state of affairs.

Dear you,

My oh my, we are all in perplexing situations.  Whatever they may be, the king of stoicism suggests the following:

Marcus Aurelius:  "It stares you in the face.  No role is so well suited to philosophy as the one you happen to be in right now."

What is my current role? A few: citizen, annoyed/amused Florida condo owner, feminist-lioness, cat-lady, exercise lover, and eternal student. Suited philosophies? Aurelian stoicism (face it), Aristotelian "push" (just do it), Epicurus (eat, drink and be merry because . . . you know the rest).

All these thinkers, if sitting on a what-should-Joyce-do panel, might suggest the following: If an old, orange man says he will be my 'daddy' whether I like it or not, stay calm, tell him to fuck off, and have a cocktail.  If a random condo "manager" lies and mucks things up at my Villas, stay calm, tell him to fuck off, and have a cocktail. If a sad local is ranting about how women are wrecking the country by being all "free", stay calm, tell him to fuck off, and have a cocktail. If someone hustling for money suggests you sign on to a shady contract (be it a phone deal, condo agreement, or ubiquitous streaming forever-binding document), stay calm, tell her/him to fuck off, and have a cocktail.

You know, each of those things happened to me today already.  If I acted as advised, I would have exceeded my daily F-bomb limit and be ripping-tipsy.  And it's only 4 P.M.  But at least I would be very, very calm.

Perhaps I'll cut the "fuck-offs" and just elegantly face "it" (whatever the situation is), do something productive, and eat, drink, and be merry.  I am NOT cutting the cocktails.

What is your role, dear you, what are your philosophies?  Good luck, in any and all situations.  Especially the ones we are in today. Keep calm and carry on.

Love,

Joyce