Coming Next?

Blue in a Red State

I took some time off, out of state. I didn’t watch news or read substacks or watch pod casts. I spent my time doing genealogy research and watching crime television. This is now spring break and I’m working on end of semester and planning for warmer weather.

So now, I have the time and the mental bandwidth to write here.

The world, and I do mean world, is spinning in chaos. The chaos is mostly at the feet of Donald Trump. Some of it lays at the feet of Congress and the minions Trump appointed. (We’ll get to Markwayne Mullin in a little bit.) What supposedly started out as a so-called regime change in Iran has become a regional war. Not yet WWIII but moving by feet toward that end game.

When Trump took office last year (good grief that’s only 15 months!) we became shell shocked by DOGE, the in-fighting with congressional Republicans, the pro-Trump neighbors and anti-Trump neighbors. But, we kept thinking something would come into place and someone would save us from this ego-maniacal yo-yo. But no one did. We watched inflatable protestors - Frogs, princesses, unicorns, horses - stand in front of ICE and the national guard and the Marines. We watched as snow and temperatures fell in the north. We saw the murder of two people and heard about a third. We watched the government leaders (loosely used word) lie to us. We saw the Supreme Court work a bit of push back. But not enough.

Then, the ego-maniacal yo-yo decided to attack Iran. Reasons were made without meaning or consistency or planning. Old intelligence reports lead to the destruction of an all girls school in the first bombing raid. When Trump was asked if the US had bombed the school, he quickly replied, “No. It was Iran. We don’t target schools.” Then, another reason was regime change. Keep Iran from building ICBMs with nuclear warheads. Help the protesting Iranians take back their government. Any of that come about? Nope. It’s been three going on four weeks. The strait that brings oil to the world is mined or, at least, ships are attacked. Gasoline prices are rising all across the globe. Oh, yes, one “good thing” is sanctions were lifted from Russian oil exports so India and others can produce gasoline and cooking oil. (Putin is overjoyed.)

A year ago we were trying to figure out what we could do to stop DOGE. Now we’re wondering if we can stop a regional war before it becomes WW III. Somehow the destruction by DOGE appears as a prelude to the attack on Iran.

We watched Kristi Noem removed from Homeland Security and a junior senator from Oklahoma named as her replacement. Markwayne Mullin is quite possibly worse that Noem. They both are sycophants of Trump. Mullin believes Trump can do no wrong. Neither have experience in overseeing such a vast area as Homeland Security. Noem did Trump’s bidding until she didn’t. Mullin will not make that mistake. Whatever the president says, Mullin will see done.

We in Oklahoma don’t know a heck of a lot about what we really want. As the Democrat candidate for governor, Cyndi Munson, says we are not a red state, we are a gerrymandered state. With a few exceptions, every state house and senate seat is set so only Republicans can win. The congressional districts are also rigged toward Republicans. Yes, Trump won all 77 counties of Oklahoma. Our voter turnout was miserable. Both Independents and Democrats stayed away from voting because the belief is strong that our votes don’t count.

As I waited in a passenger lounge for my flight back to Tulsa, I heard a couple of people talking about Tulsa. So, being by myself, I walked over, introduced myself and we began a conversation. For two hours we talked about politics, mostly, about the economy, about religion, and about what can be done. There were four of us eventually - a married couple, another genealogist, and myself. We were, by our own self identifications, middle to left of middle.

It has been a long time since I’ve had this type of conversation with more than one other person. I felt energized, hopeful, and reoriented. And I remembered some of what I have read on substacks. Canada Resist writes about hope, possible ways to move to Canada, how his guard dog Hugo is watching out for us. Canada Resist brings a sense of community.

Wanting to talk, to be part of community, is a proverbial dream. Do I try to make it happen? Nope. I have in the past but most of the people I contact now are too busy or not interested.

I wish I had the courage to go to the library, sit at a table, and have a sign that reads “if you want to talk about what is happening, talk here.” Not certain that the library staff would like that; however, being in a library might keep the discussion on a quiet side.

We don’t know what is going to happen next. Will Trump find a way to rig the midterms in the favor of Republicans? Will people decide that voting won’t help move us from the edge of destruction? Or will people see voting as the only event that keeps us from the edge of destruction? Will the SAVE Act be enacted and will it keep people from registering to vote? Will the FCC shut down television and radio news if they continue to write negative stories on the war with Iran?

If you can, reach out to friends and family who have similar concerns and talk about those concerns. Look for hope and chance and peace. Find something to learn - drawing, writing poetry, carpentry, gardening, a foreign language - and then work at it.