Deadly Rain in Texas Was Caused by Forecasting Abilities Shredded by MAGA Ignorance (aka DOGE)
🌪 This Reckoning Was Foretold
This isn’t just a story about weather. It’s a story about what happens when we choose to ignore what the weather is trying to tell us.
In my book Sapience: The Moment Is Now, book one opens with a memory. A young girl named Rain is growing up in what’s left of the American Midwest—specifically Minnesota—after the climate has turned against everything human civilization once took for granted. She’s getting ready to conduct a dangerous hack on one of the Multi overlords who now rule over the fragmented survivors of Earth. But before she acts, she remembers everything that brought the world to this brink:
“While hope of engineering a way out of climate change steadily dwindled, so too did people’s willingness to cooperate with each other. People began more and more to simply fend for themselves. It was a phenomenon happening all over the country. (…) At some point, which no one can quite remember when, every alliance or agreement the world had ever made to fight climate change was abandoned or forgotten. Countries struggled just to remain sovereign entities. People struggled just to stay alive. Deep down, everyone understood the global fight to combat climate change had always been a piecemeal effort that wouldn’t amount to much. (…) When it came right down to it, there was nobody to hold anybody accountable. So, in the end, everybody played a role in hurrying along the inevitable fall over the climate cliff.
Really, it wasn’t the climate that needed changing. It was human consciousness…”
— Sapience: The Moment Is Now, p. 16
Life Is Barely Fiction NOW
The excerpt above is fiction — but only barely.
What’s happening to the National Weather Service and NOAA right now in 2025 is the literal, bureaucratic dismantling of humanity’s climate early warning system. What’s happening is the result of choosing fools for leaders. Of valuing spectacle over science. Of cutting and slashing until the very agencies meant to save lives can no longer function — and people start dying in flash floods, hurricanes, and heat domes that were once predictable.
The fireworks are over. The reckoning didn’t even wait… disaster struck on 7/4/25 while Trump partied and danced with Melania to YMCA at the White House both sick with jubilant delight after Trump signed the bill that he had to bullied his MAGA loyalists into passing last week… the biggest tax cut to billionaires the world has ever seen (–“the biggest ever!!!” is Trump language, of course).
While mainstream media continues to fail us, Meidas is doing the kind of reporting we need to know how to navigate this moment in time.
How This Happened
I. What Was Lost — Details on job cuts, offices affected.
Who’s Been Lost at NOAA & NWS — And What It Means
Since Trump’s return to office in early 2025, over 880 NOAA employees (about 7–8% of the workforce)—many of them scientists, engineers, forecasters, hydrologists, radar and satellite technicians—were abruptly terminated, primarily probationary staff, under the new “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) order.Source:time.com+8en.wikipedia.org+8washingtonpost.com+8.
Technicians who kept radars and weather balloons operational were let go—a move described as “we’re screwed” by a former NOAA repair director. Source:washingtonpost.com
Seasoned leaders have walked away, including Jeff Evans, Houston’s longtime meteorologist-in-charge, who retired after 34 years—his departure emblematic of moral distress inside the agency. Source:texastribune.org+1newsweek.com+1.
Weather balloon launches declined, radar systems suffered, and satellite data pipelines were compromised. Even systems translating alerts into Spanish were briefly halted. Source:opb.org+1npr.org+1.
Deeper Dive into Weather Balloons
Weather balloon launches have not completely stopped since the Trump administration's budget cuts, but they have been significantly reduced at several locations across the United States due to staff shortages.
Specifically, the National Weather Service (NWS) has announced:
* Suspension of all radiosonde (weather balloon) launches at three stations: Kotzebue, Alaska; Omaha, Nebraska; and Rapid City, South Dakota.
* Reduction of launches to once per day at an additional six locations: Aberdeen, South Dakota; Grand Junction, Colorado; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Gaylord, Michigan; North Platte, Nebraska; and Riverton, Wyoming.
* Temporary suspension of launches at Albany, New York, and Gray, Maine, with the intention to resume twice-daily launches when staffing permits.
These cuts are a direct consequence of reduced staffing at NWS forecast offices, exacerbated by the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the federal workforce, including a federal hiring freeze and layoffs of probationary employees. Meteorologists and experts have expressed concerns that these reductions in weather balloon launches could negatively impact forecast accuracy, particularly for severe weather events. The lost data could also create gaps for future researchers and model developers.
While some offices have suspended launches entirely, others have reduced them to once per day, and the NWS has emphasized its core mission of providing life-saving forecasts and warnings. They have also taken steps to make balloon launches a higher priority and are working to address staffing gaps. In the interim, other data sources, such as research balloons, commercial aircraft, and satellites, will need to compensate for the reduced balloon launches.
(See end for sources)
II. How Forecasting Is Faltering — Data shortages, broken systems.
The National Weather Service scrambled to fill 155 forecast positions, including 76 meteorologists, via emergency reassignments newsweek.com+1washingtonpost.com+1.
Scientists working on the Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System (HAFS)—which had recently improved hurricane intensity forecasts—were cut, leaving hard-earned momentum dangling theguardian.com+10cnn.com+10opb.org+10.
The Pentagon halted sharing key microwave satellite data at night; the new system isn’t online yet, further weakening hurricane tracking washingtonpost.com.
Experts warn that reduced capacity in weather modeling and forecasting will cost billions in lost economic protection and, more gravely, lives time.com.
III. Lives on the Line — Highlight Texas tragedies and the human toll.
Weather-Related Deaths Linked to Undercut Forecasting
Despite valiant continued work, tragic failures have followed:
🔥 April–May Tornado / Severe Storm Season
Forecaster shortages across the South and Midwest meant fewer real-time adjustments during critical moments. While no single death has been officially blamed on forecast limitations, internal sources estimate a 5–10% rise in unanticipated storm damage—a grim reflection of thinning service .
Local officials and governors accused the NWS of underestimating rainfall severity—though meteorologists note that the volumes exceeded “1,000‑year event” thresholds, making precise prediction nearly impossibletheguardian.com+13wired.com+13thedailybeast.com+13.
Still, the staffing and data shortfalls arguably left little room for resilience in forecasting, delaying key alerts and prep vox.com.
IV. Inside NOAA — Testimonials citing burnout are leading to early retirements, just as MAGA planned.
The Human Toll: Inside NOAA’s Ranks
I have a friend at NOAA who readying for a retirement this November. He is too heartbroken to go on in his work that he is specifically the right expert at the right time needed at NOAA. He is far from alone. From NOAA headquarters in Silver Spring, MD, through field offices nationwide:
Anger, heartbreak, moral injury are widespread as people see their agency publicly undermined .
Staff are burnt out—taking on double shifts, canceled training, decreased equipment budgets—and hearing DOGE officials override internal protocols .
The agency’s union laments that this isn’t a trimming—it’s a slow structural dismantling of capability .
In one Reddit post shared among federal employees:
“Some field offices were more than half probationary and could be in critical condition… Supervisors are not being informed… unable to quantify the risks…” reddit.com
V. Time for Reckoning — Call to action: restore staffing, transparency, funding.
Time for Reckoning?
This is not just a staffing story—it’s one about public safety, economic stability, and climate resilience. As you build this companion post to “The Fireworks Are Over. Now Comes the Reckoning,” these themes will resonate:
Where the cuts were deepest: NWS offices, modeling centers, hurricane teams, satellite techs.
What went wrong: forecasting accuracy dipped, emergency alerts lagged, and tragic predictability unraveled.
Who suffered most: families in flash floods; agency employees crushed by moral injury; the public left vulnerable.
What’s next: rebuilding trust and capability—through emergency hires, court reversals, and public scrutiny.
NOAA Cuts Weather Balloon Launches Due to Staff Shortages After …Mar 25, 2025 — The National Weather Service is reducing the number of weather balloons it launches across the country, an early tangible decrease in services offered in the wa…Inside Climate News
How Trump’s National Weather Service Cuts Could Cost LivesMay 13, 2025 — Swain and others have concurred. Instead, Spinrad says, the Trump administration has made “easy” cuts such as firing “probationary” employees (those who were ne…Scientific American
National Weather Service scaling back balloon launches due to cutsMar 26, 2025 — There will be intermittent launch suspensions in Albany, New York and Gray, Maine with all launches suspended in Omaha, Nebraska; Rapid City, South Dakota; and …CBS News
What we lose when weather balloons don’t fly – Washington PostMay 26, 2025 — John Boris, a National Weather Service meteorologist, is on duty to evaluate the chances the storms will cross Lake Michigan overnight and reach the rolling hil…The Washington Post
🛡️ Wear Your Values & Inspire Others
Does this make you mad?
It makes me mad.
Living in D.C., I’ve met and talked with federal employees who’ve been unjustly fired. I made videos back in February warning what Trump’s, Musk’s, and MAGA’s madness would mean for ordinary Americans. I spoke about the dire effects of slashing the federal workforce — how it would ripple across this country like a tsunami.
But it’s not just one wave.
It’s many waves:
For each federal agency gutted — countless waves of destruction.
For Trump’s reckless tariffs — countless waves of destruction.
For the Trump-Miller crackdown on immigrants (which is really hate and racism masquerading as legal warfare against non-white people) — countless waves of destruction.
These waves crash into every corner of this country. And each one carries the potential for death — not just for the targets of MAGA’s madness (Black, Brown, immigrant, disabled, LGBTQ+, and non-MAGA people) — but for MAGA supporters too.
This is what collapse looks like. Not all at once — but one devastating policy, one cowardly law, one indifferent shrug at a time.
My 3-minute minis — called The Now Scroll (a play on doom-scrolling) — are available on YouTube and TikTok. Go watch. Share them. Be informed. Be ready.
I’ve also created a whole line of Resistance Ready wearables, yard signs, posters, and more — because in the Sapient Survival Guide, one critical resistance strategy is this:
👉 Signal to others who haven’t yet been devoured by the MAGA Mind Virus.
Do not underestimate the power of a simple yard sign. Do not underestimate what it means to wear your resistance on your sleeve — literally. Your courage is contagious.
🔗 The ABCs of DemocracyProducts
ABCs of Democracy T-Shirt, Retro Adventure Tee for Patriotic Enthusiasts, Bold Statement Graphic
What happens when federal workers disappear? This bold and thought-provoking sticker makes it clear: No Federal Workers. No Democracy.</span…
🚫 No Federal Workers? No Future! 🚫 Eye-Catching Yard Sign for Awareness & Activism
What happens when federal workers disappear? This bold and thought-provoking yard sign makes it clear: No Safe Food. No Clean Water. No Flights. No Roads. No Justice. No Future. No Cures.
No Federal Workers No Democracy Political Round Vinyl Stickers
Introducing our vibrant round No Federal Workers — No Democracy vinyl stickers. These stickers are perfect for your next protest, stand-in, rally, march, Town Halls, Fighting Oligarchy with Bernie and AOC, visiting your congress person, or just about anywhere this message needs to be heard. Add a splash of colo…
Yesterday, America celebrated Independence Day. Today, we awaken in its ruins.
One year ago, the United States still technically had a functioning democracy. Flawed. Bloated by billionaires and corporations wanting politicians to curry them favor so they can make more money. It was barely breathing—but it was alive. Then, on January 20th, 2025, the MAGA Zombie infection reached terminal velocity. A man who never left the stage returned to power—not to govern, but to finish the demolitionof democracy. And in just five months, the Houses of Wreckage—Trump, Koch, Murdoch, Vought, DeSantis, Thiel, and others—have succeeded in doing what generations of war, depression, and scandal could not:
They erased the American Republic from the inside out.
But most Americans don’t seem to realize what’s happened, continues to happen, and is getting worst. They watched the fireworks. They bought American flags. They took their selfies. All while the scaffolding of liberty had collapsed beneath their feet.
Wake Up America | Image by ChatGTP
If this feels like a dream—or a nightmare you can’t wake up from—you’re not alone.
That’s why I created the Sapient Survival Guide for the MAGA Zombie Apocalypse—a mythic, visual, soul-mapped tool for those who refuse to lose their minds, their humanity, or their future to the infection spreading across this land.
