How long must we weep at the altar of logic and reason before the world makes sense again? As a purveyor and lover of dystopian fiction and weird obsession with tyrannical governments of history, I can't help but feel this is the catalyst to the apocalyptic fallout looming over the horizon. Economic turmoil, civil unrest, groups of people wrongfully blaming other groups of people for the nation's problems, systematic maiming and murdering of political dissentors, a plague wreaking havoc faster than research can be conducted for a vaccine...the checklist has more checks than empty boxes.
This is usually the part of the dystopian thriller flashback of how things went wrong when either a) a militant organization stages a coup over the government b) the plague devastates the country to catastrophic levels c) a war breaks out over resources d) nukes decimate the entire planet. If the US government actually had smart villains running the country instead of evil, layabout idiots, Scenario A would have seemed likely. Though counting in the resilience of American revolutionaries taking to the streets now for Black Lives Matter, they would most definitely fail without drastic measures. That's the only hopeful light in the darkness, seeing all of these people fighting back against systematic racism.
But there's still a big problem. A big orange problem. An actual orange would be doing better than Trump at being president. You'd think his fanbase would have dried up faster than his wife when he takes his suit off, but alas, stupid will follow stupid until the end of the Earth. I've already seen a TV ad for Trump-Pence 2020, a thought that makes me want the sweet, sweet release of death, full of the usual grandiose overstatements, outright lies, and masturbatory descriptions of himself. Yet, his fans lap it up like pigs in a trough.
Now, if you voted for Trump before in 2016 because your conscience couldn't justify voting for Clinton, I don't blame you. There are some rational Republicans, believe it or not. But if you are still voting for Trump in 2020, you are purposefully ignoring the outstandingly long list of damages beseeched onto America because of his so-called "leadership". Reading the entirety of all of his rollbacks (https://civilrights.org/trump-rollbacks/) in terms of civil rights is like reading an apocalyptic log before the implementation of a fascist government. He has villified Muslim communities, LGBTQIA organizations, African-American communities, immigrants seeking asylum, women, low-income populations, veterans, and American persons dependent on healthcare insurance.
If you are voting for Trump in 2020, I am going to assume that you are a racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic citizen that wants to "make America great again." No, I don't care if you refute any of the those terms. Because if you are going to vote for the man who has alienated minority demographics since his inauguration, I cannot respect you. You can vote for him. That's your right. But you don't have any right to my respect. If you going to support an Us versus Them society, you need to prepare to become Them. Basic human rights shouldn't be a matter of who votes for who, but it is.
Life in the US has become a struggle for basic survival. Of course, you rich white Republicans don't know what it's like. White privilege is a thing. I am very aware of my privilege as a Caucasian woman. I'm less likely to be pulled over by the police, followed by employees in a store, and I'm more likely to get a job. I went to a fundamentalist Christian school that only had maybe 8 Black students and teachers out of 90. The curriculum was extremely racist, teaching us that African apartheid was a good thing because "Black people are lazy".
You'll probably be like, "Well, you don't have to worry about these issues, you're white. So, why are you complaining?"
Because I think Black people are human beings like you and me and don't deserve to be assaulted just for being Black. Because I think transgender people should be able to go out in public without fear of being raped and otherwise assaulted. Because LGBTQIA people deserve protection against discrimation in their workplace. Because Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Christians, and Buddhits are people and deserve to be treated equally regardless of what they believe.
Human life is not refundable, nor is it disposable. The color of your skin shouldn't define what you're worth. Life is worth living, not spent in the dark with a hateful soul.
About the Creator
CD Turner
I write stories and articles. Sometimes they're good.
Rivers of Death
Rivers bring water the element essential to all life on Earth but wherever rivers flow they also bring death surprise attacks Savage kills and brutal fights every day is a battle for survival on these rivers of [Applause] death I'm under the African Sun Staying Alive is hot thirsty work and among the ranks of animals jostling to get a drink lurk Killers waiting to strike but while Lions may be fearsome and the huge Nile crocodiles ruthless Predators one of the continent's deadliest River Killers is mostly vegetarian renowned wallowers spending up to 16 hours a day lounging in the water hippos could be mistaken for relaxed creatures and yet the river horse as their name translates from ancient Greek can be a very angry pony indeed with tusks up to a foot and a half long hippos are literally armed to the teeth and a charging bull Hipp can impact with the weight force of a pickup truck what's more hippos May brutally defend their territory an Impala has been chased into a muddy Watering Hole by a lion it's stuck but for fortunately for the stricken analou the lion is reluctant to follow it into the Meer unfortunately it finds itself in the domain of a hippo ill disposed to uninvited guests the hippo's not stealing the watching Lion's meal she's most likely just aggressively defending her calf and the Impala pays the ultimate price for crossing a doting mother hippos are thought to kill more people each year than the rest of Africa's most dangerous animals combined and during mating season their ruthless aggression is directed at other hippos two bulls square up the pod's dominant male and a Challenger at stake the Riverbanks Prime mating territory and a Herm of females the dominant male puts on an aggressive display posturing to show he will not yield but the interloper Demands a fight finally the dominant male is Victorious the Conqueror celebrates with a dung shower marking the border of the territory he has successfully defended while the vanquished suffers more than just the agony of defeat his back is carved open and by Sunset the crocodiles are watching closely they'd be unlikely to take on a bull in rude Health but now they Circle an expectation the hippo breathes his last the price of insurrection is life his Hulk will not go to waste the crocodiles move in swiftly to Feast on the corpse for these voracious Predators it's a considerable meal but one dead hippo is a mere snack compared with the annual Feast provided by a particular African river each year the serengetti vast grass Plains filled to the Horizon with grazing animals taking part in one of Nature's greatest spectacles around 1 and2 million wilder beast join 700,000 other herbivores on the Great Migration around 1 in six of these migrants will die before completing the 500 M circuit many are outrun and taken down down by Africa's formidable array of Savannah carnivores their Journey coming to a Grizzly end but one of the deadliest single obstacles the vast herds must Traverse is the mara River after 3 months on the move the wilderbeast are exhausted and emaciated all that separates them from the Fresh pastures of the msai mara is the width of the river and a whole bunch of huge ravit Nile crocodiles despite the chilling threat posed by these powerful Predators some of the herd are either oblivious to the danger or so thirsty they dare to take a drink anyway for an unlucky few it will be their last and these witless victims merely wet the Croc's appetite the true Feast begins when the first of the herd Braves the river in the crush and Chaos of the crossing the 16t Crocs grabs scores of victims when 1,600 lb of musc futile the marus Crocs survive on meager rations for most of the year so take full advantage of the great migrations time of Plenty they Gorge themselves eating up to half their body weight in one sitting and with so many different species crossing the river the banquet is as varied as it is Bountiful but not all Africa's Crocs have such an easy meal ticket on the banks of this Kenyon River a Croc has got too close to a pack of feeding Lions a move it's about to regret it's a fierce attack but the Crocs skin is covered in bony armor plating eventually the Lion's Uninvited Guest Retreats having taught the Crocs and dinner manners the big cats return to the carcass the Amazon is a giant of a river and and conceal some monstrous Predators which kill with a crush and in a bloody frenzy draining a lowland Basin of close to 3 million square miles around 1/5 of the water that runs off the earth's surface is carried by the Amazon this giant of a river is renowned for its oversized residence both prey and Predator around 4 ft long and and weighing as much as an adult human capibara are the world's largest rodent they're
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