Every day I make the same promise that I will try to write something, but every day there is so much else to do, and so many other voices clamoring to be heard, so I don’t do it. Today I was impressed by David Brooks talking about going to a rally for conservatives in Florida, and listening to young right wing people who believe the left wing progressives are taking over the country, and threatening to destroy democracy. This is so crazy that it is hard to believe they believe their own twisted narrative, and certainly it is crazy that they think they are defending our country against those of us who are trying to increase the bandwidth of social justice, the buffering of people with healthcare and pensions and disability and unemployment insurance, the reform of the banks which gouge people especially in mortgages and lending, and just the hope for protection of the right of everyone to vote. It is so hard to read what he says, that people like Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley who are anti-democratic in the extreme, think that they are FOR the USA.

We are in the time of hoping that the Senate will pass the Build Back Better bill, which is very popular, because it aims at helping working familes, getting support for parents, for childcare, for medical care and disability and unemployment insurance. AND education! These crazy right wing people think this is unAmerican.

My brother-in-law strained his back and was in excruciating pain, and it makes me think of all the people with acute pain who can’t get medical care coverage and access, and all the chronic pain patients who are committing suicide because they cannot function with the pain– and the whole system of care for people in chronic pain has been dismantled by the pious who are so afraid of addiction they would rather have people committing suicide. And of course, the mental health needs we have in our country, and the homeless, many of whom cannot work because of mental health diagnoses.

It is just exhausting! President Biden is having to constantly bend and move against the headwind generated by the alt-right crazies and their Congressional Republicans, who took an oath to defend our country, but seem completely bent on destroying it. We have to keep praying, and trying to pass the bills to help the working class people, and try to ignore the dark money flowing to the Congressional reps from the corporate sponsors and lobbyists. And we have to try to stop the nuclear warheads from being built, and try harder to protect the planet from the weapons of mass destruction which is our main export as a country.

At least I get to sit peacefully in the silence, and not have to listen to the tv blaring. I pray and pray, that we can get past the danger to our country right now.