What does removing environmental protection, shutting down the Department of Education, gutting the VA Suicide Hotline, having an anti-vaxer at the helm of the Deartment of Health, cutting Medicaid (and perhaps Social Security), attempting to shut down foreign aide which provides food, water and medicine to people all over the world, withdrawing money from universities that do life saving research, attacking private law firms have in common? People and organizations will be killed by The Don and his henchmen. Who says you need weapons to kill people? Just kill them with soft power.
Let’s take them one at a time.
Last week, the Trump administration signed an executive order undoing dozens of the nation’s most significant environmental regulations, including limits on pollution from tailpipes and smokestacks, and protections for wetlands. THE E.P.A. will no longer “shut down any stage of energy production.” According to Lee Zeldin, head of the E.P.A.. “No consideration may be given to whether those affected by potential violations constitute minority or low-income populations.” So in no other words: Fuck climate change. Fuck poor people (many of color) who experience the devastating consequences of environmental injustice and bear the brunt of deregulation. Fuck the future generation. The hypocrisy of claiming you are going to make America Healthy Again while simultaneously increasing the toxins in our air, food, and water makes my blood boil.
And I ask: Don’t you people have children and grandchildren who you supposedly cherish, but who will inherit a world that is unmanageable and terrifying because of the increasing extreme weather? When you are reading them bedtime stories and kissing them on the forehead, telling them you love them, is there a tinge of guilt? Guess not. So fuck the children and grandchildren. And for what? More money lining your pockets and power. You may not be around to watch them suffer and die, but you are colluding and encouraging a process that will kill them. Hey, but who ever said life would be easy and that those who would love you would really protect you!
Shutting down the Department of Education, which is opposed by most Americans, will wind up denying many special needs children from getting essential services that foster their education. Vulnerable children will be unable to make the gains they need to achieve their potential and become successful adults, This is killing their educational and intellectual growth. After all, who gives a shit about disabled children? In the world of The Don and his cronies, disabled people are inferior, less than human. Remember his mocking and taunting of a disabled reporter during one of his rallies back in 2015? I remember thinking: How could any person vote for a man who does that to someone? Umm. I guess in America it’s no biggie.
Threatening to defund universities because of their D.E.I. policies will have a devastating effect on important research that could lead to breakthroughs that could save lives. It will create a chill in the academic community about what can be taught and have a deleterious effect on attracting international students, who bring their intelligence and energy and make us better as a nation. Here we have the killing of intellectual pursuit and academic freedom as well as the killing of our country’s scientific prowess. Does that Make America Great?
It’s unfathomable that The Don is allowing DOGE to make cuts to the V.A. that will take a huge toll on mental health services. Cutting of crisis hotlines will literally kill people. Forcing mental health workers, who have been doing remote work, to come into V.A. offices, where they are working in open spaces that do not allow for confidentiality, will deter people from continuing treatment; this could have devastating consequences. Most vets who have experienced combat and been war zones experience some degree of trauma. Hey, man, come on you’re a soldier, just get your shit together. We love our men and women in uniform.
Robert Kennedy Jr. as head of SHS. Do I need to say more? Hey, hey RFK, how many kids will you kill today? (In his defense, he is trying to tackle issues related to making our food healthier.)
Two million people could lose health insurance because of changes in subsidies in Obamacare due to new rules written by the administration. Cuts in personnel will make it harder to get help navigating the system. Dreamers ,will lose the ability to sign up for the program. How many will be killed by this?
Proposed Medicaid cuts will have a devastating impact on the capacity for millions of Americans to receive life-saving health care. And who receives these benefits? Poor people. In addition, many children with chronic illnesses and elderly who need nursing homes rely on Medicaid. Taking benefits away from people suffering with heart disease and diabetes, just to name a few illnesses, will kill people.
Attacking private law firms who have had involvement with holding The Don accountable for his actions, as well as those who support liberal causes, is an attempt to kill their business. And sadly, a number of prominent ones are doing deals with The Don, which is having a chilling effect on the legal community.
Let me add one more to the list. DOGE is attempting to gut the National Plant Germplasm System aka, N.P.G.S., which preserves thousands of seeds and is our nation’s safeguard against all future challenges to growing the food we need. The future will certainly bring new crop diseases and pests, as well as greater environmental stresses on our crops from heat, drought and flooding. In the face of such uncertainty, preserving as much genetic diversity as possible is essential to ensure that we’ll have the resources to sustain the food system most of us take for granted. Sounds like a smart thing to do? Nah, let’s kill it.
The Grand Offal Party 