I generally avoid overt politics on my website and YouTube channel. But I feel that the current situation in the United States has gone beyond politics. I’m aware that many won’t like what I have to say, and may stop reading right here. They might unfollow or unsubscribe. They might try to cancel or otherwise harass me. I might lose income or face other repercussions for speaking out. But I know that I have something of a platform and a following, and I feel that I need to use it for something more important than entertainment or income. Something that’s too important to stay quiet about. Something that’s important enough to risk the negativity of certain people and groups.
I am saddened and disgusted by what America has become. I had hoped we were growing as a nation and a culture over the last few decades. I saw a lot of social progress, especially from young people, and we seemed to be moving towards a kinder, more accepting culture. Sadly, and tragically, there are still backwards-looking people clinging to obsolete ideas like hatred and racism. Those people have gained control of the Federal government, and are trying as hard as possible to erase the progress and freedoms that Americans have been working towards. Trump and ICE are trying to drag America back to the 1950s, or maybe the 1850s. They’re too incompetent to solve the country’s real problems, so they’re scapegoating and distracting and hurting people instead. They’re treating the Bill of Rights like a checklist, seeing how many amendments they can break or ignore. The things you hear about from distant 3rd-world dictatorships are becoming standard operating procedure in American politics. Ethnic cleansing, killing protesters, blatant corruption, private armies, justice for certain groups over others, laws that don’t apply to the rich and famous. Those are no longer things that happen “somewhere else”, they’re standard operating procedure right here. Most of my friends know all this already. I imagine some people will have stopped reading by now, and anyone who can’t form their own opinion will be copy-pasting something about socialist paid protesters into the comments. But I still feel that I need to say something.
Yes, the US has problems. Cost of living, quality of life, housing, jobs, medical care, education, and so many other things. But all you need to do is look around and see who’s trying to fix those problems, who’s profiting from the problems, and who’s trying to blame them on others. If your personal situation is bad, is the minimum wage immigrant or the billionaire CEO the one benefitting from that? Are the people calling for better services or the ones cutting those services really looking out for others? Is some possible welfare fraud the issue, or is blatant fraud and corruption at the top the issue? Is the CEO whose parents paid for everything the bootstrappy one, or is it the person who fled their home country to start over?
We’ve made our own problems through decades of catering to the rich and powerful. The American Dream has always benefitted banks, insurance companies, and investors instead of real people. Those responsible have always tried to blame the problems on immigrants, minorities, socialists, the poor, whoever is a convenient distraction. Other countries have figured out how to provide their citizens with better healthcare, better education, and better job opportunities than us, while also welcoming immigrants and refugees. It’s possible to do both, the US is not a poor country. Even with the problems I mentioned, we’re still wealthier and better off than a lot of the world. Is it really that bad to share some of it? I’m a small business owner and I still vote for higher taxes because I like government services. I like healthcare that doesn’t bankrupt people. I like social safety nets to keep people off the street. I don’t have kids and I still vote for school tax increases, because I’d like other people’s kids to be smarter. I am not a “highly paid agitator”. I would rather spend my money in the hopes that it improves something. And it shouldn’t be about money, or how nice your house is, or how many boats and RVs you have, or whatever the mortgage company wants you to believe. It’s about what’s right for everyone, citizens or not.
To Republicans still bothering to read this, and who still don’t believe some of this, LOOK around. Don’t just look at Fox, or Facebook, or X. Look at international news. Look at a variety of news sources. Look at a variety of social media. TALK to actual people from outside your demographic, or outside the country (and not just the Russian trolls on X). I tend to get a lot of my news from the BBC since they’re outside the US and in the center of most media fairness charts. But I also look at PBS and Fox and I notice how things are spun and which things look like good old-fashioned reporting. My most important takeaways from journalism classes were integrity and honesty. Some news outlets still believe in that, others discovered it’s more profitable to go a different route. It’s not too hard to figure out which ones are in it for profits vs truth.
