The bonfire that is American politics.

It is moving SO fast. 3 days ago feels like 3 weeks and 3 weeks ago feels like 3 days ago. It has everyone’s heads spinning in every direction. Trying to stop the sparks from flying.

Every inch of the American political system is being hit. The blaze is growing from within and it is quickly turning into an inferno.

Every sector of American society is being hit financially. ie: farmers, tourism, manufacturing, education, Wall Street, you name it!

Every minority group (actual majority) is being hit constitutionally. Women, Hispanics' blacks, foreign students, children, seniors… They did not hit you yet? Don’t worry they are coming for you too, the minute you step out of line, the sparks will fly in your direction. The only safe place is to stand behind the people fanning the flames.

There is a part of me that keeps thinking the situation will slow down and turn around. Are you hoping for the same? Why does it seems to be getting worse. It’s not our imagination.

There is a civil war happening in congress and a race against time in the Supreme Court.

GOOD PEOPLE EVERYWHERE are just trying to figure what the next move in this chess game will be. But the people won’t win until the accept that they are not playing chess. It's not even checkers as some like to say. We NEED to understand that it's a relay race!

There should be no need TO SAY IT but I will anyway. CLEARLY There is NO regard from the top for people's right to due process or the law. They have proven it time and time again. We all see it but we can’t all believe it. There is an power drunk abuser in the White House!

The thing about the abuse of power and abusers in general is they condition you to not trust your own judgement. First they find a common enemy (the price of eggs, and trans people in sports) Once you are bonding and everyone is feeling heard and seen, they create an even bigger enemy (anyone who makes THEM and maybe you, feel small or dumb) and they convince you not trust the “enemy” (science, economist, educators…) but you can trust them, they will take care of you. They want you believing that all you have to do is relax and believe in them, they have it under CONTROL. It's been so long since you had a chance to relax, this feels nice and you start to let your guard down.

They tell you about all the complicated problems in the world. You feel good with them, knowing they have in under control. Of course you believe them, why would they lie? After all you are a good judge of character, you come from good honest hard working stock who believe in the American dream and way of life. They claim to love you because of it.

What they say makes so much sense. (They're mirroring your goodness back to you) Soon they get you all worked up about this, that and the other thing. Before you know it you’re angry at what every is making them angry... well maybe not everything that is making them upset, but you love them so you humour them.

One day (Voting day) they force you to pick them of be left out in the cold. So you wrap your identity to theirs. You are finally invited to a cookout. For a while you enjoy the heat of their fire and you roast marshmallows and hotdogs and get a little tipsy while listen to their stories. Slowly you start to realise they are no longer mad about the price of eggs and fentanyl. Suddenly they are talking shit about your friends and co workers who were not invited. How they are the abusers, they are the real enemy , and soon everyone who is not them and you of course, are the enemy. Soon talk around the fire is about illegals who are murder and rapists... to migrant workers.. to latinos... to foreigners... globalists...your democratic neighbors. You are told there a real monsters in the dark just beyond the light and the safety of their bonfires flames. “Don't let the fire go out!” You think to yourself.

You went from feeling on top of the world and super charged by your new empowered identity that is all about faith, patriotism and for once you find yourself on the winning team, to feeling scared, angry, confused and suddenly very vulnerable. The flames from the fire are getting bigger and it's getting too hot.

You try to take a step back when you realized something is off. Your loyalty is not being rewarded, the person you believed in and trusted steps away from between you and the fire and the flames inch ever closer. They are now standing behind you and using you to protect themselves from the flames. Everyone is now getting burned as the flame grow higher and higher consuming everything in their path. You realize the flames are everywhere. It’s confusing. How did this happen? Why are you no longer being protected?

YOU'RE LOYAL. You are one of the good ones, not like the other scary monsters.

Even though you feel the heat from the flames you decide you're going to stick with it and see it through, It is your moment to protect them from the flames. You are tough, It just takes resolve, you are a true PATRIOT through and through. Sometimes love hurts you tell yourself.  Your body is feeling anxious, you're feel angry at others who are turning and running away from the now RAGING INFERNO. You stand there sweating when you feel a shove from behinds as you are pushed into the fire without even a bucket of water. Instead you are handed a bigger fan to blow the flames away from you. At this point you realise it is the only way to save yourself from the fire. You watch everything and everyone burn and you know it will soon be you.

