kattvez

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by Katt Vezz

[kattvez]

None of us are free - in the United States we are paying the government to lock us up in prison. Each year US taxpayers pay hundreds of millions of dollars to fund private prisons owned by companies like GEO Group and CivicCore who get paid by the prisoner - the more prisoners, the more money they get paid (and the more the taxpayers pay). The more citizens get locked up for minor offenses and the more people who serve longer sentences for non-violent crimes like drug charges, the more money these companies make - and the more taxpayers pay. We are paying them to put us in prison. Think about that.

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Wandering in Wonderland

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Total Eclipse by IndigentInk

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Heil Trump! 100 years on repeat.

This might make you pause and think, "No way—that could NEVER happen again!" But let’s look more closely, because the similarities are alarmingly real. Germany didn’t turn into Nazi Germany overnight; it was a slow descent, almost imperceptible at first. You may have heard the analogy of a frog in a pot of water, where the temperature rises so gradually that the frog doesn’t realize it’s being boiled alive until it’s too late. That’s what happened in Nazi Germany—and it’s what we risk today in the United States if we don’t pay attention to the warning signs.

In the early 1930s, many Germans, including Jewish citizens, dismissed Hitler as a passing phenomenon. They thought he was just a fringe figure—a "spook" who would fade away. They believed his extremist views wouldn’t gain traction. But Hitler’s appeal grew as he presented himself as a charismatic leader promising to restore Germany’s glory. His message was simple: make Germany great again. Sound familiar?

With the world reeling from the Great Depression, Hitler gained widespread support through his protectionist economic policies, offering a vision of economic relief and national revival. Many Germans, desperate for stability, ignored the darker, insidious rhetoric that came with his promises. Today, millions of Americans, feeling left behind by globalization and the rise of the tech economy, similarly turn to promises of economic revival and national pride. Like in 1930s Germany, the allure of quick fixes to complex problems can make people overlook the dangerous ideologies lurking beneath the surface.

One of Hitler’s key strategies was to undermine core democratic institutions, eroding public trust in Germany’s legal and political framework. We’re seeing echoes of this in Donald Trump’s actions. As both a candidate and a former president, Trump has repeatedly undermined the credibility of institutions when they don’t align with his interests—the courts, the electoral process, even the certification of an election. His rhetoric suggests that any institution not serving his goals is suspect, creating a divide in the public’s trust in these democratic systems.

A hallmark of Trump’s approach has been his relentless attack on the media, branding it as “fake news” whenever it criticizes him or his policies. The Nazis used a similar tactic, calling independent journalists the “Lügenpresse,” or "lying press." In both cases, this tactic seeks to sow doubt about any information that challenges the leader’s narrative. By discrediting the media, both Hitler and Trump attempt to shape reality to fit their own agendas, isolating their followers from independent sources of truth.

Scapegoating minorities has also been a disturbing common thread. Hitler blamed Jewish people for Germany's economic problems, stirring up public resentment against them as the "internal enemies" of the nation. Trump has similarly focused on specific groups, notably undocumented immigrants, portraying them as the root of America's economic and social issues. He has created a crisis around illegal immigration, expanding the role of ICE to target this group, often painting them as threats to safety, jobs, and stability. Today, similar tactics are being used against transgender individuals, who represent a tiny fraction of the population but have become a focal point of political and social resentment. Trump's rhetoric fuels these hostilities, using marginalized communities as scapegoats to rally support and divert attention from more complex issues.

Furthermore, Hitler relied on affiliated militias like the SA and SS to intimidate opponents and enforce Nazi ideology. Trump, while not formally organizing militias, has encouraged self-recruiting groups and militias, famously asking them to “stand by” during moments of tension, as seen during the January 6th Capitol riot. His cozy relationships with authoritarian leaders, like Putin, echo the alliances between Hitler and Mussolini, reinforcing the dangerous allure of authoritarianism.

The situation today may even be more dangerous because of technology. In the past, hateful rhetoric and propaganda required physical presence at rallies or the reading of pamphlets. Now, hateful content—whether anti-Semitic, anti-trans, or racist—finds its way to people’s screens, reaching millions in an instant. Algorithms amplify divisive content, pushing more extreme narratives into the mainstream, often without individuals even seeking it out.

It’s easy to believe that “it could never happen here,” but history shows that democracy is fragile, and small shifts in public sentiment, unchecked power, and targeted scapegoating can lead to devastating consequences. The parallels between Germany’s descent into Nazism and aspects of today’s political culture are a reminder of the importance of vigilance, empathy, and a commitment to protecting democratic values before it’s too late.

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Status update by IndigentInk

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Dreaming of a Balloon Race by IndigentInk

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House Party by IndigentInk

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Jellyfish Alley

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The Kraken

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Best Buds

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5 posts!

[kattvez]

Reminiscing on the worst breakup method EVER. It happened in 2 steps like a one, two punch. My second husband and I were moving to another state. He had to work out of town for a few weeks, so I'd handle the moving truck and go first, then he'd join me in a few weeks when he finished working.

The moving truck arrived and the first sign of trouble was the instantly observion that only my stuff was on the truck, his belongings been removed. Any joint possessions of any value were also absent, like the Dyson Vacuum and all of my ski equipment.

I was frantically trying to reach him for explanation but but calls and texts went unanswered. Then I saw the email. His email very clearly explained everything. It was over, he wasn't coming along on the move, he didn't love me anymore, he hated being a stepfather, and that he'd fucked the bartender at his hotel the previous night.

Sneaky theft from the moving truck, breakup via EMAIL, unnecessary harshness, then gloating about fucking a bartender. Prince among men.

Sometimes, a bad man can be a vice indeed.