Tag: We Are So Fucked

Trump Is Getting Worse

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Trump’s recent posting of a picture of himself as…Jesus?…seems to have struck a nerve in the zeitgeist that his posting an AI generated photo of himself as the Pope did not.

“Doctor” Trump

I don’t know what to tell you. Trump seems to be testing the waters of how far he can go before anyone notices. I think there continues to be a whole lot of slack in the system.

Trump has a knack for posting or doing or saying things that are bonkers and alarming, but he can spin ex post facto away out of existence. It just makes you wonder what he could possibly do that would be so bad that that usual dynamic would not happen.

I honestly, at the moment, can’t think of anything. It seems as though Trump will always be on the edge of crashing out and ultimately the issue will be if we can prevent him from running for a third term.

I Fear This Amanda Ungaro Interview Is Going To Be Meh, Long-Term

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The usual anti-MAGA people are atwitter about the looming Amanda Ungaro interview about what she may know about Melania Trump’s involvement in the Epstein stuff.

They seem to think Ungaro will somehow say something or prove something that might actually be some sort of fatal blow to MAGA. But I have my doubts that ANYTHING could do anything to harm MAGA at this point.

MAGA is here to stay, and really the only issue we have to address in the immediate future is what happens once Trump shuffles off this mortal coil. But otherwise, MAGA is going to be a serious political movement for decades to come and there’s just nothing we can do about it.

Ugh.

The Right Wing Propaganda Against The April 21st Vote Here In Virginia Is Astonishing

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

You know Republicans are desperate to make sure the April 21st vote allowing Democrats to do what Republicans have been doing — gerrymander the state in the extreme — fails because their propaganda against it is pretty bonkers.

The ads show all these angry old white people looking stone faced at the camera, ranting about how evil brown people are going to get their hard earned taxpaper money that they earned from their jarbs as South Park might say.

I have no idea if the Constitutional amendment will pass, but I sure will be glad when I don’t have to sit through racist propaganda to watch YouTube videos.

It Seems Like The Press Is Protecting Trump When It Comes To Him Posting A Video Of A Woman Being Unalived With A Hammer

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Trump has reached a stage of craziness that the press simply ignores the worst of his abuses. Or protects him? I just don’t get why a bigger deal isn’t being made of the president of the United States posting a video of a woman being hammered to death.

You’d think someone, somewhere would notice and make a big deal of such a thing. To make a scandal of it.

But no. Not a peep.

Some of this is I don’t know what’s being shown on TV because I only watch it via YouTube clips. But I will note that Twitter has made a point of “shadowbanning” the whole thing, only making the most bowdlerized reference to what Trump did in a way that really does protect him.

Trump is clearly mentally unwell and it makes you wonder how bad things have to get before we reach SOME sort of breaking point. Because, as of now, it definitely seems as though there is no breaking point and Trump is some sort of weird god-emperor.

So, We’re Just Going To Lulz Trump Posting A Video Of A Woman Being Unalived

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I don’t know what to tell you about this one folks. Apparently, Trump posted to “Truth” Social a video of a woman being murdered with a hammer. He did it, of course, because he’s a racist lunatic.

You would think that doing such a thing might cause someone, somewhere to take notice…but, no. Nada. Not a peep. there are some discussions here and there, but not the huge outcry you would expect.

And so the world turns and Trump gets crazier and crazier and absolutely nothing of note happens.

Contemplating Trump Using Nukes On Iran

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Trump’s power is you just never know what he’s going to do next, so you game out all these horrific scenarios only for most of the time nothing to happen. So, as Trump’s big deadline tonight at 8 p.m. approaches, we know one of two things will happen.

Either Trump TACOs in a big, beautiful way, or he actually does commit the war crimes of attacking bridges and powerplants.

But, as of right now, the afternoon leading up to that particular possibility, we just don’t know what is going to happen.

One issue that has started to bubble up into the forefront of my mind is the possibility that Trump might do something really nuts like order the use of, say, “baby” nukes on Iran in some way.

