Month: August 2020

Nancy Pelosi & America As A MAGA Fascist State



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Macro economic and societal trends indicate that no matter what the results of the 2020 election, MAGA is going to grow more extreme. Qanon will be mainstream Republicanism soon enough. It’s simply not possible to maintain a traditional liberal democratic-republic if one of your two major parties sees the democratic process solely as a means to and — getting and maintaining power.

So, to that extent, America has fallen. The America I knew in my youth is no more. We have at least a sold 40 years of tyranny ahead of us, of autocratic managed democracy like they have in Russia. And, really, in the end whatever arises from the ashes of the late great America probably won’t be called the USA. A new nation will be cobbled together.

And, in a sense, we need to stop seeing this failure to defend democracy entirely through the lens of identity politics. Nancy Pelosi failed us all. She’s not a mind reader, she did not know that Trump was going to self-own right after the Mueller testimony. She was very, very lucky. As such, given how dire things have become, the fact that she did not show the leadership necessary to make life hell for Trump the moment the House flipped is all her fault. We can’t hide that simply because we want to praise her as a woman. She fucked up.

Anyway, that’s kind of a moot point now.

What’s probably going to happen is House Trump will consolidate power — possibly after a brief civil war — and then we suffer under the House Trump jackboot for about 40 years. Then, after dead hand of the actuary tables does its work, there’s a good chance that at some point Gen-X and Zoomers will figure out a way to bring back freedom to whatever USA successor state arises when the last Baby Boomer drops dead.

What I’m try to convey is how serious all of this is. Because we thought someone was gong to save us, or that some cool meme was going to “bring down” House Trump, we’re now in a fascist state. At some point, we’re going to have to risk our “lives and sacred honors” in the real world.

But for the time being, we’re fucked.

The Issue Of A Prologue



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I continue to read a lot about the mechanics of novel writing and there doesn’t seem to be any consensus as to having a prologue. Pretty much, the closest I can find is the idea that you can write one, but be prepared for a sizable chunk of the audience to ignore it.

The only reason why I feel I may need one is the issue of tone. The thing I’ve noticed about Stieg Larsson’s The Girl Who Played With Fire is he has a dark, gritty prologue in that book and that frees him up to be rather matter-of-fact about the rest of the story. That prologue gives him some leeway because it establishes the intended mood of the novel.

I’m just about to reach the portion of my first draft outline where I have a big empty hole, so that would be a great time to sort of reflect and maybe write a prologue that I may, or may not, actually use. I do have a very specific reason for having a prologue, enough of one to warrant at least writing one.

I continue to vacillate on this issue, however.

How Trump Lost(?)



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I only even write this because, lulz, why not. Trump is an autocrat and, as such, will never lose. He’ll cheat or commit treason to win. (Why else is he so desperate to talk to Putin in person before the election?)

But for purely entertainment’s sake, here’s a few events and aspects of the 2020 election that might at least allow us to delude ourselves a bit into thinking Trump might lose.

Trump Is An Extremely Incompetent, Barely Functioning Autocrat
In this respect, the only thing stopping Trump from his final consolidation of power is, well, Trump. And, really, he would have to self-own to a staggering level, even for him, for his sheer incompetence at autocracy to make any difference. Under this rubric can be added his chronic mental instability, which appears to be slowly getting worse. If his cheating and treason somehow seems not to be working, even for a few days, he might finally snap mentally and go so insane that it puts a real spanner in the works. But this is wishful thinking. Trump could actually finally go completely insane and his support to so absolute that it would be a lulz.

Electors Revolt
I’ve spent so much time assuming Trump would successfully bully the actual humans that are Electors into voting for him, that I’ve not given much thought to the opposite. This is REALLY grasping at straws. But should it become clear that Trump committed treason to win by begging the Russians to directly hack into our election systems, then there’s at least a minor chance that the Electors might revolt. Remember, Electors are by far the weakest element of the Constitution. This may be the last election cycle where we don’t know off the top of our heads who the individual electors are going into the campaign. Things might really grow that surreal this year.

