This is Fascism.

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

“In what ways specifically is the second Trump administration acting like a fascist regime?” ~ question to ChatGPT

The second Trump administration has implemented several policies and actions that critics argue exhibit characteristics commonly associated with fascist regimes:

1. Pardoning January 6 Participants: In his first week back in office, President Trump issued pardons to approximately 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol attack. This move has been interpreted as condoning political violence and undermining democratic institutions

2. Withdrawal from International Agreements: The administration withdrew from the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement, actions that signal a retreat from global cooperation and a preference for unilateral decision-making. 

3. National Emergency on Migration: Declaring a national emergency on migration, the administration sought to cancel birthright citizenship and suspended refugee admissions, reflecting nativist and exclusionary policies

4. Attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives: The administration has aggressively targeted DEI programs, rescinding long-standing anti-discrimination executive orders and mandating investigations into DEI practices in the private sector. Critics argue that this undermines civil rights protections and could lead to systemic discrimination. 

5. Anti-Transgender Policies: An executive order was issued recognizing only “two sexes, male and female,” affecting policies related to passports and access to single-sex spaces. This move has been condemned by advocacy groups as discriminatory and regressive. 

6. Consolidation of Power and Suppression of Dissent: The administration enacted executive orders targeting undocumented immigrants, canceling federal diversity programs, and removing anti-corruption inspectors. A significant purge of senior officials and attempts to control government spending have been perceived as efforts to consolidate power and suppress dissent

7. Dehumanizing Rhetoric: The administration’s rhetoric has increasingly dehumanized political opponents and marginalized groups, with President Trump referring to adversaries as “vermin” and employing language reminiscent of authoritarian regimes

These actions have led to widespread concern among scholars, political analysts, and human rights organizations, who argue that the administration is exhibiting traits characteristic of fascist regimes, including authoritarianism, suppression of dissent, and the erosion of democratic norms.

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Best Picture – update #1

Because we are old (kids grown) and have plenty of time, my husband and I try to see all the Best Picture nominees before the Academy Awards broadcast in March.

So far, we’ve seen 7 of the 10. Here are my quick (very unprofessional) reviews.

ANORA – Haven’t seen it yet

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN – I really liked it! I thought Ed Norton and Timothée Chalamet were fantastic as Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan. I have always liked folk music, so the history of the social justice grounding of the movement was interesting to me. My husband, who is more of a punk/hardcore guy, thought it was a bit boring and melodramatic.

THE BRUTALIST – Really good. It’s actually worth sitting in a movie theater for 3.5 hours to see this epic film. (There is an intermission to get up and stretch your legs.) Adrian Brody is fantastic. It’s a think piece. And worth seeing on the big screen for the Carrera (Italy) scenes alone. It will give you something to talk about at dinner. Brutalist style architecture is currently on Trump’s enemies list, so it’s au courant as well. If The Brutalist wins Best Picture, I’ll be OK with it.

CONCLAVE – I already posted about this film. We both liked it. Ralph Fiennes is terrific as the Head Cardinal in charge of overseeing the weird, secretive process the Catholic Church uses to pick a new pope. The scenes of Rome at night and the interior of the Vatican were my favorite parts. Isabella Rossellini plays a woman with the no real power (it’s the Catholic Church after all) but she plays her small part convincingly. I don’t really think it should win Best Picture, but who knows…

DUNE: PART TWO – Neither of us liked it. It’s long and boring and not our genre. In my opinion this movie is for younger people. All effects, no heart.

EMILIA PÉREZ – Really good! And so unusual. My husband said it was the only musical he’s ever truly liked. They don’t burst into big voice belting, but just kind of quietly sing/talk at key moments. It’s very effective. I actually wish we’d seen it on a big screen rather than on TV. There are a lot of dark scenes in Mexico City that would’ve been cool to see in a big dark theater. Women play all the major roles, so it passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors. I’m definitely OK with this one winning Best Picture.

I’M STILL HERE – Haven’t seen it yet

NICKEL BOYS – Haven’t seen it yet

THE SUBSTANCE – This is a horror movie people! Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are fantastic, but I had to close my eyes a LOT. It’s “body horror” so a lot of gross stuff happens. If you’re OK with that, it’s worth seeing. There are a whole lot of women (including some I know and love) who put tremendous effort and money into defying nature with Botox and fillers, crazy face and body treatments, and actual scalpel surgeries. It’s a window into this mentality that goes completely off the rails as the movie progresses. Not Best Picture material, but worth streaming. (Also, tidbit for GenXers: Margaret Qualley is Andy McDowell’s daughter! She’s gorgeous like her mom, but in a completely different way.)

