Brett Kavanaugh is a piece of shit.
There, I said it. I know that we are supposed to “use our words” or “take the high road” but I no longer can. I am completely and totally done with the fact that it is Sunday night and I sit here wondering whether or not our Democracy will be around by the end of the week.
If you are like me, you have found yourself, more times than one I am guessing, watching the news, mouths agape, mind in disbelief, and your heart heavy with grief and sadness. While these great travesties occur, I find myself wondering what is the cost? How many children must be locked in cages? How many women must come forward with accusations of sexual assault and rape? How many more people must accuse the President of harassment and assault? How many more anonymous op-eds and faulty promises must be made before we finally all see that the real cost, is that these great travesties themselves (too many to recall here) are what it really takes to take down imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy.
Over and over again I overhear the same question, both on the news and in my own individual activist circles, about our current state of affairs: “what else could he [President Trump] do to make it worse or for people to see how truly evil he is? The answer, sadly, is a lot. For a full recount of the things Trump has tried to do since taking office, see Amy Siskind’s The List: A Week-By-Week Reckoning of Trump’s First Year.
Taking down imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy is not easy. It is complicated. When you think you make progress, another avenue of horrors opens that you have to address before you can go back to the “big bad.” However, while we all can agree that Trump is awful (although people still support him), he is merely a symptom of the real disease that imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy has imparted on both the country, our society, our leaders, and worst of all, ourselves.
Every action we do must be an effort to destroy imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. Every march we attend must discuss ways that we can mobilize to destroy imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. Every tweet, Facebook post, and public gathering must discuss a way to destroy imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. People have grown weary of having me at parties because my normal talking points are:
- Asking people if they’re registered to vote (and if not, why aren’t they?)
- Making sure people are discussing difficult issues with their friends and families that may or may not support Trump (even I oftentimes think about how I can reach out to my Trump-loving family members who attacked me online. For more on that, see my past posts).
- Asking how long they think it will be until we are actually living in The Handmaid’s Tale universe?
So, today, I don’t have anything happy and cheery to talk to you all about. I don’t have any more energy to give outside of what I am doing each and every day to destroy imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy.
The only thing I have for you is this: if you don’t vote on November 6, 2018, you may not have a country anymore the next day.
What Trump and his cronies are doing is completely awful. Each passing day presents a new set of horrors and pain that we have to deal with. Why we are well aware that the Special Counsel is uncovering a lot of witches in what Trump and the GOP refer to as a “fake witch hunt,” unless we have a Congress and Senate that will hold him accountable, what good is unearthing facts about what really happened in 2016?
I believe in America. I just hope there is an America to believe in after all of this travesty is said and done.
John Erickson is a Ph.D. Candidate in American Religious History and holds two MA’s from Claremont Graduate University. John serves as a commissioner on the California Commission on the Status of Women. He is President of the Hollywood Chapter for the National Organization for Women, a boardmember for the City of West Hollywood’s Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board, a board member for the ACLU of Southern California, the Legislative Action Chair for Stonewall Democratic Club, and a board member for the National Organization for Women.
feminismandreligion.com 
Thanks John, you said: “The only thing I have for you is this: if you don’t vote on November 6, 2018, you may not have a country anymore the next day.”
I love your enthusiasm, but I disagree with forcing people to feel guilty if and when they don’t vote. In fact more women vote than men. Indeed I recently read that “women, who constitute more than half the population, have cast between four and seven million more votes than men in recent elections.” That’s very interesting and it makes me think maybe more women should run for public office too. And in that regard, here’s another hopeful quote I saw online recently at Politico.com
“For Democrats bidding to succeed where Clinton failed in 2016 — the field of prospective presidential candidates includes Gillibrand, Klobuchar, Harris and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) — a broader shift within the electorate appears to be at work, as well.”