I’ve tried to be respectful and open-minded about other people’s political choices. The first time Trump got elected, people didn’t *know* how bad he was. I’ll admit I laughed it off the first time. I figured he’d just be an amusing clown for a while and then some adults in Congress or the courts would step in. After a while he wasn’t so amusing, and it turned out there weren’t many adults in the room. The second time, everyone knew he was a multiply-impeached convicted felon and sex offender. But people still voted for him and all the adults left. I tried to be charitable and not just assume every Trump voter is a white supremacist. Maybe some really thought he’d improve the economy, even with his history of mismanaging businesses. Maybe some thought he would protect gun rights, even though he banned bump stocks in his first term. Maybe they thought he’d uphold their favorite religion, even when the actual Pope criticized him. Maybe they truly believed that minimum wage immigrants were somehow more responsible than billionaires for holding them back in life. Maybe they were really invested in what high school athletes had in their pants. Or maybe they were just cool with Trump fumbling everything else as long as he got the racism part right.
And here we are in Trump 2.0. Where he’s not only destroying the country within and without, but systematically betraying everyone who supported him. Trump supporters waiting for the Epstein files got a rugpull. Farmers got international crop boycotts and funding cuts to weather and research. Families struggling with grocery costs got tariffs. Rural residents lost their hospitals and clinics. Open carry advocates got to watch one of them executed in the street. He’s crippled every agency in the name of anti-woke, which really means firing anyone competent. Republicans were so eager to show that “government doesn’t’ work”, they had to make it true by ruining the government themselves. Federal law enforcement has become fractured and ineffective. Actual terrorists and criminals probably love that the Feds are busy fumbling sandwich-related prosecutions. It would be a great joke if he wasn’t doing the same with important departments like health and education. ICE can’t figure out when a suspect they’re after is already in jail. They can’t find their way from downtown Minneapolis to the federal building without asking detainees for directions. They can just about handle arresting a 5-year-old, or a grandpa in his underwear. They can manage to surround a car and shoot an unarmed woman. They can manage to shoot a nurse if 7 agents are holding him down. It would be a great joke if real people weren’t being hurt.
America is not only losing our own values and culture, we’ve become an international laughingstock around the world. We’ve alienated NATO and weakened alliances that took decades to build. We’ve broken international laws and norms that took decades to develop, eroding America’s reputation and credibility around the world. We’re losing rank everywhere from disease-free status to international traveler safety. We’re losing relevance and influence on all fronts. China probably loves it, they’re already beating us in most scientific and industrial fields, and now smaller countries are turning to them as the more stable and reliable partner. Russia definitely loves it, Trump can’t even stay on-message about Ukraine for more than a few days.
Sadly, the checks and balances we were taught in school don’t seem to exist in real life. Congress is mostly geriatric career politicians whose only skill is collecting donor money. Lower courts are completely ignored, and the Supreme Court does what Trump wants as long as the vacations keep coming. Republican lawmakers are content to follow the cult of personality, even when it means giving up their own power. Many Democrat lawmakers have also been remarkably quiet. I can only imagine that a lot of politicians, on both sides, actually love what Trump is doing. He’s made corruption mainstream with free jets and crypto scams. He’s created and shrugged off every scandal in the book from sex to money to treason. He’s escaped all consequences for his actions. He’s done everything a career politician could ever dream of. The Democrats currently sitting on their hands are probably thrilled to try the same things when (if) it’s their turn in power.
Why anyone would support Trump, or ICE, or any Republican politician at this point, I can only assume. And at this point I can only assume the worst. We’ve all had plenty of chances to see what’s going on if we’re actually willing to look. To the people cheering Trump and ICE on, if you’re still reading, please go ahead and unsubscribe. But maybe also think carefully about the examples and standards being set for future administrations that you may not agree with.
To the people still fighting to make the world a better place, thank you. Don’t give up, keep pushing for progress and demanding positive change and growth. Fight for a real future free from mistakes of the past. Fight for the future that everyone deserves.
Saveitforparts 
at least there are still some people that remain realistic and true.
beautifully written piece.
I kept looking back, to see if SIFP would drop any hints in his videos, or vocally speak out – I am not disappointed. From the other side of the world, we stand back and watch the slow and painful demise of free speech in your land. We are aligned, we acknowledge your courage to speak up – well done sir, your comments are well founded and respected. I can’t speak for everyone but those around my orbit, are also, ‘on your side’.
Keep up the bravery and courage, my friend…..and know that you are NOT alone.
thank you for this message, it is good to see Americans aware of what is happening
Holy crap, you perfectly described exactly what I am feeling. Thank you for the words and the time to make another small step towards who we want to be.
excellent essay, Gabe.
