Terrible thing to live in fear...Part One.

Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave. ~Roy Batty, Blade Runner.

I keep saying things are going to change. As the fallout from the Florida school shooting continues to spread, I sense a change in the air.

Certainly, the other side seems to be in a lot more of a Panic! mode than they have been before, but maybe that's because the kids who survived this shooting are speaking up. Maybe it's because the kids themselves are from a diverse, upscale area so they're harder to dismiss. Maybe it's because conservatives are being such pricks to kids (who got shot at) in full public view...hell, maybe it's just because the kids have thus far demonstrated good character and moral courage. I don't know what the answer is, but something seems to be different this time.

The right-wingers response, not only to this, but to all resistance to their agenda? Double down, on everything including the racism. When I heard that somebody at CPAC talked shit about Michael Steele...with him just outside the room, speaking with some people in the hallway...I laughed. When Mr. Steele's response was "Let him come say that to my face" I laughed even more. I think if I said to him, "We need to bring back the ass whuppin" he'd be the sort of guy who'd have an actual understanding of why I say that. Now, before Trump I don't know if there was a single thing I would've agreed with Michael Steele on. I do know that he has always seemed to me like a serious dude. I've heard him speak, and I've seen him on Roland Martin's TV show, and he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who puts up with a lot of bullshit. He seems intelligent and he seems to understand the concept of respect. You don't have to agree with, or like, somebody in order to respect them...and it's very possible to find common ground. So, that's where I stand on the issue of Michael Steele.

This is the guy who's responsible for the Republicans flipping the House in 2010, and this is how they repay him? He sure as hell didn't deserve this kind of treatment. Right now, I can't imagine why any immigrant (of any race) let alone any person of Color would want to be a Republican, honestly.

Case in point: The fucking President compared immigrants to snakes? I'm sorry, I understand the urge to play to one's base, but for fuck's sake you cannot alienate everybody else and expect that you're not going to be due for a shellacking at the polls the next time there's an election. The Republicans seem to be damned well determined to set a land speed record for how far and how fast they can alienate everybody who isn't a complete asshole. It's like these people are hearing from the Evil Elder Gods of the Lovecraft mythos but think they're hearing the voice of God...and it's no wonder they're coming off as so unhinged that they're losing their own voters.

The truth, of course, is far more mundane: As I've said before, I think these motherfuckers know they're on their way out...so they intend to try and steal as much money as they can on the way out the door. They're just being so obvious and stupid about it, that there's probably going to be consequences. Business and politics alike depend on a lot of unwritten understandings in order to function. One's Word has to be good, everything about Trump flies in the face of that. Americans, and for that matter the rest of the world, have to have confidence that the Man Behind The Curtain knows what he's doing...or things become unstable. Now we don't have that, or at least no one does who has a brain in their head and is paying attention.

For fuck's sake, last night on Twitter I saw Rick Wilson, a Republican media guy and strategist with (as he describes them) broadly Libertarian leanings, arguing in favor of a Universal Basic Income in order for people to be able to make a living as automation takes over various jobs...and in turn, for caps on things like rent in order to prevent that money from just being transferred immediately into the pockets of landlords and such. Now, that makes perfect sense to me, even if it does seem a bit Leftist of a way to deal with these problems, I sure can't think of anything better.

Of course, this will require cultural and social change, and I like Rick's idea of making sure we have all the bases covered and speak about this like adults is probably a good idea.

...And of course, that's the rub. Today's right-wingers would rather burn down the world than deal with cultural and social change, even as their own leadership makes ham-handed attempts at social engineering and causes massive social change through stupidity.

Here's the thing, those people are already a minority, and I think white people in a more general sense will become one faster than most people currently think. Why? Bad eating habits, depression, drug use, guns, suicide, the Opioid epidemic and the Trump administration's stubborn refusal to do anything about it in any kind of competent manner whatever.

(There's also the combination of the Opioid crisis and a lot of unsafe sexual behaviors threatening to bring AIDS back, but I digress. Does anybody trust guys like Ben Carson or Mike Pence to deal with that?)

