The show Stranger
Things was what got me hooked on Netflix. In fact, for the longest
time the Netflix opening music was something I associated with
Stranger Things. If you haven’t seen the show I will give you a
brief synopsis. It is set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana
in the 1980’s. I would describe is as a sci-fi fantasy revolving
around a group of young friends who turn investigators when one of
their own goes missing. They discover that he has been kidnapped by
a monster(they ultimately name Vecna) that lives in another dimension
called the Upside-Down. The Upside-Down is Hawkins only a more
sinister Hawkins, with Vecna and his minions, whom they call
Demogorgons, from their Dungeon and Dragons role playing game,
inhabiting it. They ultimately meet a mysterious girl named Eleven,
whom they call El, who has rather unusual powers. It soon becomes
apparent that she is connected to the Upside-Down and its denizens.
I will leave it at that, since there are too many plot twists to do justice here in this small space. The final season is excellent so far. They will release the season in phases, the next one due this month.
But you may wonder why I mention Stranger Things here, as lately I have been taken up with the horrible events transpiring in the United States. It is because I realized that currently I feel like we have been overrun by monsters, who are controlled by one monster, Donald Trump(Vecna), who are dragging us all into the Upside-Down. It seems to get worse every day with the Supreme Court now rubber-stamping whatever Trump wants, regardless of whether it is really legal or even morally right. Or at least that is the way it seems to me.
I am looking forward to the rest of the final season of Stranger Things. Maybe there will be some ideas on how we can fight our own monsters. Or maybe it will just take my mind off our current horror.
Meanwhile, this song got a lot of play because of the show. I feel like we are all running up that hill.
I wanted to write about this movie, but I happened to see it the same weekend as the No Kings protests. I don’t know if it is still in theaters, but I wanted to post about it anyway. It is based on a true story that occurred during World War II in Germany. It is about a young man, I cannot say boy because he was much more mature than that, who decided to stand up and speak the truth. It is not easy to stand against a government that has no shame or integrity. It is not easy to stand when you run the risk of being eliminated for having the audacity to speak against a selfish, narcissistic, authoritarian leader who does not care about his country’s people and treats them like his serfs.
Here is the trailer:
I think this scene says everything:
No, it is not easy to stand with integrity for values that so many people seem to find disposable. This young man is a lesson to us all. If you can find the movie, I recommend it.
Last Saturday was the No Kings protests. As before, I went to my local protest. Probably the biggest difference from last time was the number of people. This time there were more. Now, I can’t say why, it may have been because last time they attempted to cancel the protests in Minnesota because of the Hortman murders, which happened in the early hours of that day. Or it may be because of something else. Personally, I hope it was because of something else. Given that the number of events was up nationwide I do think there was something else behind the higher turnout.
The crowd was peaceful, with a bit of a festive air. Costumes were common. I saw an eagle, a bear, a couple of chickens, six unicorns and a taco. Yes, a taco. That one was unique and from what I overheard homemade. A number of frog hats were being worn by organizers. They had music and chants. “This is what democracy looks like” was a favorite.
The signs included the normal; “Resist”, “No Kings”, “No Faux King Way”, “Save Democracy”, “Hands Off” (an obvious recycled sign from an earlier protest) etc. But some people came up with some very clever ideas: “Make Nazis Afraid Again”, “Where is Christ in Christian Nationalism? Following Christ means protecting the vulnerable NOT Punishing Them! STOP weaponizing the Christian faith to harm others!” (a crowd favorite judging by the number of photos taken) and “Honk if you’re NOT in the Epstein files” (a personal favorite). I made a new sign, using the traditional “Liberty and Justice for All” on one side (others used that too) and “Tariffs are a Tax on You & Me!”. As before, if I thought a vehicle passing held Trumpers I showed the “Tariff” side, thinking maybe they would actually care about their pocketbook, if not democracy. My unscientific poll of passing vehicles showed a lower rate of occupants giving us the finger or the thumbs down. There were still some who did the roaring engine thing. But over all there was a more positive response. Someone drove by with a Biden head placard, which I really loved. It was like Grandpa Joe was with us. Despite his cognitive decline, a still normal president from the good old days.