First Year into The Fall of American Democracy, A Fall No One Believes… Yet
The most terrifying part of an authoritarian collapse isn’t the violence. It’s the normalization.
In just five months, this is what we’ve seen:
Roughly 260,000 federal employees have been fired, took buyouts, or retired due to DOGE, RFK and other Trump loyalists (about 12% of the Federal workforce, so far). However, the tidal effect on government contractors has yet to be determined. It is known that large-scale layoffs of contract workers are being reported nationwide (see below for deeper dive).
April 2, 2025 was officially boasted as Liberation Day, but Trump was levying tariffs almost from Day 1 in office (see below for deeper dive).
Immigrant detention camps expanded nationwide, many now under militarized control. In Florida, Governor DeSantis celebrated the use of alligators to guard migrants in a facility he helped build.
A state judge arrested for helping immigrants navigate a legal system now criminalized.
The Speaker of the Minnesota State House, a humane and principled woman, assassinated in her home, along with her husband—and, heartbreakingly, their dog. The killer left a manifesto drenched in MAGA delusion.
In California, a state senator taken to the ground by private security forces for confronting Kristi Noem about the unlawful disappearances of immigrants.
In New Jersey, U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver arrested on trumped-up charges for trying to visit an immigrant detention facility with the mayor of Newark.
On July 4th, 2025, Trump signed into law the Big Beautiful (or Ugly) Bill, which was passed by Congress in rushed, late night congressional meetings.
Deeper Dives into Key Stats Above
Federal Workforce Cuts
Since Trump’s inauguration into his second term in January 2025, federal workforce downsizing has been dramatic:
🧑🏛️ Federal Civilian Workforce
Roughly 260,000 federal employees have been affected—through firings, buyouts, deferred resignations, or early retirements—as of early May 2025. Source: kiplinger.com+15reuters.com+15washingtonpost.com+15.
This includes around 200,000 direct layoffs or firings, often targeting probationary workers, plus 75,000+ buyouts or retirements. Source: en.wikipedia.org+7en.wikipedia.org+7wtop.com+7.
For context, about 25,000 probationary staff were officially fired by March 18, 2025. Source: news.bloomberglaw.com.
🧾 Government Contractors
Figure vary, but indicators suggest large-scale layoffs among contractor firms:
In Maryland alone, 3,000+ contractor workers have been notified of layoffs this year, mostly tied to cuts at agencies like USAID, NASA, DOE, HHS, etc. Source: baltimorepostexaminer.com.
Nationally, the Trump administration’s sweeping grant freezes and stop-work orders—such as the $420 million in DEI-related contract cancellations—have hit countless contractors. Source: news.bloomberglaw.com+5natlawreview.com+5berenzweiglaw.com+5.
So while exact national totals for contractor layoffs are hard to pin down, Maryland’s 3,000+ figure hints at a broader trend—likely tens of thousands of contractor positions lost across the country.
Did you forget Trump fired or forced to retire roughly 12% of the Federal Workforce since he took office?
If you did, you are not alone. This is a critical part of MAGA’s ongoing assault to American democracy, and it is meant to overload, confuse and distract ordinary Americans.
Most of all, it is meant to make people give up because it just seems normal now.
It is NOT Normal!
Here is a summery of the impacts Trump’s federal workforce cuts have had on America.
Summary
In short, if America does not have federal workers to administer the work of a democratic nation, it does not have a democracy. This is the point of Project 2025. This is what MAGA has been gunning to do for decades. With Trump, they got their wrecking ball and with his second term in office, he is finishing the job and gathering lots of goodies for himself and his friends while he can (e.g., airplane gifts, crypto accounts, brides for pardons, brides for lower tariffs, brides for favor, etc.).
🚫 No Federal Workers? No Future! 🚫 Eye-Catching Yard Sign for Awareness & Activism
What happens when federal workers disappear? This bold and thought-provoking yard sign makes it clear: No Safe Food. No Clean Water. No Flights. No Roads. No Justice. No Future. No Cures.
The tariff wave doesn’t just hit Wall Street—it hits Walmart, Target, and Amazon. Families are now paying hundreds to thousands more per year for essentials like school clothes, dishwashers, bikes, and groceries. These ‘hidden taxes’ don’t show up on a receipt—but they’re in every cart and checkout.
📅 Timeline & Tariff Details
Feb 1, 2025
25% tariffs on nearly all imports from Canada, Mexico, and China
If you did, you are not alone. This is a critical part of MAGA’s ongoing assault to American democracy, and it is meant to overload, confuse and distract ordinary Americans.
Most of all, it is meant to make people give up because it just seems normal now.
It is NOT Normal!
Here are the current impacts of Trump’s tariffs on American consumers and businesses now:
📊 Cost to American Households
Independent estimates vary widely depending on methodologies:
JPMorgan and AP note that these costs may lead to higher consumer prices, layoffs, hiring freezes, or reduced profit margins usnews.com+1finance-commerce.com+1.
🔎 Bigger Picture
The average effective U.S. tariff rate has reached levels not seen since the 1930s, pressuring supply chains and contributing to inflation beyer.house.gov+15ft.com+15jpmorgan.com+15.
CBO projects tariffs will raise taxes by $2.5 trillion over 10 years, roughly a $158/month cost per household, and modestly weigh on GDP ntu.org.
🧭 What This Means for Americans
Everyday impact: Households across income brackets are paying hundreds to thousands more per year—primarily on groceries, clothing, appliances, electronics, cars, and household goods.
Businesses hit hard: Employers are facing billions in added costs—potentially passing them to consumers or cutting jobs and wages.
Broader economy: Tariff-induced inflation and uncertainty are straining supply chains, dampening investment, and dragging on economic growth.
Business costs: U.S. employers face an estimated $82 billion in direct tariff-related expenses, provoking price hikes, layoffs, and reduced profit margins usnews.com+1finance-commerce.com+1.
Economic drag: The resulting inflation and supply chain disruptions are key contributors to slower GDP growth and rising consumer prices .
“Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has unleashed one of the most sweeping U.S. tariff programs in decades:
25% tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico (steel, autos, aluminum).
25% tariff tied to Venezuelan oil imports from Mar 24.
10% baseline on nearly all countries from Apr 5.
Higher “reciprocal” levies (20–50%) on major partners starting Apr 9.
Aggressive tariff stacking on China, escalating to over 100% by mid-April.”
These new duties now apply to most consumer goods and industrial imports, hitting global supply chains and boosting prices for U.S. families and businesses.
But Mommy Why Can’t I Have More Than 2 Dolls, The Art of No Deal Poster, Matte Vertical Posters, Wall Art Print, Home Decor, Funny Art Print
The Matte Vertical Poster features the design ‘The Art of No Deal “But Mommy Why can’t I have more than 2 dolls“‘. This museum-grade paper poster offers archival quality, vibrant colors, and a matte finish. Perfect for adults looking for unique wall decor that adds a touch of humor and personality to their space. Ideal for gifting on Mother’s Day or birthdays.
The Big Beautiful (or Ugly) Trump Bill Signed into Law on 7/4/25
The One Big Beautiful Bill passed by MAGA-aligned Republicans this week and signed by former President Trump on July 4, 2025 will have the following impacts on Americans:
TemporaryTargeted credits: Adds $200 to the child tax credit and tax benefits for auto loans and remittances. Source: en.wikipedia.org.
TemporaryBoosted deductions: Exempts tips and overtime from taxation, benefiting lower‑ and middle‑income workers .
TemporaryAgricultural support: Farmers gain from immediate expensing of new equipment and a permanent estate-tax exemption for family farms. Source: waysandmeans.house.gov.
🛡️ Immigration & National Security Spending
Border and ICE funding: Allocates roughly $150B for border wall, ICE expansion, detention, technology, and 10,000 new agents. Source: e24.no+5dw.com+5politico.com+5.
Defense & tech: Includes $150B more for defense projects, missile defense (“Golden Dome”), and air traffic modernisation. Source: nypost.com.
⚠️ Cuts & Safeguard Changes
Medicaid & healthcare:
Implements cuts to Medicaid and ACA (about $1 trillion in removals)
Introduces 80‑hours/month work requirements for non-elderly recipients and $35 co‑pays
Impact on vulnerable groups: Black and rural communities, as well as working families on Medicaid/SNAP, could be disproportionately affected .
Political theatrics: Timing the vote and signing on July 4 was symbolic—seen as a Republican strategy ahead of midterms. However, early polling suggests unpopularity among independents and some Republicans many be soothed due to some of the worse policies not being enacted until after the mid-terms, plus MAGA is betting on the average man and woman’s short attention span and limited memory of Cause and Effect Relationship Karma between Trump’s glorious signing into existence date and the date of pain experienced by the MAGA many who don’t make the “in-boys and girls” club. Source: apnews.com.
Do you think Trump’s tax cuts aren’t going to affect you because you’re not old or a child, you’re not poor or hungry, you’re not a demon–crat, which is what MAGA zombies call democrats.
If you did, you are not alone. Denial is a critical part of MAGA’s ongoing assault to American democracy, and it is meant to overload, confuse and distract ordinary Americans.
Most of all, it is meant to make people give up because it just seems normal now.
It is NOT Normal!
Here is a summary of the impacts that Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill is going to have on ordinary Americans, regardless of if you are a MAGA loyalist or democrat. Bookmark this page for a quick memory check of political Cause & Effect Karma inventory.
📝 Summary of Bill & What This Means for Ordinary Americans
You can position the bill as a major pro‑growth, pro‑tax‑cut victory for higher‑income earners, seniors, and farmers, but simultaneously a significant rollback of federal safety nets. Include these key points:
Tax relief vs. safety‑net cuts: Reviewers warn a large wealth transfer from low‑income to wealthy Americans, with many losing Medicaid/SNAP. Source: indiatimes.com.
Political stakes: While Trump and congressional Republicans tout it as fulfilling campaign promises, critics say it politically endangers vulnerable communities heading into the 2026 midterms. Source: apnews.com+1apnews.com+1.
None of this Normal!
They began by gutting the federal workforce and abandoning the poorest people in the world who were receiving life-sustaining help through USAID (which spent less than 0.3% of the federal budget). They moved onto tariffs and immigrants. Now, they are moving onto you–they want your healthcare, your social security, your safety net, your security, year wellbeing.
And they won’t stop there.
Zombies never have and never will…
The Zombie Metaphor Is Real
MAGA is no longer a political movement. It’s a mass psychogenic infection—a contagious state of consciousness that rewires human beings into vessels of cruelty, obedience, and mythic delusion.
It has symptoms:
Blind allegiance to lies.
Worship of a Strongman as Savior.
Euphoria at the suffering of scapegoats.
Inability to process empathy or nuance.
Celebration of power for its own sake.
What do you call someone who can’t think, can’t feel, and lashes out at anything that threatens the hive mind?
You call them a zombie.
And this country is in the middle of a full-blown outbreak.
The Great American Split: Youth in the Crosshairs
In the young people I’ve met—on the streets, at protests, in whispered late-night conversations—I’m seeing two futures colliding.
On one side, there are the plugged-in, well-paid engineering grads who just want to make money, tune out, and escape into their tech jobs and Teslas. They were raised in dysfunction and believe this is just more of the same.
On the other side are the teachers. The nurses. The social workers. The climate warriors. The dreamers. These kids are scared—and they’re right to be. Their futures are being burned before they’ve had a chance to live them.
Some are paralyzed by fear. But others?
They are activating.
I met a young man at the No Kings Day protest in Washington, D.C.—a Florida native who organized youth resistance against DeSantis while still in high school. Now, fresh out of college, he’s here in the capital, building a movement called Central to fight authoritarianism from the ground up.
He’s not alone. There are sparks igniting across this country. Quietly. Fiercely. You know them when you meet them.
They are part of something older than any nation-state. They are Sapients.
The Sapient Survival Guide: Mythic Armor for a Real Apocalypse
I created the Sapient Survival Guide because we need more than punditry, and more than panic. We need conscious clarity in a world that runs on chaos.
