On (Not) Talking Politics…

A few days ago, I was at work and a co-worker, as they are wont to do, started talking about Trump. A manager said “Don’t talk politics at work.” Fair enough, right?

Since I often think before I speak, I didn’t come up with a response until just this morning, when I realized that talking about Trump was, in fact, not talking about politics at all.

Because Trump is no longer a president. He is no longer a political representative of the people, and, in fact, he conned many of these people who voted for him into thinking that he actually was their public servant who would represent their interests (until he turned on them, too).

This is not an opinion. This is not a matter of semantics or word play or “fake news”.

It is an unequivocal fact.

Donald Trump is a militarized tyrant who is waging war against the Constitution he swore to uphold, he is waging a complete and total war against our (yes, OUR!) government, he is waging a complete and total war against the people who reside in this country, both citizens and noncitizens alike, and he is committing multiple acts of war (war crimes) on the international stage as well.

He has broken his oath of office multiple times. He is not upholding the Constitution, he is blatantly defying Congress and the myriad of other checks and balances on his power.

Likewise, his so-called administration is no longer a presidential administration. They, like Trump, are acting solely in their own (financial) self-interests and they are also swept up in this vicious cycle created by Trump in that they have to continue to maximize their power in complete disregard of the government, the Constitution, and the will of the people. Because if they don’t, if they lose control of their power at this point, they will have to face prosecution for their crimes.

I will stress this again. Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Katherine Leavitt, Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem, Pete Hegseth, Stephen Miller, Tom Homan, Kash Patel, Mike Johnson, and many more have lost the right to be called duly elected representatives of the people of the United States. They are this nation’s–this nation’s era of–war criminals.

Our (actual) elected representatives like Illinois Governor JB Pritzker are holding fast to their sworn oath to uphold the Constitution and to protect and serve the people who live in the United States, while not violating the structure and operation of the government like Trump and his corrupt cronies are.

We, though, are the people. We are the ones who aren’t politicians. We are the ones with the power and the freedom to fight back against Trump who has crowned himself king, and surrounded himself with a court of greedy sycophants who want a piece of King Trump’s golden cake.

I’ll remind you again. Trump doesn’t just want to be king–he already is.

He is the one that is the “clear and present danger” to the United States.

It is our duty to stand up to kings, no matter which side of the political spectrum you fall on.

Furthermore, this war against our constitution, against the residents of this country, against Congress, our government, and our system of checks and balances, is all being conducted under the guise of the Republican Party, as a way to mislead the people of this country that they are actually voting for their representatives that reflect and support their Republican values. Trump and his royal court have hijacked, and continue to control, the Republican Party and many of the Republican politicians in order to put themselves as kings, hell bent on ruling with the full, and often lethal/unchecked, power of an authoritarian regime.

Make phone calls to your representatives, continue to educate yourself on the deplorable actions of Trump and his cronies by listening to podcasts like the DAM Digest, The Left Hook, The Meidas Touch, and many more, attend nonviolent peaceful protests, and, above all, keep exercising your right to free speech, and vote these tyrants out of the power they’ve seized over the past nine or so months.

And, lastly, talk. Talk to your neighbors, talk to the members of your community, talk with your representatives, talk with your elders, your friends, your families, and your coworkers, even if you’re scared, even if you feel disempowered, even if you feel inexperienced in the world of politics (like me!).

Because it is our silence that makes us complicit to Trump’s destruction of our democracy, and it is by building community at the grassroots level that we can help defeat this depraved authoritarian regime.

#NoKings

#AntifaWasHere

https://5calls.org/

https://indivisible.org/

https://daniellemoodie.substack.com/

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/

https://thelefthook.substack.com/

https://jesspiper.substack.com/

https://allisongill.com/

https://meidasnews.com/

https://www.justaskthequestion.com/

“Running Over the Same Old Ground…”

(Cue up Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”…)

Okay, while I’m taking it out of context a bit, I have been stuck in a bit of a loop mentally and emotionally and just trying to figure out a plan for the next few months, and not coming up with very much.

But at the same time, while it feels like I’m not accomplishing very much or being very upward-productive, I have been completing a few things on my to-do list, and backburning some other things. I’m exploring options like FlexJobs (anybody have any experience with them?) to bring in more income.

It does feel a little stuck-in-place, though, as a lot of my progress has been internal, and not readily visible or quantifiable.

I’m getting there, or so I hope, but it’s a very emotional and confusing time, amidst trying to do my small part in the fight against fascism/authoritarianism taking over the United States.

I’ve still managed to contribute to the Horror Tree site when I can. If you want some fictional horror/spec fic to retreat into, check out my interviews and book reviews over there:

https://horrortree.com/author/willowcroft/

I’d love to know what you all are doing to stay safe, and ways you all are fighting the good fight. Share in the comments below…

Until next time…

The “Stories From Within” Project and other news…

Yes, I’ve been away from WordPress for quite some time. I’ve lost track of how long it’s been since I’ve been on here, reading posts and such. It’s at the point where going back and catching up on all the missed posts from you all is probably a lost cause, because it’s been soooooo long. Apologies to you all.

