A Review Of the A24 Trailer For The Movie ‘Civil War’

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I am very pleased with this movie because it will give Americans an outlet for all the bad juju we’re feeling these days about the potential fate of our nation. It is interesting, however, that the producers of the movie decided to muddle the scenario by not making it a Blue Vs. Red civil war but something more fictional. The fact that the “Western forces” made up of Texas and California which are the rebels in this movie has already caught the attention of the Twitter hivemind.

People are really annoyed that they aren’t being given a clear, more realistic scenario to watch. Everyone knows that Texas and California would never join forces in a civil war — but that’s the point. If the producers didn’t do some fudging, then they would have to pick who the “good guys” of their scenario were.

Of course, there WAS a way that they could be more realistic — have the story be more about how a Red Vs. Blue civil war unfolding being the huge drama happening in the background of the lives of everyday people trying to just live through extraordinary times.

But that may be too nuanced for what people would want to see once you introduced the topic of a realistic civil war scenario. Both sides would be enraged if they weren’t the “good guys.”

Anyway. I probably will go see this movie, even if is really bad, just so I can have a cathartic viewing event and also so I can judge the quality of the scenario.

Invoking The Insurrection Act Would Not Be The Magic Fascist Pixie Dust That Trump Thinks It Would Be

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I continue to struggle with how, exactly, Trump could go full tyrant in 2025 by just invoking the Insurrection Act while corrupting the levers of power. That’s it? That’s all he’s going to do? And it’s not like all of that is going to happen in a vacuum.

The U.S. Military is not the Nazi SA. It’s a democratic institution to its core. It’s not going to be cool with being seen as MAGA thugs, hell bent on “making America great again” over a bunch of corpses. If anything, if Trump pushes that particular pressure point too much, the military will either implode from internal division on the subject or turn around and topple Trump for being such a dick.

What Trump will need is some sort of national paramilitary group, an American SA. But it would take 18 months to organize and call up the 500,000 bloodthirsty thugs to make up any sort of American SA. That would be plenty of time for a General Strike or Women’s Strike to persuade the U.S. Military to stand down or even help Blues topped Trump. (But even then, all that might do is cause a National Divorce and a civil war, so, lulz?)

Yes, Trump would weaponize the existing ICE infrastructure, but that STILL would not be enough goons for what Trump wants to do. Blues make up about half the population and once it became clear that Trump wasn’t “joking” about becoming a tyrant towards them….anything might happen.

This is not to say that Trump can’t get what he wants, just that maybe there’s more going on than I realize. If there isn’t, early 2025 could be very, very unstable. The key thing about Trump is he’s always been a one-man unpreceded stress test on the American political system.

Maybe Blues need to turn into “Blue Meanies” if Trump is re-elected.

If he uses the U.S. Military on the Blue parts of the U.S. to rule as a military dictator there, while being a more traditional autocrat with his Red State supporters….yikes. Trump could cause the situation in the United States to grow so unstable that many, many people die for no damn reason. The US could be wracked with revolution, counter-revolution, civil war all happening in the context of WW3.

I still believe that MAGA and Trump will soon be as loaded in the global mind as the Nazis and Hitler. Trump could be responsible for at least 1 billion dead if you factor in WW3 happening as a number of nuclear-tipped regional wars turn hot because the USA is too preoccupied with blowing itself up to do being the world’s “indispensable nation.”

But, thankfully, I can’t predict the future. No one can. But it does seem, in general, that if Trump wins re-election that we’re going to the show. That will be it. Either the US turns into a MAGA hellscape, or we somehow manage to destroy MAGA and found a Third Republic.

May God have mercy on our souls.

‘A Constant Companion’ — #lyrics to a #pop #rock protest song

This one is about how much I fucking hate MAGA. I’m TRYING to write in an oblique manner like Katy Perry in “Chained To The Rhythm.”