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Thank you, for your comment! You’re right: women DO vote more than men and as we saw in 2016, white women were the tipping point that allowed him to win in some key states. Specifically, this is also something that Republicans are watching closely as they draw to shove the Kavanaugh nomination down the Senate before October 1. I know we shouldn’t make people feel guilty for not voting, but I do have to ask: if they don’t vote, then what the hell are they waiting for?
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I agree with you that our democracy is in danger and that we must vote. Vote for people who understand that women and men have rights, that the climate is changing, that our national parks need to remain unruined, that wild animals need to be safe, and that businesspeople need to be honest and follow the rules. Good luck to us all!.
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We are in danger and this week is very scary. Rosenstein needs to make sure he is fire and it is no mistake Republicans are playing hide and go seek with the Kavanaugh hearings while Rosenstein meets with Trump and is fired. The media are going to have to find WHAT to report on. Very scary times are ahead (if they haven’t been scary enough)!
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So proud of you John & love your enthusiasm to save our democracy.
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I’m dancing as fast as I can! :)
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i try to spend my heart energy not on wondering “How or Why” but accepting that this is where i actually am, in America right now with challenges for those who believe that change is not only possible but probable and that my task is to be present not in despair but awaiting clear direction for action. Those who would oppress me want my energy and i won’t yield that to them. Namaste
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Lovely, Brooks. I agree. I admire John’s passion and I’m grateful for his activism. However, we cannot keep putting our energies into lamenting over and over. This week, I’m listening to a wonderful free webinar on Sounds True called Waking Up in the World — my energy and effort is put into what I can do and less about following every news bit or media bite. Blessings! and Namaste.
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I think one thing that I have heard recently (and that many of us in the history and social justice fields already know) is that this has ALWAYS been the America that we live in, things were just painted differently. We have always lived in a country built by slaves and we didn’t need Michelle Obama to remind us of that (although it didn’t hurt because people have rarely ever called it out).
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“If you are like me, you have found yourself, more times than one I am guessing, watching the news, mouths agape, mind in disbelief, and your heart heavy with grief and sadness. While these great travesties occur, I find myself wondering what is the cost? How many children must be locked in cages? How many women must come forward with accusations of sexual assault and rape? How many more people must accuse the President of harassment and assault? How many more anonymous op-eds and faulty promises must be made before we finally all see that the real cost, is that these great travesties themselves (too many to recall here) are what it really takes to take down imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy.”
I am like you John, and have reached the exact same conclusions…Thank you.
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Thank you, for being in this struggle with me! We will prevail…I still believe (no matter how hard or scary it is)!
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“watch the news, mouths agape” – first problem, watching the “news”. Agenda driven – by far. Unsure how you think democracy is in danger. Is it because your side didn’t win? Honestly, why in danger? Because Democrats cried “Russians!”? The Left is so overly dramatic and quick to label things they dont agree with as racist, sexist, etc… You understand that’s the reason the Left is rejected by so many dont you? Preaching victim-hood and entitlement over hard work isn’t my ideal way of strengthening a country…..
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The last two years have been terribly dis-spiriting. The last few days have been totally enraging. I find myself feeling tired for no reason–except that I am sick and tired of patriarchy and patriarchal violence against women and the fact that so many white men in power do not give a shit (OK I said it) about women and girls!
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Thanks Carol – I needed to hear your words… they sure mirror how I feel . Thanks.
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Yup; I’d love to discuss the overall theme for what I am trying to get to here with this post: the cost…can and is all this suffering what it “takes” to destroy imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy? It is embedded in all that we do and fight against, and it makes me seem like in order to destroy it, we will feel pain and suffering like no other.
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But the minorities in power do care about them? Why is race always interjected? Dont we want racism gone? Gee, it seems Dems want it here to stay so they can feed off it in their labeling……
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Thanks for being the feminist man on the committee, the one who is speaking out to friends and family, and the one with energy to spare when it comes to defending our democracy! I’m doing my small part, and I thank you for your larger share of the struggle.
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Thank you, Nancy! I am glad to be in this fight with you and we must keep speaking out and taking a stand (no matter what)!
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