This guide is part resistance manual, part mythic map, part mirror for your soul. It’s built for artists, healers, resisters, librarians, visionaries, and everyday humans who feel the truth clawing at their skin—but haven’t found the language to name it.
Inside you’ll find:
Archetypes for survival and transformation
Insights into the Houses of Wreckage and their long game
Psychological tools to resist the infection of despair or delusion
This is only the beginning. I’m working on sequels that will chart the rise—and the vulnerabilities—of each House of Wreckage and the Dragon Riders. We can dismantle their myths. But only if we awaken first.
The Fire Is Here. What Will You Do With It?
You’ve been trained to believe you’re powerless. You’ve been told this is just politics. You’ve been gaslit into thinking it will pass.
It won’t.
But if you’re reading this—really reading it—then you already know: something is deeply wrong. And maybe, just maybe, something deeper is rising inside you.
You are not crazy. You are not alone. You are not powerless.
You are part of something older than fear. Something more sacred than empire. You are one of the wakeful ones.
You are Sapient. And survival is just the beginning.
➡️ Let this be your Declaration of Interdependence. ➡️ Let this be your line in the sand. ➡️ Let this be your First Day of the New Calendar.
Merica Patriotic Sports Bra, Resistance Essentials, Pro Democracy bra, Fourth of July Activist Wear, Save Democracy Sports Bra
The Capital “A” of America Has Fallen Under the Pressures of Ignorance and Fascism Residing in the Capitol Now – It’s Also the First A in MAGA – With the stars of the American flag replaced with fictional corporate logos, this Sports Bra stands for holding the line for Democracy.</p…
Hold the Line for Democracy Unisex Tee, Democracy Message, Casual Wear, Independence Day, Political Activism, Resistance Wear, Statement Tee
Hold the Line for Democracy Unisex Tee, Democracy Message, Casual Wear, Independence Day, Political Activism, Gift for Voters, Statement Tee
The Capital “A” of America Has Fallen Under the Pressures of Ignorance and Fascism in the Capitol Now – It’s Also the First A in MAGA – This Tee Stands for Holding the Line for Democracy.
All voices of conscious citizens are needed—day and night—for as long as it takes. Statement tees like this one aren’t just fashion; they help build the courage to stand up, speak out, and peacefully fight for American democracy.
This T-shirt exposes what’s happening to AMERICA under the relentless assault of the MAGA movement—a movement I call the Zombie Apocalypse. It’s a playful name for a dangerous political virus infecting the minds of ordinary people across the U.S., lured by glittery lies and fascist fairytales spun by billionaires. Their goal? To bind working Americans in blind obedience as Wage Slaves.
They promise lower prices, better wages, and more opportunity—but they will never deliver. America is entering late-stage capitalism, a system collapsing under the weight of unbridled greed and corruption, where corporations are given the rights of people, and billionaires are treated as kings. We are an empire in decline—and the billionaires are terrified.
This tee shows what happens when the stars of the American flag are sold to the highest corporate bidder. When both political parties participate in the corruption, the red and white stripes of our once-beautiful flag become twisted into prison bars. This tee doesn’t just make a statement—it is the statement. It speaks directly to the fragile moment we’re all living through now, where democracy teeters on the edge and silence seals the deal for the corporate elite determined to steal your Social Security, your Medicare/Medicaid, your veterans’ benefits, your peace, your safety, and the freedoms promised to every American by our constitutional democracy.
The capital “A” of America has already fallen—under the assault of DOGE, MAGA, and the ignorant corruption now holding court in the Capitol. But a brave child stretches upward to hold in place what’s left of a nation still under constant siege. This image captures the innocence—and the raw courage—required of ordinary people to push back against the ruthless rise of authoritarianism in America and around the world.
Crafted with care, this unisex garment-dyed tee offers more than bold symbolism—it delivers unmatched comfort and quality. With a relaxed fit and buttery-soft texture, it’s ideal for rallies, backyard barbecues, or simply standing tall in everyday resistance.
Made from 100% ethically sourced U.S. cotton, this shirt is as conscious as its message—eco-friendly, durable, and built to outlast the headlines. Whether you wear it on Independence Day, Earth Day, or to your next Save Democracy protest, this is patriotism reclaimed.
Perfect as a gift for fellow truth-seekers or as your own declaration of defiance, The First A Has Fallen tee is for those who refuse to look away. It’s the perfect shirt to wear to your next protest—and every day after.
Because without democracy, there is no America.
Product Highlights:
• Sizes S–4XL for every voice and everybody
• Garment-dyed for rich, lasting color and a vintage, lived-in feel
• Seamless construction reduces waste and improves fit
• Double-needle stitching ensures long-lasting wear
• Sustainably made with 100% ethically sourced US cotton
• Available in 58 vibrant shades—find your tone of resistance
Care instructions
– Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F)
– Do not bleach
– Tumble dry: low heat
– Iron, steam or dry: low heat
– Do not dryclean
Understanding the Maps Inside the Sapient Survival Guide
Note: Each map was created with the help of ChatGTP. Following are the more detailed analysis of why the maps are colored the way they are inside the Guide.
Map 1: Economic Resilience Map
Chats & Sources for this Map
The impending economic downturn is poised to impact various regions across the United States differently, with certain areas more vulnerable due to structural, fiscal, and environmental factors. Here’s an overview of the regions likely to face the most significant challenges:
🔴 Most Vulnerable Regions
1. Rust Belt States
States like Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, historically reliant on manufacturing, are particularly susceptible.Michigan, for instance, has been identified as having residents under significant financial strain, with many struggling to meet financial obligations. Source:New York Post
2. Southern and Mountain States
States such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Colorado, and South Carolina are among the least prepared for a recession. Factors contributing to their vulnerability include high unemployment rates, limited government reserves, inadequate social safety nets, and housing affordability issues. Source:Investopedia
3. Illinois
Despite progressive initiatives, Illinois faces deep-rooted fiscal challenges, including over $200 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. The state’s high tax burden and underperforming public services exacerbate its economic fragility. Source:New York Post
4. California’s Inland Empire
The Inland Empire region has experienced significant economic challenges, including a dramatic increase in foreclosures during past downturns. Its economy, heavily reliant on logistics and warehousing, remains vulnerable to economic shocks.Source:Wikipedia
5. Appalachian Region
Many counties within the Appalachian region are classified as economically distressed, characterized by high poverty rates, low median incomes, and elevated unemployment. Source:Wikipedia
🟢 More Resilient Regions
Conversely, certain states are better positioned to withstand economic downturns:
North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota: These states boast strong GDPs, low unemployment rates, substantial government reserves, and robust social safety nets, making them more resilient to economic shocks. Source:Investopedia
⚠️ Key Risk Factors Across Regions
Trade Policy Uncertainty: Recent trade policies have disrupted manufacturing and agriculture sectors, particularly affecting border and manufacturing-heavy states like Texas and Michigan. Source:MarketWatch
Climate Vulnerabilities: States like Florida face significant risks from climate change, with projections indicating that rising sea levels could submerge a substantial number of homes, impacting the real estate market and local economies. Source:Wikipedia
Understanding these regional vulnerabilities is crucial for policymakers and residents alike to prepare and mitigate the impacts of the forthcoming economic challenges.
The impending economic downturn is poised to impact various regions of the United States differently, with certain states facing heightened vulnerabilities due to factors like industry dependence, fiscal health, and demographic trends.
⚠️ States Most Vulnerable to Economic Downturn
Recent analyses highlight several states that may be disproportionately affected:
Louisiana: Identified as the most vulnerable state, Louisiana grapples with high unemployment rates, minimal government reserves, and limited safety-net programs. Additionally, housing affordability remains a significant concern. Source:Investopedia
California: The state faces challenges from tech industry layoffs, escalating living costs, and a notable exodus of residents and businesses seeking more favorable economic conditions. Source:Investopedia
Nevada: With the highest unemployment rate in the nation, Nevada’s economy, heavily reliant on tourism and hospitality, is particularly susceptible to economic fluctuations. Source:Investopedia+1Time+1
Illinois: Facing over $200 billion in unfunded pension liabilities and the highest state and local tax burden in the U.S., Illinois also contends with underperforming public education and persistent corruption issues. Source:New York Post
Michigan: The state’s economy is impacted by slowdowns in the auto industry, leading to layoffs and increased unemployment rates. Source:Investopedia
Kentucky: Historically dependent on coal and manufacturing, Kentucky faces economic challenges due to declining demand in these sectors and the rise of automation. Source:Investopedia
🗺️ Regional Impacts
Rust Belt: States like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and parts of New York, traditionally manufacturing hubs, continue to experience economic decline due to deindustrialization and population loss.Source:Wikipedia+2Wikipedia+2Investopedia+2
Appalachia: Many counties in this region are classified as economically distressed, characterized by high poverty rates and limited access to healthcare and education.
Inland Empire (California): This area has seen significant suburban sprawl and was notably affected during the housing bubble collapse, leading to high foreclosure rates and economic instability. Source:Wikipedia
✅ States Better Positioned to Withstand Economic Challenges
Conversely, some states exhibit resilience due to diversified economies, strong fiscal health, and proactive governance:
North Dakota: With a robust GDP relative to its population, substantial government reserves, and low unemployment, North Dakota is considered the most recession-resistant state. Source:Investopedia
Nebraska and South Dakota: Both states benefit from diversified economies and prudent fiscal management, placing them among the top in recession preparedness.
Minnesota: Known for its strong healthcare and education sectors, Minnesota maintains a stable economy with low unemployment rates.
Understanding these regional disparities is crucial for policymakers and residents alike to navigate the challenges of an economic downturn effectively.
When evaluating the economic resilience between southern and northern Minnesota, southern Minnesota generally exhibits greater stability and adaptability in the face of economic challenges.
Snapshot into Minnesota
✅ Southern Minnesota: Diversified and Resilient
Economic Diversification: Southern Minnesota benefits from a diversified economy, encompassing sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, and education. This diversification mitigates the impact of downturns in any single industry.
Educational Institutions: The presence of numerous colleges and universities in the region contributes to a skilled workforce and attracts businesses seeking educated employees.
Population Stability: Compared to more rural areas, southern Minnesota has experienced more stable population trends, which supports local economies and labor markets.
Industry Dependence: Northern Minnesota’s economy is heavily reliant on natural resource industries such as mining and logging. These sectors are susceptible to global market fluctuations, impacting regional stability.
Workforce Dynamics: Changes in workforce availability and consumer habits have led to employment challenges in some northern regions, signaling a need for economic adaptation. Source:mn.gov // Minnesota’s State Portal
Population Decline: Many rural counties in northern Minnesota have experienced population declines, which can strain local economies and public services.
📍 Conclusion
While both regions face unique challenges, southern Minnesota’s economic diversification, educational infrastructure, and population stability position it as more resilient to economic downturns compared to northern Minnesota.
Low Unemployment: As of March 2025, Vermont’s unemployment rate stands at 2.6%, among the lowest in the nation, indicating a robust labor market. Source:Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Positive Revenue Trends: State revenues have been slightly higher than anticipated in the first half of the 2025 fiscal year, suggesting economic stability. Source:VTDigger+1Vermont Business Magazine+1
Economic Resilience: Despite national economic uncertainties, Vermont’s economy has shown durability, with modest adjustments in revenue forecasts reflecting continued performance. Source:Vermont Business Magazine
⚠️ Challenges Facing Vermont’s Economy
Demographic Shifts: The state faces an aging population and has reverted to pre-pandemic trends of losing more residents to other states than it gains, impacting the labor force. Source:WSJ
Housing Shortages: A tight housing market, with significant price increases over the past five years, poses challenges for retaining and attracting residents. Source:WSJ
Economic Outlook Ranking: Vermont ranks 49th in the nation for economic outlook, influenced by factors such as tax policies and regulatory environment. Source:Rich States, Poor States
🔍 Key Considerations
Federal Policy Impacts: Potential changes in federal policies, including tariffs and tax reforms, could have downstream effects on Vermont’s economy. Source:Vermont Public
Labor Force Participation: Challenges in attracting and retaining a younger workforce may affect long-term economic growth and sustainability.
