#1: It’s Not the End of the World… But You Can See It from Here!

Feb 22, 2025

Welcome to the first issue of It’s Not the End of the World… But You Can See It from Here! My name is Patrick Russell, I am a visually impaired earthling concerned about our home. That’s it. The sixth mass extinction is a catastrophe encompassing everyone and everything. Flora and fauna. Humanity. Society. Family. Friends. Business. Politics. Governance. The unborn. Earth.

It’s Not the End of the World… But You Can See It from Here, is my way of understanding the times we live in. It’s a result of daily reading, aggregating and curating news. For me, chronicling and writing are essential in getting to know a subject. Our subject is grim. We must understand it though, it's literally an everyone and everything story. It’s about you. It’s about all of us. Pace yourself. Be careful gazing into the abyss. Breathe. Be. Appreciate.

In addition to this project, I have written seven books: one novel, three novellas and three nonfiction books. Novel: One Pink Muscle to Go (a dark, raunchy, existential, comedy) Novellas: The Sharks from Mars trilogy. Nonfiction: Consumer Shock Series Written as G.B. Taken, Includes: Bad Bankers, Consumer Shock and Up Consumer Creek without a Paddle. More about me.

It’s Not the End of the World… But You Can See It from Here, will include in every issue: the latest news and information from the sixth mass extinction. Updates on H5N1 virus outbreaks, mutations and impact. Coverage of the Trump regime, as it destroys our nation and the world; hey, I hate him too, but it’s, unfortunately, news from the sixth mass extinction. In 200 Words, are micro-essays exploring where we live, who we are, how we got here and where we are going. Topics will be covered using a variety of writing formats that differ in length, structure and style such as articles, essays, editorials, commentary, chronicling, journaling, etc. In this issue, an essay, Palm Oil: A Problematic Product for Our Planet. Last, but certainly not least, is a lengthy editorial about post-election America: That’s all Folks! WARNING: PROFANITY!

In closing, I have inflammation of the blood vessels of the eyes and can only see a little from one eye. Besides having limited vision, it’s a very painful condition. As a result, it takes me awhile to do things such as setting up my Substack account. After I get the hang of things here, I will be publishing more frequently, hopefully weekly. Thank you, for your time!

IN 200 WORDS: Earth: You Are Here!

Third planet from the Sun. Earth. Its predominant feature from space is its water. 71% covered by water. Our home, “The Blue Marble.” 4.5 billion years old. Home to the only known life in the universe.

Earth rotates on its axis at 1,000 mph. It orbits the Sun at an average speed of 67,000 mph. Its tilting gives us seasons.

Life began 3.5 billion years ago. Innumerable forms have existed. From single cell to giant. Perhaps the most unique were the dinosaurs that dominated for 245 million years until going extinct 65 million years ago.

We’re living in the Holocene epoch which began approximately 12 thousand years ago, as glaciers receded, ending the Ice Age. The human population quickly grew and spread out. Today, 8 billion humans and millions of species of plants and animals live here.

Since the Industrial Revolution, from the mid-18^th century, mankind has set into motion a planet-altering dynamic. Besides climate change, water, air and land pollution are humanity’s most significant artifacts.

Human impact on Earth is disastrous. Scientists refer to this period as the Holocene extinction, the Anthropocene or the sixth mass extinction. All life is affected. It’s being pushed to extinction. Humans are causing it.

ESSAY: Palm Oil: A Problematic Product for Our Planet

If you’re like most people, you’ve never heard of palm oil and have no idea what it’s used for. You may be thinking, “Why should I even care?” Palm oil is widely used in consumer goods, so much so that it should spark your interest.

Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil. It became popular in the 1990’s when palm oil replaced trans fats that were found to be unhealthy. Palm oil shows up in more consumer goods than any other vegetable oil. Unless you live in a cave, you encounter it several times daily. It’s in all kinds of stuff, butter, cookies, ketchup, toothpaste, soap, detergents, cosmetics and biofuel, to name a few uses. Identifying it may not be easy, palm oil ingredients are known by over 1,000 names.

Palm oil comes from the fruit of oil palms. Oil palms grow in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Columbia, Ecuador, Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria. More than 85% of palm oil comes from Indonesia and Malaysia. Palm oil makes up about 40% of the world’s vegetable oil market.

Problems with Palm Oil

According to the latest data from Global Forest Watch, "Tropical primary forest loss in 2022 totaled 4.1 million hectares (10.1 million acres), the equivalent of losing 11 football fields of forest per minute." Forests are primarily destroyed for crop and livestock farming.