A Constant Companion
lyrics by @sheltgarner
please give credit if you produce or perform

ignorance is bliss
keeps us all on our feet
it’s no small feat
given how everything is so dumb
as much we want to live
in a land of unicorns
we have to do deal with
a constant companion

(pre chorus)
keep the faith
never let it go
believe in you and me
believe in you and me

chorus
a constant companion
is always leering at us
a constant companion
is going to be our death
a constant companion
makes u all want to fret
constant companion
constant companion
constant companion

the sun is an orange black hole
sucking in all that is true
turning it us into fools
we give up our right to dance
because we are afraid of the night
what are we going to do
when we need the sun to rise
(what a surprise!)

(pre chorus)
keep the faith
never let it go
believe in you and me
believe in you and me

chorus
a constant companion
is always leering at us
a constant companion
is going to be our death
a constant companion
makes u all want to fret
constant companion
constant companion
constant companion

(bridge)
the truth is the truth
an no amount of evil
will change that everyone
everyone wants to be free, free, free

(pre chorus)
keep the faith
never let it go
believe in you and me
believe in you and me

chorus
a constant companion
is always leering at us
a constant companion
is going to be our death
a constant companion
makes u all want to fret
constant companion
constant companion
constant companion

It’s A Mystery

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I continue to get very…mysterious…pings in my Webstats from people poking around deep inside the site out of nowhere. The latest person is using Google Proxy so I have even less information about them than usual.

I can never tell if these mysterious people are interested in my political ranting or my creative ranting. I don’t even know if they’re doing some sort of due diligence on me for this or that reason.

It’s all very curious. I only bring it up because I’m such an anonymous nobody that *any* attention I get from someone trying to hide their domain name, etc is enough to pique my interest. But as “JCal” says, “chaos is a ladder” so, who knows, maybe when the US collapses into civil war, revolution and or tyranny I’ll become someone of note.

What’s more, I got a notification from Facebook telling me I qualified to be a “professional creator” because my content’s high engagement. This makes — on the face of it — no sense. I’ve noticed no additional engagement from my activity on Facebook. This makes me wonder if maybe people are looking at all the Facebook Lives I’ve posted to this site over the years (for some unknown reason) and I have videos with a lot of views and I just don’t know about it.

I continue to believe I have one last hattrick in me. But death be not proud. I could drop dead any day now and never live up to that “potential.”

‘No Joke’ — #lyrics to a #pop #rock protest song

No Joke
lyrics by @sheltgarner
please give credit if you produce or perform

you can joke all you like
but we know your kind
with a wink and a nod
you say what you really mean
tyranny is your middle name
if you return to the purple
it will all be no joke.

all your jokes
but no one is laughing
all your jokes
but no one is laughing
all your jokes
but no one is laughing

stand me over my grave
before I give you a grin
for one of your dumb jokes of sin
we will own the streets
and make you feel abroad
with your broad

(bridge)
in all seriouness
you can just fuck off
if you think you can be a king
in the republic of the free
we refuse to submit
to any of your shit

all your jokes
but no one is laughing
all your jokes
but no one is laughing
all your jokes
but no one is laughing

‘No Land For Kings’ — #lyrics to a #pop #rock protest song

Again, just screwing around and venting because I’m intoxicated. Not advocating anything.
No Land For Kings
lyrics by @sheltgarner
please give credit if you produce or perform

The walrus said count him out…in
and that’s the state of grace
that this great nation faces
what are we going to do
when men call themselves kings
in the land of freemen

this is no land for kings
this is no land for kings
this is no land for kings

the people may have spoken
but history has other plans
the system is corrupt
not woke
we’ll all meet here when
the coast is clear
knowing that we’ve made it clear
that this is
no land for kings
no land for kings
no land for kings

(bridge)
peace is at hand
if we put our heads in the sand
the tyrant will arrive
to a great deal of sighs
we will live on our knees
rather than die on our feet free

but never forget
that this is
no land for kings
no land for kings
no land for kings

‘All My Heroes Are Dead’ — #lyrics to a #rap -#rock protest song

I’m intoxicated and feel like venting. Not advocating anything. I will note that the angry rap protest songs of the late 1980s and early 1990s are really good!