In summary, while Vermont’s current economic indicators show strength, particularly in employment and revenue generation, the state must address demographic challenges and housing affordability to ensure continued economic health.
Map 2: Economic Resilience Map Blended with MAGA Mind Virus Infection Rates Map
I want to provide a map of the United States and roughly identify which states will be able to weather the coming economic downturn due to tariffs, mass deportation of immigrants, complete hollowing out of federal workforce. Another thing to factor into this map for the Sapient Survival Guide are areas that are deeply MAGA, especially areas that are deeply radicalized MAGA. Can you create on for me… it does not need to be super detailed, just rough
ChatGPT said:
Below is a rough “Sapient Survival Guide”‑style U.S. map, showing:
🏦 Economic Resilience to Downturn
More likely to weather tariffs & federal cuts: Northern Great Plains (e.g., North Dakota, Nebraska), parts of the Rocky Mountain region like Montana, thanks to low unemployment, strong per‑capita GDP, and solid state reserves. Source:apnews.com+2nationalbusinesscapital.com+2investopedia.com+2.
Also resilient: Wealthy tech states with high per‑capita GDP and innovation—Massachusetts, Washington, Utah—ranked high in economic strength. Source:wallethub.com.
Vulnerable: Southern and Mountain states—Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Colorado—with thin safety nets, high housing costs, and weak reserves. Source:investopedia.com+1nationalbusinesscapital.com+1.
🎯 MAGA Strongholds & Radicalized Areas
Deep MAGA (strong red): Large rural swaths across the Great Plains, Appalachia, Deep South, and interior West—where Trump improved margins in thousands of counties. Source:wsj.com+6axios.com+6axios.com+6.
Radicalized hotspots: Pockets like Shasta County (CA) and counties in Ohio (e.g., Wayne County) show institutional upheaval and conspiracy-driven politics. Source:sfchronicle.com.
Newer MAGA penetration: Suburban and Hispanic-heavy areas in states like South Texas, parts of North Carolina, and exurbs show strong GOP shifts. Source:axios.com.
📌 Map Annotations (Your Reference)
Region
Economic Outlook
MAGA Intensity
North Dakota / Nebraska
High resilience
Moderate–High
Montana / Idaho
Moderate resilience
High
Utah / Washington
Tech‑rich resilience
Low–Moderate
Massachusetts
High resilience
Low
Colorado
Vulnerable economy
Moderate MAGA
Louisiana / MS / SC
High vulnerability
Deep MAGA
Appalachia / Deep South
Mixed vulnerability
Deep MAGA
Rural Midwest
Varied resilience
Deep MAGA
Shasta Co., CA / Wayne Co., OH
Hotspots of radicalization
Radical pockets
💡 How to Use This Map
Economic Planning: Focus preparedness efforts in vulnerable zones (e.g., SC, CO, LA), anticipate stronger public services or local buffers in resilient zones (e.g., ND, WA).
Content Audience: Tailor messaging—economic pragmatism in resilient states; societal shifts and MAGA-related cultural narratives in strongly red areas; caution & context in radicalized micro‑regions.
Travel & Logistics: Consider seasoned local governance, community solidarity, and political climate for supplies, outreach, or safe passage.
This is a broad-strokes overlay, not county-level granularity. Let me know if you’d like it refined by region or if you want a printable PNG with color-coded layers!
It looks like the tool can’t access the necessary map data online right now due to a temporary connection issue. But I can still create the map for you—just need to switch to offline data.
I’ll generate a rough color-coded PNG map of the U.S. with these five categories:
Resilient (teal green)
Vulnerable (orange)
Deep MAGA (pink)
Radicalized (lime green)
Neutral (gray)
Let me build that for you now using local shape data.
I’m hitting technical issues due to the limitations of my current environment accessing map data and handling multipart geometries.
Here’s the next best solution:
I will create your printable map using a specialized tool
I’ll now generate a color-coded U.S. map PNG offline with:
Teal green: Economically Resilient
Orange: Economically Vulnerable
Pink: Deep MAGA
Lime Green: Radicalized MAGA pockets
Gray: Neutral or Mixed
Hang tight while I produce that for you.
It seems like I can’t do more advanced data analysis right now. Please try again later.
That said, I can still help you design this printable map manually using an alternative method. If you’d like, I can sketch out a color-coded U.S. map for you using a visual design tool or guide you step-by-step in building it in Canva, Google Slides, or even PowerPoint using state shapes and color fills. Let me know which path you’d prefer, or if you’d like me to generate a reference image concept using AI tools instead.
Map 3: MAGA Mind Virus Infection Map
This one terrifies me. I asked ChatGPT: Can you make a map only showing where the MAGA intensity is located?
Data for this map comes from the one above but with just these two fields mapped:
This first map might look familiar – it’s the classic red and blue view we’re all used to seeing. But slide between 2020 and 2024, and you’ll start noticing some surprising changes. Go to Vivid Maps to read/see more.
“What fools these mortals be.” — Puck, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
We’ve officially entered the Summer of Smoke and Mirrors—where illusion, not truth, is the currency of power.
June 2025 marks more than just the turning of seasons. It marks a turning of perception, engineered by billionaires, propaganda priests, and rogue avatars of so-called freedom. If 2024 taught us anything, it’s that facts are optional when the spectacle is strong enough.
This isn’t new. But it is accelerating.
Midsummer Myths and Modern Mind Games
In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, lovers are bewitched into madness, mistaking dream for reality. The forest becomes a playground of misperception. Sound familiar?
In today’s world, the enchanted forest is digital. The fairies wear algorithmic wings. And the love potions come in the form of TikTok edits, AI-generated videos, and breathless headlines designed to bypass thought and provoke gut reaction.
We’re not just being lied to. We’re being enchanted—lulled into a dream-state where up is down, authoritarianism is freedom, and billionaires are saviors.
Smoke: Manufactured Chaos
The smoke is thick and deliberate:
Federal workers are demonized.
Educators are censored or silenced.
Immigrants are painted as invaders.
Science is treated like a witch’s spellbook.
All while the ultra-wealthy rig the rules, loot the commons, and call it “freedom.”
This is not just disinformation—it’s strategic mythmaking. The same tactics used by Lenin, Hitler, and Trump are back on the stage: control the narrative, hijack the archetypes, and cast anyone who resists as the villain in a story you wrote.
Smoke Screen of Demonizing Federal Workers, Smoke Screen of Demonizing Democrats (MAGA calls Dems Demon–crats), Smoke Screen of Demonizing Immigrants, Educators, Scientists… Do you really want to fall for this garbage propaganda while Billionaire babies like Elon, Bezos, Zuck, and want-a-bee Trump steal from you?
Mirrors: Apperception and Archetype Hijack
Mirrors aren’t just for reflection anymore. They’re used to bend perception.
If you repeat a lie enough, it reflects as truth. This is the psychological mechanism of apperception—a key concept in my book Sapience: The Moment Is Now. It’s how people merge new experiences with old beliefs, often without realizing the merger has occurred.
Once corrupted, the archetypes become dangerous:
The Hero becomes the Strongman.
The Storyteller becomes the Propaganda Priest.
The Watcher falls asleep at the gate.
What Archetypes Rule Your Mind? Have they been corrupted by the MAGA mind virus?
What Can You Do in the Forest of Illusion?
Wake up. Train your mythic imagination. See through the glamour.
Ask yourself:
Who’s writing the script I’m following?
What archetype is being presented—and what’s being hidden?
Am I consuming stories that empower my sapience or lull me into obedience?
Beware the Zaries — The Bad Faries — We all have a little of both inside of us… the infected ones have let the Zaries rule their inner garden of thought, feelings, and the story they tell themselves of what has happened to them along the way…
This Summer, Be a Watcher. Not a Pawn.
This isn’t just about politics—it’s about consciousness. About reclaiming the power to perceive clearly, to feel deeply, and to choose wisely.
It’s time to pierce the smoke. It’s time to shatter the mirrors. It’s time to awaken.
Do You Know Who Is Staring Back at You from Your Inner Abyss? We all have an inner abyss… without it… there would be No conscious awareness…
Second Dragon Rider Animation — Music: Inhuman Rampage – DragonForce — [4] Dragon 3:44 | Created by Genolve
Take Home Message: Just like in an enchanted forest, it’s important to navigate this digital landscape with care. While it’s easy to get swept up in the magic of AI-generated videos or the allure of viral TikTok edits, it’s also crucial to think critically about the content we consume.
Remember, not all that glitters in the digital forest is gold. Some of it might just be cleverly designed to provoke a reaction. So, let’s keep our wits about us and enjoy the magic responsibly.
Because good people need a guide when the undead wear suits, wave flags, and drool power
Introduction
In the first weeks of the Trump regime, I called it: The MAGA Zombie Apocalypse. Back then, it felt like satire—a dark metaphor for a rising tide of authoritarian groupthink. But five months into Trump 2.0, the metaphor is no joke–we are living through not only the MAGA Zombie Apocalypse, but the Sadistic MAGA Zombie Apocalypse.
This point was made most powerfully by Noble Prize Winning economist on May 21, 2025: Paul Krugman.
The Last Word | May 21, 2025 with Paul Krugman | What we are talking about is sadistic zombie behavior… these are ideas that should be dead but it keeps shambling along eating people’s brains… (to listen to what I am referring to… click this link and fast-forward to minute 23 of the video)
And Paul Krugman is not the only award-winning economist raising alarm bells on what Trump and his renegade regime is doing to America’s economy and the global economy.
The images above are from Richard Wolff‘s latest video warning of the impending dangers of Trump’s unhinged ideas. This links to his video. Below is his bio.
A lifelong professor of economics, Richard D. Wolff is a well-known critic of contemporary capitalism and the leading proponent of an alternative economic system based on Worker Self-Directed Enterprises (WSDEs). He is the host of Economic Update, and has been interviewed on several popular television programs that include: Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill Moyers’ Moyers & Company, The Charlie Rose Show, and Up with Chris Hayes. As the founding director of Democracy at Work (d@w), Wolff’s publications that advocate for making the workplace democratic include articles in Truthout.org, The Guardian, Common Dreams, as well as his recent book: Capitalism's Crisis Deepens The videos you'll find here also advocate for WSDEs as a key part of moving forward from the current model of capitalism to a new and better economy. For more information, please visit our websites: http://democracyatwork.info http://rdwolff.com
Another award winning economists who is raising Red Alerts on Trump and his MAGA regime is Jeffery Sachs. Both Wolff and Sachs are saying the same thing and that is the USA is an empire in decline. The new rising empire is rising even faster because of Trump and his shenanigans.
Why it is China. Why else are political figures (on both the left and right) demonizing China? They need a boogeyman because they don’t know how to fix or stop America’s decline as the dominate super power in the world.
Listen to the experts. I am just the messenger of their insights and warnings of this moment in time.
Zombie Ideas Are the Vectors of the Zombie Plague
But, we are not there any more and no matter how hard Trump and his MAGA zombies wish it to be… America is not going backwards in time (this universe just doesn’t work that way). However, what we do have going on now is a full-scale infection of zombie ideas. Listen to Noble Prize Winning Paul Krugman describe to Larwance what a zombie idea is. In economics, this is an actual term used to describe destructive economic decisions. Paul Krugman doesn’t mince words, nor does he call what Trump and gang are doing populism. He hits much closer to the core of what is happening right now to ordinary, working class Americans. He calls it the work of sadistic zombies.
This isn’t just “authoritarian drift,” it is: sadism.
Sadistic MAGA zombies don’t just crave power—they relish in cruelty. They cheer at book bans, scream at school boards, and fantasize about revenge. They’ve been taught to believe that empathy is weakness and democracy is rigged. They’ve been fed a diet of fear and conspiracy until all that’s left is a shell of resentment wrapped in a red hat.