Oil palms are grown on plantations. Rainforests are removed using the slash-and-burn method to clear land to grow oil palms on. Demand for the product drives an ongoing environmental-destruction event. The numbers above show total forest loss to human activity. Palm oil production by itself clears an estimated 300 football fields of rainforest every hour.

Burning rainforests releases immense amounts of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere. The process leaves less trees to absorb carbon dioxide. The unique habitat is home to countless species. Rainforests provide essential functions. Clearing them makes our planet hotter and reduces biodiversity.

The environmental impact of deforestation is severe, extensive and if practices continue, irreversible. A single tree can be home to hundreds of species. Destruction of habitats harm species in the present and endangers their futures. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, palm oil production worldwide is impacting at least 193 threatened species. The IUCN estimates that palm oil expansion could affect 54% of threatened mammals and 64% of threatened birds globally.

Some of the threatened species: Mammals: Asian elephants, orangutans, tigers, Bornean pygmy elephants, Sumatran rhinos and Sloth bears. Birds: Visayan broadbills, Channel-billed toucans and Scarlet-rumped trogons.

Damage to rainforests is significant and the impact can be measured worldwide. Clearing rainforests makes for a hotter planet. Approximately 10% of global warming is caused by forest loss. Trees are nature’s carbon cleaners, converting carbon dioxide to oxygen. Trees process and convert atmospheric nitrogen for other plants, by nitrogen fixation, as well as accelerate the supply of rock-derived nutrients which is essential for healthy arable soil. Destruction of forests at the current rate is an existential threat to us and the Earth as we know it.

And that’s why you should care. At least one reason. One really big reason. There are others. For instance, there are two methods for processing palm oil, dry milling and wet milling. On-site, at palm oil mills, wastewater from processing oil palms produces a highly dangerous pollutant known as palm oil mill effluent (POME).

A Closer Look

For every ton of palm oil extracted for the market, there is approximately 2.5 to 3.5 tons of POME produced. Palm oil mill effluent, is a greasy substance pumped into disposal or holding ponds. Ponds can overflow from rain or overpumping wastewater. Some operators drain POME directly into rivers and lakes.

POME is a highly polluting material and is extremely dangerous to the environment. It fouls surface and groundwater. The nutrient-rich runoff causes algae blooms that kill fish. Once dumped into holding ponds, palm oil mill effluent produces biogases. POME, emits large amounts of greenhouse gases. In mills, more than 90% of GHGs were emitted from POME.

Some uses for POME have been found. Technology is used to capture biogases for fuel. Animal and aquaculture feed are made from it. Fertilizer is another use. There are other applications, as well as potential for bioplastics. Despite the benefits, the gains are insignificant compared to the negative effects of the industry.

The People

The loss of forests impacts human populations living there as well as animal and plant species. Inhabitants have been chased from their homes in Indonesia. Indigenous people are being exploited by corporations. Many communities have been promised, in writing, deals by corporations that were not worth the paper written on. In other cases, operators have moved in without permission. Dissatisfaction and anger toward palm oil companies is widespread and protests are commonplace in Indonesia.

The dynamic in the palm oil industry between employees and employers is a strained one, to say the least, and the discontent and contempt by workers for operators is not surprising. It’s inevitable, considering horrid working conditions and bad treatment in an industry that employs millions of people. Employees are underpaid, overworked and toil in unsafe workplaces. Despite low pay and awful conditions to work in, some individuals contend the palm oil industry has lifted millions of people out of extreme poverty. That may be true, nonetheless, terrible working conditions, forced labor, child labor abuses and outright slavery are a reality.

For residents, besides loss of land and property rights, other serious issues are points of contention. Complaints regarding air and water pollution abound. Palm oil mill effluent is a major cause of water pollution. Then, there is the air pollution.

People in Indonesia are routinely exposed to smoke from the slash-and-burn method used to make room for more palm oil plantations. Recent fires were responsible for 500,000 cases of respiratory illness. Smoke damage is the cause of long-term poor health for millions and is directly responsible for the premature deaths of hundreds of thousands.

Finding a Better Way

Are there any alternatives? Palm oil can be produced in a sustainable way. It currently is not. Operators prefer an intensive profit-driven method that is not eco-friendly. There are alternatives to palm oil. Other oil crops: soybean, rapeseed, sesame, sunflower, canola and corn oil.

