It feels like the early scenes of a horror movie.
Dobbs has led to a dramatic rollback of abortion rights in half the country, but not where I live, not where my children or siblings or nieces and nephews live.
Louisiana and Oklahoma are blatantly defying constitutional law on separation of church and state, and might get away with it with the current U.S. Supreme Court.
Trump has been in a narrow lead in the Presidential race for months despite being the most dishonest, idiotic, and chaotic evil Presidential candidate ever, and a convicted felon with three more criminal trial around the corner, although not necessarily before election day. MAGA could just as well be the followers of Voldemort, and yet, 40% of the country doesn't notice, doesn't care, and embraces the evil. President Biden is doing good that is going unnoticed in the face of a gridlocked Congress, and campaigns very poorly as we were reminded after the first Presidential debate of this season.
The U.S. Supreme Court has been consistently pro-corruption in its rulings, and undermined January 6 accountability, and nullified the 14th Amendment insurrection clause contrary to the constitution's clear language. It is, of course, deeply corrupt itself, particular Justices Thomas and Alito.
The high court has also made our national suicide pact of the Second Amendment worse and is trying to gut federal government regulatory power.
Yet, here in Colorado, most of it is one step removed. Our state government is solidly moving in the right direction and isn't wallowing in gridlock. Our ever shrinking GOP is whiny and irrelevant in state politics. Our state supreme court took the lead in interpreting the insurrection clause correctly, and our courts in general, while not perfect are less political and more competent than most. We have meaningful protections against corruption and our scandals arise because they are being enforced. Our electrical grid is getting greener and we are using more and more electric vehicles. We are using our water more wisely. We are reintroducing wolves. We are trying to prevent gun violence. We are expanding access to education. We are making it harder to ban books. We are taking action to make housing more affordable and house the homeless. We have raised the minimum wage. We have strengthened tenants rights. We have created a right to paid sick leave. We have expanded our federal parks. We are treating migrants blown to us decently. We are making it easier to vote. We are curbing some of the worst excesses of the criminal justice system, for example, by abolishing the death penalty, by toning down felony murder, by curtailing solitary confinement, and by eliminating qualified immunity for law enforcement officers at the state level. We have led the nation in legalizing marijuana and are following that by legalizing some psychedelics. We are so gay friendly that we have a married gay Governor, have had a lesbian speaker of the state house before that, and have same sex common law marriage. We have cast away place names that are derogatory or exalt KKK members. We have done it with less bureaucracy and lower taxes than California. Our economy is mostly thriving.
Another four years of Trump looks, surreally, like a real possibility, with all the ruin that is likely to bring to our nation if it doesn't end democracy entirely, and tip the balance in favor of autocrats on the global stage.
We haven't reached the point where all hope is lost, but we could end up there in a matter of months.
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