I’ve been struggling to find a suitable topic for this week’s article, but every topic feels bleak right now. I’ve been having to limit the news I consume for the first time in years because it feels like every article I read is worse than the last. Even that isn’t a fix, because I’m reminded of the state of the world when I go to the gas station and see the astronomical prices.

Nobody new has been prosecuted for their involvement with the Epstein Files. The new acting Attorney General claimed on Friday that the Files “should not be a part of anything going forward.” So Americans were just expected to read the references to these people harming and eating children, and then go on about our daily business as if we can forget about that.

We still have children in ICE detention camps, experiencing prison instead of school. Over 900 children have been held in these camps for longer than the legal 20 day limit, which is heartbreaking. Regardless of our feelings on their parents’ immigration status, children should not pay for the sins of their parents like this.

Israel is getting more bold in their quest for conquest. It wasn’t enough for them to force our hand in starting a war against Iran, but they’re now invading Lebanon. Lebanese Christians are having to shelter their Muslim brothers and sisters in their houses and churches to hide them from Israel’s wrath, which feels vaguely reminiscent of another time in history.

This on the same page about how to stop this, either. The second anyone speaks up about how ridiculous it all is, they are reprimanded immediately by Trump on Twitter. So, for Republicans, it’s extortion to either go along with everything mindlessly or risk being ousted immediately by their party.

For Democrats, it’s playing the middleman and claiming to want better for the American people, while taking money from corporations. It’s building a platform arguing for peace and love, while taking money from AIPAC and refusing to condemn Israel and our country’s actions in this war.

Then, we have people like our Secretary of War having mandatory cult-like Pentagon worship services asking God for “overwhelming violence” against our enemies and instructing commanders to tell their troops that the US is anointed by God to cause Armageddon. Then, Trump is comparing himself to Jesus and being called a Prophet by his spiritual advisors.

They’re using the Christian faith as a manipulation tactic to make people feel bad for criticizing their actions. If they can make us believe that God approves of their actions, then we will agree with anything else they do without questioning it.

Can’t we all look at this whole picture and admit things are getting a little too weird right now?

The worst part is that those who disagree with this administration are told to go have a little protest festival with their little “No Kings” signs and then go home and go to sleep, feeling self-fulfilled that they’ve done their part and things will all work out.

Apologies for my cynicism, but I feel like protests are outdated in the age of social media. They were originally used to bring awareness to the general public about issues, which is why they worked. But now? Everyone knows Trump has betrayed his country and is massively overstepping his legal limits. This isn’t news to anyone on the streets. I’m doing the only thing I know how to do, which is to speak up where I can on social media, which is where the general public tends to gather now.

Regardless of everything, I still have hope for our country because I have faith that others love it as much as I do and genuinely want to see us succeed again. This faith extends past party lines and I believe voting is the only sensible way to get our country back on track. My standards for a candidate have changed drastically after witnessing the effects of this last election.

I do not care if a candidate is a Republican or Democrat anymore. I am drawn to candidates that do not take money from any foreign PACs, regardless if those PACs are registered as foreign agents or not. I like the candidates that shake up the status quo and cross party lines to fight for their values. I pay attention more to the ones who get a lot of bad press because they don’t fit into the box they should or they aren’t loyal enough to the right people. Bad press is usually a green flag when the media has turned into a propaganda machine to keep people in line.

I love candidates like Democrat James Talarico in Texas and Republican James Fishback in Florida, and would love to see people like them rise up in our own state. I’m willing to overlook the differences in opinion I have on party matters because we have more important things to be concerned with. The debate of trans people playing sports just seems dumb compared to watching the administration we voted for bomb elementary schools.

I’ve realized that having a candidate that is loyal to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the people of the United States above any others is a higher bar than I thought it was.

It’s so easy to look at everything and get discouraged, but what our country needs now is for us to pray and vote. Hopefully in the coming years, we can get things back to normal and this will all just feel like a bad dream.

Taryn Ogletree is a local small business owner and author with previous experience of several years in finance.