In his latest and most excellent substack , Martin Geddes draws comparisons between today’s environment of “fifth generation, non-linear war” with the injuries/damage sustained during the blitz of London in WWII.
His descriptions hit home with me as I read once, twice, and for a third time, his assessment of how the current political landscape has affected many of us.
For myself, and I hate to admit it, I spend most days in a battle between pure, seething anger and breaking down in tears. This was manifest just yesterday whilst picking up new glasses. They were a disappointment. At first, I was so very irritated. How on earth could they be so careless? They showed me that it was not really a mistake but a new way of fabricating that I was not familiar with and they assured me that they would go back to the other method for me if I wanted, at no charge. They truly wanted me to be satisfied. “Try them out and bring back if you want.” Well, ok. And I left, and then the tears came. I just wanted simple glasses, no hassle, no trying out, no bringing back, nothing like that. Just the glasses. And so I cried. Neither of these reactions is appropriate to the situation. I know it. But I am so worn down. That’s where Geddes’ substack comes in. He describes why I am such a mess. We are in a very strange war without obvious wounds, but with continuous attacks every day. Not everyone sees it, but for those who do, it is pure hell. And it is pure war. And it is NOT politics. Or it ought not to be political.
I have had several discussions in the last year where someone has tried to shut down the conversation by saying something like “You mean because of the politics?”. You don’t want to go to this family gathering … because of the politics? You don’t feel welcome … because of the politics? You won’t hang out with XYZ … because of the politics? Well NO! It’s not because of the politics. It’s for many reasons but it’s not because of politics. This goes far beyond politics.
This goes to having good judgement, it goes to morality, it goes to common sense, and science.
It has been reported in congressional testimony that over 85,000 migrant children have been lost in the system since 2020. It is not known where these children have gone, but some are thought to have been sold for their labor. We can argue the politics of having an open southern border which allows for these kids to enter the United States. But it’s not politics to know that losing them and then selling them into slavery is dead wrong. Denying the problem is certainly not helpful. If these references are not enough, read between the lines to see where CBS has reported on this, likewise, the New York Times. This is a problem, a human problem, it’s not politics. It’s not a leap to acknowledge that kids being sold into the sex trade follows. Also, not politics. And it’s not politics when a well-made movie that exposes the ugly underbelly of the business of selling children is demonized as being part of a conspiracy theory. It is neither conspiracy nor theory. It is all too real. No, that is not politics at all, it is fear of exposure.
Kobe was not a happy boy. Effeminate and unsure of his sexuality, at age 11 and with the guidance of online strangers, Kobe told his parents he was a girl. Instead of taking an adult position, countering Kobe, perhaps getting some counseling for the boy, they took his word for it. As if an 11 year old child who has not yet gone through puberty even knows who he is. Like so many other parents today, they did not invoke common sense, they did not invoke science (chromosomes are chromosomes no matter what it looks like on the outside), they did not even invoke their own parenthood. Guided by online strangers, Kobe played the right cards, even threatening self harm, and began to chemically transition. Puberty blockers, estrogen, finally castration all by the age of 19 left Kobe mutilated for life, sterile, with osteoporosis and constant pain from the administration of estrogen. Today, Kobe is attempting to put his life back together, he is trying to “detransition” to the extent that he can, and re-capture old hobbies and things he used to enjoy before becoming obsessed with transition. It will be a long, hard road but he is not on it alone. Many who have gone down this road early in life are learning that they have been sold a bad deal.
That kids are having their lives ruined before they even have experienced puberty is a tragedy, not politics. The medical community does not help because transitioning leads to a lifetime of dependence on medicine. Hormones, pain medication, devices to simulate organs must all be maintained by medical “specialists” who thrive on the money. This is not politics, this is greed. It also drives up insurance costs as more and more insurance policies are paying for such support.
What does fall under the purview of politics is the appointment of a man who wears a dress, who takes hormones to look like a woman, who fully supports the transitioning of kids, to the positions of Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services and Admiral of the Navy. What is political is someone in this position announcing that if kids don’t start the transition process early enough, they may go through the wrong puberty! I am, of course, talking about Dr. R. Levine; I would like to explain to Dr. Levine that there is no such thing as the wrong puberty. If you are born with XX chromosomes, your body is pre-programmed for female puberty. If you are born with XY chromosomes, your body is pre-programmed for male puberty. This is science. There is no WRONG puberty. Puberty is hard. It’s hard for everyone. There is nothing about it that feels right. And some are more hard hit than others. But it isn’t wrong. Levine is pursuing a purely political agenda here and one that damages children. He is misleading parents who may believe his nonsense and these parents, who want only the best things for their kids, may end up causing irreparable harm following his advice. He is a political animal with a political agenda and he wants to pull more people into his sick lifestyle. That’s what’s political!
