Really, America? Really?

By

coffee21I suppose it would be unfair to assume everyone who voted for Trump is a racist. But it is fair to note that Trump’s racism wasn’t a deal breaker for them. It’s unfair to assume everyone who voted for Trump is a misogynist. But his being a misogynist wasn’t a deal breaker for them. It’s unfair to assume everyone who voted for Trump thinks the disabled deserve to be mocked and bullied. Certainly most would never do so. But it is fair to note that Trump’s doing so wasn’t a deal breaker for them either. No point in going further. You get the gist of it.

I know many people who voted for Trump. Some I expected but also many I didn’t. I am just trying to wrap my head around what exactly made this indecent man acceptable to some of my friends and family, people I love and who love me.

For me and those like me who could be directly, adversely affected, it feels very, very personal. We are already seeing him load up his transition team with people who opposed the Obergefell vs. Hodges decision and I expect him to load the Supreme Court with justices who would reverse Obergefell.

Remember, it was a split decision of 5-4. You can’t say in one breath you now hope to see Roe vs. Wade reversed and yet in the next breath say “don’t worry about Obergefell because Trump says that’s settled law”. If one can be overturned so can the other. Trump will not get to decide what is settled law. But he will get at least one Supreme Court nomination and you can bet his selection will be, as always, self serving. Expect a big pay back to the far right evangelicals who supported him.

 I’ve had to lay off social media for a few days. Perusing my Facebook timeline is a daily reminder that even decent people can fall victim to a message of hate, fear and divisiveness. I cannot participate in the celebration as it plays out on my computer screen. Because in all actuality, I am mortified. Disgusted even.

I blame much of what has happened on the false news and scare tactics which have replaced actual news and facts. It’s as if half of America has lost it’s ability to discern the difference. Or to think rationally. We’ve fear mongered ourselves into electing a demagogue, having grown too lazy to fact check the internet memes and conspiracy theories we are exposed to on a daily basis.

Here’s the truth. Try to focus and I’m going to help you with those fears.

The Mexicans are not stealing your jobs unless you’ve always dreamed of a career picking strawberries or blowing leaves. Most are just trying to give their families a better life just as our ancestors did for us, hoping for an opportunity for their children to rise through hard work and education. Our economy depends on these workers.

If you would rather they enter legally then reform the system so they actually have the means to do so. In a country where laborers make about $5 a day, few have any hope of raising the thousands of dollars immigration to the U.S. requires nor do they have 10-12 years to work through the process. I am certain if we reformed the process, many would be happy to participate. You will never build a wall that a hungry man with a ladder cannot top and Mexico is sure not going to pay for it.

Most Muslims are good people just scrapping to get through life like the rest of us. We shouldn’t judge all Muslims by the fringe radicals who want us dead. Anyone with even the crudest grasp of logic understands that even though jihadis are all muslims it does not mean all muslims are jihadis.

Westboro Baptist Church members are all Baptists and want all homosexuals dead (what’s the baptist word for jihadi?). Yet I walk among Baptists on a daily basis fully aware I’m not likely to be clubbed with a “God Hates Fags” sign. I understand the idiotic and dangerous beliefs of the Westboro Baptists are not shared by all Baptists. See how that works?

You’ve hung in here this long so just a few more tidbits of truth.

Women are not objects manufactured just to entertain and serve powerful men. Bragging about your ability to view naked pageant contestants, even minors, and forcing yourself on anyone by grabbing their genitals should preclude you from holding any public office. Declaring you have a good brain and delivering that message in the syntax of a nine year old is not very convincing

Putin is not our friend. We should recognize he worked with Wikileaks to influence the election and apparently was successful. We should all be outraged and from now until forever elections should be audited to verify our systems have not been breached.

Hillary’s emails are a non issue, investigated for months and never shown to have caused harm to our country. The FBI should have kept the investigation completely out of the public eye, as is their stated policy. The fact they chose to influence the election should concern you regardless of your party affiliation.

Despite the never-ending smears and constant innuendo, despite all the resulting investigations, Clinton has repeatedly been found without criminal fault. At some point we have to accept either she is innocent or her superpower is the ability to hypnotize congressional committees, ten of which investigated her for Benghazi alone. There is no kill list.

She is not responsible for Bill’s transgressions and before you blame her for treating his accusers shabbily consider how you would treat your spouse’s accusers if you believed your spouse to be innocent, falsely accused by people bent on destroying them. Love sucks that way.

Clmate change is real. It’s ridiculous to publically deny it even as our military spends millions to prepare for it’s potential impact on strategic bases around the world. 

And one more thing. You don’t elect a corrupt, insecure, pathologically narcissistic, vulgar, morally bankrupt reality show star to clean up our broken government.

Trump will not “drain the swamp”.  He has, in fact, spent his entire life playing in the swamp and you should expect he will surround himself with like minded folks picked solely for their loyalty to Team Trump and for their ability to feed his ego and support his every whim. He requires adulation and does not care if it comes from the soccer moms in Chicago or the white supremacists holed up in a compound in rural Idaho. It’s all good.

Clearly Americans have made a huge mistake. I predict it will not be long before that fact will be apparent to the entire world.

Lynn may also be followed via Twitter handle @lynnmcmorris and you are invited to join her on Facebook via the Blue On The Bayou group.