Trump Loses A Civil War
Of all the possible ways Trump might be forced from office, this is probably the most realistic. I continue to believe something that may be marketed as a “civil war” in the press will happen between November and January and, really, this is our best bet to get rid of House Trump for one election cycle. The only reason why this is even possible is once you leave the realm of politics and into war, the usual rules don’t apply. While bloodthirsty MAGA people will likely inflict a lot of death and destruction, if the U.S. Military sides with Biden, there’s a good chance they will be defeated. The first 100 days of any Biden Administration may be simply trying to calm the country down enough to govern it.

But, again, let me stress that America is dead. House Trump has won. I’m going either be snatched off the street by ICE or pushed out a window. The Constitutional Convention will happen. Darkness has fallen. It will be 40 or more years before any type of real resistance to tyranny gets any traction for no other reason than fucking Baby Boomers will finally be dead. By then, of course, whatever arises from the rubble may not even be called the United States anymore.

Some Observations About Dua Lipa



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Let me begin by saying I’m a fan of Dua Lipa. I’m impressed with her singing ability and pose for someone so young.

And, yet, from what I can see of her live performances, she’s rather stiff.

So, she’s in an interesting situation. Ms. Lipa is arguably a better native singer than Madonna, but Madonna blows her away in the stage presence metric.

I do find it interesting that Ms. Lipa has managed to keep her clothes on. Many young singers her age — such as Miley Cyrus — race to drop their clothes a soon as they can legally. In an earlier age, I suspect Ms. Lipa would have probably found herself in the pages of Playboy Magazine before it was all over with.

Ms. Lipa is a demonstrably gorgeous woman.

I am curious if she can act.

How To Reboot ‘The Terminator’ Franchise


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Ugh. Where to begin with this one. What is it about early 80s scifi movies connected to James Cameron turning into shit 30 years later. So, we have a problem.

The Terminator franchise is a very beloved one. It has a really passionate, built-in fan base, a sizable chunk of which is willing to rush to the theatres to see the latest incarnation.

But the last few Terminators have been real stinkers. The premise is tired. Played out. Here’s how to fix it and make a lot — A LOT — of money.

Again, just with the Alien franchise, there’s an issue of consistency of tone to deal with. So, much like the James Bond franchise, I would get the best director I could find willing to do three movies and attach them to the project.

Then I would do something to the basic premise of the movies that would infuse it with a huge amount of life. Instead of constantly sending Terminators to kill John Conner over and over again, why not shock the audience in the first film by having him die at the end of the first movie in the series.

The twist is — the whole thing is a different timeline from the one that send the Terminator in the future. (I haven’t seen the last few Teriminators, so if I’ve stumbled across one of their existing plot twists, sorry.)

Anyway, you would need to reboot the entire series from the beginning. Give it a three picture arc with the same director and rake in the money. The issue would not be “here we go again,” but a journey through different timelines.

Or something.

There is a risk, of course, that the entire premise is so played out as to make any reboot meaningless.

How To Reboot The ‘Alien’ Franchise



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Absolutely no one listens to me. The number of people who read this blog on a daily basis is barely a rounding error for places like The New York Times. But I do know some about how to tell a good story and what audiences expect.

So, let’s talk about the Alien franchise.

The existential problem with how the franchise developed is the producers made some pretty big mistakes after Aliens. Alien and Aliens are two solid films. And, really, if they hadn’t choked about showing the xenomorphs on Earth as was teased at the end of Aliens, things would have gone really well from there.

But, alas, a number of different things happened.

One, as I understand it, Sigourney Weaver started to have such power over the franchise that it kind of warped what happened to it. Also, the little girl who played Newt simply wasn’t a kid anymore by the time the third movie was being produced. Lastly, CGI simply wasn’t where it needed to be to show what everyone wanted to see — xenomorphs consuming Earth.

Here’s how I would reboot the series with all that in mind.

First, you need to remember what the whole thing is about — Alien was a horror movie. So, you get someone like Eli Roth to direct a totally rebooted series. Give him a three picture deal to give the rebooted franchise some much-needed consistency of tone.

Then, you cast someone like Ana de Armas as the new Ripley. Give her, too, a three picture deal.

