An Image That Will Undo MAGA

Our Best Weapon in the Fight for Our Lives

“Musk creeps them out.” — Cultural observer Ezra Klein on Trump voters he knows.

Americans are searching for an escape from the current life-threatening assault on things we once took for granted — safe food, advance notice of dangerous weather, retirement savings in Social Security, federal recovery from deadly catastrophes, good education for our children, safe air travel, Medicare, Medicaid and recent increases in availability of health care. All of these things are in the bloody path of Elon Musk’s chain saw.

We don’t think about it much, but we created all of these things for ourselves, our loved ones and neighbors. We did it through our participation in civic life and our public institutions of democracy. Congratulations to you for that. Now those institutions are also under attack, but the best view of the consequences comes from a focus on things we depend upon to stay safe, healthy and alive.

Polls tell us a couple of unsurprising things. First, Social Security remains as popular as it is life-saving. Tens of millions of Americans depend upon the retirement savings they contributed to over the course of their working lives. Second, Elon Musk creeps us out. If he was standing with his chain saw in your living room you would fear for your furniture. Warm and welcoming you would not be.

That is why I can say with some confidence that the image of Musk with chainsaw in hand is the best weapon in the fight for our lives. Think of it this way, would you trust Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with your life savings? Or your life? I rest my case.

I understand there is confusion among some about just how to derail the DOGE-Trump Runaway Train. Make sure everyone has the image of Musk and his chainsaw poised over their Social Security retirement savings and worry no more. The New York Times says flatly that DOGE has “taken its chainsaw” to Social Security. Let’s make sure everyone knows that Leatherface is coming for them. To do otherwise would be like the teenagers in Geiko’s hilarious spoof of the Chainsaw Massacre. Don’t be like them. Don’t hide behind the chainsaws.

Note to Readers

The name of this newsletter, Billion Worlds, comes from 13th Century Japanese Zen Master Dōgen. He said that one could visit a billion worlds while meditating. Although I’d spent my professional life in journalism and politics, I wanted to offer something different to readers, maybe visions of worlds they weren’t familiar with but might find interesting or entertaining. I also wanted to focus on friends and acquaintances. I wasn’t much interested in selling subscriptions or reaching for big numbers (I’ll have more to say later about the power of trusted communications with smaller groups).

Well, as our political circumstance grew more and more dangerous, I focused professionally on helping find solutions and took long breaks from Billion Worlds. Now it seems somewhat irresponsible of me not to engage in political conversations with y’all given the dire circumstances we find ourselves in. I’ll try to do my part.