1. Fascists know that many of their stances are hypocritical. They believe in do as I say, not as I do. Their supporters don’t care.
2. Fascists know that their viewpoints aren’t supported by evidence, data, science or anything objective. They don’t care, because it’s not about truth, it’s about harm. Their supporters want that harm.
3. This is not Democrats vs Republicans. This is not red states vs blue states (that’s not a real thing anyway). This is white supremacy vs everybody else.
White supremacists are destroying our democracy and endangering our lives in order to:
- gain and coalesce power
- enrich themselves financially
- kill the people they hate
Our institutions and their hidebound politesse cannot save us, because their rules require them to treat these enemies as simple colleagues with differing viewpoints.
We must be forthright and truthful, stop trying to convince them or their supporters of their error and instead, strip them of power to influence and harm.
We must also recognize that neutrality is alignment with the aggressor, so a lot of people who should nominally be “on our side” against this white supremacist, fascist destruction are not, because they cannot be moved to care, because they cannot be moved to understand what’s at stake, or because they are entrenched in self interest.
Loyalty or affiliation with these people must be shed. That includes elected democrats. That includes colleagues and friends. That includes family members.
We who are being targeted for violence — BIPOC, LGBTQIA, disabled, Jewish, Muslim — are as unsafe as we’ve been in this country in most of our lifetimes. Stochastic terrorism is already taking our health, security and lives in a slow but steady trickle of incidents almost always labeled as “unrelated.”
When I tell you that in our private spaces our conversations are grim and full of terror, you can’t even begin to imagine. People are planning for flight, or worse.
But people putting themselves and their bodies on the line is the only way any of this are going to survive this.
And I mean literal survival. As in living and breathing survival.
Please subscribe to my newsletter, early access to Patreon supporters isn’t cutting it any more.
We are a decade beyond the time for words.
That was just my little pouring out of my heart, because a friend of mine was threatened by an anti-trans “protestor”today. They were out terrorizing the Children’s Hospital in St. Louis because they offer gender affirming healthcare. The “protestor” aimed their car at my friend, threatening to run him over, swerving at the last moment.
And my brave friend DANCED.
He found a reservoir of unstolen joy in his heart and used it to make his trans Jewish self more visible as a counter to the hate.
@amaditalks I appreciate you.
I’m all written out on the trying to wake people up stuff, and don’t want to contribute to the horror-sharing machine. I’ve said plenty the last fifteen years, & was in the trenches decades before that. All I can do now is write about collective action, and find ways we can help each other as things crumble.
My health no longer allows me to be in the streets. It’s hard not to give into despair these days, but as Mariame Kaba reminds us: “Hope is a discipline.”
@amaditalks okay, that's an interesting tactic.
Mind if I'd rather prefer an OA93 with a 20rd mag chambered in .50 Beowulf instead?
Simply becausr aposematism works.
@amaditalks shure, but if you expect people to bow before rw extremists and attackers and simply rely on the grace of those people then no.
Pacifism in this case is supporting the attackers and opressors and if anyone should be shit-scared, it's those, not the people seeking medical help.
It's like the people with AKMs before the hospital in Mogadishu: MSF would've loved to not have to pay for security but then they'd get looted for drugs and scrap metal within minutes.
@amaditalks I would love to see a world without violence.
But as of now that's sadly dellusional - espechally in the USA where rw stochastic terrorism is being rewarded with media attention.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3VQULyT390
@amaditalks I'm not pulling out any gun.
I'll just make shure nooe does - not even cops...
Simple #MutualDefense...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZIIpQ8hQyY
@amaditalks That’s my big problem with it. I want to create action-oriented actions for people to take with the news.
New antitrans legislation? Let’s ALL call our state senators EVERY time. Here’s the number.
Will it always work? Maybe not but they fear organized voters.
No thinking. Just if you care about x the grassroot organizers need you to do y.
& here’s how to own issues in your state.
@amaditalks some of it has helped here locally. Maybe it doesn't work elsewhere at all.
If something else works I'm going to try that too. It's one way to go out of hundreds.
@amaditalks Planning on flight.
I have lived in several places in the US and abroad. Where one lives DOES MATTER in terms of individual safety for people of difference.
When I lived in #Berlin, I went and saw many of the #Nazi camps and other places of terror they developed. I visited the #JewishMuseum and other spots highlighting targeted populations and #resistance. Continuously I asked:
"How do you know when it is time to leave? How long will the place you are headed to remain safe?"
@amaditalks @mawrter yeah, my partner and I have talked about leaving. But where to go? Fascism is on the rise pretty much everywhere, and climate change will make a lot of places unlivable before long.
My friends are here. Plus I'm chronically ill and the thought of leaving the care team I have built here and having to build another yet again makes me want to cry.
So we stay, and do what we can to support local mutual aid and efforts to shift political directions.
Aiming for a mob rule through violence
@amaditalks
Absolutely. Because the truth is Democrats are pretty far right of where they were 50 years ago and they are essentially republicans by their actions.
Fascist white supremacists run the GOP right now, and you cannot serve two masters. You cannot promote GOP politics without fomenting white nationalism.
Second point is salient. The harm crazies like Trump caused was the point wasn’t it. The supporters actually want that harm.
Exactly what I was going to say. Democrats have been saying for years that we are sick and tired of our "representatives" acting all high and mighty and refusing to get their hands dirty and fight with the Republicans in their culture war. Additionally, it's as if they haven't even thought about what's going on in the hearings against "Woke" led by Jim Jordan. I saw O-C the other day shake her head confusedly and say "What's this hearing about?
1/3
Then why aren't the Repubs being censured? And what about the Speech and Debate Privilege? https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/article-1/section-6/clause-1/speech-and-debate-privilege. My proposed responses seem to be "an integral part of the deliberative and communicative processes by which Members participate in committee and House proceedings with respect to the consideration and passage or rejection of proposed legislation or with respect to other matters which the Constitution places within the jurisdiction of either House” to me.
I googled whether Congresspeople can call each other names, & found Barbara Lee's: "H.Con.Res. 4 (117th): Supporting the goals and ideals of No Name-Calling Week in bringing attention to name-calling of all kinds & providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an ongoing dialogue about ways to eliminate name-calling, ...
... bullying, and harassment in their communities." The resolution was introduced 1/11/21, "but did not receive a vote." It wasn't wanted by Congress!
I'm looking at "Rule XVII Decorum and Debate" of the House Rules of the 114th Congress (2017), & the only thing it says in the "Decorum" section is that remarks in debate should "avoid personality." Jim Jordan didn't do that when he said Plaskett's argument was "ridiculous." And as to "Comportment," it says not to walk out or across the hall, or pass between the person speaking and the Chair, or wear a hat, smoke, or use a electronic device. https://rules.house.gov/sites/republicans.rules.house.gov/files/114/PDF/House-Rules-114.pdf
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