Thursday, May 17, 2018

We Must Stand Strong and VOTE!




It has been over a year and a half since I have been able to write.   I have been distraught over the “election” of Trump; not only because of his obvious mental illness, complete incompetence, clear ties to Russia and their hacking of our election and lack of intellectual curiosity, but also because of what his election signified about my fellow Americans.  The anger, bigotry and fear they must feel is truly beyond my comprehension.  Why would anyone feel that they deserve a giant piece of the pie while others starve?  How can anyone not see the injustice and ingrained bigotry that some in our country face daily? Many of these same folks’ talk of being a Christian nation.  But this is not what Christianity is about, but rather it is a triangulation of the Christian faith for profit ~ as most Christians I know are NOT of this ilk, most are concerned for the rights of their fellow man no matter their religion or race or ethnicity.  However, this is the faith-based group that gets all the press, that hogs Fox “News” talking points and that stands tall on some righteous pillar belittling others to lift themselves and gain power by manipulating fear, bigotry and hate.

I have tried to listen to those who support this narcissistic, arrogant President, but all they do is repeat the lies and distortions pushed by Fox “news”.  They not only don’t care for facts if they disagree with them, they don’t allow those facts to penetrate their bubble.  Anything negative about their president is “fake news”. It is as if their very existence, their survival, depends on the validity of the narrative that has been injected into their minds by those who have no care or concern for what actually IS!!  Facts to them are like water to the wicked witch……contact will melt them away……..

The entire republican party must be complicit with this horror in order to allow it to continue.  I thought it was frightening when republicans chose and backed Sarah Palin, an obvious dimwit, to be Vice President.  Maybe it was her deep interest in reading “all of them” when asked what she read that “got” them.  In reality, she was just a babbling idiot with a pretty exterior.  She was the senseless person du jour used by the republicans to completely break the ice which had been chipped by George W. Bush, to continue the search for the perfectly ill-equipped candidate that republicans could use to force  their agenda, benefiting those at the top, onto all of us.  This plan involved firing up republicans who are republicans because they hate…..the white supremacists, the Nazis, your run of the mill bigot, etc.  Those folks who blame others who look differently or speak differently for everything that seems wrong in their country.  Those who look back with nostalgia to a time that only existed in their thoughts.  The republican party, like other parties in other countries, knows the usefulness of garnering the rabid support of those whose hate justifies their being.  These brainwashed souls hold this hate as such a vital part of who they are that they will fight to support anyone who justifies their beliefs no matter how horrific they are, no matter how immoral they are, no matter how incompetent they are.  Since Trump hates who they hate, Trump is absolutely correct when he says he could shoot someone in Times Square and they would still not only support him they would love him even more!  This is exemplified by the evangelists who support a man with 5 children from 3 wives and with multiple NDAs to silence women he’s slept with in order to hide his immorality.

What does this say about the “normal” republicans who, whether in Congress or just your average guy on the street, still stand with Trump?  The fact that they are willing to support such a self proclaimed sleazy man (the Access Hollywood tape) when they claim “family values” at every turn, the fact that they are willing to overlook Trump’s racism, the fact that they don’t care about his continuously exposed and growing ties to Russia, what does this show?  Hypocrisy for some....team spirit for others, or, are most of the republicans in Congress so complicit or involved with the Russians that they are in self-protection mode?  Are they using Fox “news” as a vehicle to rally their willingly brainwashed base to keep their secrets secret? 

If this is all permitted to continue, if our institutions don’t stand up to this threat, we are truly doomed as a nation.  I remember wondering how anyone could support George W. Bush.  He was obviously in over his head and obviously being manipulated by forces with greater knowledge and stronger ideology.  But 'wow', George W. Bush had some credentials, some sense of history and respect for our institutions.  Now I look back at his administration and realize that at least I didn’t feel in danger for our country as a democracy. 

Our Constitution is a living document.  As with all living things, it can become ill and it can die.  We have to fight within our system to ensure that those in power do their job and keep our Constitution alive.  We, as citizens, must stay engaged and slog through the mud to clean out the contaminants that are choking us.  Once this danger is removed, then and only then can we pick up the fight for equal rights, the environment, equal pay, fair healthcare, upgraded infrastructure and workplace rights.  But for now, our fight is to keep our Constitution alive and cure the disease of hate and greed.  We the People must keep motivated to VOTE OUT those who are willing to destroy our democracy by whatever ugly means they can for quarterly profits!!

I look forward to cheering as a clean bill of health is given so that we can regain our strength, stand tall, and once again be proud of the United States of America as a beacon for all that is good and aspirational in this world.