From Greg Fallis:
I've resisted hate. At least I've tried to resist hate. I told myself that hate is a pointless, futile emotion, that it only gets in the way, that it warps the process of thought, that it clouds judgment and leads to bad decisions. I've told myself that hate harms the hater more than the hated.
I still think that's true. But I don't care anymore.
It was difficult at first, but I came to accept the fact that I hated Donald Trump. I don't need to list all the reasons for hating him — you're probably aware of them, they've been pretty clear for most of his life. But man I resisted admitting to myself that I hated him. Actually hated him. I still hate him, of course. Hate is fucking hard to turn off. But that doesn't matter, because I have no desire to stop hating Trump.
One of the problems with hate is that once you get the hang of it, it's easy. It gets harder to resist. Trump taught me to hate. Today I hate Republicans. Right now, as I sit here and type this, I hate Republicans. Not just the Republicans who've voted in ways I disagree with, not just Republicans who hold public office at any level, not just the Republican Party — right now, this moment, I hate every person who voted for any Republican in the last five years, Make it ten years. I don't think this hate will be as persistent as my hatred for Trump; I suspect this generalized hatred will subside over time. But right now, at this particularly painful point in time, I hate them.
They're all complicit, every Republican, every one of them. The epidemic of gun violence in the US, that's on Republicans. The erosion of civil rights and liberties, that's on Republicans. The rise in hate crime against Asians, Jews, Women, Black people, trans people, Muslims, gay folks — that's on Republicans. The rise of asshole billionaires, that's on Republicans. The health care desert that so many people live in, that's on Republicans. The collapse of representative democracy, that's on Republicans and I fucking hate them for it.
I've learned to hate. I'm ashamed of it, but there it is. I've become a hater. I hate that they've taught me to hate. I feel diminished by that hate; I feel tainted because of it. I hate, but I'm still resisting being hateful. It's bad enough to hate, to act on that hate…at that point, you're probably lost. I know it's possible to come back from that, but it wouldn't be easy.
Working to defeat Republicans, however, isn't hateful. It's just necessary. If your foot becomes infected and gangrene sets it, you don't amputate your foot because you hate it. You do it because it's necessary for survival. Republicans are political gangrene; they are necrotic tissue on the body of representative democracy.
That's where I am now. Right now. Today. I hate Republicans. But that's not the reason I want them removed from political power and authority; I want them removed because that's the only way to salvage democracy in the United States.
In response to Greg Fallis: I regret to say that I can relate to those sentiments. I'm not sure I can write an essay as did Cdadbr, but I have held for more than 10 years, that if one calls oneself a republican, one must own everything that stands for, and what that stands for is antithetical to everything I believe.
Mr. Fallis has some valid orientations. Only thing is that "hate" usually flows from paranoid/insecure conservatives toward others. To reflect it back at them is unique and LONG overdue. In so many cases, what they've said about others should indicate how THEY think and would do things. Yet, they perceive themselves as "the good and just ones", which is not completely the case.
In looking at the many ills of modern and recent society, over the past 50 years or so, the vast majority of them can be traced back to conservatives not wanting to spend enough money to do something or blocking the whole situation all together, per "their conservative values" (they claim). Whether they won their election by a thin margin or not, they won, and then THEY start to do "the will of the people" as THEY interpret it. Forgetting that they represent ALL citizens, not just conservatives who might have voted for them.
Personally, I do not like to be termed a "hater" as we've all seen what happens when conservative haters take matters into their own hands. Death usually results, which makes the news and usually generates laws named for those whom received the hate, personally and physically. I'm not a person like that, BUT I do have a latent dislike of conservatives who perceive that they have all of the simple answers to complex issues/problems. A strong latent dislike!
I'm awaiting the three lawsuits against the three recent justices who said one thing under oath and did another when the time came. A normal person, proven to not be truthful under oath, would go to jail. Usihg the "it's now a different world . . ." reply would not cut it with a normal person, but Supreme Court Judges? Are they immune to such charges? In their actions, they have undermined themselves and the court they serve in, bigtime, it seems. Not to mention possibly opening many kegs of snakes in the process. Yes, that's on them, too!
Democrats now need to come up with solid, bulletproof defenses for everything Republicans have now orchestrated. And quick. As Republicans will claim "witch hunt" or "They are sore losers", as has been their usual demeanor of late. Democrats are seeking to protect the Democracy of the USA against fascism, which we fought World War II over in Europe. As Republicans laugh at their reactions, although when Republicans lost their desired legislative battles, they portrayed themselves as being wronged or coined the phrases "legislate from the bench" against "activist judges" who delived such decisions. Or the "over-reach" of judges or others who just wanted to have a normal level of oversight in certain areas. Oversight which Republicans would want if THEY were doing things. Kind of hard to use that "activist judges" remark against Trump-appointed judges who ruled against him in the "alleged voter fraud" issues.
I suspect that so many spotlights will now be aimed at Republican operatives and those whom put them in power. As the smoke is blown away and the mirrors come into view, they will now get their time in the limelight. Without makeup. As Republican voters, who like Susan Collins, realize that they were duped. What's that phrase about "scorned women"?
On the other hand, just another diversion to keep the focus off of Trump and his antics . . .