Palm oil trees use land more efficiently than other oil-producing plants. For the same amount of land used, palm oil plants yield between 4 to 10 times more oil than other oil crops. When you add to this the superior characteristics that make palm oil more marketable, these are the same traits that make it difficult if not impossible to replace.

Finding an oil crop that can be a substitute for palm oil is not that simple. Palm oil has qualities that make it more suitable for commercial purposes. It’s more stable than other crop oils. It increases shelf life of products. Taste is more acceptable. Also, palm oil makes soap and other cleaning products foamy, another attribute difficult to duplicate. And as mentioned above, oil palms produce more oil than any other oil-producing plants, another feature, making it superior to others.

Not Finding a Better Way

The problem with palm oil is not about palm oil itself, it’s about the impact of burning down rainforests, making room for plantations to grow the trees that produce it. It’s about the total annihilation of ecosystems. Processing methods at mills is a major cause for concern that needs to change. Labor abuses, displacing inhabitants, land degradation, water and air pollution, sickening citizens… the list goes on. The problem is the palm oil operators and their business model.

The world is interconnected. What we purchase here has ripple effects, it empowers corporations to be bad actors. Palm oil operators are notoriously known as an abysmal bunch of bastards. Widely associated with being bad actors across the board in every aspect of their business dealings. Oftentimes, what communities signed up for was not at all what was delivered. Big business is destroying rainforests where inhabitants once hunted and gathered food. People are left homeless and in a plantation landscape very different from the forest homeland that was stolen from them. Living generations and future generations will forever be changed, robbed of their land.

The damage is done and continues daily. The impact is global. Harming the health of our planet and all that lives on it. The palm oil industry is largely unregulated. With the way money flows, there will be no reform, at least nothing substantial. The problem requires a solution or rather solutions that are difficult or perhaps impossible to accomplish.

Consumer awareness and action seems a good place to start. Unfortunately, looking at the trend in coffee production could give us insight into what to expect with palm oil. After decades of environmental and labor abuse awareness campaigns, coffee is trekking in the wrong direction, favoring sun-grown coffee over the shade-grown variety. With this in mind, there is little likelihood in rehabilitating the palm oil industry from the consumer side.

Stories don’t always have happy endings. Aspirations aside, we must be realists. There will be no chance for the improvements needed until countries where palm oil is produced change their ways and do business with ethical and environmental concerns being prioritized.

Editorial: That’s all Folks!

I wasn’t sure our country could survive one Trump term and that was months after he lost in 2020. The body politic had changed. The cult remained. Now he’s back. Trump II. We won’t survive a second term. The Constitution is made of parchment and the words on it mean nothing unless people uphold them. Trump hates America, its Constitution and its people. Our founding document is under constant assault now. There will be one constitutional crisis after another until the Constitution is gone. None of this surprises me.

Trump hasn’t taken office, he’s taken over. There’s a lot to unpack in order to understand where we are and what it means for us as individuals and as a country. The tyranny began with the censorship and purges of government agencies.

Dictatorial measures will impact all of us. None of it will be good, considering Trump and the Republicans don’t believe in science and have no interest in public health. In its first week the new administration imposed a communication blackout on health agency reports and online posts until February 1st. Questions arise, will these agencies be permitted to freely communicate data to the public again or will there be a complete public-health media blackout or will only filtered or approved information be released? I think we all know how this will end.

Public safety and health are under a withering blitz. El Presidente started signing executive orders at his inauguration parade. Among the onslaught of EO’s, was one to remove the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO). The complete abandonment of science or even common sense, is apparent with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It shows Trump’s contempt and intent. He hates America and wants us dead. What else could explain his actions?

Trump’s policies regarding the public health sector will only guarantee epidemics, pandemics and contaminated food. Muzzling essential public health agencies will prevent life-saving information from being disseminated. We will not know until it’s too late. Without public health alerts, viral outbreaks are unreported. Epidemic and pandemic data will be withheld. The timing couldn’t be worse, currently there is a massive tuberculosis outbreak in the U.S. and with the H5N1 bird flu pandemic currently impacting animals globally, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before the virus makes the necessary mutations so it can spread between humans.

Trump thinks science is bullshit and climate change a hoax. Republicans have pushed denialism about science in general, and climate change specifically, for decades. There will be no progress on environmental issues during Trump II, in fact, they will do their damnedest to destroy existing protections. El Presidente is packing the EPA with oil, gas and chemical lobbyists. No surprise, he’s pulling us out of the Paris Agreement, again. Needless to say, we will not be able to address climate change anytime soon, if ever. This administration will enact policies that will only accelerate the existential event.

