A New Year, A New Era

Smokey, the fur ball of my heart. He has no politics, just cuddles!

Last year, I had the idea to produce a series on what to keep our eyes on with the coming administration, but I realized a few things. One is that plenty of other people were doing similar and better work than I. The other is that this is not just a passing from now administration to another, it’s the passage from one era into another. We have now officially entered the U.S. Era of the Oligarchs. 

Comparatively little of what we’re going to encounter has to do with Trump. He’s a babbling front for a fairly well-organized coalition of righ-wing evangelicals, billionaires, and the usual gang of Fox News grifters and adjacent hangers-on. Attention should be focused on matters of substance, not what Trump says, regardless of how outrageous or absurd. 

By now, people should be aware of the smokescreen tactics, the feints, and the utter bullshit that is his stock in trade. 

In the coming days, weeks, months, and probably, years, I’m less interested in giving too much air time to the President-Elect and more in laying out counter-programming and/or organizations to support, strategies for local organizing (wherever I am; I’m in Houston now, but I am chafing to get out of here at some point). 

About that parenthetical note: I don’t hate Houston. Much of Harris County is blue and so many of Texas districts have been gerrymandered, I have to question just how Red the state would be without the redistricting that’s been done over the past few years.

I also need to get back to stumping for issues that seem secondary to the domestic issues that beset us, but trust me; supporting Burma and Tibet, to me, is as important as any issue. A win against oppressors in one area is a win for all of us. And yes, the Palestinian genocide in Israel needs to be kept on the front burner, as does Russia’s war on Ukraine. 

Focus is often an issue in a world with a landscape populated by sociopolitical turmoil and carnage. I am not without hope, but I’m unlikely to post too many pictures of flowers and kitty cats. I save that for other platforms. 

Speaking of which, I am no longer promoting my presence on Facebook or elsewhere. Bluesky is where you’ll find me and it’s a remarkable platform for a variety of reasons; you have control over who sees your posts, the blocking of unwanted commenters is easily done, and there’s a wealth of people sharing ideas about how to organize, what resources are available (lots of reps, public figures, and organizations are pretty accessible.) Plus, hey, Bluesky has George Takei and Mark Hamill! 

Also, I’ve been collecting memes like crazy. If there’s one thing to be grateful for, the incoming regime has inspired some world-class snark, satire, sarcasm, and pretty funny vitriol. I’ll try to post a few as a break every now and again.

I’ll save next week for launching into the real work of looking at what’s happening and what’s ahead of us. For now, I’ll simply post a reminder that if you don’t want to endure or even tangentially support the Inaugural Farce on Monday, how about celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.? 

In Houston, Rothko Chapel will have a sound installation of Dr. King’s speeches and public addresses. For more information, here’s a link: https://rothkochapel.org/experience/events/register/2591. You don’t have to register; just show up. I hope to see you there!