Those of us who still cherish our country’s ideals – liberty and justice for all, quality healthcare and education, equal rights and opportunities, a trustworthy government, compassion for the less fortunate – are reeling from the recent assaults on them.
We knew those shots were coming because we knew enough to disregard Donald Trump’s campaign promises to help the American people — and to believe his cruel and authoritarian rhetoric.
But we didn’t know how fast and far this White House could go, and we still don’t know whether enough like-minded people are willing and able to stop this horror show.
Nick Lowe’s song “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” seems more relevant today than when Elvis Costello recorded his hit version nearly 50 years ago. So many of us wonder if there’s only “pain and hatred and misery” as we search for “light in the darkness of insanity.”
The world according to Trump just gets crazier and crazier:
- 49.8% of the vote is a powerful mandate?
- Blind loyalty is unity?
- Ignoring inconvenient facts is common sense?
- Any lie or nonsense coming from the White House is truth?
- Bullying and threatening war are strength?
- Censorship and oppression are freedom?
- The silence that descends when our rights are gone is law and order?
- The Constitution is meaningless?
Trump has unleashed his hatred on anyone who’s ever challenged him. And he’s gone full bore on causing pain to immigrants and transgender people, but others may be in the cross-hairs as the new administration gets settled.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, the nearly half-a-trillionaire who during the presidential campaign told Americans to expect “temporary” hardship under a Trump regime, now holds some important levers of the government that he and his billionaire pals want to smash.
“Who are the trusted?” Lowe asked back in the ‘70s. Certainly not Trump or his broligarchy.
Not GOP members of Congress. Many of them seem OK with surrendering their power of the purse to the White House, and their senators are ushering Trump’s clown car of nominees into crucial government positions.
Not even our own John Fetterman, who campaigned as a bold progressive in 2022. Now he’s known as a born-again Trumpster who backed his leader’s provocative musings about the U.S. acquiring Greenland and occupying Gaza. He’s also notched the dubious distinction of being the only Democratic senator to vote to confirm Trump insurrection team member Pam Bondi for attorney general.
Courageous reporting and factual information are essential for a free society, but Trump & Co’s attacks have media moguls running scared. Meta’s Facebook has stopped fact-checking posts. The Neiman Foundation found 71 of the 95 largest U.S. newspapers didn’t endorse a presidential candidate last year, up from 44 in 2020 and fewer than 30 in 2016.
CBS parent Paramount Global, which needs regulatory approval to acquire Skydance Media, is trying to settle Trump’s frivolous lawsuit that claims routine edits of a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris during her campaign constituted “election interference.”
(Trump wouldn’t do an interview of his own, and the mainstream media has been accused of “sanewashing” his more outlandish statements.)
Amid the gloom, there are glimmers of light.
Much of the media still reveals the Trump/Musk administration in all its ghastliness, and demonstrators gathered last week in red, blue and purple states to express their anger and disgust.
Senate Democrats have too few votes to stop Trump’s nominees, but at least they’re asking hard questions and spent a whole night warning against putting Project 2025er Russell Vought in charge of the Office of Management and Budget.
But Trump, Musk and whatever other puppeteers are pulling the strings won’t give up easily.
The White House says it hasn’t changed its mind on freezing federal funding even though it rescinded the move after public outcry and two judges’ temporary block on it. And Congress’ questions about Musk’s access to the federal payment system prompted the Treasury Department to emphasize that it’s read-only, but the Dark MAGA is more into bomb-throwing than rule-following.
The resistance is encouraging, but with the level of insanity we’re seeing, we need floodlights, not candles, to stop the pain and hatred and misery that the White House is sending our way.
Lisa Von Ahn is an experienced columnist previously published in the Pottsville Republican Herald newspaper.
Canary note: Opinions expressed in any Op-Ed column appearing on this site are the views of the writer and are not necessarily the opinions of Coal Region Canary.
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