Then there are the Russians, and the unprovoked invasion and continuing war on the people of Ukraine. Unfortunately, the last administration supplied only enough for Ukraine to survive, not win. And they slow-walked that in. Policy, imposed upon Ukraine, limited how and where they could use weapons. Developing Ukraine’s airpower was never taken seriously. The previous administration feared if Ukraine crossed one of Putin’s red lines, he’d go nuclear. There were many red lines in place. Many red lines were crossed, including the ongoing Ukrainian offensive in Kursk, Russia, that began on August 6, 2024. No nukes.

There were other concerns besides red lines, some in the U.S. worried what would happen if Russia lost and would have to withdraw its troops back into Russia. The fall of the Russian Empire in 1917 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 were given as examples of possibilities. Russia’s 1917 failure was primarily due to its military loss and economic strain caused from the First World War. It sparked a revolution that ended the age of the Tsars and saw the rise of the Bolsheviks. The crumbling of the Soviet Union in 1991 was not solely caused by its prolonged war in Afghanistan, it was a significant contributing factor though.

Nukes or no nukes, Russia is not the Soviet Union. This should have been handled better by the West and the United States, since the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, which was a major escalation of an ongoing war. Actually, it should have been handled better since 2014 during Obama’s administration, when Russia invaded Crimea and the Donbas. Not doing so only encouraged Putin’s future full-scale invasion. Then there was Trump. During his first term, he held up aid to Ukraine to pressure President Zelenskyy to announce investigations into Joe Biden and his son, so it would hurt his political opponent for the 2020 election. Trump also wanted Ukraine to push a narrative that Ukraine, not Russia, was behind the interference in the 2016 presidential election. It was the reason El Presidente was impeached the first time.

Trump has thrown Ukraine and Europe to the wolves, or rather the Russian Bear. Trump’s words and actions only make sense when you understand the president of the United States is a Russian asset and an American traitor. Remember that! The ‘peace plan’ pushed by Trump is custom-made by Putin. The plan blocks Ukraine from joining NATO and would allow Russia to keep occupied territory. Trump supports Putin, he said Russia, “fought for that land” and “lost a lot of soldiers.” Using all Russian talking points, Trump said Ukraine, “should have never started the war.” Trump, following Putin’s lead, demands there be elections in Ukraine, a country being invaded and under martial law. The Kremlin tried assassinating President Zelenskyy multiple times; now, to get rid of him, Russia wants elections in Ukraine, that they can interfere in, so they can install a puppet. Classic Russian move.

Nukes or no nukes, Ukraine shouldn’t have been sacrificed because of fears of Putin by the previous administration. Trump will sacrifice Ukraine, with great delight, to Putin; it’s what Russians do for other Russians. Russia will rearm and continue the war. In an instant, Trump abandoned Ukraine, and by withdrawing U.S. support, shattered a united NATO for Ukraine. Ukraine, NATO and Europe have been left to twist in the wind. And, if it’s okay to invade Ukraine and continue warring, that means the end to the Belovezha Accords or Minsk Agreement, of 1991. It was a declaration that the U.S.S.R. no longer existed and, in its place, would be a commonwealth of republics. In short, it was an agreement that everyone would be good neighbors by respecting borders and territorial integrity. And to preserve distinctive ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious characteristics. At the heart of the matter, it was Russia assuring its neighbors they would not be invaded, again.

Peace, lasting peace, requires Russia withdraw all of its troops. But Putin won’t demobilize 600,000 defeated war criminals, from Ukraine back to Russia. It would further destabilize Russia, perhaps even cause Putin’s regime to fall, bringing murderous chaos to the country, once again. For this reason alone, Putin must keep troops in occupied territory, indefinitely. There will be no peace until Russia leaves all of Ukraine. No doubt, Trump and Putin are madmen with deep ties. Narcissism is the only thing stronger in Trump than his support for Russia. Trump doesn’t like bad press. Hates it. The only way to break the “spell” perhaps, is if Putin crosses Trump’s “red line” and makes him look bad. Until then, Trump will go along with anything Putin wants. What does this mean for Ukraine? Will Putin use nukes? Maybe. One thing is certain, Ukraine deserved better allies, much better. Slava Ukraini!