It’s also very political and very pandering that the military has adopted a position that is not only pro-transgender, but a position that could leave the US vulnerable to enemies as it is affirmed that the “transitioning process” may create conditions that leave the service member unable to be deployed. The information on military accomodations for transgender member can be found in the following documentation:
Defense Health Agency
PROCEDURAL INSTRUCTION
NUMBER 6025.21
May 12, 2023 DAD-MA
Guidance for Gender-Affirming Health Care of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Active and Reserve Component Service Members
The taxpayer is on the hook to pay for all treatment of transgender services which would extend into veterans services as well. As noted above, this is not trivial. This is a lifetime of specialized care. That the powers that be believe they can recruit non-deployable individuals for the military, give them a lifetime of transgender care that is, to me abhorrent, and put the safety of the US public at risk is inherently political. That it makes me angry and that I look at the people who put them in office and question their judgement is not political, it’s sensible.
But while some pre-pubescent kids are having their lives ruined, many others are not making it that far. A newborn baby is human and constitutes life. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that this helpless bundle is both worthy and in need of protection. This is not a political stance.
The politics come from the fact that I am consistently attacked for this position and told that I am a hater. These attacks come from (mostly) women who believe it should be their right as that baby’s mom to kill that child in the name of “Reproductive Health Care”, or “Women’s Health Care”. I am appalled at this position and I am likewise appalled at the readiness with which that nomenclature of “healthcare” is accepted. It is neither “healthy” nor “care” when a life is deliberately taken. Again, I reject this as political and call this morality, judgement and common sense, which is none too common today.
And it is to laugh that the nod to “Women’s Health Care” is met with such seriousness on the abortion front and yet trivialized when it comes to having to meet men on the sports field and calling it “fair competition”. I have to give the feminists their due. They have been shrieking for decades that women can do anything a man can do. The women are having to prove it in the swimming pool, on the track and in other venues of competitiveness now. And women are losing. They are also losing as men are admitted to beauty contests, locker rooms, spas and restrooms clearly marked “Ladies”. Men are even being admitted to women’s prisons and the birth rate is exploding! (How did that happen?) So no one really cares about women. Reverting to the abortion discussion, given that abortion often results in depression, real health care issues and given the dangers of the abortion pill, it’s pretty clear that abortion is not a magical solution for women. But it is touted as such because there is no real concern nor respect for life in our country. And there is little concern for women. For me, this is about supporting women, supporting life, and supporting fairness. If that makes me political, so be it. I call it rational. And I dislike that some are using women as political tools. But then, we always have been. In the past, however, we have hated it.
I have tried to not be political. For me it’s NOT political. It’s about letting kids be kids. And in my simple world, if you want to groom them for something else, then you are the problem. It’s about allowing babies to be born and live and grow. If they aren’t convenient to the mom, then let them be adopted. But we ought not kill them. This is not, to me, political, it is kind, generous, and yes, I will offer to help the mom in trouble. And it’s about letting women be women and men be men. When men want to be women and enter the world of women’s competition or prisons, that is just wrong. It’s a matter of right and wrong, not politics!
I am so sick of the eye rolls and the the dismissals of “you mean it’s the politics”. NO! It is NOT politics. It’s about right and wrong. It’s about judgement. It’s about not having to be so openminded that my brains fall out. That one party falls in line with the extremism more than the other only means that it is easier for me to vote. There is no love lost between me and the Republican Party. They are just slightly less crazy than democrats and a few of them make a lot of sense. Is it any wonder that all of us fighting this battle, Geddes’ non-linear war, are exhausted, angry, and frustrated? This enemy is leaving scars and wounds that will likely never heal. If it were just politics, it could be patched up. But it isn’t politics, it’s our values, our judgement, and our ability to deal with science and reality being attacked daily. How can I enjoy Christmas dinner with you if I don’t value your judgement, don’t respect you, and wouldn’t have lunch with you on any given Wednesday.
Thank you! You have said just what I needed to hear and have wanted to say. The craziness of this current world is not political. It's evil at work. And it destroys lives in many ways, even to discussions at family dinners. Thanks again, Lorene