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Thought I'd check out Daily Kos for the 411 on things in America. And what do I find?
The state of Idaho just got the green light from the Supreme Court to uphold a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender teens. The article shows the smiling, proud face of the douchebag who backed it (here's a hint; he's White).
Opponents of this draconian law are warning that this will likely lead to many more teen suicides. That's a legitimate concern; since Covid, teens across the country have lost faith in America because of how they're constantly getting the brunt of Christian Right-wing Extremism, which surged after Republicans used the unruliness of Trump to put their fascist agendas into action. The Republicans' response to these concerns?
The same garbage of "you are who you are at birth, period, end of discussion."
It infuriates me how TRUE Christians who come together to call this bullshit out after January 6th, 2021 are STILL being called "heretics" and "spawn of Satan". I visited the site of such honest Christians this morning, and read a blog entry where the author, a humble and gracious pastor, condemned the continuing weaponization of the Bible to help Republican politicians cling to power and stoke hatred against minority groups in order to do so. That blasphemy continues indeed.
Now, more than ever, I see how the Republican Party had been biding their time through the decades, their extremism building. They never agreed to a "melting pot" country of diversity. They've always harbored White Supremacist, Christian Nationalist, Confederate-style ideals, but every President they stood with was not what they truly wanted... not even Trump. Hell, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham were among the few who told it like it was with this quack -- that he was "an amoral narcissist" and "absolutely unfit to hold office."
The problem is that when Trump became the nominee for Election 2016, the Republicans put all of that aside. They knew how much of an uncaged force this person was, but they also knew that his volatility and full disregard for the rule of law would shield them from scrutiny while they started building the foundation for what they REALLY wanted all this time: a White Christian Fascist Theocracy, preceded by a mass culture-race war/genocide. Why else would they refuse to end the gun violence epidemic gripping the country, knowing that mass shootings are now targeting marginalized neighborhoods and cities? Why else would they suddenly be bold enough to literally use the law to ban -- to CRIMINALIZE -- the true history of America from today's youth, while at the same time rewriting that history so the White youth of today will be desensitized to the GOP-sanctioned mass violence against minorities? Why else would they gaslight those who know the truth by using derogatory words like "woke", and claiming stuff like "indoctrination"?
Actually, that last one has some truth to it: the "indoctrination", however, is coming from the Republicans themselves; they are "indoctrinating" White American children into hating all minorities and feeling desensitized, or "numb", to the violence Republicans continue to stoke towards all minorities through more draconian laws and loosening gun (particularly assault weapons) restrictions and age limits.
No, I don't think I'm being unfair or harsh at all. The facts are there. Because of Trump, the GOP was able to create Ron DeSantis, Matt Gaetz, and Marjorie Taylor Greene. They were able to overturn Roe. They were able to use more discriminatory (and often racially charged) rhetoric in their speeches for "campaigns". Red states have now abandoned state governments in favor of fundamentalist regimes (looking at you, Florida). And they were finally able to come out and say what they truly thought on the issue of gun violence, particularly assault weapon mass shootings: "We're not going to fix it. Criminals will be criminals." "We need a Christian revival in this nation." And of course, the recent -- and most simplified -- version of that sentiment: "Get over it."
I'm sick of this. I'm sick of seeing Christianity in the country sharing the same sentence with "The Great Replacement". I'm sick of Republicans dropping badly-concealed hints of their beliefs in "Manifest Destiny". I'm sick of that image of Jesus of Nazareth wearing a MAGA cap. I'm sick of seeing people in red states converting old churches into Trump shrines. I'm sick of ALL OF IT.
I have MANY transgender friends, and damned if I let ANYONE here in California threaten them. I was raised by my Mom, a REAL Christian. I'm not a hardline Christian, and though I said I was disowning Christianity, I meant the Christianity taught in America in general. I still hold some core parts of that faith, particularly service, honor, and inspiring. But I will NEVER accept the racism, bigotry, and misogyny that fuels what passes for "Christian faith" in this country. That ain't how I roll.