All My Heroes Are Dead
lyrics by @sheltgarner
please give credit if you produce or perform

all my heroes are dead
all my heroes are dead
all my heroes are dead

2024 is not just a number
history is rushing towards us
crashing down on our heads
the Man wants black and brown
to attack each other
while he rakes in the dough
that’s why

all my heroes are dead
all my heroes are dead
all my heroes are dead

we need truth not lies
the power of the polls is fading
as we speak
in ways that would make Dr. King scream
we have to take the streets
in November
if the tyrant returns from under his sheet

all my heroes are dead
all my heroes are dead
all my heroes are dead

(bridge)
listen to the radio
waiting for your sign
to make history come alive
when the Man learns the power
of angry men who want
the truth to rule the land

all my heroes are dead
all my heroes are dead
all my heroes are dead

The End Of Pax Americana?

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

As of late 2023, it definitely FEELS like we’re fucked here in the United States in regards to some sort of MAGA counter-revolution. There is an air of inevitability to the return of Trump to the point that anything that prevents it from happening will be jaw dropping — by definition.

Maybe Blues should become Blue Meanies.

Should Trump return to power, it will market the official end to the post-WW2 liberal order. The US will probably leave NATO, South Korea and Japan. We will probably align ourselves with Russia, Hungary and Turkey. All this will happen just as the wealthiest, most powerful nation in human history suddenly becomes very, very, very unstable.

Trump will try to rule Blue portions of America as King Trump I, while ruling Red parts of the country as more of a traditional autocrat. At least 1 million smug liberal Blues will leave the country, dramatically transforming global culture. Just imagine how a steady flow of well educated, well trained Americans being pumped into nations like Canada, New Zealand, Australia, The Philippines and a lot of Latin American nations could change the global order.

I don’t know how much Mexico will benefit from the collapse of the United States, but I could see Argentina, Chile and Brazil seeing so many Americans flood them that their general standard of living improves rather dramatically and abruptly within a few years.

And that doesn’t even begin to account for how Europe will change when many, many Americans flood to cheap places in the Balkans — it’s already happening.

This is where there are people on the MAGA Right who will roll their eyes and say none of this will ever possibly happen. Trump won’t be a king, he will bring peace and prosperity to all Americans through a combination of being an “alpha male” and rainbow unicorn farts.

I dunno. I guess we won’t know for sure one way or another until, well, they call the 2024 election. Good luck.

Pondering How Trump Would, In Practical Terms, Be An American Dictator

When You Reach A Fork In The Road, Take It: America’s Political Choice In Late 2024, Early 2025

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Here are my personal opinions as to why each one of the potential endgames might happen.
Civil War (Right)
* Trump simply will not accept defeat.
* As such, faced with the possibility of going to prison, Trump might demand a National Divorce to keep his sorry ass out of it.
* They say you go bankrupt gradually, then all at once, so the moment Trump begins to rant about the need for a National Divorce, it’s possible that states — probably starting with Texas — will take him up on it.
* Because of corrosive issues like abortion and guns, it’s possible that the whole system will collapse given some added pressure.

Punt

* Something unexpected could happen like happened in 2020.
* It’s always possible that even if Trump demands a National Divorce after losing, Red States may choke and not initiate a Secession Crisis.
* There’s no evidence that we’re actually on the cusp of a civil war.
Revolution (Left)

* Trump is so stupid and so lazy that rather than do basic autocratic moves, he could go full tyrant — in Blue States at least — in such a way that pisses people off so much that they want to overthrow Trump.
* It’s possible that Trump could be so brazen and chaotic in his tyranny in Blue States that people who would otherwise be pretty chill with an *autocrat* will freak the fuck out if Trump is actual *dictator*.
* Any sort of “revolution” against Tyrant Trump would be extremely risky and might only serve to make him more powerful in the end.

*It’s possible that because so many smug liberals have left the country after election day that there won’t be any leadership left to direct any sort of “revolution” against Tyrant Trump