"How did things ever get so far?"

 "How did things ever get so far?"

There's a scene in The Godfather where, following years of gang warfare, the titular character opens a discussion of peace with that line. And as I daily see the destruction of our nation and everything it (or Republicans) ever stood for being cheered on with glee and pride, that quote keeps popping into my mind.

The problem is frustratingly complex. The Powers That Be - call them the One Percent or whatever - have created a system where our government is run on the surface by two opposing ideologies. If we vote, then we have no choice but to choose one or the other, and the gap between the two widens every day. Politics have become a with-us-or-against-us, fundamentalist religion. Ideals no longer matter, all that matters is the camps and cults of all-or-nothing ideology and ideologues.

Any sort of discourse is shouted down. Jon Stewart was lambasted for simply interviewing Bill O' Riley. The Teamster's president was scolded for the unforgivable crime of opening a dialogue with Republicans. There are certain far-left sacred cows on which any discussion whatsoever is forbidden. The pendulum was pushed as far as it could to the left over the past decade, politically, culturally, and through cancelling, and now it's taken a hard swing to the far-right. The far-left makes a shocked Pikachu face, but what did they expect? Now the far-right are setting horrible, dangerous precedents in giving Trump unlimited power as president - but wait and see how much they cry when the pendulum swings back to the far-left.

If we even still have free elections in 2028.

Despite what the mainstream and social media insist, half of this nation simply isn't liberal. They're never going to vote for the side that pushes further and further from their core beliefs, no matter how insane and dangerous their own ideologue is. Vilifying and shaming them ala the Democrat Party only pushes them further away. You'll never shame someone into voting for your side. The same goes for the centrists. Either vote for the sane party that pisses in your face and insists it's raining honey and just accept that things will just slowly get worse, or vote for the bat-shit insane party that vocally agrees with your ideals, but uses them as an excuse to burn our democracy to the ground.

Look, I get it. There are people I thought were my friends who will never speak to me again simply because I spoke out against Hillary Clinton and the rabid divisiveness she and her followers fermented. I've been called a misogynist and accused of turning a blind eye to sexual assault because I dared to disagree with the harmful, misandrist feminist doctrine of "toxic masculinity." I've been called a white supremacist and a Nazi for calling CNN out on their witch hunts against teenagers who were harassed for wearing MAGA hats, or a certain young man whose only crime was defending his life against rioters and arsonists. I’ve been insulted up the wazoo for speaking out against the Woke hijacking of every traditionally masculine IP and form of art or entertainment that exists, rather than creating new properties. So yes, I get it. I get the anger. I understand being fed up with the Democrat party and their hypocritical doctrine of shrouding themselves in social issues so they can cry "hate" whenever they're questioned. Biden was unquestionably a senile puppet, and unknown figures were governing in his place. Sure, the stock market revived towards the end, but average Americans found it nearly impossible to get by. Believe me, I get it.

But that doesn’t mean I’m going to support a brainless, constantly-lying, willing Project 2025 puppet who actively destroys our economy. I’m not going to support the dismantling of necessary social infrastructure – especially when it comes to educating our children. I’m not going to support laws that destroy individuals’ rights to simply live their lives. I’m not going to support openly dismantling the checks and balances that protect us from tyranny. And (though the list goes on and on and on) I will never support standing by a dictator and aiding him in invading an innocent sovereign nation, bombing its cities, kidnapping its children, and murdering and raping its people. It’s one thing to feel our tax dollars and young people’s lives should not go to defending Ukraine. It's another thing completely to openly kiss the ass of a dictator, and treat his suffering victims as if they are the real enemy.

It's understandable to want our government to put America first. We're paying taxes after all. But nothing Trump is doing will actually put America first. Tariffs can only work if you already have an industry for Americans to purchase from. We don't, and it will take years to bring production up to speed. I don't see any effort being made whatsoever to make this happen, though. So in reality, his tariffs are just going to bleed Americans dry. If he really wanted to cut waste, he would cut the billions if not trillions that we give away in corporate subsidies. Instead, he's mainly cutting those departments that are watchdogs for his cronies, or who dared to speak out against him and his crimes.

In short, we are stuck in a good cop/bad cop game. No, both parties are not the same, but they are both tools of the One Percent to use against us.

Don't believe me? Look at the way Chuck Schumer folded faster than Superman on laundry day over the budget (thank you, Simpsons), giving Trump and his ilk everything they wanted at all Americans’ expense. Look at the way Obama ran on universal healthcare, only to give us the ACA instead, all the worst parts of socialized medicine with extremely few of the benefits. Look at the way only Al Green and Bernie Sanders (you know, that guy the Democrat party vilified because it was “Hillary's turn”), have actually been fighting Trump. The rest just sat there waving their little ping pong ball paddles while he lied and lied, and talked of annexing other nations. So yes, the Democrat Party is just the good cop, and a tool of the One Percent. Because if we keep our pitchforks aimed at each other, we can't turn them on them.

And we are all the victims.

TTFN

-Tony