The good news is that I at least have a place to live and managed to get my belongings safely into a storage unit. I won’t say too much about the place I found, but it’s at least a roof over my head. Well, most importantly, a roof over my cats’ furry little heads.

In short, things were even more stressful and unstable than usual. I’m riding it out here in southern Illinois until December, and am revisiting the idea to move to Virginia, but I am more likely looking at Michigan. Canada is still a ways off due to costs, but I’ll be taking bitty steps as I can towards that emigration goal.

The theme of things right now for me is just “getting through”. Admittedly, like so many others out there, I’ve been horrified, disgusted, appalled, furious, and depressed over the actions of the current Trump administration. While not religious, I’ve also been having a severe crisis of faith about the example Trump and his cronies are displaying…because here are these corrupt, callous, greedy, deplorable people that get handed everything they want–money, power, influence–while so many that are good people and doing good, compassionate, ethical work are trapped at the bottom of this social and political system here in the United States and are lucky to even have the funds to buy food–and forget about healthcare, retirement, or even an adequate and safe place to live.

So this leads me to my idea to record and post people’s stories about the impact Trump and his administration is having on them, either directly or indirectly. If you’d like to participate, or know someone who would, please check out the post on my other blog, here:

https://kirstenleebarger.com/2025/07/13/stories-from-within/

Grannies Against!

I’ve been out of touch yet once again, but I’ve been trying to overcome my lack of knowledge of politics, and have been keeping abreast of the terrible actions the current administration has been doing in the United States.

I decided I won’t sit back and do nothing.

This may not even take off,  but I will also look for other ways to fight the terrible injustices Trump (I did not vote for him, of course) and to get involved in the “good fight”.

I am still working towards my Canadian immigration, but it takes a sizeable monetary investment, and I am still finishing up my school, and working a minimum-wage job.

And I have to move yet once again come May/June.

I decided to stay in Illinois, rather than go to Virginia as I had originally planned.

Because, this:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/glenn-youngkin-credits-help-from-trump-administration-for-major-ms-13-arrest/ar-AA1CGzsM

https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/ice-nabs-more-than-425-migrant-criminals-in-virginia-gov-youngkin-says/vi-AA1CFHRU

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jake-tapper-glenn-youngkin-trump-comments_n_670e2e10e4b0c5b8c0af3288

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/youngkin-invites-new-trump-admin-settle-virginia-over-maryland-dc

And this:

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/what-comes-next-illinois-governor-delivers-stern-message-on-state-of-country/3678083/

So, please go check out my post, and if you want to join, if you have ideas and want to brainstorm and plan the resistance with me as a “Granny”, don’t hesitate to reach out by email!

Check out my “Grannies Against” post on my other blog for more info:

Grannies Against…

The Dark Side is Not So Dark After All: The Need for Satanism in the Twenty-First Century

Not too long ago, I was doing research for a short story involving demons and the Christianized concept of the devil, and I came across the tenets of the Satanic Temple.

The tenets resonated with me from the first read, especially as I’m entering into middle age, and, after some (non-philosophical) musing, I made the decision to become a member of the Satanic Temple.

The civic-minded nature of the Temple, the respect for others’ rights and freedoms, and, especially the “compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason” (as quoted from their tenets on their website: https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/tenets), which, of course, appealed to my nature as an animal rights activist and tree-hugger environmentalist.

In addition, I think organizations like the Satanic Temple are essential to combat the alarming trends and shifts in the world today (or, a continuance of imperialism and intolerance that is history’s long-standing legacy, but we can engage in that deep philosophical/intellectual conversation some other time) such as Donald Trump’s insane and greedy hate-filled antics, and the widespread climate change and loss of valuable non-human species.

As a card-carrying Satanist now, I decided to submit an essay for a Satanic voices anthology put together by publisher Daniel Cureton at Forty-Two Books, and edited by Faustus Blackbook, and I was very excited to learn it had been accepted for inclusion in this anthology.

Check out the diverse collection of essays, short stories, poems (and a fascinating creative nonfiction piece) to learn more about Satanism today!

Satan Speaks! Contemporary Satanic Voiceshttps://www.amazon.com/Satan-Speaks-Contemporary-Satanic-Voices/dp/1734006714/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=satan+speaks%21%3A+contemporary+satanic+voice&qid=1583328273&s=books&sr=1-1 )

I also greatly appreciated the review a fellow blogger, Assholes Watching Movies, posted (a blog which I’ve followed for years now) about the movie Hail Satan? Read the review here: https://assholeswatchingmovies.com/2020/02/28/hail-satan/

I’ve included the link for the Satanic Temple, should you wish to learn more about this organization: https://thesatanictemple.com/.

Just for posterity, here’s the link to the form of Satanism that continues to follow in Anton LaVey’s footsteps: https://www.churchofsatan.com/.