Im thankful for people like you taking this chance to have your voice be heard. Thank you for standing up for whats right.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I had a feeling from your brief comments on the faraday bag video, but I 100% agree with you my brother. Share respect and love everyone. I just hope we can survive whatever is coming.
I 100% agree with you. I have been very inspired by this piece because normally people like you would just stay quiet about this to not get in trouble but you have shared your own opinions which i think is very brave and honorable of you and I think of you as a huge role model and wish i can meet you one day perhaps in open sauce 2026 (if that can even happen when the country is like this) I hope we all can survive this maniac called trump who is destroying our country.
Really sad to see how far lost you are these so called friends you see in other races would kill you at the drop of a hat.
I honestly can’t tell if this is a bot or an actual comment, but this is exactly the kind of thing that makes all Trump supporters look bad. Blatant, straight-up racism. Not even an attempt to hide it behind an excuse like “every country controls their borders” or “XZY group did some fraud”. None of the usual covering language, just raw fear and hatred. If “Patriot” is an actual person, I genuinely feel sorry that you’re so afraid of different people. If you’re a bot (which I kind of suspect), then yeah, this is the usual I expect from bots.
100% not a bot long time watcher actually, have lived in California my entire life and witnessed “multiculturalism” first hand. You originally came from a rural community, you should understand all my points easily.
it’s kind of amusing that whenever you see these rascist dummies speaking their mind anywhere, it is with a worse grasp of the english language than many of the immigrants he’s so afraid of.
you know there’s not a lot going on upstairs with these people when they can’t even bother to formulate a concise thought, convey it, or punctuate the little they could muster…
when i was in the 7th grade, i met a new kid in school while eating lunch. he was from panama. he spoke maybe 10 words of english total. we became friends, and i watched as over the next 3 years he went from those 10 words… to getting As in AP English. it was honestly incredible, and really inspiring.
a few years ago, after returning to see his family in panama for the first time in 10+ years, he was detained upon re-entry and held in immigration jail. i was unaware of how this horrible system worked until this incident — and i was appalled upon finding out; when in immigration jail, you are not afforded the same rights that citizens have, and as a result of this, he was detained for almost 2 full months. each day, not knowing how long he would be in there, or if he would be allowed to return home again. he was a college student. he had to drop the entire semester’s load of classes. 16 credits. he would have been evicted and lost every one of his possessions had we not intervened and covered his rent and moved his things into storage for him. all of this – over a petty marijuana charge he got as a teenager (that was thrown out by the courts!). his lawyer at the time was unaware that, despite being dismissed by the courts, this run-in with the police was supposed to be reported to the immigration office and evaluated separately…
that event was 7 or so years ago, and to this day my friend is still unsure if he will be allowed to stay in the country he has lived in for the past 17-18 years. he is a college graduate. married to an american woman. a model of the American Dream. the fact that he has had to live with the anxiety of this weighing over him for almost a decade due to what amounts to clerical errors is absolutely insane. (we are pretty sure he’ll be fine though)
this kind of thing is what i find the most depressing about the “trump era” — the social cost of the past decade’s decay of civility. during the first term, it was almost comical, the things he would say. we had never seen someone just straight up disregard the rules. but over the past 10 years, i’ve come to realize the real cost of this: there is a whole new generation of young people who think that this behavior is okay. a new generation of kids who don’t remember that, not too long ago, there was a standard of class that came with the position. and the cost? it’s people like this “patriot”. too fucking dumb to realize they should keep their mouth shut. and it sucks.
How do those boots taste patriot?
As somebody who’s been watching you for years and met you at open sauce back when it was at cow palace (we were the furries with the coilgun), thank you for braving the bots and the potential cancellations and posting this.
Thanks much for posting this!
It’s become increasingly strange for me to be watching newly produced videos by my favorite Youtubers, some of whom I’ve been watching for years
Since many produce videos on a very narrow range of topics (sometimes just one), they generally avoid any discussion of politics at all. This makes sense (I guess?), if their goal is strictly to engage an audience on a particular subject, and not be “divisive”.
But as you wrote, what we are going through is NOT “politics”, and learning that someone I highly respect and admire is NOT a cult member is SUCH a relief and a source of inspiration!
