Days of Infamy Past and Coming

Saying what needs to be said even if you don't like it

It was my intention to put out another Substack back on December 7, Pearl Harbor Day, “a day that will live in infamy,” but I decided to put some time between November 5th and now. December 7th is only one day of infamy in our country. There is also September 11, 2001, and more recently January 6, 2021. September 11, 2001, was a day that united our country towards a common, though ambiguous objective, but at the same time, the seeds of hate and distrust were fertilized, and that, I believe, was one of Bin Laden’s strategic objectives, one which he masterfully achieved. Now, the narrative that terrorists and trans-national criminals are coming across the southern border can be used to morph the story into murderers, rapists and gangs coming across the border, and they are taking American jobs—hold my beer on that one. Fast forward to Donald’s first term and his subsequent loss in the 2020 presidential election. The next day of infamy was January 6, a day brought on by lies and misinformation, and when a sitting president incited an insurrection against our government, carried out by MAGA terrorists and traitors, domestic enemies of the United States, afraid of shadows and losing power. That will not be the last day of infamy in our country. Others are coming, and one of them is tomorrow, January 20, 2025, the day a convicted felon, traitor, adjudicated rapist, misogynist, racist and fascist will be sworn in to a second term as President of the United States. We tried to warn you.

Immediately after the election, many of us were shocked, emotionally and physically ill, and angry. Much of what I heard was that those of us who didn’t vote for Donald were just being sore losers, angry because our team didn’t win the election, like a sporting event. That is furthest from the truth. I’m part of the voting system, a poll worker, and I didn’t see or observe anything that would be a cause for concern, not at my level. We close a poll, count the number of ballots—not the votes themselves, and run totals from the tabulator. Donald had more votes. I get that. Weird though, it was exactly the same back in 2020, but someone had a big hissy fit about it. I think some of you that voted for him were shocked too.

There seems to be, or has been, concern for my well-being in all this election hullabaloo, those wondering if I am OK. No, I am not OK. I will be. My resolve is stronger than ever to prepare for the battles that are coming, even if my only weapons are the keyboard and my voice. But John, it’s just politics. No, it’s not. I was Republican for most of my life. I could have policy differences with many of my Democrat friends. It was never about Harris vs. Trump or Democrat vs. Republican. It was about democracy vs. authoritarianism, love vs. hate, and kindness vs. cruelty. Seriously, some of you voted for cruelty, chaos, and oligarchy. You voted to end rights for your daughters, sisters, girlfriends and wives. You voted for pseudoscience, baseless political retribution, the dismantling of our education system, and worst of all, Christian theocratic fascism, whether you know it or not. Yes, Project 2025 was real, not propaganda. You voted against the interests of veterans. That vote for Donald was a monumentally stupid fucking decision, but hey, legally, he got the votes. That doesn’t make him legitimate, especially if you read Amendment 14, Section 3, but who cares about the Constitution, right? I am angry and as a veteran, feel deeply betrayed, by both non-veterans and worse, my very own colleagues, other veterans, for you have foresworn the sacrifices of those who came before us, those who stood up against fascism. You sold us out to our enemies. I will not forgive that.

What happens next? Well, a lot of people are afraid, tens of millions of them. I am one of them. My therapist tells me that I have to focus on controlling the micro, those things that I can make decisions about, such as parenting, educating my children, my relationship with my wife, financial decisions, and my career. The midi I may have some influence on, community endeavors, civic engagement, and the like, but the macro is out of my control. Still, the macro is about to impact all of us in ways none of you thought about. I now have to worry about whether Title I protections and funding that impact special education will directly impact my youngest son, who is neurodivergent. I have to be concerned that I may lose veteran benefits, primarily access to health care. My oldest son may lose access to the health care plan provided to him through my employer because of the ACA, as he is not yet 26. If any of the idiots and quacks currently nominated for cabinet positions are approved, we’re all in for a real shock, and if you think it’s just a normal four-year election cycle, well, you weren’t paying attention.

You were conned. It doesn’t bother me to say that because it is the truth, and from a previous Facebook post I made, I burned my decency. I will always be kind to those individuals around me and those that I know, but performative niceness is out. I’m not going to pretend things are normal. They are not. Billionaires bend the knee to Donald. Corporate media has given in; so much for free press. The media will present all of what is about to happen as normal. “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”—George Orwell. Sissy SpaceX, a.k.a. Elon Musk continues to manipulate information and insert himself into political situations in which he does not belong. You’re getting oligarchy hand in hand with fascism, and none of it is going to make this country great or your lives better. Wait until the pogroms start. Don’t think those aren’t going to happen. History says otherwise. There will be more days of infamy, though they may not be presented as such. We tried to warn you.

I have hope for humanity, maybe not all those in the United States of America, or what’s left of it, but humanity in general. Truly, I hope I am wrong about many things. I want to be wrong like Fukuyama was wrong about the end of history. I’ll gladly take a bow and admit I was foolish. I fear that won’t happen. There are too many patterns coming together that concern me. I will simply take up the fight for democracy, take care of my family and protect them, and uphold my oath. I was a Soldier before I was an employee, a husband or a father. I will defend the Constitution, the rule of law, and those unable to defend themselves or those being persecuted.

I will not be complicit. I will not be indifferent. I will not capitulate. I will call out injustice. I will not obey in advance. I will not be intimidated. I will not give into fear. I will do my duty and uphold my responsibilities at any cost and will not sacrifice dignity, honor or principles. I may falter at times. We’re all human but I will learn and carry on the fight. I do this for my children, my country and my sacred honor. And lastly, I will still not remain silent. The time for valor is now.