It's not just a general lack of competence or of willingness to take effective action...it's that they lack the power that simply having the courage of their convictions would provide. These people become almost ridiculously angry whenever they are even questioned...and not only they, but their voters, appear to be genuinely afraid of opposing views or of having to defend what they're doing or why they're doing it.

Meanwhile, their voter base...egged on by FOX News, the internet and talk radio...just gets angrier and even less coherent with time. At one point, this anger was good for them...but now all indications are that it's past the point where anger translates effectively into action and starting to lose energy...which is not helped by Trump's reversals on gun control issues in the last couple of days.

What's worse is, due to anger over Trump and his policies there's a lot of energy on the other side, which Republicans dismiss as a hoax or choose to believe that the tax cuts will save them. (Mind you, this is a tax cut widely seen as a giveaway to the rich, that was less popular than G.H.W. Bush and Clinton tax hikes)

Our government, and the Republican Party, are whistling past the graveyard on a lot of things right now, not least the fact that in the last couple days of February, it got warm enough that my roommate and I had fans on and the windows open. That old 1950's attitude of "If we don't talk about this, it will go away" is horse shit. I knew that 30 years ago. Leaving a problem unaddressed, or making a choice not to deal with it, or simply not making a choice at all is still making a choice.

In the face of that, there have been a total of 38 Special Election losses by Republicans to Democrats over the last year. Hope Hicks just quit, other people are apparently considering it. The Mueller investigation appears to be kicking into high gear and it looks like Roger Stone could easily be charged for being Trump's direct envoy to Wikileaks...itself a Russian GRU asset.

So, Yesterday, Trump was attacking Jeff Sessions on Twitter. A number of people, including Jerry Falwell Jr. piled on:

I'd legit not be surprised at this point if there was a sign in the Oval Office that said "The beatings will continue until morale improves."

I hate Jeff Sessions, I think he's a racist jerk. But when he clapped back with a statement saying he would continue to discharge his duties in accordance with the Constitution and the Law, I fired off a Tweet in his defense anyway. At least he seems to understand, as far as this matter is concerned, what his job is.

Let's take a look at this a bit. Jeff Sessions, unlike many Alabama Republicans (including Roy Moore) is that rare bird in his age group that's always been a Republican. He's also always basically had the same outlook, more or less presaging today's often-racist Republican party by literally decades. He's lost some major opportunities including a Federal judgeship because of this. Fuck, it hurts to say this but Jeff Sessions should absolutely be regarded as Trumpist royalty. Jefferson Fucking Beauregard Sessions should damned well be considered the prophetic voice crying out in the wilderness, the John the Baptist of Trumpism, if you will.

But this is how they treat him? Because he does his damned job, like he knows he's supposed to and indeed, by his profession legally bound to as well.

That's gotta hurt.

I don't care, like I said, I hate Jeff Sessions and everything he stands for. Eat shit and die, motherfucker.

But you know who should care? Republicans, from Mitch McConnell and Speaker Ryan all the way down to the lowliest West Virginia coal miner who voted for this silly bullshit.

If Trump will throw Jeff Sessions under the bus despite Sessions unflagging support since 2015, he will throw anybody under the bus...just like he's throwing the NRA under the bus since yesterday.

Why did he do it? Fear.

...And remember, anyone could be targeted by Trump and become the target of his mob.

Trump, being a con artist, lives in constant fear that people will catch on. Trump fears the Department of Justice, he fears Jeff Sessions enough to attack him on Twitter instead of calling him in the office, getting in his face and saying what's up. Trump fears being found out as a con man and despite (or perhaps even because of) his best efforts...that's exactly what's happening. All these Republicans? They fear the mob that Trump has whipped up...even as, increasingly, the Democrats do not.

Republicans fear change, the Democrats, education, LGBT people, people of Color, etc. but even more, they fear each other. The House Rep. or the Senator fears the mob, and fears Trump. Trump and his mob in turn fear and hate the Congressional Republicans. Hell, Republicans fear and hate themselves, and each other.

You know who isn't afraid? Those kids from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

You know who isn't afraid anymore? Democratic voters and politicians.

This will not end well...for Republicans.

Part Two.