Darron in Northern Nevada
”the unpolitical is political in its own right”, or somewhat similar goes this saying.
To not do anything, to not do anything is acknowledging and supporting the things that are happening around us.
Thanks a lot for taking this open stance and doing what your conscience and mind tell you to do.
Very well said. I don’t often post on blogs anymore, but thought it important you know you have plenty of support.
Truth. Been expanding my civic horizons lately (a good idea for all). Historian Tad Stoermer frequently emphasizes: the fate of a republic rarely rests solely on its leaders, but on the ‘civic vigilance’ of its people. We need to listen. Authoritarianism gains ground when individuals succumb to a sense of inevitability. However, history shows us that the most effective resistance begins with small, deliberate actions—maintaining local community ties, insisting on truth in our daily discourse, and refusing to let democratic norms erode before our eyes. Small actions can have large impacts. We need to act as the ‘checks and balances’ that the administration currently lacks. Even in the face of a power grab, the grassroots commitment to liberty remains the most difficult force to suppress. Everyone: Follow your humanity. Don’t let bad history repeat. Don’t give up the ship. Resist.
At least it’s great to see that some Americans aren’t that stupid. Let’s hope that y’all can make the country better before it becomes a dictatorship.
Thank you very much for posting this, Gabe! You’ve said everything I want to say, and more. Keep up the good fight, and thank you for being one of the Helpers we look to.
Thanks for taking the risk to share your thoughts Gabe.
I’ve not seen strong critics of Trump analyze, or even acknowledge, how truly awful and damaging the Biden administration was. Nor how awful and dangerous Harris was as the other “choice”* in 2024. Those two traitors are the direct cause of Trump 2.0.
To prevent a future Trump, it’s essential to understand that, and also fix the rest of American politics (ie. lobbyists, widespread corruption, Citizens United, PACs, $100M campaigns, career congresspeople, and the failed Democratic party).
Thanks again for writing and creating.
* Until Americans get ranked voting, they really don’t have choices.
Thank you for sharing your opinions. I feel the same as you on this matter. You are very courageous in speaking out. I just love watching SIFP. Keep it up!
I’m not one for frequent posts, but sometimes the state of things compels me to speak out. To my brother: you’re not alone in your thoughts; those who sympathize with ICE/MAGA have been influenced by a warped narrative.
As a former Army intelligence officer involved in U.S. influence operations, I can confirm that this division is part of a Russian psychological operations campaign. It began in 2015 with trolls from St. Petersburg infiltrating social media. Donald Trump, unwittingly, is a ‘useful idiot’ for this Soviet strategy, having been recruited back in the 80s.
This whole operation is like something out of a black bag wizardry playbook. My old colleagues at Fort Bragg are astonished at the effectiveness of it all. It’s arguably the most successful psychological operation in history, reflecting the brilliance of a KGB colonel who rose to power. I’d be in awe of his skill, if not repulsed by the damage he’s wrought on our nation.
As for your MAGA friends and family, try not to harbor too much resentment; they’re not entirely to blame. Psychological operations are insidious and devastatingly effective. I often reflect on my own past actions in similar operations with shame; I was young and reckless. Your acquaintances have become casualties of this war, perhaps permanently distorted in their thinking. While younger generations might recover over time, the older MAGA supporters will likely pass away angry and entrenched in their beliefs, unaware that their sentiments have been meticulously curated.
Years of apathetic coverage from Fox News, driven by greed, have persuaded a vulnerable segment of our population. Much of right-wing media is heavily subsidized, and many in the GOP were compromised during trips to Russia, falling victim to blackmail due to their lack of integrity and their eagerness for lavish gifts.
We’re on a path toward a tumultuous revolution that may become unstoppable. When authority eventually re-establishes itself, I believe that those who have suffered injustices will seek accountability from those responsible.
The MAGA ideology will fade, either through extinction or self-destruction. Their minds are now trapped in a distorted narrative, unable to think critically. They risk becoming like zombies, acting without true understanding, and will eventually decline.
Propaganda erodes critical thinking. Recall the scene in “The Sound of Music” where a young man betrays his love; such is the power of propaganda. Your MAGA associates are no longer friends. Approach them with caution; they may turn on you if they perceive you as a threat.
Good luck to us all during these tumultuous times. We’re living through a curse of unpredictability—oh, how I long for a return to normalcy.