Here is a small video of Minnesota protests:
This video is of a more rural area of my state. Trump country. Rural areas will be impacted a great deal from the cuts to Medicaid and the ACA.
On Saturday, October 18, 2025 there will be another No Kings protest nationwide. We are calling all American’s who are concerned with the path Trump has placed our country on to come out and join us.
I have watched with horror as Trump has called out our National Guard and ICE to go to American cities in the guise of cracking down on crime or to deport those he has deemed unwelcome in our country. He has ginned up division and violence to suite his agenda, withholding funds already approved by Congress that help our country function. He has sowed chaos with his haphazard economic and foreign affairs policies.
He is threatening the American people with draconian federal job cuts because the Democrats, finally, stood up and said enough is enough to his cuts to health insurance and Medicaid. Trump has shown time and time again that he does not care about the majority of Americans. He has ignored the law and does exactly as he pleases regardless. The only true thing he has said was that he would be dictator on day one.
So, if you are as concerned about Trump’s behavior, as well as that of the Republicans who are enabling him, please think about coming out on October 18th to show your support for our Constitution and the ideals our country was founded on.
You can search for an event near you on the No Kings website by putting in your zip code, or clicking on one of the dots on the map. Given the number of events, the zip code search may be more useful.
On September 10, 2025 Charlie Kirk was shot and killed. I had no clue who he was. I do not frequent college campuses or listen to right wing media. Those were apparently Charlie’s stomping grounds. On this same day there was another shooting at a school in Colorado. The Kirk shooting seemed to overshadow that. It also seemed to get far more attention than the assassination of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband earlier this year, at least in MAGA world. So I felt I had to do some research and see who Charlie Kirk was.
I listened to a couple “debates” he engaged in with college students as well as a Q and A he and his wife did for a gathering of young conservative women. I also listened to his show centering around the engagement of Taylor Swift. I am not actually a Swiftie per se, but I do like her. My feeling was that his ultimate goal in the debates was not to exchange ideas, for he was very good at interrupting his opponents and not listening, but to convert those he spoke with, or those who were listening, to his way of thinking. He was proselytizing under the guise of debate. His other venues were just other platforms for him to showcase his ideas, which would be why he was doing them.
I found this debate at Cambridge rather interesting. It’s short.
Here is an interview with Tilly, who participated in that debate. It is rather long, but an interesting analysis of the debate and, perhaps, how the left can try to counter some of the conservative right’s ideas.
One of the points I found interesting in the analysis was that when trying to counter the conservative right’s ideas it might be a good idea to try to paint a picture of what those ideas would look like in real life.
I think that what Charlie Kirk was advocating for was a time when women had little or no rights and were treated as little more than chattel by their husbands. Rather like Afghanistan is today. Or perhaps as written in “A Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood. Not a world I would like to live in being a woman. For the most part I think I would have issues with a lot of what Charlie Kirk was supporting.
Since Kirk’s murder the responses have been extreme, either crass glee by his detractors or intense grief by his fans. Again, Trump and his supporters have played the divisive card, vilifying everyone on the left as being the cause of Kirk’s death. I beg to differ, the cause of his death was a young man with a gun. A young man whose motive is really yet to be determined, despite all the speculation, as he isn't talking.
Supposedly Charlie Kirk believed in freedom of speech. If that really was the case he must be horrified at the extreme measures his followers are taking to smother it.
Resistance becomes duty. The title plus the first sentence is a quote that some attribute to Thomas Jefferson. Although there is no evidence that he actually wrote that, he did help write this:
"...when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government..."
We are seeing here the start of that “long train of abuses” and with it we are starting to see that resistance to them. It is our duty as citizens to stand up for our country and her ideals. If we do not, how can we call ourselves American?
Words of advice:
Speaking out:
Showing up In
Tennessee:
Protesting In song:
Oh, those trolls:
It doesn't matter how big or small the contribution to our resistance, it only matters that we do it together. This is our country.