It’s all madness. We are more like Russia as each day passes. We have a dictator. We have oligarchs. We are losing our rights. We are serfs. Madness. Trump and Putin have set things into motion, Europe… the planet, will play host to World War Three. We can hope for peace. Hope too, feels like a kind of madness these days. As time goes on, madness spreads and becomes stronger. Madness! It’s not hyperbole. Think about this, Trump, as a convicted felon, cannot legally own a firearm but has sole authority to launch our nation’s nuclear weapons. That’s madness!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, farm and every possible place you can imagine the need for workers, there are immigrants. They are respectable, hardworking people. Now, they live in fear of being arrested and separated from their families. They fear detention camps and mass deportation. Despite what many right-wingers say, individuals, regardless of their immigration status, have constitutional rights. This includes due process and equal protection under the law. Our country needs these people. Immigrants get the food to our tables. They are the backbone of our nation, fulfilling essential roles in the workforce and society. They are our co-workers, neighbors, friends and family. They are us.

Make no mistake, Trump and his crew are coming for all of us. Everyone that doesn’t look or think like the regime. THE OTHER. We are already classified as THE OTHER. As El Presidente said, “Democrats were the enemy from within.” Ultimately, anyone that doesn’t agree with them will be classified as enemies of the state. If they have their way, we will be dealt with. And they will do to us, with whatever they can get away with.

“The courts won’t allow it,” you say. Perhaps. But courts only work when there is no bias and no corruption. The Supreme Court of the United States is supremely biased and corrupt. Let’s not forget how SCOTUS helped Trump run out the clock on his criminal trials, the DOJ and special counsel Jack Smith. Then, SCOTUS granted Trump broad immunity. Six of the nine justices are Republicans, 3 were appointed by El Presidente himself. We are going to see lots of 6-3 rulings from SCOTUS that will be heartbreaking and mind-boggling.

Trump is filling the government with the most incompetent, corrupt and compromised people in the history of our country on purpose. They have no intention of governing. It’s all about vengeance as they rape and pillage. Like Russia, the oligarchs have taken control, and their henchmen are free to openly deal with THE OTHER anyway they please. I direct you to the 1,500+ Trump supporters that attacked the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, injuring 150 police officers. Five police officers died after the attack. What happened to the 1,500+ insurrectionists? Trump pardoned them all. The message is clear, it’s okay to commit crime, including violent and deadly ones, even against law enforcement, as long as the criminal supports Trump.

To be sure, we’re all fucked! If you’re offended or even outraged by fucked instead of f****ed, well that’s just the way it is. If you need “outrage-bearing asterisks” to get you by here, you have no chance with the turmoil out there. And for that, I am truly sorry. Profanity is the least offensive thing happening now.

You should be outraged at everything in this goddamn newsletter. And I mean that, sincerely. I am outraged. Our country and our world are screwed. You should be outraged. Be outraged by the aggregated news at the top of this publication to this editorial and everything in between. Reader, if you weren’t outraged before you started this, you should be now. We are a failed species, and we are a failing society. Be outraged!

Republican leaders openly despise the working class, women, minorities, the disabled and the poor. Trump faithful worship a criminal. Be outraged! Mein Fuhrer and the GOP are doing everything they can to unravel the fabric of our society. Be outraged! FYI: The Republican Party no longer exists. Now, the right-wing party is full-on fascist in word and deed. Be outraged!

To make things worse, Democrats have become a terrible opposition party. They lost to Trump, twice. As far as we know, for now, the Traitor-in-Chief won fair and square in 2024. With everything we know about him, it’s tough to believe he did anything fair and square in his life, ever. Russia interfered in our elections before for Trump. Some things never change.

Elections must be free and fair, without foreign interference and willing domestic co-conspirators. On election day in 2024, dozens of bomb threats were made in swing states; Russia was behind it. Russia has a long history of interfering in elections of other countries. The Department of Treasury sanctioned entities in Russia and Iran for “attempted” interference in the 2024 election. Did they do more than attempt? Did they succeed? It’s not crazy to suspect Russian interference in the 2024 election and succeeding, after all, they interfered with our 2016 and 2020 elections, it’s well-documented. There’s no fucking way I will ever believe Trump won all 7 swing states. No fucking way.

Let’s not forget the Mueller Report, that found among other things, an “information warfare” campaign that “favored” candidate Trump. The hacking of Clinton campaign-related databases and release of stolen materials through Russian-created entities and Wikileaks. Russia also targeted databases in many states related to administering elections, gaining access to information for millions of registered voters.

