Life, Writing, Weirdness

Not to cross.

If you’re taking a politics break, particularly a US politics break, you should probably skip this post. I’ll remind everyone who might be reading that I don’t think any subjects should be off the table that inform our lives, and politics helps keep the blood warm.

The chances of my crossing the Canada-US border right now are zero.

Don’t get me wrong, the mass of protests this weekend gives me a little hope that the US isn’t sliding into fascist dictatorship quite yet, if only a little. But the chances of me crossing the border went from slim to nil on November 5^th last year. There are quite a few places and events on my bucket list that have passed over into the unobtainable category.

I understand it was a difficult choice for the American public to make. On the one hand, there was a bigoted homophobic serial sex offender whose business management is so incompetent that his companies (casinos, no less) have filed for bankruptcy at least four times (maybe six, it depends on the documentation you read). On the other, someone who held positions of progressive responsibility in law and government for a career spanning several decades and was possibly the most qualified candidate to ever actually run for the job but who also had the unmitigated gall to be a woman who wasn’t White.

At this point, we all knew who won and what an immense disaster that’s been, not just for America but for the entire world. That’s not going to change until long after he’s out of office, if they ever get him out of office.

The reporting is there for anyone to see. Whatever you might personally think of the Orange Menace, his policies, and the way his administration is enacting those policies, he’s further destabilizing the world every time he opens his mouth and making life harder for the citizens of the country he supposedly runs, including the people who elected him. From an external view, if you’re not an incredibly rich sycophant, you don’t matter to him.

Who’s benefiting? No one but those rich sycophants, really. To a lesser extent, White Evangelicals are getting some of what they want in the manner of the ability to screw over anyone who isn’t them, but they should take a closer look at the balance sheet. No one else comes close to benefitting, though.

Given that perspective, as a White middle-aged male, I could pass myself off as one of them if I’m willing to keep my mouth shut at the right times. It seems likely I could still travel anywhere in the US and not have any issues.

But why would I want to?

How could I possibly twist my own morals and ethics enough to do anything that would possibly support the budding young fascists trying to run things south of the border? (And trying is absolutely the correct word. Failing is another one. Failing miserably fits.)

But Lance, what about the individual Americans and small businesses that might depend on your tourism dollars? They’re not at fault and they need your support?

Some of them are at fault. A lot of them. The overall voter turnout for the US 2024 election was 64% (Ballotpedia). Of the people who bothered to vote, 77.3 million of them (Federal Election Commission) voted for El Douche, very nearly half the votes cast. While you can certainly argue propaganda and a lot of outright lying swayed at least some of those, a lot of folks deliberately set out to vote for the Tangerine Mussolini. It seems abundantly clear that was against their best interests. It seems equally clear that most of those folks aren’t coming to that realization yet. Either way, he’s staying in power.

But Lance, not everyone voted to bring back the Celebrity-Nepobaby-in-Chief. What about the folks who didn’t?

There are other ways to express support that don’t involve me crossing the border. Buying things directly from independent businesses is less attractive than it was before the kindergarten tariff calculations came into effect but still has some possibilities for artistic expressions if I had the disposable income. There are assistance funds, if you want to go financial. Be a voice on social media where you can (I’m sucking at this, but a little free time has opened up now). Parallel protests (I need one I can get to). Letters to your own politicians (like they’re answering anything in the middle of the federal election we’re currently having). Check in with your American friends. Influence the people around you. Don’t accept any Orange apologetics or parroting and certainly don’t give any credence to a Drumpfian worldview.

But cross the border? Not even with my gender and skin tone. Not right now. And not until sometime after there’s an administration not made up of fascist toddlers and their hangers on.

If you’re south of the border, please take extra care of yourselves and those around you right now.

If you’re not, keep your eyes open for locally creeping fascism and stomp on it wherever it appears.

Be well, everyone.