It’s not over.

Trump is desperate to hold on to power. The US Senate is as well. So many of them are implicated in corrupt activities and cover ups for Trump.

Will Republicans cave and do what Trump/Stone are demanding? https://twitter.com/ryp__/status/1331262939811119104

Only the Republicans know that answer. But it’s a likely possibility.

Criminals backed into a corner will do whatever it takes to escape justice.

That sigh of relief you felt when Biden finally got the approval to transfer power is fleeting and illusory.

To avoid burnout, stop celebrating and relaxing every time Biden wins a battle. It’s the war that needs to be won, not any individual battle. Every small victory is great. It’s one step closer to Biden in the White House and stability.

But we still stand on shaky ground.

Until Biden is actually sitting at the Oval Office desk making decisions, this war isn’t won. That’s January 20, 2021. Not today or tomorrow or the next day. It’s several weeks in the future.

Maintaining pressure on Republicans to cede power of the president requires diligence.

Even when Biden is in the WH, that’s just the beginning of a whole new war.

Trump is the immediate threat. Once he’s removed, the real threat will be more apparent. Half the US population and Republican politicians have openly rejected democracy.

The war to maintain a democracy is the main issue, not Trump.

Trump’s presence in the White House is merely a speed bump. The real problem is the widespread support for autocracy Trump and Republicans are promoting.

That also applies to Canada. It isn’t any one politician that is the problem. It’s support for autocracy and abandonment of democratic principles that make Canada a social democracy.

Both the US and Canada have pressure from both ends of the political spectrum.

Berners and MAGAts in the US.

NDP/Greens and Conservatives in Canada.

Both ends of the political spectrum demanding autocratic rule vs democracy.

That is the main threat to the US and Canada. Not any one politician or political party.

Every time there’s pressure to abandon rule of law, that’s a demand for autocracy. Every time MSM focuses on scandal instead of policy, that’s a move towards autocracy. Every time a politician presents conspiracy theories without public pushback, that’s a slide into autocracy.

The body politic in both US and Canada has forgotten what democracy actually looks like. That’s a shift into autocracy.

None of that ends when Trump is removed from the White House. It will continue until the public shuts it down.

So there is good news to appreciate, but no celebrating like the war is over until the war is over. We have a mountain to climb. Every crest of a hill is good, but until we crest the peak, keep battle ready.

If you know this in advance, you won’t tire so easily. If you’re prepared for the long haul, you won’t let your guard down expecting normalcy every time a battle is won. You won’t be devastated when the slope of another uphill battle is before you.

Pace yourself. We have a long and arduous journey ahead of us. There is no giving up. There is no surrender. You owe it to your relatives and those who came before you that fought for freedom to carry on the fight. People fought to give you most of your life in freedom.

Now it’s our turn to do the same for our children and grandchildren. We haven’t been asked to pick up arms. So far the war has been mostly bloodless. But this is war.

On the lead up to climate change and global uninhabitability, we are battling for the right to exist.

We don’t have the option to surrender. Because that means extermination. By the far right or by an uninhabitable planet.

When you hear “pull up your boot straps,” it’s actually motivational encouragement during war. It means you fight or die. It means even when you’re exhausted and overwhelmed, you find the inner strength to carry on fighting the battle. Because the alternative is death.

It was never meant to apply to finding a job or scrounging for subsistence in a libertarian hell hole. It was meant to inspire men fighting hand to hand combat to ready themselves for battle, because they were about to engage in the real violence of war.

It’s a battle cry right before the commencement of battle. Encouragement to find the inner courage and determination to do what must be done.

There is a long journey ahead. But we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s still very far away, but we can see it.

We are no longer in the dark. Blindly wandering about looking for direction and purpose. We know what is happening. And we know we must travel towards the light.

Pacing yourself and having a realistic perception of how long it will take to break into full sunshine will ensure you can make it to the end.

No more thinking we’re done fighting, until we’re all able to stand in sunshine.