WICKED – I’ve already posted about Wicked. I loved it! It probably won’t win Best Picture because it was a huge blockbuster, but it probably should because it brought so much enjoyment, just like Barbie did last year. As previously mentioned, my husband doesn’t like musicals and even he said Wicked was “good.” From the moment Ariana Grande dropped down into Oz (a land of gingers) in a pink soap bubble carriage, I was all in.

Boston City Hall is the most well-known example of Brutalist architecture in Massachusetts.

Haiku: Week One

Each new outrage sears

As they are designed to do 

If you can’t watch, breathe 

Week One of having a rapist and convicted felon in the White House has sent me back to meditation. I’m fortunate that my minister holds weekly online guided meditation for free. She talks for a bit and then we sit in shared silence, paying attention to our breathing, for about 30 minutes. When a thought pops in, I try to just notice it, then let it float away and return to my breath or mantra. The mantra I’ve been using is “Be Here Now.”

Image from Pexels

What exactly did he say?

From People magazine:

The Republican vice presidential candidate said that having a grandparent around the house made his son “a much better human being.” He continued, “And the evidence on this, by the way, is, like, super clear.

“That’s the whole purpose of the postmenopausal female in theory,” Weinstein interjects, as Vance says, “Yes.”

As a post-menopausal female, I can tell you that seeing my granddaughter once a week (and providing my daughter a bit of support by way of groceries, baked goods, diaper changing, etc) IS the greatest joy in my life right now.

Have I told you how absolutely adorable my granddaughter is??? I miss her the minute I get home. She is just the cutest little snuggle bunny ever! And her mommy is doing such a great job taking care of her, that I can truly just do the fun stuff like look at board books with her, stage monthly thematic photo shoots, and dance with her in the kitchen.

I know that I have been given a great gift in that I had the financial ability to retire “early” at about the same time I became a grandma. And also, that my daughter and her family live nearby.

So back to JD. I don’t like him. He’s an arrogant little shit who reminds me of the worst millennial coworkers I ever had. (They think they know everything.) But, unlike some of my friends, I’m just gonna let that particular comment go. We have much bigger problems now.

Muffins and Thoughts

I may turn this into a baking blog for the next four years.

As the holidays are over, I wanted to veer away from decadent cookies, and try some healthier stuff. I’ve always liked “morning glory” muffins and this recipe from Sally is a winner. They are moist and delicious. I never make recipes with 18(!) ingredients, but I happened to have most of them in the house already. The only things I had to go buy was ground flax seed and unsweetened apple sauce. I substituted coconut flakes for the pecans, because I am allergic to tree nuts.

Random thoughts from the past two days:

I didn’t watch the inauguration live, but the photos were unavoidable. Melania’s hat was a lousy choice for an indoor inauguration. Even if the inauguration had been outside, she did not need a brim that wide! She looked so severe and frankly, mean, in that navy blue get-up. Major Cruella de Vil vibes.

The Washington DC Episcopalian Bishop has balls, asking Trump to his face to have mercy on the people he attacks. Good for her!

Finally, I loved AOC’s response to all the inquiries about whether or not she was attending the inauguration: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFB3HenR4az/?igsh=MTRuY29xeXc0am51YQ==

Alt-inauguration

OK, I know I live in a deep blue Massachusetts bubble, but I have not heard of one single person who plans to watch Donald Trump’s inauguration tomorrow.

Feelings seem to range from benign avoidance to disgust and true nausea that it’s being held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

I don’t think I’ve skipped watching an American presidential inauguration in the past 30 years. They are part of American history. Hell, I’d normally watch for the cold-weather women’s fashions alone. The coats! The gloves! The hats!

But I will not be watching this one. And I’m just so relieved Michelle Obama is skipping it too.

My alt-inauguration plan is to go see a midday matinee of The Last Showgirl, starring Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis, in a movie theater with my husband. Anderson’s performance is getting good reviews and since she’s the estranged ex-wife of Trump inaugural performer Kid Rock, it seemed like a great choice.