Makes you wonder what the reaction in the homeland would be to THAT. I don’t think Trump would do such a thing — would he? — but I am a little unnerved about the whole idea. I think if Trump used tactical nukes on Iran, it would be the closest possible time to Trump actually getting impeached by the Republicans.

But…that’s about it. He might, just MIGHT get impeached, but he still would never be convicted in the Senate.

So, to that extent, Trump is a king, an emperor, not a president and we’re no longer a republic. Oh well. Being a republic for about 250 years is about typical for such things.

Thinking The…Envitable

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

One of the looming political mysteries of the latter years of the 2020s is who will be Trump’s successor. I still think there is a good chance that Trump won’t leave power or will run for a third term, but let’s just work on the scenario that Trump shuffles off this mortal coil sooner rather than later.

Tucker Carlson

But before we do, we have to address what would happen with Trump very much alive but out of office. I think he would weld an incredible amount of power to the point that I could even see him trying to become Speaker of the House. But, it is still very debatable if Trump will ever leave office.

So, let’s think about the…inevitable. What if Trump was suddenly no more?

This is such a mystery because Trump’s death cult is so beholden to his specific quirks that there just isn’t anyone one person who would be able to take up his mantle. There might be something of a power vacuum while things sorted out.

The one person I could see becoming Trump 2.0 is Tucker Carlson. He would be perfect for the role. He’s young, articulate and actually not certifiably insane. But I just don’t know. Maybe it would be someone else.

Who knows.

But if Trump departed us while in office, J.D. Vance would probably be America’s Putin and just be in office for at least two terms, maybe more. I just don’t see us being a traditional liberal democracy if that happens.

And, I also think that, in general, our democracy is dead. MAGA is here to stay and there’s no going back to the good old days.

Trump Continues To Prove How Fucking Bonkers He Is With The Iran War

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

At this point, there’s not much more to say about Trump’s mental state in relation to the Iran War that he’s currently waging. The man is totally bonkers. And has been for some time.

I don’t think Trump will use nukes or anything. And I think there’s a pretty good chance that he will just randomly declare victory and walk away, no matter what the state of play on the ground.

With Trump, anything is fucking possible.

Anyway, I really haven’t commented on the Iran War because there just isn’t much to say at the moment. I’m very much in a wait and see type situation. If things really started to escalate, then I might start to write more about it all.

The SAVE Act Is America’s Enabling Acts

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Well, it looks like those motherfucking Republicans are going to cheat and use the reconciliation process to pass the SAVE Act. This is an example of why everything is horrible these days.

It’s also an example of why I really want to leave the country and never look back. I may be too fucking old to have much fun, but I can at least live in a country that values democracy and liberal order ideals.

But, alas, for the time being, I’m fucking stuck in the USA which seems to be circling the fascist drain.

So, there probably won’t be a free and fair election this year. A lot of people are going to be pissed when they can’t vote. It will be a fork in the road — either there’s something like a General Strike and something changes or…we just shrug and Trump continues to consolidate power.

I think Trump is going to consolidate power without nary a peep out of anyone but the usual suspects. And that will be that. The USA will become a “managed democracy” like they have in Russia, Turkey and Hungary.

Good luck.

Things Are Going Well With This Scifi Dramedy Except For The Possibility That I Can’t Sell It Because I Am An ‘AI First’ Author (Ugh)

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Let me be clear — AGAIN: I have written this novel. But I will also admit that I have used it a lot in its development and editing. So, I can see how AI writing programs might go off should it ever get fed into one.

But I did a lot of work, I swear!

I just see AI as a writing tool, like a typewriter. Or maybe a spell check.

And, yet, I totally get why there is a huge taboo about AI writing if you try to traditionally publish a novel. If there isn’t the taboo, then assholes will use AI to write a novel based just on an idea.

They won’t actually do any work.

It just…I worry that all my hard work will be overlooked just because of the way I use AI. And, yet, who knows. As I’ve mentioned before, all I have is my gut on this one.

And my gut tells me I should be in the clear, ultimately.