I would then map out three movies so you had a three-movie arc like in the Dark Night series of movies. I would totally reboot the entire franchise, leaving only the look and feel of the xenomorphs the same. But the point of doing this is the movies would be fucking scary and, to the extent that Alien was gory, gory.

The premise is really strong and there’s a built-in fan base that would flock to a rebooted series if you did as I suggest. Fans like me are extremely annoyed with how the Alien franchise has totally lost its way.

Come on Hollywood, you can do better.

Secrets Of The Universe: The Seychelles & Maldives



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Most “normal” people are so busy raising their kids, paying their mortgage and ignoring the United States being a fascist state to notice some of the more interesting aspects of the world.

When I was living in South Korea, I became aware of the Maldives. A lot of Korean couples went there on their honeymoons. Though, apparently, there’s not a lot to do other than fuck once you get there.

Anyway, over the years, I’ve also noticed something else — there’s another, equally remote set of islands called the Seychelles. The thing about both island nations is they’re the playgrounds for the ultra-wealthy. If you are planning a sketchy meeting — looking at you Erik Prince — the perfect place for such an event is a place like the Seychelles. It’s about as far away as you can get from anywhere and has all the accoutrements that a wealthy person would need while they’re there.

Or, let me put it another way — you’re probably just as likely to run into a very famous, very powerful person if you went to Seychelles or Maldives on vacation as you were to go to LA or NYC. The evidence suggests that both island nations are, on any given day, crawling with the a sizable portion of the global power elite.

What does all of this mean, in real terms? Not much. But it is something to be aware of. It gives you some context for what’s going on on the ground of these island nations should they appear in the news for some reason.



‘Gradually, Then All At Once’ — House Trump & The Fall Of The American Republic



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Things are growing so tragic in the United States that really, there’s little you can do but tune out and wait to get pushed out a window by an ICE agent. The crazy thing about Trump is he’s definitely going to be seen as a Julius Caesar in the sense that he’s the guy that ends the Republic.

As I may have said before, it’s kind of obvious, now, how all of this was going to end. That statement Trump said about how he could murder someone on 5th Avenue and not lose a vote wasn’t a joke — and, as such, Trump has destroyed the United States that we once knew. Ernest Hemingway said people go bankrupt, “gradually, then all at once.” And that’s what’s happening to the United States. The fall of our Republic happened gradually, then all at once and Trump was the guy who pulled the trigger.

While I guess there’s a greater-than-zero-chance that somehow there may be a House Trump Interregnum because of some unpredictable fluke no one can predict, it would just be a pause.

America is now Trumplandia.

And, really, the issue at this point is, will there be a civil war or not and if there is, which side will the U. S. Military pick? Either side the chose will prompt bloodshed on an unprecedented scale. Or, put another way, if it’s this difficult to get rid of someone as demonstrably moronic and criminally incompetent as Trump, the, well, lulz. That’s really all you need to know about the state of democracy in the United States — it’s dead.

The only “change” that needs to happen is the 240-year self-perception Americans have of living in a “free” country. There may be significant bloodshed when a lot of people who “don’t have time for politics” wake up to realize they have a real risk of being snatched off the street — or pushed out a window — by one of Trump’s Little Green Men.

Once House Trump finally gets past that speed bump, then, while there might be a lot of protests now and then — just as there are in Russia — in the end it will be a lulz. House Trump will grow more and more powerful, more and more wealthy and fuck you.

Really, the last step will be Trump demanding we have a Constitutional Convention. That’s going to happen far, far sooner than any of us realize. He’s already demanding a “do over” for his first four years in office because he was “spied upon” by the Obama Administration. The logic is already there, folks. He’s going to push for a third term (a whole host of other Enabling Acts) and nothing is going to happen, just like always.

In hindsight, the moment the House flipped and Nancy Pelosi didn’t cause the entire government to grind to a halt, America was dead. America is dead. We’re Trumplandia now. A fascist state.

America is Russia. Russia is America.

The Quiet Before The Storm: Daydreaming About Hollywood On A Dull August Evening



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Usually, August is good for one good astonishing surprise. But, so far, things have been exceedingly meh. It’s normally just about now when breaking news event forces all the Beautiful People drinking pina coladas on the a Seychelles beach have to rush home because everything has changed.

