covid terrorists

Hey, remember when those armed assholes stormed the Michigan state capitol? 

I sure do! Every day since that day, I've worried about my aunt Chris going to do her job in Lansing and having to wear a bulletproof vest because armed white terrorists (NOT A MILITIA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH) have invaded her workplace. 

Well, guess what? Turns out that some of these same assholes plus some of their asshole friends who are also white terrorists have been plotting to kidnap Governor Whitmer and either kill her outright or put her on trial. The plan was foiled today by state and federal authorities working together. Federal charges have been brought against six men, and state charges against seven more.

And listen, even if there are "only" thirteen of them, think about what that looks like for a minute. Imagine being a woman being PUT ON TRIAL by more than a dozen right-wing entitled white terrorists. Think historically about how those kinds of "trials" have played out. Spoiler: They never turn out well for the woman. EVER. This is terrifying, y'all.

Especially when you think about her "crimes." 

What did Governor Whitmer do that was so terrible? I'm so glad you asked. She shut down her state at the start of the pandemic, just like most other governors did. She initiated a mask mandate in her state, just like most other governors did. She worked to reopen the state gradually and in consultation with scientists, just like most other governors have.

So what makes Gretchen Whitmer so much more offensive than those many other governors? 

1. She's a woman.

2. She doesn't apologize for doing her job.

3. She does her job well while being a woman.

These people were serious. They met in the basement of a shop that they had to access through a trapdoor. They confiscated cell phones during their meetings. They planned out how to take the governor at her vacation home, then blow up a bridge to evade capture long enough to put her on trial, convict her, and sentence her to death. For the crime of legislating while being a woman.

Sometimes I just don't know what to say. I'm so glad she's ok, and I'm amazed at how brave and poised and defiant and strong she continues to be. And I'm incandescently angry at these terrorists, and at the president who has blatantly encouraged them. I hope they all live long enough to go through their own trials, in the actual American judicial system, and that they all get convicted and spend the rest of their lives in prison understanding what it *really* means to have their freedoms taken away. I'll bet if that happens, they'll wish that they had just shut the fuck up and put on masks like sensible human beings.*

*Of course they won't. Men like these never take responsibility for their own actions. Not when there's always someone else to blame, like a mouth Democratic governor who doesn't know her place. Gross.