This is cognitive dissonance. Your head is telling you one thing but your heart is telling you another. You no longer know what to think of feel and you find yourself frozen not knowing which way to turn, who to trust or what to believe. You keep fanning the flames hoping to save yourself, knowing that if you had only left when you had the chance.

You eventually become to tired to keep fanning and you give up. It’s TOO Late!

Any abuse survivor knows the hardest part of leaving an abusive situation is the internal fight you have with your own mind.

In order to decide to leave you have to morn the loss of the shared fantasy, you have to walk away from someone who seemed to know you so well and made you feel seen.

You have to come to terms with the fact that they never loved or respected you but were only using you to control you, to have their needs met. You NEVER MATTERED TO THEM.

Leaving an abusive relationship is very dangerous. That is when they want to destroy you most because they can no longer control you. Their flying monkey’s ( those still loyal) will attack you mentally, emotionally and maybe even push you right into the fire. They will brand you as a traitor to justify their hate. THEY WILL CALL YOU CRAZY AND A LIAR.

If you are a republican going through this right now it might seem like the democrats hate you. I'm not going to lie, some do, because they feel betrayed by the fact that you fanned the flames in their direction rather than pour water on the fire. YOU HURT THEM and did not stand up for them, when they have been shouting from the rooftops, The WHITE HOUSE IS ON FIRE. They shouted so loud and for so long they have lost their voices trying to get your attention. You could not hear them because they were shouting against the wind while you were standing behind the fan that was blowing hot air and pushing the flames.

The Americans people are desperately trying to put out the inferno but they need everyone to work together before the whole house burns to the ground. If the folks in the Oval Office can’t rule the house they will burn it down despite themselves and take everyone down with them. Like a jilted lover who shoots their family rather than live with their hurt and shame of loss. It's a classic abuse story.

Abusers are very clever and manipulative until you figure them out. In reality they are dumb as f()ck and they know it. Their only real skill is manipulation and no empathy. Their biggest fear is that you will see them for who they really are. Unlovable because they are incapable of genuine love and respect for others. They see trust as a weakness to be exploited. After reading this you might think they are the real monster in the darks standing just beyond the light of the flames, when in reality they are just scared cowards hiding under the covers. The covers they use to fan the flames.

Once you know their pattern you can see them coming a mile away.

You win by take away your energy, time and attention. You will know this is the truth and they start to implode. When DARVO (deny, attack, reverse victim & offender) becomes their main communication style. This is your confirmation that you are not crazy. Spotting DARVO is the listening skill we all need to develop.

My thought genuinely and sincerely go out to all Republican who are waking up to this reality. I’m telling you that yes you may have voted for this administration, but I don’t think you are bad people. In fact it’s the total opposite. I think you are probably some of the finest, hard working, family oriented, community driven people I know. I think you have strong principles and are very patriotic folks. Republicans & Democrats bring balance to politics and there is NOTHING wrong with that. It is ok and even healthy to change your mind. Especially if you are A BIGOT.

If you are not a bigot and care about the rights of your mother's, wives and daughters, if you stand with hard working people regardless of race, who want to share in the American dream, you believe Native Americans have equal rights and a place at the political table, and if you love your children unconditionally and are sick to death of kids wearing bullet proof back packs to school. You think seniors and everyone's 401k should have some protection and of course veterans & military service people deserve the UTMOST RESPECT. Then guess what, you have more in common with your democrat neighbors than you think. In fact most people are not that far apart in what they need to survive and thrive. It's time that we start focusing on the things that unite us and work on lifting each other up and out of adversarial thinking. If you can get on board with this...

There is no enemy except the ones that are playing everyone against each other.

GOOD PEOPLE EVERYWHERE NEED TO SAY IT CLEARLY. NO!

THE WHITE HOUSE IS ON FIRE AND GOOD PEOPLE EVERYWHERE NEED TO STAND UP AGAINST THE ABUSE OF POWER FOR EVERYONE'S SAKE.