Every day, there’s a new affront: another egregious human rights violation, another deplorable policy, another nefarious assault on fundamental decency. Just when we think it can’t get worse, that there is nowhere lower to sink, we’re proven wrong, slapped in the face once again. Most recently, it’s asylum-seeking families being treated like criminals, with children separated from their parents and placed in cages. In some cases, these families will never be reunited again. And in the midst of this vile chaos, Justice Kennedy announces his retirement from the Supreme Court, opening the way for another Trump appointment.* In the words of the late Justice Henry Blackmun, “I fear for the future. The signs are evident and ominous, and a chill wind blows.” With reckless disregard for the constitution and the rule of law, Trump and his enablers charge on. The architecture of checks and balances meant to protect us has crumbled. Democracy seems to be slipping through our fingers as we slide treacherously closer and closer to fascism.
These are grim days indeed. It’s hard to get our bearings under this relentless barrage and even more difficult to hold any measure of optimism. Yet, we’re surviving, at least so far. And as beat up as we are, we have to figure out a way to stay in it and to take care of ourselves in the process. Our very humanity depends on it. I don’t presume to have any answers. I’m as weary and shell-shocked as the next person. But I’m not ready to roll over either. With that in mind, here are a few ideas for self-care for the apocalypse:
Some believe that we’re in an unprecedented time in U.S. history. Others feel it’s simply a perpetuation of what we’ve always been. Either way, the struggle is ugly and long. They’re banking on our exhaustion and despair. But we will not be complicit in our own ruination. Self-care is not about indulgence. It’s about health and wellness. It’s how we find the fortitude to go the distance, wherever it may take us.
*It was announced this evening that Trump’s nominee is Judge Brett Kavanaugh. This is the guy who said a sitting president shouldn’t be criminally indicted or prosectuted. How convenient. Let’s just hope to God that Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins have a spine.
© 2019 Katy Bourne | site by Origin Web Design | photos by Steve Korn
Katy Bourne is a Jazz Singer and Writer.
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful carrying away and confinement of a person against his or her will. Thus, it is a composite crime. It can also be defined as false imprisonment by means of abduction, both of which are separate crimes that when committed simultaneously upon the same person merge as the single crime of kidnapping. The asportation/abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear. That is, the perpetrator may use a weapon to force the victim into a vehicle, but it is still kidnapping if the victim is enticed to enter the vehicle willingly, e.g., in the belief it is a taxicab Data from: Wikipedia
If Judge Brett Kavanaugh doesn’t know what kidnapping is (with the emphasis on Kid)then he should not be given a seat on the Supreme Court Bench. If he is appointed and the Dems/Repub don’t bring kidnapping charges againts the trump administration they should be considered an accessory to the crime. yeah i know it sounds naive but WTF it couldn’t hurt. maybe we need the NAVY SEALS to get back the children from the detention camps