What’s your alt-inauguration plan? Or are you planning to watch?

Michelle Obama’s 2009 inauguration look
Michelle Obama’s 2013 inauguration look
I loved Kamala’s purple coat in 2021
And then there was this. Possibly the worst look ever worn to a presidential inauguration.

The hostages are free!

Sometimes your little life overlaps with historic events.

I’ve already written about the nation’s bicentennial and how I was there to see President Ford speak at the Old North Bridge in Concord in April 1976. I was ten.

I was reminded of another historic event while watching President Carter’s funeral this week—the Iranian hostage crisis (1979-81). American GenXers will remember this because it was such a BIG deal. Everyone knew about it. Yellow ribbons were everywhere.

In a nutshell: In November 1979, Iranian militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage, including Bill Keough, a former school superintendent in my town. The hostage takers were mad at the U.S. for supporting the deposed “Shah” of Iran.

They kept those poor people captive for 444(!) days—in very harsh conditions—led by the evil “Ayatollah Khomeini.” (Every GenXer knows how to say that guy’s name because it was on the news every single night.) Diplomatic efforts failed, and a U.S. military rescue mission, Operation Eagle Claw, ended in disaster in April 1980, killing eight servicemen. This severely damaged President Jimmy Carter’s administration and contributed to his loss in the 1980 election. The hostages were released on January 20, 1981, just minutes after Ronald Reagan’s inauguration, following the signing of the Algiers Accords (for which the Carter administration did all the legwork).

When the hostages were finally released, everyone watched with bated breath and there was widespread jubilation, especially in my town where we knew one of them! My high school marching band was invited to participate in a massive homecoming parade for Mr. Keough.

As one of the “goose-fleshed majorettes,” I mainly remember how COLD it was. I was 16, with not an ounce of fat on me, wearing a short little dress and holding a cold metal stick — in Massachusetts in FEBRUARY. Having recently compared notes with one of the “rosy-cheeked trumpeters,” I was reminded that our band director Mr. Toland made a last-minute decision to nix “The Empire Strikes Back” (one of our favorite numbers to perform) as we approached the grandstand. I guess he “read the room” and realized Darth Vader’s theme song was not the thing to play when celebrating triumph over the actual Evil Empire (Iran).

I was not political in high school. My parents didn’t talk much about politics (possibly because they were on opposite sides of the fence) and I cared way more about my hair than inflation or gas prices. But watching President Carter’s moving funeral, I was struck by how little credit he got for the hostage release. In The Boston Globe article above, Mr. Keough gave President Carter and his team full credit and gratitude for getting him home:

“Keough took the occasion, as he would again at a ceremony after the parade, to praise the handling of the hostage crisis by former President Jimmy Carter and his negotiating team “even in the face of personal disasters in their own careers.” “We are thankful that our President made the right decisions all along the way.” he said, adding his “eternal gratitude to the eight young men who died trying to rescue us and who will live in my memory and I hope in yours.”

GenX, if you didn’t get a chance to watch President Carter’s funeral and have time for only one clip, I suggest you watch President Ford’s eulogy, delivered by his son Steve. It’s hard to imagine that this level of grace and humility in politics existed in our lifetime.

Here I am in my skinny majorette days practicing with the marching band.

New Year’s feelings

This New Year’s is getting me down. I had so hoped that 2025, the year I turn 60, would be the year we’d finally stop seeing his ridiculous orange face and hearing his racist, lying voice forever. I had thought if we could just get through the November election, he’d fade from our consciousness. I worked hard to try to make that happen.

Instead, the shitshow continues. All the anger, fear and bitterness of the past nine years is back. I’m suspicious of old friends who seem to blame all their problems on immigrants. I’m worried that racism or god forbid—gun violence—is going to affect my family. I’m so sad for the planet. I’m scared that our new leaders are truly just self-dealers.

I used to want to try to make the world a better place for all our children and grandchildren. Now I just want to try to protect my own children and grandchild in whatever way I can.

All the expansive positivity, American pride, and hopefulness for all women I felt watching Kamala Harris accept her nomination for president is gone.

I am taking solace in the unparalleled personal, private, internal joy of becoming a grandmother. Maybe my love for this one child will save me.

The first time I got to hold my granddaughter was magical. I loved her immediately. (Photo taken by my daughter 9.24.24)