Friday, January 20, 2017

POTUS 2017: No Experience Required

I think I am in a little bit in shock. I knew this day was, ostensibly, coming, but somehow I held out hope that regulations would prevail and triumph over questionable electoral votes. After all, hope is what gave us President Obama, one of one of the greatest Presidents in my lifetime.   I am trying to squelch the anxious feeling I have had pretty much since DJT "won" the election in November. As I plan for the protest march in Oakland tomorrow, I am excited to have the opportunity to be a part of this peaceful protest, which I believe will be a massive one across the country, excited to feel proactive rather than appalled or helpless, which have been the dominate emotions of late.
Some are saying liberals' indignation is just sour grapes at losing. Give him a chance, say they. But I do not believe  this unqualified, reality TV star, scofflaw, and narcissist actually won this election. What do we as a people do when there is documentation by our our intelligence branches, that Russia hacked our election to get this man into office? Do we shrug and say, "Oh well, let's just wait and see what he does?" We are already seeing what he does via the cabinet of deplorables he is picking, billionaires whose only qualification is that they donated to his campaign, climate change deniers, racists, and game show hosts. Our government should be "by the people, for the people," not a business venture, not some sort of bad joke.
Today, the country inaugurated a politically inexperienced man who has never held any kind of office to run the most powerful nation in the world. Can you think of any other position, even the most basic, where previous experience would not be required? Moreover, we inaugurated a man who does not pay taxes, when every other American citizen is required by law to do so. This makes him a law breaker. But not this alone: there are seventy-five lawsuits pending against him at this very moment, everything from sexual assault on a minor, to not paying people who have completed work for him, to fraud, and the list goes on. Lying about divesting potential financial conflict of interests, lying about Russia's role in his taking office, lying about damning things he has said, even though they have been recorded on video. When a president does not think the rules apply to him, that is a very dangerous place for a nation. Despots and dictators start out in such a fashion.  Within an hour of taking office, Climate Change and Health Care vanished from the Whitehouse Website.
But the main reason I will protest tomorrow is because that is one of my rights as an American. I fear for our country. Just because one man finds hard cold facts in conflict with his agenda, does not mean that those facts don't exist. Facts are not debatable. I do not want to see my country turn into a place of prejudice, censorship, ignorance, anti-intellectualism, disregard for Nature, a place where the wealthy take and take, where the less fortunate are bullied. I want a government who respects all genders and all races and religions. "Truthiness" should not be in a leader's lexicon. Love trumps hate. Let freedom ring. I'll see you, fellow resisters, at this and future, protests.