Thread by @FreedomFriesInc

Thread: Margaret Atwood's comments on the rising threat of American Theocracy

We who are now #XGOP and #NeverTrump have a relatively unique take on issues like these. I feel I can add value to the debate, having spent years on the left and the right, and now being indy.

https://twitter.com/amanpour/status/1468289815837908995

I had already seen the movie of The Handmaid's Tale when I saw resistors appearing in costume at political events.

I thought it was ridiculous and self-defeating for them, and maybe it was, at that time. In 2020 resistors ended up having the last word, thankfully. #YoureFired

As you know, there's still people who think even the recent absurdities expressed by TFG (& his henchmen like Bannon, Flynn, & Meadows) are no big deal & that he's adequately trustworthy, patriotic, & a true defender of the US Constitution.

Such people view me as a traitor.

My previous support for T**** was ALWAYS conditional. I've been following politics for decades, and spent some of that time working in it. Lawlessness and/or violence is a deal breaker for me. He broke his oath of office by not caring about his duties during the pandemic. Then:

He did it again by actively undermining the lawful democratic process, claiming without an iota of relevant, credible evidence, that the election was "stolen."

Then he planned, enabled, enjoyed, denied, condoned, and tried to cover up the deadly terrorist attack on 1/6.

So make no mistake: I am definitely NOT a supporter of the current Republican party, nor am I an adherent of liberal or left wing ideologies. I'm in the distinct minority now, which is fine.

I happen to agree with most of Margaret Atwood's words in the video clip.

IMO, the current R efforts to re-criminalize the elective termination of pregnancy should be fervently opposed & hopefully remedied when possible. Such a weighty issue (for a country as a whole) should be debated within democratic structures when they are working effectively.

When you're an indy, you typically don't adhere to either extreme on an issue. IMO, there is a middle ground where nuance can again be considered. Life is too complex for extreme, binary policy options to be the only ones on the table.

But this is where the US & others are now.

People with very strong views on either side of abortion law have had almost 50 years to debate and build support and reform the laws through Congress. Whether by statute or commencing a constitutional amendment process.

Rs are trying to do it by stealth at the state level...

While Ds appear to be semi-conscious and unable to resist what Rs are doing.

So, Atwood's call to action is spot-on.

Of course, abortion law is only one narrow part of all this.

I take issue with Atwood, a Canadian, characterizing the legacy of slavery as a uniquely American issue. Like me, she probably had ancestors who emigrated to the New World and benefited from a British Empire economy and society where slavery was only abolished in 1838.

Both extremes - denying US history & it's relevance today, or bashing the US from within it or from another country - are fundamentally flawed approaches.

The #BlackLivesMatter movement had a step-change in mid-2020, and people all over the world are reconsidering their views.

Rs have a set of cravenly dishonest talking points on every issue, whether it's the BLM movement, or abortion law, or how to conduct a lawful, consistent policy at international "ports of entry."

IMHO when Ds use the same tactic, it is way less destructive for the country.

I've always argued that foreign countries are so affected by US politics that benign participation from the sidelines is justified. I'm aware of the limits and I agree with them (eg no donating.)

There are many students of US history, politics & culture, & many personal ties.

R talking points about Atwood:

- She's Canadian
- Her novel is crappy
- Authors, artists etc have no credibility in policy debates
- (from 2017) "what rights have we taken away?" Few at that stage, but it was building up to 2020/21...

(continued R points):

- Antifa / BLM (insert into any issue)
- religious freedom (a flawed understanding of it)
- free speech (see above)
- the only reason you hate T**** is bc of his mean tweets (um, no lol)
- witch hunt (said unironically when THT is kind of about that.)

I played the video clip several times because Atwood skillfully says a lot in very few words. I considered the merits of the content of her arguments, nothing else.

She's been observing democracy for years and clearly understands the core issues now at stake. (No pun intended.)

I encourage you to do the same, wherever you are on the political spectrum.

IDC about the novel or the author's personal life. I care about the solid points I can glean from her & review alongside my constant thinking process on the subject.

The situation continues to worsen.

I keep one eye on New Zealand and one eye on the USA.

NZ is going great right now. An increasingly high vaccination rate, and finely tuned other pandemic response measures.

Violent, idiotic #ProCovid conspiracists don't get much support here.

I can't back away from caring about the USA. It's an older sibling on whom we have depended for national security in the past, and will again.

And anyway, #RightMatters.

Americans' struggle to protect the country from authoritarian takeover is urgent and vital for the world.

If I had to rely for my security on Putin, Xi, or Biden, I'm picking the guy wearing aviators and eating ice cream.

He's no JFK, FDR, or Abraham Lincoln. But he does give a damn about keeping his oath and trying to save lives.

END