July 4th or Halloween?

#july4 #SCOTUS #antifascist #Project 2025

            I am never terribly proud of myself when I make a drawing which features grossly literal symbolism (so literal one can barely consider it “symbolism”). I mean, this depicts a literal sh*t storm, but since this year’s July 4th has more of a Halloween Zombie Apocalypse vibe rather than a Yay-For-The-Land-Of-The-Free one, I needed an ink-on-paper emotional and cerebral  outlet.

            If you’ve visited this site in the past, you’re aware that I am antifascist, and as a follower of Christ, I find Christian Nationalism to be particularly repugnant in its efforts to micromanage the Holy Spirit (aka:its fascism). Some may question how closely I follow this Jesus Christ per my content here, and that’s fine, but may I submit to you it is collective, ineffective Christian witness that is compelling the power hungry to embrace the biblically abhorrent legalism which is at the foundation of “Christian” Nationalism. Yes. You read that correctly. The foundation is legalism, not the cornerstone of true Christian faith. In a word, it’s heresy. And that statement alone could be perceived by those ascribing to Christian Nationalism as apostasy, and if they get their way, could land me in prison. You could say, “Oh, Sandy—you’re being overly dramatic here,” to which I would reply, “Your lips to God’s ear.” But back to the crux of my inky inspiration…

            One of my biggest political beefs on this, every piro-patriot’s favorite holiday, is with the SCOTUS’s recent decision regarding presidential immunity, as it holds that presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution—which allows for their worst inclinations to become official acts and entrenched policy, free from checks on that power or consequences for otherwise criminal acts, essentially creating an authoritarian dictatorship. The USA would become something like Russia’s temporarily cuter stepsister. Or an illiterate pirate, checks and balances practically amputated in favor of a bully-stick peg-leg as a cure for myopic perception of what pundits declare to be our ailments, as they parrot extreme right-wing tropes, squawk-whispered in their ears by little Russian babbling bot birds. Color me not a fan.

            My second beef is with the contents of Project 2025. Not going too deep in the weeds of that 900+ pages of legalistic drivel, but I do recommend at least listening to some YouTube videos on the topic. Forced birth situations, birth control as healthcare made illegal, the dismantling of the Dept of Education (ending special needs student support), and schedule F enforcement, meaning non-political jobs like VA medical nurses, DOT safety inspectors, IT specialists, are employed at the president’s pleasure, and may be removed from their positions if their political views do not match that of the administration. These are just a few of the details that make me see red, with a big black swastika in the middle. The reddest of red flags. Color me not saluting.

            My and last beef is that our main two presidential candidates are of significantly advanced age. One is a felonious, philandering, rapist liar, and the other is found by many to be on the wrong side of history regarding the Israel and Palestine situation, so those who would otherwise vote for him are going to either vote third party or sit this one out—you know—vote their conscience. There are two other “c” words pushed too far aside though—consciousness and consequences. To those folks, I would like to ask some consciousness-raising questions:

1)    How would a second Trump presidency affect the women in your life?

2)    How would the GOP’s Project 2025 implementation by Trump affect you, your family, or friends marginalized communities, like immigrants, BIPOC folks, the LGBTQAI folks, kids with disabilities?

3)    How much (probably white) privilege do you think is involved in your decision that you feel you can ignore your answers to questions 1 and 2 and still prioritize your “conscience” over the plight of others in the event of a Trump victory?

That said, Happy July 4th to you and yours. God bless America, our Troops, you and your family. (I also hope your pets are doing ok!) Sleep well, eventually. And thanks for popping by.