6/13/2025

 Friday, June 13, 2025

D+198/131/1317

In bed at 9, awake and up at 3:55.  55°, high of 64°, wind chill 47°, cloudy, partly cloudy day.

Kevzara, day 4/14; Trulicity, day 1/7; morning meds at 56 a.m.; Blink pill at 6 a.m.; Eye wipes at 7:20  a.m. and   p.m.; Eye mask at 7:30 a.m. and p.m./ Eye ointment at bedtime.  I missed the eye ointment again last night.  It's a challenge being alert enough and awake enough and not intent on crashing into bed to deal with washing up and putting ointment on the inside of my eyelid.  

Sarah arrives today on her around-the-world trip.        

I'm having problems with my vision.  First, it was floating medallion-like things early this morning.  Also, my right eyelid wants to shut, making me rely solely on my left eye.  I have to consciously keep the right eyelid open.  It seems to be mostly a problem while reading, as opposed to looking long distances.  Also, the persistent problem with a piece of grit in my right eye continues, a serious problem with driving.

Jan Anderson's FB post about the manhandling of Senator Padilla; my comment   

This is what happens when you disagree with the Trump administration these days. When you ask questions they don’t like. If it can happen to a sitting Senator, what will happen to you?

On the bright side, at least Sen. Padilla isn’t a puppy…

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Z95ssU1vw/?mibextid=wwXIfr

That's a great line about the puppy but I know your point is very serious and I certainly agree. One of the characteristics of the interwar development of fascism was the use of force and the everpresent threat of the use of force to silence and punish dissent, disagreement, and disobedience. Trump, Vance, Noem, Bondi, Patel, and Hegseth are well aware of this. Political opponents and adversaries are never merely opponents and adversaries, but rather are enemies to be countered by force and the threat of force. This was but one example. Sending soldiers and Marines into LA was another. There will be more. It's the nature of the beast. We are in deep trouble.

 I'm worried that tomorrow will be a worse-than-nasty day.  While Trump will be reveling in his birthday parade and making thousands of soldiers march by his reviewing stand like mechanical soldiers, dutifully turning their heads toward him at the command "Eyes right!" saluting to him as they pass, tens of thousands of other Americans will be gathering in cities and towns across the country demonstrating their opposition to what Trump is doing to and with the armed forces and with federal law enforcement agencies.  Perhaps all the ordered and obsequious military pageantry in Washington will be enough to deflect his ire about those "No Kings" counter-demonstrations everywhere else in his realm, and probably there will be too many of them for him to crack down on them and show them who's boss, but perhaps not.   My greater fear is that some fellow fascisti, official and/or unofficial, or in combination, will attack the anti-Trumpers.  That is the kind of conflict a contemporary civil war will look like, not states against states, but fascists and anti-fascists battling each other and sabotaging each other's efforts to gain or maintain power, by arson, bombing, assassinations, hacking, doxing, etc.  I note that today the Missouri governor, a Republican, has activated the state's National Guard in advance of tomorrow's No Kings rallies across the state.

 Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) on Thursday declared a state of emergency and activated the state’s National Guard in anticipation of protests across the state — and in response to “civil unrest” across the country. . .  

“While other states may wait for chaos to ensue, the State of Missouri is taking a proactive approach in the event that assistance is needed to support local law enforcement in protecting our citizens and communities,” he added. 

 “Mayor Lucas is concerned with enhanced state enforcement for one set of protestors, but no action or aid to local law enforcement when Neo-Nazis march through Missouri’s urban streets,” the statement reads. “The Mayor has confidence in responsible protestors to use their First Amendment rights peacefully and in compliance with the law. More than one thousand Kansas Citians protested peacefully and responsibly just days ago.”

This is another form of repression.  When anti-fascists gather to protest, military men with long rifles and armored vehicles surround them.  When fascists march, no interference.  When thousands of insurrectionists stormed the Capitol on January 6, instigated by Donald Trump and shouting "Where's Nancy" and "Hang Mike Pence," no National Guard, no soldiers, no Marines to help the outnumbered Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police.  Trump sat in his lunchroom off the Oval Office and watched the television as the crimes were committed.  Of course, that was different.  That mob was pro-Trump.  Tomorrow's peace-minded demonstrators are anti-Trump.   

Israel and Iran are attacking each other.  After Gaza and the settlers in the West Bank, after Netanyahu, Smotrich, and Ben-Gvir, it's tempting to say 'Go, bear.  Go, mother-in-law.'  But after all of Iran's aggression by proxy against Israel over so many years, I can't blame Israel for doing what it can to bring Iran to its knees, at least for a time.