ENOUGH, DAMMIT!

Break time over: Time to stand up, fight back, and start doing the leading instead of the following; It's easier than you think ...

Attention, shoppers:

The sell-by date is officially up for Americans telling me they just can't pay attention to what is happening in this country right now, because it is all just too much to take; or because they are tired; or because there’s nothing we can do about it; or because it’s time for somebody else to care for awhile …

Admit it, you know these people. I run into ‘em all the time, and I am officially done being polite and sympathetic.

And who knows, you might even be one yourself. Not likely, though, if you are still wading into this place, where fire-breathing is a practiced art of relaxation.

Point is, it’s time for everybody to sharpen those elbows, pick themselves up and get to work. It’s been almost three months since the soul-sucking November election, and nobody has time to sit around moping and feeling sorry for themselves anymore.

If you are mad, I get that emotion. If you are sad, I get that one, too. If you are angry, well, that’s the ticket ...

Look, our economy is in a free-fall, and an unelected racist, South African billionaire has turned loose his rancid little 22-year-old pock-faced Orcs on our government computer systems where they are mining our data, to do God knows what nefarious things with.

And why hasn’t Elon Musk been arrested for this? That’s a serious question, that could use answering, corporate media.

Maybe instead of bombing us with all your damn alerts that are telling us what Trump is doing to batter us by the hour, explain to your audiences WHY he is doing these things. What value is it to HIM to have access to OUR social security numbers?

Why just this morning, 1,000 of workers at the EPA are being threatened with firing if they continue to protect us from the ravages of climate change and their work to keep our air and water clean. Who benefits from THAT? There’s a meaty story for the enterprising journalist out there …

IGs have gotten whacked with no explanation in the middle of the night, our FBI is under siege, raiders are infiltrating government offices stealing Americans’ personal information, and compromised politicians are doing NOTHING.

Sometimes you don't pick the fight, good people, the fight picks you. So get up, and start hitting back, dammit.

When you are done reading this blast, I’d be appreciative if you’d call your representatives in Congress. It takes but a minute and the emotional return and satisfaction is worth the time. Here’s the national number: (202) 224-3121.

And if you are saying, “Well, shoot, my rep is a MAGA, so …” I am telling you that you need to be calling more than anybody. Because if that SOB hears from enough unhappy people in his/her district they might do the most natural thing in the world for a politician and do whatever is necessary to save their own ass.

If you are lucky enough to get a live person on the line, be polite but unload on them just the same, because as hard as I am being on my friends who are tired right now, it’s the damn politicians who I really have in my sights.

This might be the most feeble, weak response to the end of America as we know it, that I could have ever imagined.

Democratic “leadership” has neutered itself, and put a gun to their own damn heads. Worse, they have forgotten they work of US. So call them, dammit. Again, be polite, but let them have it: (202) 224-3121.

Say this to them:

"A NAZI-LOVING BILLIONAIRE DOES NOT BELONG INSIDE OUR GOVERNMENT OR ANYWHERE NEAR OUR MONEY OR PERSONAL INFORMATION. JUST WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ABOUT THIS?"

If they don’t have an answer, then tell them that you are done answering their relentless fundraising messages and calls.

And, say, have you been getting these? While they are busy doing nothing, they apparently have all the time in the world to send out fundraising blasts. I am in the process of stopping every one of these damn messages that comes at me right now. Turns out, I was into a helluva lot of them.

Well, not anymore.

I’ve come back to the realization that this time, it is all going to be on us to stop this madness. We are under attack, and our representatives can either do their fucking jobs, or get the hell out of the way.

(But don’t stop calling them, because, again, if nothing else it will make you feel better: (202) 224-3121)

Over the course of the weekend, I started to see a decided uptick in the anger and energy toward doing something — anything — to fight back. There is word of work stoppages, general strikes and marches.

As long as there is a will there is a way, and I am starting to see our will return.

But if this is STILL sounding too big and hurried for your tastes, and I am wearing out my welcome here, please do this: Pick a local cause that is near and dear to you and get involved, because if everybody would deal with the problems in their own backyards, the whole neighborhood would be better for it.

Listen to me: I am not unsympathetic to what you are going through. I truly do understand it if some of you aren’t feeling it after reading this plea. We all have our different levels of pain tolerance, and there has been a lot of pain being dealt to us right now from a racist convicted felon, who has managed to rig the game.

I am admittedly a hard-headed dude, and have the scars to prove it. But I’m right about this one, friends, we need to punch back NOW.

There are far more people with a helluva lot more to lose than many of you, who have been on the frontlines fighting their tails off for decades. I’m looking at you, Black women. You have consistently been right on target with your vote more than any group in our nation’s history.

Time and time again you show up, show out, and illustrate what real patriots look like. Whenever I slide toward feeling sorry myself, I think of you, and get right but quick.

Whatever kind of motivation it takes for you, dear reader, to get up and fight back, find it now.

But if time is still what you need, then take all you want, but don’t you dare complain when everything else is gone.

(D. Earl Stephens is the author of “Toxic Tales: A Caustic Collection of Donald J. Trump’s Very Important Letters” and finished up a 30-year career in journalism as the Managing Editor of Stars and Stripes. You can find all his work here, and follow him on Bluesky here.)