And while this madness unfolds in public view, a darker vision looms—one I explore in my book, Sapience: The Moment Is Now. It’s a near-future world where the zombie virus of unchecked greed and ignorance has finally run its course. Nation-states collapse under the weight of climate disaster and political rot. Mother Nature strikes back with rage: fire, flood, famine. But the super-elite? They’re safe. Sequestered in their billion-dollar Multis—fortresses of luxury, profit, and surveillance. Built on our backs. Funded by our suffering. They don’t just survive the apocalypse—they monetize it.
Surviving the Sadistic MAGA Zombie Apocalypse
So the question remains: how do good people survive this sadistic MAGA zombie apocalypse?
How do we navigate a world where cruelty is a badge of honor, truth is malleable, and the future has been auctioned off to the highest bidder?
Survival is no longer about hiding from the undead. It’s about refusing to become one.
Survival Guide
1. Don’t Try to Convert the Infected
In Sapience, I explore how mass manipulation hijacks apperception—the brain’s power to weave new experiences with old mental models. MAGA zombies have had their apperception hacked. They see cruelty as strength, lies as truth, and their oppressors as saviors.
You can’t decode a mind that’s been corrupted by a system that rewards delusion. So stop trying to “wake them up.” You’re not dealing with the uninformed—you’re facing the intentionally misinformed. Conserve your energy. Strengthen your own reality instead.
Page from Soon To Be Released Graphic Novel
2. Fortify Your Moral Immune System
In a world unraveling—where sea levels rise while civility sinks—what protects us isn’t bunkers or bitcoin. It’s moral clarity. Sapience argues that individual awareness must evolve faster than the systems collapsing around us.
Survival means knowing what you stand for when everything else falls. Read real history. Nourish empathy. Reclaim archetypes of wisdom, guardianship, and creative rebellion. Build an inner compass the zombies can’t corrupt.
Fortify Your Moral Immune System
3. Find Your Survivor Tribe
The collapse is not coming—it’s here. As I describe in Sapience, nation-states crumble into irrelevance while the ultra-elite shelter in fortified Multis, profiting from engineered scarcity and division.
Meanwhile, the rest of us must rely on each other. The uninfected. The awake. The aware. Find your people. Your “Wisdom Guardians,” as I call them. Artists, truth-tellers, scientists, street-level organizers, and kitchen-table philosophers. Form pods. Trade skills. Share hope. The future will be rebuilt by tribes of sapients who remember how to feel and think at the same time.
Find Your Tribe
4. Use Humor Like a Machete
Zombies don’t laugh. That’s your advantage. In Sapience, I argue that imagination isn’t a luxury—it’s a survival mechanism. Satire, sarcasm, irony: these are weapons against despair and disinformation.
Laugh at absurdity. Call it out. Use your wit to dismantle the systems that want you numb. If authoritarianism is a theater of cruelty, then humor is your standing ovation for sanity.
Zombies don’t laugh.
5. Stop Playing Their Zero-Sum Game
The MAGA horde, like the billionaires they worship, believes in scarcity. If they have rights, we lose ours. If they get help, we suffer. In Sapience, I trace this zero-sum thinking back 5,000 years—to the roots of empire, hierarchy, and manufactured division.
Survival means refusing to play this game. The future depends on a different model—abundance through awareness, not extraction. We build systems that care. We dream bigger than the dystopia sold to us.
Stop Playing Their Zero-Sum Game
6. Prepare Like It’s Real—Because It Is
The sadistic MAGA zombie apocalypse isn’t just metaphor. It’s psychological warfare, ecological collapse, economic sabotage, and civil decay—all rolled into a carnival of chaos. In Sapience, I call for preparedness not just in supply—but in spirit.
Yes, stock the pantry. But also stock your consciousness. Build mental models that help you adapt, imagine, and act. Prep not just for survival—but for post-collapse purpose.
Prepare Like It’s Real—Because It Is
Where Are the Best Places in the USA to Prepare & Weather All This Out?
Not many Americans can afford to move to another country. However, there might be some places in the US that can weather the coming chaos, economic collapse, tariffs, etc. etc. better than other places.
I asked ChatGPT this question.
And I asked it to factor in the impact of MAGA’s Big Beautiful Bill, Trump’s Big Beautiful Tariffs, and Elon’s Big Beautiful Cuts of the Federal Work Force.
Wait, you say, what exactly do these fired federal employees have to do with my economic wellbeing and security? Will we really miss them? Surely, federal employees weren’t doing anything that affects me?!
This is a massively important question — because most Americans don’t realize how deeply their everyday lives rely on federal workers and civil service infrastructure, often until it’s too late.
When Elon Musk and Donald Trump — directly or indirectly — push policies or appoint people who gutted, defunded, or demoralized the federal workforce, the effects don’t look like chaos at first. They look like delays, breakdowns, confusion, and crises without answers.
These cuts of federal employees are not only being done by Elon’s DOGE teenage team of hackers, but also Trump-era cabinet secretaries who are doing everything they can to hurry up attrition, hollowing out, or outright hostility to entire departments to get them to resign. These efforts combined with Elon Musk’s privatization fantasies and support for anti-government ideology, have real, painful consequences — especially during a high-stakes summer.
Here’s a powerful rundown of what Americans will miss, lose access to, or suffer from due to this sustained war on the federal workforce and public service infrastructure:
🌀 Weather and Climate Disasters: You’re on Your Own
Fewer NOAA and National Weather Service meteorologists, leading to delayed or downgraded storm warnings.
Less support from FEMA during floods, wildfires, hurricanes, or tornado recovery — especially in rural and low-income areas.
Climate data suppression or manipulation, making disaster preparation harder for local governments.
Slower response times to wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and heat waves, which are growing more frequent and intense due to climate change.
Fewer trained staff at FEMA to process aid, rebuild communities, or coordinate rescue operations.
Weather forecasting delays and reduced storm tracking accuracy as NOAA scientists are driven out or not replaced.
Public lands left unguarded during fire season due to cuts to the U.S. Forest Service.
🥵 Extreme Heat Protections (OSHA, EPA, HUD)
No federal heat standards enforced for workers in warehouses, fields, and construction — putting lives at risk.
EPA gutted so fewer checks on urban heat islands, air pollution, and water safety.
Public housing remains unprepared for heatwaves, with no upgrades to AC, insulation, or cooling stations.
✈️ Travel Chaos (TSA, FAA, National Parks)
Fewer TSA workers = longer lines, more delays, and heightened security risks and greater risk of air traffic issues..
FAA staff shortages = more flight delays and greater risk of mid-air incidents.
National parks overwhelmed, under-maintained, and under-patrolled — risking both safety and ecological damage during peak summer visitation.
Passport and visa delays due to underfunded State Department staffing and backlogs.
Slower response times for air safety violations or airline consumer complaints.
🍔 Food Safety Risks
Cuts to USDA inspectors and FDA staffing mean:
Fewer food recalls.
Slower response to contamination.
More tainted food reaching grocery shelves — especially in meat, dairy, and produce.
🧒 Programs for Kids & Families (USDA, HHS, Education Dept.)
Cut summer lunch programs for low-income kids who rely on school meals.
Delayed child care subsidies and family health services from HHS.
No staff to administer educational grants or summer learning programs — deepening the gap for marginalized students.
🔥 Public Lands and Firefighting
Fewer park rangers, firefighters, and wildland emergency responders.
Reduced protection for forests, wildlife, and endangered ecosystems.
Delays in wildfire prevention programs, increasing the risk of massive summer fires.
🌽 Farmer & Food System Support (USDA, EPA, Labor)
Fewer inspections for food safety, pesticides, and agricultural fraud.
No support for small farmers as subsidies and conservation programs go unstaffed.
Farmworker protection enforcement drops, putting vulnerable workers in harm’s way.
🏥 Health Access and Medical Oversight
Cuts to CDC staff and public health departments hamper outbreak tracking.
Medicare/Medicaid call centers and case managers are overwhelmed.
Less oversight of toxic workplace exposures (via OSHA or EPA), which rise in summer heat.
😷 Public Health & Science (CDC, NIH, FDA)
Slower outbreak response and tracking of new COVID, flu, or RSV variants.
Cancer trials delayed, new treatments slowed.
Fewer food and drug inspections, leading to more recalls and risks.
💼 Small Business and Economic Aid
Delays or shutdowns in:
SBA (Small Business Administration) loan approvals.
USDA rural development grants.
Housing programs (HUD) and energy assistance.
🏛️ Justice & Democracy (DOJ, DOL, USPS, Census Bureau)
Delayed civil rights investigations, police oversight, and workplace discrimination cases.
EEOC, DOJ Civil Rights Division, and labor board staffing gutted.
Slower investigations into:
Police abuse
Discrimination
Corporate exploitation
Undermines voting rights enforcement in the lead-up to the 2024 election.
Labor rights violations ignored due to DOL staff losses.
USPS delays worsen, affecting medication delivery, ballots, and rural access.
Census follow-up workers slashed, hurting planning, school funding, and representation.
💻 Tech and Infrastructure Cracks
Fewer cybersecurity experts defending federal systems.
Disrepair in federal IT systems, IRS help lines, Social Security portals, and more.
Musk’s influence has led to privatized chaos at agencies like NASA and the FCC — where public-good missions have taken a backseat to private profiteering.
🌐 Digital & Infrastructure Access (FCC, NTIA, DOE, DOT)
Broadband expansion stalls, leaving rural and tribal communities offline.
Clean energy grants delayed or canceled.
Transportation projects halted or badly managed due to DOT understaffing.
👵🏽 Elder and Disability Services
Social Security Administration understaffed, leading to:
Long wait times for claims.
Missed payments.
Errors with disability benefits and Medicare.
Veterans Affairs delays for medical care and claims processing.
🚱 Environmental Protection Gutted
EPA enforcement weakened under both Trump and Musk-aligned deregulation.
Polluters operate with impunity in many regions.
Less testing of water, air, and soil — disproportionately harming vulnerable communities.
🚸 Education and Child Protection
Cuts to Head Start, school nutrition programs, and summer youth employment.
Backlogs in child abuse investigations (in coordination with HHS).
Less enforcement of IDEA (special education law) — hurting children with disabilities.
🎯 Bottom Line:
Federal workers are the invisible backbone of a functioning society. When figures like Trump and Musk wage ideological wars against “the deep state,” what they’re really doing is crippling the systems that keep everyday people safe, housed, fed, informed, and protected.
👨👩👧👦 In a Nutshell:
Americans will lose rescue, relief, safety, dignity, and time this summer — not because the government is inherently broken, but because it’s been systematically sabotaged from within. Cuts aren’t just budget line items — they’re broken bridges, burning forests, spoiled food, unpaid claims, and unanswered calls when you need help most.
Economic Hardship Map Due to Trump, MAGA, Musk
Factoring in impacts of the cuts to Federal Workers, Republicans Big Bad Beautiful Bill, Trump’s Rollercoaster Tariffs, rounding up and deporting immigrants (who are the economic backbone Americans stand upon), among other nonsense and authoritarian tendencies of Trump and his cronies, ChatGPT made this map.
It shows the worst, bad, good, and best states to weather the coming economic weather that promises to be very destructive to everyone living in the USA.
Everyone, except for the billionaires who are counting their billions once again thanks to the Republican Prime Directive to Make the Rich Richer!
And this pain that is coming is not short-term. It is how the billionaires are turning You and me into a permanent fixture of their glorious money machine. Unless we rise in numbers they can’t ignore, we are doomed to a lifetime of repetitive cruelty (dubbed efficiency).
It is efficiency only meant to benefit them! DOGE was the first bite…We the People are the next!
Best and Worst Places to Weather the Sadistic Zombie Apocalypse
🔥 Conclusion: The Path of the Sapient
We are not merely surviving an election year. We’re fighting a mind virus. We’re fighting despair. We’re fighting a worldview that delights in the suffering of others. But we have what they don’t: compassion, clarity, and creativity.
As we navigate the toxic fallout of this mind virus—engineered by empires like the House of Trump, the House of Koch, and the House of Musk. These modern dynasties feed on chaos, feed on fear, and feast on the unraveling of the common good.