The Combover Caligula cheats at everything, always has. It’s clear there were plans in place with The Speaker of the House to get Assolini back into the White House if he failed at the ballot box on November 6, 2024. Trump said he and The Speaker, Mike Johnson had a “little secret.” With this in mind, and everything else we know about the POS, including his fake electors plot of 2020, why should we believe he wouldn’t do something suspect, dishonest or dare I say, criminal?

Enter Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, another Russian asset. On 1/19/25, Trump at a rally, the day before the inauguration, referring to Musk, "He knows those computers better than anybody. All those computers. Those vote-counting computers. And we ended up winning Pennsylvania like in a landslide." Afterward, Musk took his turn on stage to speak, visibly shaken and stuttering, he was clearly stressed by Don The Con saying the quiet part out loud.

Here’s some more disturbing stuff. Before the election, in a 90-minute interview, with Elon Musk, Tucker Carlson told him, "If Trump loses, you're fucked, dude," Musk laughed, agreeing.

"If he loses, I'm fucked," Musk said, adding, "How long do you think my prison sentence is going to be? Will I see my children? I don't know."

Musk fanboys insist he was joking or speaking in reference to comments he made about Vice-President Harris being assassinated. If he was joking, Musk had other motives. The DOJ was investigating him and Tesla, that would be a reason to help Trump. Musk was being investigated by other federal agencies as well. A Trump win and all federal investigations stop for Elon. Another motivation for Musk to side with the Felon-in-Chief, was for all the deregulation, outright looting and lawlessness that would come with Trump II. Musk will wield near unlimited power and become much richer during Trump II. As for El Presidente 45, Donald Trump, was found guilty on thirty-four felony counts and was on his way to prison. There were other criminal cases pending. Trump and Musk, both had means, motive and opportunity.

Trump is a criminal, never forget! It’s tough keeping track of all the civil and criminal cases against him, here’s a guide. He would have done whatever necessary to win the White House and stay out of prison. Break the law? He did before, repeatedly. It should come as no surprise that Trump’s people attempted to copy sensitive data with the intent to access voting machines in multiple states. Fraud and Donald J. Trump, is an Internet search bonanza that will provide lots of reading. How can we believe he wouldn’t cheat in 2024, when there was cheating by Team Trump in 2016 and 2020? Let’s not forget, ever, that Trump was so determined to stay in office he incited the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the Capitol, so the election could not be certified. And that’s why he was impeached the second time. Both impeachments were about Trump’s actions to illegally win in 2020. First, his attempt to influence the outcome of the 2020 election, and when that didn’t work, second, to incite an insurrection to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

Five years later, analysis in Clark County, Nevada, produced results "consistent with vote manipulation" in favor of Trump in the 2024 election. SMART Elections, a nonpartisan project focusing on election security, states on their Substack: What happened in the 2024 Election? I wish we could tell you. We do not know. We cannot make public claims about what we do not know. We are analyzing many aspects of the election carefully and trying to understand what is there. But to be clear—we don’t have any proof that the election results are incorrect or manipulated.

We are finding patterns in the data that seem strange, but these are strange times. The question of course is: are there legitimate explanations for the patterns, or do they reflect inaccurate or manipulated election results?

There is no tangible evidence that Trump’s team rigged the election, yet. History may prove us wrong. Is it possible he played by the rules for once in his life? If true, millions of doubtful citizens should be forgiven… pardoned even, for making such an egregious error. Our bad!

We all knew who he was, and that Trump II would be unimaginably worse than Trump I. But here we are. The press failed us once again by sanewashing Trump while badgering President Biden about age. Remember when Biden dropped out and the narrative changed, it wasn’t about age anymore? At the time, Biden was 81 and Trump was 78. Before the election, the press, as always, gave Trump a pass on questions, remarks and bad behavior. Journalists demanded more from Democratic candidates in explaining their campaign positions. Little, if anything, was expected of Trump, except the usual incoherent babbling. When he did say something coherent, it was hateful or a lie or both. Yes, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz had a short campaign and there was division in the party over Gaza, even so, it was Donald Fucking Trump.