The article in question from which the title implied is here:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/4/15/2235424/-Supreme-Court-allows-Idaho-to-enforce-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-for-trans-youth
The state of Idaho just got the green light from the Supreme Court to uphold a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender teens. The article shows the smiling, proud face of the douchebag who backed it (here's a hint; he's White).
Opponents of this draconian law are warning that this will likely lead to many more teen suicides. That's a legitimate concern; since Covid, teens across the country have lost faith in America because of how they're constantly getting the brunt of Christian Right-wing Extremism, which surged after Republicans used the unruliness of Trump to put their fascist agendas into action. The Republicans' response to these concerns?
The same garbage of "you are who you are at birth, period, end of discussion."
It infuriates me how TRUE Christians who come together to call this bullshit out after January 6th, 2021 are STILL being called "heretics" and "spawn of Satan". I visited the site of such honest Christians this morning, and read a blog entry where the author, a humble and gracious pastor, condemned the continuing weaponization of the Bible to help Republican politicians cling to power and stoke hatred against minority groups in order to do so. That blasphemy continues indeed.
Now, more than ever, I see how the Republican Party had been biding their time through the decades, their extremism building. They never agreed to a "melting pot" country of diversity. They've always harbored White Supremacist, Christian Nationalist, Confederate-style ideals, but every President they stood with was not what they truly wanted... not even Trump. Hell, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham were among the few who told it like it was with this quack -- that he was "an amoral narcissist" and "absolutely unfit to hold office."
The problem is that when Trump became the nominee for Election 2016, the Republicans put all of that aside. They knew how much of an uncaged force this person was, but they also knew that his volatility and full disregard for the rule of law would shield them from scrutiny while they started building the foundation for what they REALLY wanted all this time: a White Christian Fascist Theocracy, preceded by a mass culture-race war/genocide. Why else would they refuse to end the gun violence epidemic gripping the country, knowing that mass shootings are now targeting marginalized neighborhoods and cities? Why else would they suddenly be bold enough to literally use the law to ban -- to CRIMINALIZE -- the true history of America from today's youth, while at the same time rewriting that history so the White youth of today will be desensitized to the GOP-sanctioned mass violence against minorities? Why else would they gaslight those who know the truth by using derogatory words like "woke", and claiming stuff like "indoctrination"?
Actually, that last one has some truth to it: the "indoctrination", however, is coming from the Republicans themselves; they are "indoctrinating" White American children into hating all minorities and feeling desensitized, or "numb", to the violence Republicans continue to stoke towards all minorities through more draconian laws and loosening gun (particularly assault weapons) restrictions and age limits.
No, I don't think I'm being unfair or harsh at all. The facts are there. Because of Trump, the GOP was able to create Ron DeSantis, Matt Gaetz, and Marjorie Taylor Greene. They were able to overturn Roe. They were able to use more discriminatory (and often racially charged) rhetoric in their speeches for "campaigns". Red states have now abandoned state governments in favor of fundamentalist regimes (looking at you, Florida). And they were finally able to come out and say what they truly thought on the issue of gun violence, particularly assault weapon mass shootings: "We're not going to fix it. Criminals will be criminals." "We need a Christian revival in this nation." And of course, the recent -- and most simplified -- version of that sentiment: "Get over it."
I'm sick of this. I'm sick of seeing Christianity in the country sharing the same sentence with "The Great Replacement". I'm sick of Republicans dropping badly-concealed hints of their beliefs in "Manifest Destiny". I'm sick of that image of Jesus of Nazareth wearing a MAGA cap. I'm sick of seeing people in red states converting old churches into Trump shrines. I'm sick of ALL OF IT.
I have MANY transgender friends, and damned if I let ANYONE here in California threaten them. I was raised by my Mom, a REAL Christian. I'm not a hardline Christian, and though I said I was disowning Christianity, I meant the Christianity taught in America in general. I still hold some core parts of that faith, particularly service, honor, and inspiring. But I will NEVER accept the racism, bigotry, and misogyny that fuels what passes for "Christian faith" in this country. That ain't how I roll.
The article in question from which the title implied is here:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/4/15/2235424/-Supreme-Court-allows-Idaho-to-enforce-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-for-trans-youth
