Like so many people this morning, after going to bed (way early, as I’m feeling rather awful, but not too awful, since my immune system basically works, unlike other parts of me, at fighting off elementary-school sourced respiratory virii) watching the new guy cave to Colombia’s hitting back at his bullying then claim victory, we woke up to more almost certainly illegal orders, in particular this one from OMB that freezes ” all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance” while the White House reviews everything to ensure that it is “dedicated to advancing Administration priorities” and doesn’t support any of that “woke” shit they’re all so afraid of.

What this seems to mean, by the way, is that Federal student aid (loans and grants that so much of this country depends on, regardless of your political leanings) is likely to be delayed or canceled right as the spring semester is starting for college students everywhere.

Including my lovely spouse, who’s going into her last semester to finish her degree.

This, along with things like the whole this whole business that very well might touch me directly, given that it’s also written as vaguely as to potentially refer to both everything and nothing, as well as all the other stuff I’m not going to get into right now, is, as stated previously, raising all kinds of anxiety.

About the only things helping me hold on to what’s left of my sanity are staying off of social media (two weeks and counting) or were prescribed by my doctor.

While I’m sure the Ninth Circuit will have a judgement out suspending that OMB memo before the sun’s up on the west coast, this thing’s still going mess things up for a huge segment of the population.

That said, I expect the people having their faces eaten right now will find a way to rationalize this even as it’s going to affect them and/or their children personally, because that’s the way cult-adjacent political movements supporting fascism work, this particular action, if any, might peel a few folks off, as it hits their pocketbooks as they have to decide whether to pay for those eggs or the kid’s college bill, or hit the bottom line of the broligarchs like Musk when they can’t find enough qualified employees to develop pointless AI tools or lawyers to apply loopholes to let them avoid paying taxes…

But, that might just be the last remaining vestiges of my optimism before the croc goes into the death roll on it talking.

Either way, this is going to hurt a hell of a lot more people, and probably help next to no one, since so many people don’t pay attention (or only pay attention to their bubble; even if my legislative crush Senator Elizabeth Warren managed to work her way behind the curtain last night), that it’s not going to matter and they’ll find some way to blame anyone but the monsters.

Only 207 weeks to go….