Stop worrying about optics. Democrats need to drop the bullshit credo, “When they go low, we go high.” Leave the Marquess of Queensberry Rules for boxing, this was a street fight. You lost. You lose the street fight every day. What did you expect from the Commandeer-in-Chief and his mafiosi? The Dear Leader is a traitor, a convicted felon, an adjudicated rapist and the absolute worst example of our species. He has no redeeming qualities, none. While the Dems concern themselves more with optics than opposition, the Predator-in-Chief and Republicans are complicit in a plan to radically alter our nation by implementing project 2025, that will destroy constitutional checks and balances. The objective is to give unprecedented power to the president.

The intent is clear, almost two-thirds of Trump’s Executive Orders are in line with Project 2025 objectives. Project 2025 was created by Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation. Executive orders are part of a larger, more comprehensive initiative, to seize power while simultaneously compromising and weakening elections. The Republican cult in the House and Senate will do everything to make Project 2025 the law of the land.

None of this is normal. It’s not governance. It’s a takeover. Trump fired 18 inspectors general. He fired prosecutors involved with January 6, criminal cases and has demanded the names of FBI agents who investigated the insurrection. Trump is blocking funding approved by Congress from being spent and ignoring a court order. Musk has gained control of private data of U.S. citizens from the Treasury Department. The richest man in the world has infiltrated at least 15 government agencies with his team of 18- to- 25-year-old tech-bitches, who have no security clearance or legal right to be there. House Republicans are silent. In the Upper House, like mob loyalty tests, Senate Republicans confirm the worst nominees.

Project 2025 is not the only nefarious thing Republicans are enthusiastically pushing. Trump-led Republicans are engaging in an all-out assault on societal and political norms and decorum. They are pushing the bounds of what is socially and politically acceptable. Republicans are creating a new normal, a new political reality in their own image of hate and ignorance. Speech and behavior once believed to be unthinkable, and was rejected by the majority of the population, has gone mainstream. The Overton Window or the window of discourse, is a political science theory or model for understanding the range or window of what is politically acceptable at any given time. It’s what shapes policy and governance. Need an example? What was radical and unthinkable yesterday, or years ago, is president and policy today.

People looking to the presidential election in 2028, who say, “we’ll get ‘em next time,” don’t count on it! If Trump didn’t rig the election, then the Democratic brand could not beat Trump, the biggest piece of shit on the planet. Don’t think it’ll get easier after Trump is gone; the cult will remain, and they will have made it harder for the opposition to win elections because of Project 2025.

Honestly, even without Project 2025, it’s going to be difficult if not impossible for Democrats to repair things Trump destroys. Even if there are free and fair elections in the future, you know for optics, the Democrats have to win not one, but multiple presidential elections. An even heavier lift, Dems need to win repeated congressional elections and put enough asses in seats in both the House and Senate to make a real difference. Trump’s second term, at best, will leave the American people and their institutions deeply wounded. Right now, we may already be beyond what politics, lawmakers and courts can fix.

Democrats need to do better, a lot better. Is there time? An opposition party that will not oppose isn’t an opposition party, at all. If it serves no purpose, it will be doomed to political extinction. Control is an illusion. Politics is not for the weak, timid or squeamish. We need people who will run toward chaos, conflict and criminality, to do the right thing at all costs. Land of the free and home of the brave… it doesn’t feel that way. Perhaps, it was nothing more than a fever dream. I will repeat, right now, we may already be beyond what politics, lawmakers and courts can fix.

Extraordinary actions by ordinary people are needed to end this reign of terror. We must be realistic, masses protesting and lawsuits might not be enough. Currently, there’s not enough people protesting. We need a lot more people, and I mean a lot more people, taking to the streets. Millions. And understand, the speed of a lawsuit is not the speed of a pizza delivery; damage done may not be undone. I am doubtful of America’s ability to recognize or even care enough about the situation for what it is and then act without delay. It’s time to rise up, not give up. Time is of the essence. We need millions of people in the streets, now! We must protest against our corrupt leaders and their unlawful actions like the people in Eastern Europe have been doing for months. They are concerned that the region is falling under the influence of the Kremlin, making future invasion and occupation easier. The people of Georgia have been protesting their Moscow-backed government out of fears they are becoming an authoritarian state.

For us, time is running out, every hour the yoke of authoritarianism hangs on our necks the heavier it becomes and the harder it will be to remove. We are in banana republic territory, that may require palace intrigue and military intervention to topple the regime. Don’t count on it. Will the military side with Trump and keep the people down, or will they side with people opposing Trump? Will the military fracture along political lines? Civil war? Trump is purging top military leadership, replacing all with loyalists. Civil war? Martial law? This was probably not on your bingo card, but here we are.

