Inauguration Day

This is a bad day. I don't wish to dismiss that with my glib choice of header image–rather it is, in essence, my thesis. It's a bad day, and there's plenty to be worried about. But before we all have a minor freak out–which is deserved, to be clear–I want to remind you that, honestly, not much changes today. Today, Trump will try and push through a good bit of bullshit, and hopefully not all of it sticks. And yeah, some bad things are going to start rolling. But it's not all instantaneous.

Yesterday, with no thanks to Biden, Israel's malicious genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza stopped. The ceasefire is almost certain to be temporary, but we have to take what reprieve we can get. This genocide has been funded and assisted by the United States' military-industrial complex, and by your tax dollars, under a Democrat.

While we are certainly in for trouble when it comes to Trump's handling of the border, Biden has given him a run for his money. More deportations occurred under Biden's term than Trump's first. Children were kept in the same cages we decried under Trump. In a bid to retain power, Biden's border policies–which were never utopian–slid to the right.

It goes without saying that Biden will surely have done more to combat climate change that Trump has or will. It's also true that under Biden the United States produced more fossil fuels than ever before. You can wish in one hand and shit in the other, as they say, and make a bet on which hand fills faster.

And, while Biden was outwardly defensive of Trans rights, in effect he left a lot to be desired. His final days in office, protections were scrapped and legislation signed that hurts the rights of Trans people and denies coverage of medical treatments for the children of service members. There is little impervious to Trump's intention of governing with a hammer, but what is built takes time–however little–to be destroyed. It takes no time to undo what was never done.

I don't say this as one last dunk on the Dems. I say this to remind you that just because the Orange Him is back in office does not suddenly make this country a fascist nightmare. In almost all ways, it is the same country it has been: an oligarchical, white supremacist, ever-more authoritarian empire that exports bombs and imports the exploitation of labor from across the globe. This did not suddenly become the case today. The hallowed documents of this nation are not sacred, have never protected everyone, and are not to be fallen back upon as undefeatable in the face of our opponents.

You may be inclined to panic for the next little while. My recommendation is that you step away from the media, social and otherwise. Focus your energies on things you can achieve within your sphere–donate winter clothes to aid organizations in your town as much of the US sees some severe cold weather. Make plans for a garden, and make plans to donate what you grow. Go to the range, if that's your thing, and get some practice in. Participate in conversations in your community about just what I'm telling you to avoid today–because worrying in solitude is not the same as worrying in solidarity.

We will be back next week, talking about Trump. The week after we might have to cancel a scheduled post about the LA fires to talk about Trump some more. But we will be back. Remember that the fight isn't finished–nor has it only just started. Hopefully you have been in it for a while, but if not, know that you are walking into a landscape filled with people who know where you're coming from, and understand. They're here to help you. I'm here to help you.