Fight Hurricane MAGA: VOTE

By V. Susan Hutchinson

How scary were Hurricanes Helene and Milton for those of us living in South Eastern states these past two weeks? Very, but what is scarier is Hurricane MAGA, which has been spinning across America for more than eight years.

Hurricane MAGA

Both naturally forming hurricanes and the MAGA hurricane have much in common. Neither one cares what is in its path or who dies as long they achieve their objective. In the case of Mother Nature, it is to do damage and then fizzle out, but Hurricane MAGA will continue until it puts a dictator named Donald Trump back in the White House.

Historically, hurricanes and their horrific damage were something that brought every American together. With the formation of the MAGA hurricane, this sentiment has changed. Now hurricanes seem to be fodder for Trump and his slavishly devoted Republicans to further divide our country. Lying is all Trump knows how to do so it is no surprise he immediately started spreading disinformation on Hurricane Helene thinking it would make his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris look bad and win him the election.

The Facts About FEMA

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) implemented new rules on March 22, 2024, the first revisions in over 20 years. The changes include immediate access to $750 for serious needs assistance as well as displacement assistance to help people with housing needs who cannot return to their homes. The changes also include better enabling small business owners to get funds by no longer requiring an application for a small business loan first, and making it easier for hurricane victims to apply for any assistance, including money above and beyond the initial $750.

Those who have been through natural disasters always have known they can rely on FEMA for assistance on the ground from first responders or in their bank accounts for short, or long-term financial help.

Donald Trump is now trying to destroy America’s trust in this critical government agency by spreading vicious lies about FEMA and blaming President Biden and Vice President Harris on their “failed” response to these hurricanes. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has stated these conspiracy theories Trump is spewing out on an almost hourly basis is “dissuading survivors from seeking help and hurting morale among responders.”

As with all his other lies during a disaster the cost is American lives. Remember COVID-19?

His running mate J.D. Vance is also on board with politicizing this disaster with no regard for the lives of Americans, including their own supporters. Vance’s recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal claims “Biden-Harris Mismanaged Hurricane Helene.” And it isn’t just daily lies about the response, there is also an AI image of Trump, which is being deleted on Facebook pages, showing him wearing a life vest and wading through flooded streets as if he is assisting first responders (see above).

Trump has never helped anyone in his life except himself. When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017 Trump was so callous he threw paper towels at hurricane victims as if it was a game.

What Happens if Trump Wins?

By now almost everyone has heard of Project 2025, the outrageous plan to create an American government in the image of the ultra-right conservative “Christians”. Project 2025 is now widely believed to be the blueprint for the next Trump presidency no matter how much he says he knows nothing about it. The doctrine covers the destruction of the Department of Education, cuts to Social Security and Medicare, the EPA and Healthcare. It also calls for curtailing Civil Rights and continuing the MAGA war on women.

What will happen to federal agencies responsible for monitoring weather? One would think they would be untouched. Think again. Climate deniers are zealots who are more than willing to put lives at risk to achieve their goal of stopping all mention of climate change.

Under Trump’s Project 2025 plan, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will be gutted. This is the agency responsible for weather forecast, initiating storm warnings and climate monitoring. Project 2025 claims it is “harmful to U.S. prosperity” as it is now “one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry.”

Project 2025 calls for climate change research to be axed and other NOAA operations reduced and consolidated. The move to keep Americans ignorant of climate change is already under way in Florida, where Gov. DeSantis has managed to remove all references to the term from state law.

These climate change deniers think getting rid of it will magically stop it in its tracks. Those who believe science over political extremism know that when the time comes MAGA’s willful ignorance will not protect them.

Next on the chopping block is the evil National Weather Service. Apparently, the federal government has no place in weather forecasting or data collection. Trump’s policy planners will commercialize this agency and leave it to private companies to make a profit instead of keeping it as a free service. Want to be alerted about a coming hurricane or tornado? Pay your subscription fee first, pal.

The National Hurricane Center, which saves millions of lives every time a hurricane hits the United States will remain intact; however, data must be “presented neutrally, without adjustments intended to support any one side in the climate debate.”

Meteorologists are also in the line of fire for climate deniers. John Morales is a veteran meteorologist at NBC 6 in Miami, FL. His recent article for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists paints a picture of what climate deniers are doing to the country. As hurricanes become more extreme, Morales has felt the need to change how he communicates to the public. Unfortunately, people are now accusing him of over-reacting. Morales says that before Helene hit, he did his job by warning people of the potential devastation of this storm. He was called a “climate militant” and was accused of “embellishing extreme weather threats to drive an agenda.” These are, most likely, the same people who believe Marjorie Taylor Greene’s statement that government controls the weather.

Republican ignorance is on display once again.

Fight Hurricane MAGA: Vote

Mother Nature’s hurricanes are here only for a short time once they hit land and terminate themselves. There is only one way to stop Hurricane MAGA.

GET OUT AND VOTE FOR KAMALA HARRIS AND ALL DEMOCRATS ON THE BALLOT NOVEMBER 5!!

We need Congress as well as the presidency to get our country back on track. If we don’t stop Hurricane MAGA now, not only will our Democracy be destroyed, but our homes and lives as well. Trump and his Project 2025 plan will rip apart the agencies that have been keeping us safe for decades and leave us unprepared with no hope of financial or first responder help. We would probably have to pay for the “privilege” of being rescued while Trump and his cronies laugh at us all the way to the bank.