It would be remiss of me not to mention Merrick Garland, whose name will be cursed by millions of us, to our dying days. It was simple, either we live in a country where the law applies to everyone equally or not. Garland failed miserably. He was the worst attorney general in U.S. history. AG Garland could have stopped the monsters. All he had to do was his job. We would not be where we are today. No monsters. Fuck you, Merrick Garland! Fuck you!

Republicans have become too extreme. They have chosen party over country. They do not respect the Constitution, and its checks and balances are not working as intended. Constitutional law is being ignored. In no way should Trump have been allowed to run for office again. He should have been stopped by the law for insurrection. It is the law. It’s right there in the Constitution, the supreme law of the land. The Fourteenth Amendment, Section 3: The Disqualification Clause, should have ended Trump’s attempt at seeking reelection.

The Fourteenth Amendment, Section 3: The Disqualification Clause: No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Let me say again, the Constitution is made of parchment and the words on it mean nothing unless people uphold them. It takes two parties that respect the Constitution for it to work. Trump and Republicans are trying to silence the voices of opposition and weaken the Democratic Party. The end result is an all-powerful Republican Party and a weak or nonexistent opposition. Without a willing, able and uncompromised Republican party, the Constitution can no longer serve its purpose. The Republic will not stand.

No matter what country, insurrectionists are dealt with severely. It’s obvious why. Without punishment, a failed coup is just a practice run. Depending on the country and time in history, the crime of insurrection was/is punishable by either death or a prison sentence. Biden didn’t want to look like he was going after political opponents. Optics. It was the same with Garland, optics. If the current direction of the country does not change, Joe Biden will be known as the last president of The Republic.

President Biden, in his farewell speech, ominously reminded active-duty military they took an oath to uphold the Constitution. Civil war. That’s what many people feared would happen if Trump was either constitutionally disqualified from taking office or imprisoned. They didn’t take into account or care what would happen during Trump II. Civil war? What were their thoughts regarding dictators? Did they not know or care that it’s a bitch getting rid of dictators once they take power? President Biden had obvious concerns about the loyalty of the military. Trump loves chaos and could easily stir up a military schism based on political affiliation. Civil war? Would you be surprised if Trump sows the seeds of civil war? Really? No matter what… hell it is! And hell, it will be!

Where is the leadership to save our Constitution and country? There is no way to preserve the Constitution and the U.S., unless Republicans in the House and Senate break with Trump and join Democrats to stop the raving lunatic and his agenda. Pigs will take to the skies before Republicans disavowal their cult leader.

Trump is weakening our allies and putting them in danger. We have lost our standing in the world, a legacy earned by our fathers and grandfathers who fought in WWII. It’s all gone and cannot be restored. The postwar world, spanning from 1945, is gone or is crumbling. The institutions, agreements and alliances are weakening. We are entering very different times. Uncharted territory.

The Liar-in-Chief could trump up a national emergency and declare martial law. Checkmate. You don’t think he’ll do it? Every day, every hour, Trump, Musk and Republicans are damaging our nation beyond repair as they tear out the threads of the fabric of our society. Alas, Horatio, it is already too late for us… our country is no more.

R.I.P. United States of America: July 4^th, 1776 - January 20^th, 2025. Now we live in a barren, burning, hopeless, hellscape. Welcome to madness. Welcome to Dumbfuckistan, a living nightmare. These are uniquely dysfunctional times. People have no connection to reality. They just don’t care. Facts are out. Lies are in. The cult. Monsters. They know the Dear Leader will bring pain and suffering to them and their families; they just don’t care, as long as THE OTHER that they hate are living with more pain and suffering than they have, is all that matters; that’s what sustains them. Somehow, they become dumber, angrier and more hateful. A dreadful darkness has descended. Only the cult rejoices. We, THE OTHER, in this darkness, know we will never find our way back to the light. Every day it is darker. The cult, hateful and toxic, is hellbent on spreading their sickness to others. It has a snowball effect, as people and times become more dysfunctional and the snowball of Dumbfuckistan rolls on, growing exponentially bigger, stronger, dumber and more hateful as it goes. Darkness.

I’m not Rod Serling, and this isn’t an episode of The Twilight Zone. Unfortunately, it’s worse, much worse. I’m Patrick Russell, it’s not the end of the world… but you can see it from here! That’s all folks!

It's Not the End of the World... But You Can See It from Here!

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