ITEOTWAWKI

But I'm not feeling fine.

Jan 20, 2025

My brother sent me the link to this music video today, and I think it’s spot-on — with a caveat. It’s the end of the world as we know it (ITEOTWAWKI), but I’m not feeling fine.

Sure, I personally have not suffered any instantaneous disaster, and I’m privileged enough (and self-aware enough about my own privilege) to recognize that any negative impact on my ability to live a comfortable life in retirement is likely to be minimal.

But I’m absolutely not fine with what Trump and his oligarchic puppet masters have in store for the United States — and the world — in the days, weeks, months and years to come. Our civil and political rights; our ability to feed, house, educate and obtain healthcare for our families; women’s basic reproductive rights; the ability of persecuted refugees to find asylum; the hard-earned gains made by racial minorities; protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity; freedom of speech and of the press; the very notion of democracy … all of this and more is very much at stake.

An American friend here in Mexico posted this on her Facebook page today:

I completely understand the sentiment. And yet, as the clock approached 12:00 noon, I found myself rushing to turn on the television so I could see for myself, in real time, what the new CoMadMan-in-Chief had to say. Fortuitously, I was saved by the fact that I had forgotten about the one-hour time difference between where I am now living in Central Mexico and the U.S. East Coast. So I missed seeing the inaugural address in real time.

It’s just as well that I missed it. I know I would have been shouting at the television screen, enraged at the lies and the threats. My husband is more like my friend — he would rather not give the man any more attention than necessary. And I do take periodic news breaks when it all gets to be too much. But there is a part of me that needs to see the madness, close up and immediately, to remind myself that my rage and fear are justified.

I will undoubtedly watch some or all of his speech at some point. This is not a time to hide our heads in the sand. But for now, I’m relying on the smartest people I know in my liberal echo chamber to keep me informed and keep me sane. A lot of them are here on Substack! Below are a few I recommend, with links to their latest and/or most relevant posts. (They’re listed in no particular order, apart from the order in which they landed in my in box.) If you have others you think are important to follow, please share them in the comments.

In the long run, it’s not sustainable to need to read dozens of separate blogs or newsletters to stay informed. But at least in the short term, this is where we must start, since we can no longer trust the media (traditional media or social media) to honestly and accurately report the news. The U.S. media, which has largely been taken over by (many newly-minted) extreme-right oligarchs, has now become an arm of the government.

Take a deep breath. It’s going to be a long four years.