Disasters Once Brought Americans Together: Now Their Political Footballs

It's been almost three weeks since a train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, sparking an ecological disaster and a political firestorm for right-wingers.

Growing up I witnessed hundreds of manmade and natural disasters and in the majority of the cases all Americans came together in a unified effort to provide help to the state and local residents involved.

That changed in 2017 under the Trump regime. I began to notice that disasters became political footballs for the Republican party.

While East Palestine residents suffer from the effects of contaminated water, earth, and air Trump slithered into town a couple of days ago to make some political hay for his failing campaign for the presidency in 2024.

Meanwhile the US Environmental Protection Agency has ordered Norfolk Southern (the company responsible) to handle and pay all necessary cleanup after the derailment led to an intentional release of vinyl chloride to help avoid a more catastrophic blast.

The effects have been devastating as residents reported a number of ailments - from rashes to nausea to trouble breathing. The ground water is contaminated and people with wells are being advised to use bottled water.

Back to my point. Our divided nation meant that something so basically wrong - an accident threatening people's lives - makes good propaganda for MAGA minded morons like Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, who joined Trump in spreading lies to the stressed-out local residents.

The America I grew up in wasn't perfect, but Americans always seemed ready to help one another in times of crisis. 

That American is gone. In its place is a fractured nation trying to cling to democracy in the face of advancing fascism by domestic terrorists.

Some of those same domestic terrorists are lawmakers in Congress who are looking to tear down our current government and to reinstate a former president who is a traitor to the country.

Disasters are not the only thing MAGA minions are politicizing. Everything from children's books and toys to our history is under assault from MAGA nation. 

As it stands, the only hope for turning this hateful cycle into a path for healing is to vote against the MAGA minded domestic terrorists running for local, state, and federal offices.