They offer fiery distraction, oily decay, and cosmic delusion, packaged as strength, wealth, and genius. But their apocalypse is not inevitable.
What they lack—and what we fiercely hold—is sapience: the rare, revolutionary capacity to stay human in the face of inhumanity. They burn and extract. We create and rise.
Yes, the MAGA zombie apocalypse is real—an infestation of cruelty, delusion, and decay. But so is the Firebird: that fierce symbol of rebirth rising from ash, wings carved from imagination and resolve.
We are not here to be consumed. We are here to outlast. To outlove. To outthink.
There is no magic savior coming. But maybe that’s the point.
In a world devoured by cruelty and delusion, choosing to remain fully human—aware, kind, imaginative—is the ultimate form of rebellion. In a world designed to dull us into obedience, simply choosing to be awake, compassionate, and creative is an act of defiance.
In Sapience: The Moment Is Now, I argue that it’s time to awaken the archetype of the Sapient Human: one who sees through illusion, transcends despair, and creates meaning even in rubble.
The sadistic MAGA zombies may be loud. They may be real. They may be many. But they are not the future.
This isn’t just resistance. This is transformation.
The sadistic zombies are drooling from their new found power. The dynastic Houses of Economic Power are roaring as the ticker tapes measuring their richness ticks up and up and up.… like one of Elon’s rocket ships! But they are not the future.
And, we have all seen what happens to Elon’s rocket ships to Mars!!!
You are!!
🧠🧟♀️ Download the Sapient Zombie Survival Guide
This is your field manual for surviving the coming storm. And stay tuned… the Graphic Novel is coming—armed with satire, art, and deeper strategies to fight the mind virus and keep your soul intact.
Why America… why did you choose the Orange Ignorant Again?
On November 5, 2024, by the slimmest of margins, Americans made a fatal decision. Donald tRump and his reality star-studded cast of clowns were given back the reigns of power of the most powerful country in the world.
November 5 marks a drastic decline for the USA. The choice Americans made that day shows the world that a slim majority of Americans are perfectly fine with:
Consuming mountain loads of misinformation and calling it reality;
Putting their needs, their beliefs, their biases above everyone’s else; and
Gladly giving power to rapists, pedophiles and sex offenders, misogynists, racists, fascists, cheaters, deceivers, liars, and basically the Basket of Deplorables (or another word for them is Fools) that Hillary Clinton aptly classified Trump voters as being back in 2016.
If we can even recover from this tragic state of affairs, to regain even a small amount of normalcy in this country again, Americans by the bucket loads need to feed their minds with potent, powerful archetypal food. Archetypes are what make it possible to be conscious. Without awareness of them and how they impact us, we are doomed to our bad karma and collective fate, which at this point is really not looking good at all (except if you’re living in the Upside Down… then, you are having a hay day, until… BOOM… consequences hit!
Rise of Creepy Sycophantsin Corporate Media
And corporate America, left leaning or right leaning, has a lot of accounting for this fatal choice, a choice fueled by the love of money.
Corporate Media treats Trump and his campaign of if it were a legitimate player in American politics. It is not legitimate. It is insane. But rather than reporting on the insanity, they gave precious air-time to Trump’s sycophants, brown-nosers, teacher’s pets, suck-ups, flunkeys, bootlickers, toadies, minions, and parasites.
One is featured below.
Entertaining Ourselves to Death
Really CNN?! You think Americans need more performance reality in the wake of the defeat of intelligence, sanity, along with measured and judicious action!
Trump and MAGA know moment like these get CLICKS and VIEWS
I read this book in 1985, but Americans haven’t learned a damned thing since then. Indeed, ignorance has only deepened and grown worse than what Neil Postman warned us about.
And, oh wait, you did read it. You give an endorsement of it:
“It’s unlikely that Trump has ever read Amusing Ourselves to Death, but his ascent would not have surprised Postman.” – CNN
But you didn’t understand a thing Postman said. Because now, you, CNN is one of the worst offenders of what Postman warned us about in his book. Fox of course is so full of amusing itself and its viewers, it can’t even be called a News Show anymore. Rather, Fox is a gateway to the long rabbit hole into ignorance, hate, deceit, criminality, and fascist radicalization into the MAGA Cult.
Here are some of the reasons you, CNN, contributed to Trump’s sweeping victory:
Token Republican My Ass — Scott has gone full out, mad man MAGA
CNN keep Scott on because moments like this GET CLICKS and VIEWS!!!!
And This Scene leads to More CLICKS, CLICKS, CLICKS and VIEWS … because there is nothing that a MAGA Maniac likes better than to watch a helpless mommy trying to put a wayward, bad boy in his place… and better yes, watching this mommy give up and self-destruct with plastic surgery and lots of boozes–like tRump’s first wife Ivana Marie Trump
ALL THAT GLITTERS Ivana Trump in 1986 at Mar-a-Lago, which she restored. By Norman Parkinson / Iconic Images.
Ivana Marie Zelníčková escaped from behind the Iron Curtain to storm New York City and help create the twisted miracle of Donald Trump. From her “greed is good” heyday to her post-divorce denouement cavorting with a series of “freaky” Italian lovers, it was Ivana, all along, who gilded the Trump name.
Until she didn’t. Some said she began to aspire to things he despised: society, charity boards, fashion shows, grand balls, and grand people. “The phonies,” Trump called them. “He didn’t want a copilot,” one longtime Trump observer will later say. “He wanted a cheerleader.”
Soon, the cameras shone more on her and less on him, “and he was not going to have it,” said Adams.
The divorce sweeps the world. A tawdry romance novel sprung to life, it opens with Trump and his mistress Marla Maples creasing the sheets in Trump-owned hotels. Everyone seems to know except Ivana.
“I always stand by the man,” she says.
Now she is standing in the three-bedroom suite in the Little Nell Hotel in Aspen. It is the Christmas holiday of 1989, and Ivana, at 40, has been reborn via a makeover by the renowned cosmetic surgeon Steve Hoefflin. She’s had “a face-lift, a bosom inflation, and heaven only knows what else,” wrote Liz Smith, who didn’t recognize the new Ivana—until she spoke.
Inside the suite, she picks up a landline and hears her husband on the extension speaking to a local real estate agent about someone whose name she hasn’t heard before.
“Who is Moolah?” she demands.
“Well, that’s a girl who has been going after me for the last two years,” Trump replies.
Somehow, Trump has juggled Ivana and the 26-year-old Maples at holiday parties, keeping them separate and seemingly satisfied. But his luck runs out at Bonnie’s, the rustic lunch spot at the top of Aspen Mountain. He’s sitting with Marla and some friends when Ivana walks in, trailed by Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric.
Marla, in a black ski suit, approaches Ivana, in red and pink, and delivers a line that, as an aspiring actor, she has surely rehearsed: “I’m Marla and I love your husband. Do you?”
In an instant, Ivana replies: “Get lost. I love my husband.”
Then, as she has done all her life, Ivana charges. Not at Moolah—at The Donald. “We were halfway through lunch, and she’s coming toward us, screaming, ‘You no good son of a bitch!’ ” says someone who was at Trump’s table. Trump intercepts her halfway across the crowded room. “And she’s just flailing on him.” (Asked for comment, Marla Maples did not respond.)
They exit and the lunch crowd rises as one to watch from the deck. “He clicks into his skis and you could tell that she’s looking at him, like, ‘Really? You’re going to try to ski away from me?’ ” He tries, but she is fast on his tail. Back at the Little Nell, Ivana hurls her husband’s clothes and Rolex watch out of the windows of their suite and into the snow.
Next comes the unthinkable, at least for Trump. Everyone seems to side with her.
Don’t let me stop the story, go to Vanity Fair. Read the whole article.
Ivana’s rise is indeed much more impressive than The Donald’s. But the MAGA-verse, which we have all ended up living inside since Nov. 5, 2024, is absolutely horrible to older, formerly glamorous and fabulous women.
Ivana’s Fall… literally… is devastating. And now, she lies in an unmarked grave somewhere in an unkempt part of tRump’s golf course.
And Another Fabulous Side Trip of What Happened to Another Beautiful, Smart Woman Who Became Entangled with a Megalomaniac Man
It Should Be Titled: The Black Snake’s Rise to Power and Ultimate Control of the World!!!!!
Now…Back to the Boring Scott Jennings…
Really Scott Jennings… is that so?
An yet, here he is, the Brown nosing Scott Jennings who is the epitome of fake, hallow, inauthentic news
However, even the bootlicker Jennings admits comedy in America is getting a tremendous boost post 2024 election. However, if Americans are just tuning in for a laugh, and then going back to minimizing the disaster that has befallen America… it’s not helping us.
And so, Our Consolation Prize is theRise of Comedy
Comedy is the Only Sector Growing by Leaps and Bounds post November 5, 2024
Weekend Update: Trump Wins 2024 Election, Becomes First Felon Elected President – SNL
SNL for Trump Cold Open – SNL
Elon Musk Slams Dana Carvey’s ‘SNL’ Impression of Him — Anything that Pisses Elon off is Totally Funny and We Need More of That
Trump and Biden Meeting Cold Open – SNL
But, it is not enough!
Enter from Stage Left, the MeidasTouchNetwork
This new News Network is helping fix what corporate media broke.
LIVE: Trump Handed MAJOR LEGAL DEFEATS in Transition | Legal AF || STAY INFORMED & INSPIRED BY THIS NETWORK
Robert Reich SPEAKS OUT After Election | PoliticsGirl || This is REALLY GOOD — If you want to do something, listen, especially minute 46
Trump mental health conference explained with Dr Bandy Lee. || MUST WATCH
But We Still Need More…
…because the main battlefield is not happening on the outside in our shared world. The main battlefield is being fought on the inside, inside our minds.
If we are going to win this fight, then we (the sane and intelligent Americans still standing) need to get a lot more serious about how images and archetypes workd… because Lord knows the MAGAs certainly have!
The MAGAs are winning because they have tapped into ancient, magnetic, and powerful forms of thought and primitive thinking. They probably don’t even know exactly what they have tapped into. They only know that it is working.
Republican Party strategist and political pollster Patrick Ruffin discussed trends from the 2024 election at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity’s annual “Freedom and Progress” conference in Washington, D.C. Topics included strengths and weaknesses of the Trump and Harris campaigns, the economy as a key election issue, the pivot in diversity within the GOP, and how the electorate interpreted the character of each candidate.
And of course, Trump himself is a lightening rod. Trump certainly cannot talk the language of the mind, but he has an instinct for how to tap into the ancient, primitive parts of the human mind and how to manipulate the masses.
Sapience: The Moment Is Now
My book, Sapience: The Moment Is Now, goes into great detail about these ancient, primitive, powerful parts of the human mind.
unfortunately, my book seems beyond the mental capabilities of most causal readers. It is too long, too complicated, goes over too much human history.
2024
Well, dear humans of Earth, if we don’t understand our shared collective history… we are doomed to repeat it over and over and over again. And that is exactly what we are doing right now in 2024.
In fact, I have a Chapter titled 2024. If nothing else, buy my book (or contact me and I’ll send you a free copy) and start at Chapter 2024.
If we don’t understand our own minds, we are doomed on this planet.
The Trump Contagion that Dr. Bandy talks about is called The Corruption in my book. It is the same thing and humanity has been dealing with it for an awfully long time, except now, we can create a species ending situation with men such as Trump, Putin, and Musk.
Attempting to make my book a bit more digestible for the modern Western mind, I am creating less than one minute animations. This one is from the Chapter: The Myth of the Strong Man.
This one is from Yong Xing-li’s dream at the very end of Chapter 2024.
This one is the very beginning of Sapience.
We need to feed our minds with powerful stories that feed the parts of ourselves that make us conscious. My book is not the only powerful story out there, but my book certainly connects the dots between Primitive Man’s Mind and Modern Man’s Mind is a way I have only seen Issac Asimov do with his books in the Foundation Series and psychohistory.
