Unchecked Power
The Department of Defense is now the Department of War, and Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, is positively giddy. He has been salivating over the prospect of war for months, clearly not familiar with the gravitas needed in making the decision to strike another country or the horror war brings. The two recent strikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats in international waters off the coast of Venezuela are clear examples of his unchecked bellicose nature. There is no indication, at least not that has been shared with the American public, that the boats or their occupants – all killed by American firepower – posed a direct threat to the U.S. Normal protocol would dictate that we board the boats to determine their purpose, but Hegseth and his merry band of warriors skipped that step and simply eradicated the “problem.” The potential for disaster with this stance is self-evident.
Lies
The current federal budget is set to expire on September 30, and without a new appropriations bill or a continuing resolution (CR), the government will be forced to shut down due to a lapse in funding. Today, House Speaker Mike Johnson released a CR to extend funding through November. Republicans refuse to negotiate with Democrats on the budget, and Johnson called the CR he offered “clean,” implying there is nothing in the bill that would be offensive to Democrats. What Speaker Johnson failed to say, however, is that the CR will lead to huge increases in healthcare costs, or loss of coverage altogether, for millions of Americans, an issue Democrats have vowed they won’t accept. Rest assured that if there is a government shutdown, the Republicans will point their collective finger at the Democrats, when in fact the healthcare debacle was brought on by Republicans creating tax benefits for the wealthy at the expense of healthcare for everyday Americans. Once again, Johnson reveals himself to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, nothing less.
Hypocrisy
The assassination of controversial right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk last week has brought into clear focus the immense and dire divide in our nation. Commentary from both the left and the right in the past week underscores the totally unacceptable hypocrisy governing us. Kirk regularly made horrid racist, misogynistic and violent comments directed at liberal Americans. No matter how shocking, his comments were protected under the First Amendment. However, following his death, the tables have turned, and those on the left who are exercising their own First Amendment rights in speaking out about Kirk’s vile and cruel rhetoric are being targeted by the current regime. Many have been doxed, some have lost their jobs, and liberal non-profits are being threatened. The same rights that Charlie Kirk was able to exercise for years are now being explicitly denied to those speaking out to condemn his divisive commentary. Not only is this glaring hypocrisy, it’s a denial of a fundamental constitutional right and is unacceptable.
It won’t be easy to stop the unraveling of our country, nor will it happen quickly. The unchecked power, the lies and the hypocrisy are sure to continue for now. But if we keep averting our eyes in an attempt to spare ourselves from experiencing the gory, unsavory and illegal actions unfolding before us, we risk losing any chance of having a say in how this horror movie ends.
Susan Douglas can be found on Substack. Follow her here.
