Category: Politics

Give Trump a Chance?

I already did.

He had that chance during the campaign. Granted, he disgusted me before the campaign, but once he became the Republican nominee, I thought I should try to be as objective as possible. I heard what he had to say, and I found him an utterly reprehensible, despicable creature representing all that I abhor. So, I voted against him.

That was his chance.

And yet I’m still being asked to hold my judgment until he’s had some time to get settled into his new role. This while he selects a cabinet so far consisting of:

– Steve Bannon, a white nationalist as chief strategist;
– Reince Priebus, the RNC chair (so much for draining the swamp) as chief of staff;
– Mike Pompeo, who advocated for the execution of Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who exposed America’s illegal intelligence gather activities, as head of the CIA;
– Michael Flynn, an Islamophobe who was fired under the Obama administration, as national security advisor;
– Myron Ebell, a climate change denier and person with no scientific background, as the transition head for the EPA.

Of course, let’s not forget his running mate, Mike Pence who believes one can pray away the gay.

And look! They’re all white guys.

Now, tell me again when I can expect Trump’s about face to being a moderate president “for all Americans,” because his picks so far indicate he intends to follow through on all of the hateful promises he’s made.

/rant>

America has spoken…

…and this is what we’ve been told:

To my daughters: You are objects

To my black neighbors: Your lives don’t matter

To my Muslim and immigrant friends and family: There’s no place for you here

To my LGBTQ friends and family: You don’t deserve equal rights or protection

To America’s allies: We don’t honor our agreements

To Russia: Go for it

To reason: We value irrational thought over facts and science

To those whom you have mocked, berated, and physically and verbally attacked: Get over it; you’re being divisive when we need unity

To bigots, racists, misogynists, homophobes, and xenophobes: Your prejudices are legitimate and deserve respect and a voice

And here is my response. You have wiped away my self-deluding belief that the hate in this country couldn’t be this bad. So, I promise you these things:

  • Count on me to push back;
  • Count on me to speak up;
  • Count on me to defend and protect those whom I love;
  • Count on me to never again be complacent from a naive belief that we would never do anything so reckless, so self-destructive, or so opposite of what this country is supposed to mean.

/rant>