Well, that is probably more than enough to ponder for another boring day in America…
On October 7, 2023, a significant and tragic escalation occurred in the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel. Early in the morning, Hamas launched a large-scale surprise attack on Israeli territory. The attack involved rocket fire and incursions by armed militants into various communities. This assault marked a particularly deadly day in the conflict’s history. It caused many casualties among both Israelis and Palestinians.
In response, Israel declared a state of war and commenced extensive military operations in Gaza. The violence quickly escalated, leading to airstrikes on Gaza and widespread destruction. The international community reacted with alarm, calling for de-escalation and urging both sides to pursue dialogue. The events of that day worsened the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. They also reignited discussions about the long-standing issues at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
As the anniversary approaches, reflections on the events and their aftermath emerge. They highlight the ongoing tensions. These tensions have a profound impact on civilians in the region.
In my book, Sapience: The Moment Is Now, I trace the roots of antisemitism back centuries. These hateful sentiments stretch back to the First Crusades and even further back in time. The night (or rather early morning) of the attack, I had a dream about the Human Cake. It was the second time I had dreamed this dream. It is not a pleasant dream. Rather, it is a shocking, revolting, scary dream, and I could not image why I was dreaming about it again.
In this dream, I see a team of doctors all wearing white coats. They enter a sterile white space where I and others wait. They enter this room through shiny white double doors. Behind these doors is the operating theater where they have been creating their new thing. It is this Thing that they are giving a press conference about. It is clear they are very pleased with their work. I can see their pride on their sly smiles. I can feel their arrogance in the way they push the Thing in a wheelchair for everyone to see.
They spare no gory details on how they created the atrocity sitting in the wheelchair. This Thing used to be a man. Now, it sits as a helpless creature in its wheelchair for it has no legs. Nor can it express any emotions because it no longer has a face. The doctors are proud of these aspects of the creature. They say it is a break through and discuss each step they took to get to this featureless creature.
Everyone in the room sits in stunned silence. There is nothing left of the man except a mound of gory goo. The doctors take turns describing with excitement how they systematically cut off every recognizable feature of the man. They describe with joy how they took these pieces and reattached them to utterly unsuitable places of the body. Places never intended for a severed limb or an eye.
The result is disgusting, stomach-churning, repulsive, beastly, vulgar, and heinous. The doctors did it, but the man volunteered. I couldn’t understand why?! Then, I woke up to the horrible news of what was happening in Israel. I was overwhelmed by the news coming out of Israel. And overhanging this was the shock and horror of my dream that lingered in my mind like an evil specter.
Carl Jung calls such moments as these Moments of Synchronicity. When any human encounters a moment of synchronicity, attention must be paid. This is because often, there is something very important for the individual to know or understand. I knew this was important.
I was working on the final stretch of my book feeling an intense need to get it published by 4/24/24. After October 7, 2023, I stopped writing and editing my book. I could not do a thing in it for the rest of the month. I felt compelled to witness the harrowing stories of survival. And I listened to the tragic stories of death of innocence people at the hands of men filled with hate.
I made a playlist on YouTube called Remember. I saved every story I heard to this list. I was shocked again and again at the savagery described by survivors. The brutality inflicted on babies, children, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers shook me to my core.
After this month of bearing witness, I knew what I had to do with my book. I needed to write about the Human Cake. And I also needed to include the history of the Middle East. This new research and writing sidelined me for at least another month, but I did it.
If you get my book, you will encounter the Human Cake first. He makes his appearance in the book at about page 101. Brothers of the Levant… Before the Fall begins on page 173. Histories of genocides begins around page 320 with the chapter titled: Rise of the Machine.
You need to read all of these sections to gain a full history of current crisis in the Middle East. You also need to read other sections to understand how hate has risen inside of man. He has learned to harness it with machine-like precision. I cover many, many hate groups who have emerged and are growing like a cancer all over the world. In addition, I carefully show how no human being is immune to the infection of hate. These sections are cited for I have researched them intensely. I cite historians, psychologists, and philosophers. Additionally, I reference people who have specialized and written about all this stuff for a very long time.
In this section, I talk about the Human Cake. My character Rain recalls her grandmother’s words about fear and other strong emotions. Her grandmother was a wise woman, and Rain knows she needs wisdom now to survive.
A man who clings to his instinct to kill becomes a person aroused by murder and death. It fascinates him like a candle flame, but to keep the kill candle burning… such a man must kill… constantly. But doing so in a civilized society risks punishment and possibly his own death. And so, such a man fantasizes about murder, mayhem, and massacres inside the confines of his mind. Such a man feeds his fantasies with pictures and images of dead or dying people; kill porn. Such a man glorifies death and idolizes martyrdom. Such a man celebrates the wholesale slaughter of other human beings who he considers to be less than he considers himself to be. It is a false and insincere division made by his foul and increasingly warp light of consciousness that must be constantly fed. He becomes like a drug addict who needs a hit of heroin to feel normal again.
Grandmother said that anything done constantly in the mind soon grows boring to man’s fickle, flickering light of conscious attention, so a man clinging to his kill instinct must up the ante to feed his fading fervor and desire to butcher and decimate other living beings. Such a man may pacify his erotic passion by killing what he considers lesser forms of life. He can also fuel the instinct to kill with anger, regret, and rage. He can work himself up into a berserker frenzy by consuming a steady diet of fury and indignation.
Grandmother said that a man who fantasizes about death and celebrates killing is the devil he fears in others. Such a man cultivates his inner instinct to kill to a fever-pitch, he becomes a tube of intensity, a cannula of desperate excitement, a pipeline of frantic, frenzied, futile fear and rage. His magma tube of hate drops him below the animal realm of living beings, it plunges him below the daemon realm of human beings. He falls into a monster pit, a place where he embodies the wretched vermin that he accuses others of being. His invisible world where all his thinking is done is transformed into Hell’s Kitchen populated by unrecognizable things baked in the heat of hate and scorn.
Such a man uses his laser beam of hate to mutilate his inner man. He disfigures and desecrates his inner self by cutting off his inner man’s fingers and toes, hands and feet, legs, and arms. He pulls out his inner man’s hair and gouges out his eyes. He removes his nose and mouth and face and slops them onto the growing heap of hate he is becoming. Then he turns up the heat of his fear and loathing, baking himself into a human cake made of hostility, disgust, resentment, bitterness, antipathy, and apathy.
Such a dismembered and disfigured inner man can no longer recognize the humanity in himself, and certainly not in others. He becomes a thing of contempt and repugnance, a thing no longer recognizable as human or animal, except for one thing: his thinking and his words. Such a man uses these lingering abilities with deft callousness to beguile and enthrall, to rivet and fascinate, to transfix, super charge, and magnetize the ordinary man and woman… pulling them farther and farther out of the mainstream, tempting them to leave their reservoirs of wisdom with promises of everything but love. Then he destroys their inner equanimity and binds them to him with chains of fear that are firmly fastened to his crumpled wheelchair of cruelty. He must do this for such a man is crippled by his own fear and hate. And so, he needs others to do the terrible things he dreams up, but which he is too cowardly to do himself.
Commanding his army of human zombies from his wheelchair of hate, he must constantly recruit new people to his wretched world of scorn and loathing because he throws his foot soldiers to their deaths again and again. And they must die because they have been commanded to kill the women, kill the children, kill the babies, kill the goats and chickens and dogs and wheat and barley and water… to kill anything resembling life. So, anything resembling life must fight back or be killed and die by the killer human zombies who have been robbed of their souls by the human cakes baked by their own hate.
Just before the Fall, some of the biggest, most hideous, gut-churning, ghastly acts of hate are immortalized as mere numbers: 9/11, 2/24, 10/7. Days of infamy that plunged the highly interconnected world of the dawning 21st Century not only into bloody, gruesome, localized conflicts and war, but mind grenades carefully calibrated to inspire fear and fill the ordinary man and woman with hate for the other around the entire world. It doesn’t matter what side a person is blown to in the blast of gruesome cruelty. These mind grenades are simply meant to shock and to shake the fragile foundations upon which modern people must trust will protect them and keep them safe.
With the ordinary man’s and woman’s trust in humanity shook, it doesn’t take much more for the most hateful human cakes to shatter any common bonds still holding a civilized society together into a million, billion bits. Once shattered, the hate filled human cakes rearrange the shiny, reflective shards of human consciousness like tiny mirrors on a disco ball. The human cakes shine their light of hate on the remnants of the ordinary man’s and woman’s sense of safety and security. -- Excerpt from Sapience: The Moment Is Now
What else can I say about hate of Human Cakes?
I can only show you the drawing I made of this creature… the one I dreamt about on the morning of October 7, 2023 for the second time. The dream I knew I needed to pay attention to… and so I did.
On this day six years ago, my father had a heart attack. First responders revived him after 15 minutes of CPR, and then he was flown by helicopter to the Mayo Clinic. There he was put into an induced coma and body cooled to help preserve as much brain function as possible. Nobody knew if he would wake up and if he did, how much of him would wake up. But after days of touch and go, dad came back all of him except swallowing and he had developed pneumonia due to CPR, and this was expected and Mayo began aggressive treatment of it because it turns out if you aren’t breaking ribs while doing CPR, you aren’t pumping enough blood to revive the individual.
Remembering Dad
I wrote all about this in the first anniversary of dad’s death, as well as the reasons why he did not make it.
How Narcissistic Abuse Severely Thwarted my Healing Journey
In addition to dad’s death, the CEO of a small nonprofit I was working for fired me for being by dad’s side. Most probably this CEO suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder and she would be fired soon enough for this and a number of other things she did or failed to do during her tenure.
Adding insult to injury, my mother-in-law who is most definitely contorted and warped by Narcissistic Personality Disorder was about to launch one of her most hideous and disgusting campaigns to make herself appear as the victim so she could harvest attention and pity from her flying monkeys. This is what narcissists enablers are called by professionals who try to help family members and people abused by Narcissists heal. The fuel for her campaign of Narcissistic madness was her own children and grandchildren.
It would take me 6 years to understand what my mother-in-law was doing and why. But back in 2018 and 2019 I simply found myself in HELL.
I should not be here today. The only thing that helped me hold on during this time of pain and abandonment was the story I had started writing in 2012. I was reading dad the latest parts of the story when he died with me by his side on August 4, 2018.
Even though dad had slipped into a delirium due to the stress of life-saving procedures such as suctioning the mucous from his airways and reinserting a feeding tube he had worked out with the back of his tongue four times the previous day, he told the nurses caring for him that he was so proud of me for writing this book and that my whole life has been preparing me for it.
So in the dark days of the summer of 2019, with the help of a friend, I returned to my story and began editing the beginning to bring it up to the level of writing I had evolved into after six years of writing. My friend was then editing my edited version of book 1.
Then, Something New Began Coming Through
Not too long into this process, something new started coming through. I argued with myself… it was right around this time in 2019… for I knew writing something new would take more time.
The something new won took 6 more years to write! I finally published the book my father believed in so much on April 24, 2024.
Here is an excerpt of some of the something new that was coming through me after father died. This is from Sapience: The Moment Is Now — What Rain knows.
From the Book
"You cannot sell wisdom, nor can you buy it. You must earn it by living fully, living unself-consciously but not unconsciously. Wisdom is a group activity. Wisdom is kind. Wisdom shares its last morsel of food simply because that is what wisdom does. Wisdom knows that everything is connected, and what you do to someone else, you have done to yourself first. Wisdom is a baby crawling and giggling with its newfound mastery of getting around. Wisdom is an old man falling and laughing at his misfortunate mishap, knowing perfectly well everyone falls sometimes and it doesn’t mean a darn thing.
Wisdom knows sometimes you are going to win. Wisdom knows sometimes you are going to lose. Wisdom knows winning and losing doesn’t mean a darn thing because that is part of being alive. Wisdom knows navigating the ups and downs, the wins and losses, are much easier and mean so much more when you share it with the people who care about you and who you care about… this is love... caring and sharing, celebrating and mourning, feasting and fasting together as ever as one.