If you’re an astute media consumer, you will notice that the Beautiful People let interns take over the office and we end up with some very earnest, very dumb articles that leave you asking, “How did THAT get published?”

Now, I’d prefer if some Big Event happens in August that no one gets hurt and it’s “fun interesting.” But, as of right now, it seems as though August is simply going to be the quiet before the storm of the fall when we’re going to have the double wamny of a the flu season smashing into the COVID19 pandemic and a pitched battle to see who POTUS is going to be.

For my part, I find myself thinking about starting work on the development of a screenplay. I’m already cruising along with a novel and this weekend I had something of an existential moment when I realized I do not have a Plan B. As such, I think I’m going to use a number of things I’ve learned from developing this novel to begin working on a screenplay. I’m going to use Star Wars as my “textbook.”

Now, I know I’m being delusional. I’m too old, for starters. I’m far my likely to sell a first novel given my specific circumstances than I am a screenplay. But something about having the adventure of developing and writing a screenplay (or two) then traveling all the way to LA to see if I can accidentally-on-purpose run into a producer or some other Hollywood type is very enticing.

In fact, my personality is probably the only thing I have going for me on that front at this point. I’ve got solid talent, but, as I mentioned, I’m kind of old to get into the screenwriting business. But, again, I know that if I have a screenplay finished that I have the wherewithal to fly to LA (on the other side of the country) and hit the pavement. The idea of “somehow” being invited to a Hollywood party while I’m in town and “somehow” catching the attention of someone of note at the party is just the long-term project that appeals to me on a very basic level.

I know myself well enough to know that if I “somehow” was to find myself in a Hollywood party that all I would have to do is get liquored up and before you know it, I’d be Quentin Tarantino in the movie “Sleep With Me” pontificating on a wide range of thought provoking ideas and ending up with a three picture deal before it was all over with. (This is an extreme romanticized dream on my part. Probably none of that would happen, but, lulz, this is a very dull August evening.)

So, as such, I’m going to try — try — to have a Plan B, C and D that I can turn to if and when disaster strikes and I simply can’t continue with the novel I’m working on. The novel itself is really, really good (at least relative to my abilities) but I’m growing nervous that I’ve put all my eggs in one basket and I need to have a few backups in case something out of my control happens.

Anyway. What else am I supposed to do as House Trump consolidates power and turns us into a fascist state?

Trump As America’s Gorbachev



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I was alive and politically aware as the Soviet Union began to decline. I feel the same thing about the United States right now. Since America is too divided — and the average person too apathetic — it definitely seems as though the United States is about to buckle just like the USSR did in 1991.

The most logical outcome — if Trump doesn’t successfully steal the election far earlier than we might otherwise expect — is there will be a civil war because the two sides believe their guy won the presidency. It won’t be a fair fight, however. The center-Right is bloodthirsty and itching for a fight. They are looking for any excuse to murder people like me in cold blood — the rationale is there, if nothing else.

The after person is simply too busy raising their kids and paying their mortgage to care about politics. By the time they notice the tanks rolling through their town, it will be too late. MAGA is going to suckerpunch the center-Left. The Constitution will be destroyed and America — like the late Soviet Union — will be no more.

This is an absolute certainty at this point, the only thing up for debate is the degree. The more difficult it is for House Trump to steal the election, the more likely things will grow radical. Or, put another way, things House Trump will do one day anyway may happen a lot sooner because in the heat of the moment they feel they have no choice.

Once the U.S. Military sides with House Trump, then the rest will take care of itself. ICE and PACT will begin to snatch people off the street in earnest, throwing them into the already-existing ICE camps. And once the media is purged, they will start pushing people like me out of windows.

This is our future. It’s too late for us to do anything about it.

America is dead.

I wish I was smart enough to tell you what to do about this, how to prevent it or to make your life better, but I’m not smart enough. Either you put your head down and be a “Good German” or you don’t. No one is going to save us and we have waited too long to save ourselves.

The Constitutional Convention will happen soon enough and that will be that. The United States will leave NATO and sign a direct alliance with Russia. We will be Russia and Russia will be us.