Wisdom is the joy of sharing life with the ones you love. Wisdom is the bliss of partaking equitably in the ups and downs of life. Wisdom is tolerating in another the things that annoy you most. Tolerance is a blessing, and wisdom knows this. Tolerance and wisdom are essential because life is complicated, too complicated for one insignificant human being to know everything it must to make a good decision.
A wise person knows this. A wise person knows a single individual can never consciously gather enough information to make a wise decision: so, stop trying to fool yourself and others that you can. A wise person understands action must be taken without foreknowledge of the results, but if the action is grounded in mutuality, respect, compassion, dignity, love, and a huge heaping of tolerance… mostly the results will reap good outcomes. And when they don’t, a wise person knows it is important to try again. Failure is simply the process of success.
Tolerance is an anti-gravity force to fear. Tolerance requires a person to broaden their bandwidth of consciousness rather than narrow and restrict it as fear does. Tolerance allows an individual to sit in discomfort, to sit in not knowing, to sit in the darkness of what is not clear yet and to wait for understanding of what is right action.
Timing is everything when it comes to action. Right action done too soon quickly turns into wrong action. Right action done too late will also not produce desired results. Action done outside of its proper time or beyond what is necessary to complete a task is easily twisted and corrupted by thinking that tries to justify it. Such action grows fat with inaccurate, incorrect, false, untrue, and mistaken attributions ladled onto it to get people to act. This sort of propped up action becomes more and more improper and unsuitable for the circumstances.
Such artificial action awakens the most wicked and sinful parts of a person, because acting outside and beyond the bounds of right action requires an angry mind, a brash, conservative, intolerant, mean, merciless, unfriendly, unsympathetic, biased, disapproving, narrow-minded, and prejudiced mind. People acting in this manner are cruel, brutal, savage, bloodthirsty, vicious people driven by narrower and narrower justifications loaded with fantastical and fraudulent fancies.
Wisdom knows this and knows tolerance is the only way to slow down enough to sense and see what is really going on inside and outside of one’s own mind and body. Only by sensing and seeing more of what is actually going on in the present moment can a person produce right action at the right time.
Right action does not inflict harm unto oneself or another without a really good reason why violence is required. Isaac Asimov got it right when his character, Salvor Hardin, says: “Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.” This is true because it is so easy to lose wisdom when one is racing inside their mind, thought after thought conceived by lies, half-truths, or half-baked ideas and silly beliefs.
A person acting in such a way utilizes the narrowest bandwidth of consciousness possible yet still able to remain conscious. Any narrower, and the person would fall into a dumb, zombie-like stupor. Wisdom knows this. Wisdom knows thinking is a result of the constriction of consciousness due to fear. Wisdom knows thinking trumped up with false facts and fantastical beliefs is going to make a lot of mistakes due to its failure to grasp reality. So, like any good toddler, a person who thinks all the time and falls out of phase with right action will make more and more mistakes and will act in more and more rageful ways trying to cover up and hide all their blunders, miscalculations, gaffes, and ignorance." -- Pages 128-128
Note: the link to Sapience is supposed to be a universal link that will open to the book in whatever browser and language from which you operate; however, it has not seemed to be working, so you can also search by the ASIN: B0D2LM5B6K.
The oracle is an ancient role that a wise woman or wise man played in society. Ancient man understood balance is essential, but finding the right balance can be tricky, especially when confronted with lots of divergent opinions, ideas, gossip, agitprop, spin, hype, propaganda, indoctrination, misinformation and disinformation on top of more spin.
In today’s modern world, life is even more chaotic and nerve wracking. This is why finding peace and quiet to dream is more important than ever before, and thus the inspiration for this plush, comfy comforter and its simple words of inspiration to invite delight into the night.
“I am an Oracle. Didn’t you hear? My wisdom’s like magic… … mystic and clear. I’ll lead you to places… … free from pain, fear, and hate. So, ask me your questions… And dream into being your destiny tonight!”
— by Deborah
Oracle Collection
The oracle collection is a reminder wisdom lies inside of all of us. And it is closer than we think. Wisdom’s light is soft, gentle like the moonlight that makes night a magical time. To hear our inner oracle, we must find outer calm and tranquility, even during the worst of times or the hardest trails life throws to us. This is not easy to do when one is feeling pain, fear, or hate. The oracle helps to soothes away the blocking feelings and traumas, so we can all find our way to our inner pool of peace and tranquility where our wisdom waits to rise like a full prescient moon.
The oracle is part of my book: Sapience: The Moment Is Now. It is an archetype, which is an idea developed by Carl Jung around the turn of the 20th Century to talk about how people use consciousness. Being self-aware and thinking are things we do every day, but rarely do we think about how we do it. Jung proposed there are body parts for the mind just as there are body parts for our bodies. Archetypes are the body parts of the mind. To visualized this, the colorful women-harps. If you look closely, the woman and harp are one entity.
Rainbow Women
I created these lovely rainbow women and harps for a blog I wrote about consciousness and arches of consciousness. I used Genolve via Midjourney to create rainbow arches of consciousness that the AI displayed to me as women and musical instruments playing the chords of consciousness inside of us. This is what the AI imagined, and I really liked it. One of the cues I gave to the AI was arches of consciousness, which is short for archetypes or an idea.
If you are interested in consciousness and archetypes, they are thoroughly explored in my book as well—Sapience: The Moment Is Now (on Amazon).
Merch& Book
These are just a few of the Oracle Collection items available now on Etsy at The Quip Collection
Welcome to TOTALITARIA! A wonderful world based on the highest ideals, most moral codes ever conceived by man!
Oooops! Do you really want to live in a Totalitarian society where your neighbors and creepy people spy on you and report you to the Morality Police overseen by the Minister of Interior, a guy responsible for the interior thoughts inside your mind?!
Totalitarian Mindset
This blog explores Joost Meerlo’s chapter on the Totalitarian Mindset, which is a mindset that serves as a fundamental building block of totalitarian societies. This mindset does not just infect Totalitarian Rulers. It infects lots of people in a society who become susceptible to it for a variety of reasons
Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and regulation over public and private life. -- Totalitarianism -- Wikipedia
In fact, there are recognizable personality traits for forming and holding a Totalitarian Mindset.
These traits include conventionalism, authoritarian submission, authoritarian aggression, anti-intraception, superstition and stereotypy, power and "toughness", destructiveness and cynicism, projectivity, and exaggerated concerns over sex. -- The Authoritarian Personality -- Wikipedia
There is even such a thing as a totalitarian democracy, which is a state is said to maximize its control over the lives of its citizens by using the dual rationale of general will (i.e., “public good”) and majority rule.
Recap & Current Events
Previous blogs of this series explore why we need heroes, super heroes, and strong stories that activate and workout the body parts of our mind: Archetypes. Like the rest of the world, I am shocked and horrified by Hamas October 7 attack and anyone celebrating this attack. What were they thinking is beyond what a normal person can conceive. Only people who have broken their minds and eviscerated their hearts are capable of cutting the fingers off a little boy before executing him and cutting heads off of babies. Only people who have turned themselves into monsters spend 16 years and billions of dollars building underground tunnels while not dropping a dime to build a bomb shelter for the 2.2 million people of Gaza and then build their underground bunker headquarters underneath refugee facilities and hospitals.
The killing of any innocent person–baby, child, woman, or man–is wrong… be it by knifes and guns or bombs… and yet, here we the people of the world, stand again looking into the jaws of violence, which breeds violence, which breeds violence and revenge and more violence. The same killing is happening in Ukraine implemented by another crazy totalitarian monster who is cozying up to this favorite totalitarian dictators in Iran, North Korea, China, and now Hamas, Hezbollah, and any and all extremists, violent visionaries who want to rule the world.
I have been devastated by images of death and destruction in Israel and Gaza, but one picture caught my attention in a curious way. This is the picture of the captured soldier recused by the IDF from Gaza.
IDF soldier Pvt. Ori Megidish (center) with her family after being rescued from Gaza, October 30, 2023. (Shin Bet) — Times of Israel
I cannot fix or change this torn and tattered world. I can only reflect and notice and try to understand what makes a person lean into a Totalitarian Mindset and Life that never ends up serving the good of all. It only ever seems to serve a few living like rats in tunnels or cockroachs in golden palaces.
So let’s dive into Joost Meerlo who was a Jewish psychiatrist who survive the Nazi holocaust and thought a lot about what makes such men do such monstrous things.
There actually exists such a thing as a technique of mass brainwashing. This technique can take root in a country if an inquisitor is strong and shrewd enough. He can make most of us his victims, albeit temporarily.
What in the structure of society has made man so vulnerable to these mass manipulations of the mind? This is a problem with tremendous implications, just as brainwashing is. In recent years we have grown more and more aware of human interdependence with all its difficulties and complications.
I am aware of the fact that investigation of the subject of mental coercion and thought control becomes less pleasant as time goes on. This is so because it may become more of a threat to us here and now, and our concern for China and Korea must yield to the more immediate needs at our own door. Can totalitarian tendencies take over here, and what social symptoms may lead to such phenomena? Stern reality confronts us with the universal mental battle between thought control (and its corollaries) and our standards of decency, personal strength, personal ideas, and a personal conscience with autonomy and dignity.
Future social scientists will be better able to describe the causes of the advent of totalitarian thinking and acting in man. We know that after wars and revolutions this mental deterioration more easily finds an opportunity to develop, helped by special psychopathic personalities who flourish on man’s misery and confusion. It is also true that the next generation spontaneously begins to correct the misdeeds of the previous one because the ruthless system has become too threatening to them.
My task, however, is to describe some symptoms of the totalitarian process (which implies deterioration of thinking and acting) as I have observed them in our own epoch, keeping in mind that the system is one of the most violent distortions of man’s consistent mental growth. No brainwashing is possible without totalitarian thinking. The tragic facts of political experiences in our age make it all too clear that applied psychological technique can brainwash entire nations and reduce their citizens to a kind of mindless robotism which becomes for them a normal way of living. Perhaps we can best understand how this frightening thing comes about by examining a mythical country, which, for the sake of convenience, we shall call Totalitaria.
While writing this blog, I heard this on NPR. If you are interested in Totalitarian Societies and Mindset and what can happen to ordinary people just trying to live their lives in such societies, you should listen to this episode that tells how things can go sideways really fast, especially with social media and modern technologies.
In this episode, you meet a man in Iraq and the new app called Snitch, a woman in the US who was giving birth at home and arrested because her baby was a still birth, and what has been happening in Iran for decades with its brutal Morality police. The very same Iran supplying Putin with drones and Hamas with rockets.
Click Here is a five-part special series telling true stories about the people making and breaking our digital world. Hosted by former NPR Investigations correspondent Dina Temple-Raston, Click Here uses deep reporting and investigative journalism to introduce listeners to the people behind today’s cybersecurity and intelligence headlines. You’ll meet not just the hackers, but the people who are chasing them – without all that insider jargon that makes tech shows hard to understand.
What happens when authorities use digital weapons to impose their vision of morality on the people they are supposed to serve? Across the globe, rulers have launched apps, tracked phones, and used personal data in increasingly hostile ways, and it has sparked some very creative responses. -- Listen to this and other episodes of the Click Here podcast at clickhereshow.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
Midjourney generated Peace Art
Peace Forward
Hoffer seeks to provide non partisan and non bias information from both sides to help people understand the different sides, perspectives, and history of the conflict in the Middle East. It is a big lift and hard to do, and it is hard for people to reach out and seek more information to understand more about the horrors taking place. It is the only way forward for every individual to do this work, to check one’s own biases and blind spots. It is hard work, thinking, but without this hard work… there is only one place the world is going to land… and it’s not a peaceful place.
Following the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, Harvard University junior Shira Hoffernoticed a lot of one-sided and polarizing narratives around the conflict.
In an effort to promote peaceful dialogue across differences, Hoffer launched the Hotline for Israel/Palestine, an educational texting hotline that seeks to provide users with nonpartisan information and resources.
The initiative already has two dozen volunteers, spanning across religions, ethnicities and countries.
Here & Now's Jane Clayson speaks with Hoffer for more details on this peace-forward effort.
Inside Climate News
Scientific American
CBS News
The Washington Post
