Ok, never mind....

...I will write about this crap.

Give him a chance, they said.  Hey, he's not giving us much to work with here.  So far, his cabinet is looking very anti-diverse, anti-tolerant, and anti-any color other than white.  Some ultra conservative religious right guys, an anti-semantic nationalist.  And by the way, who the hell does that nationalist Bannon guy remind me of?  Driving me crazy.  It's an actor or character of some scruffy sort that I can't put my finger on.

I said in the last post that we would be less shell-shocked if we had seen the sedate reasonable guy in the victory speech all through the campaign.  Then I watched the 60 Minutes interview.  It's probably the last time I'll watch him speak publicly again because I'll never respect or believe what he says.  I know I'll see more of that smug smirk of a pig face more than I want, just because the nasty that is Trump isn't going away.  He'll make sure of that.  Anyways.  In that interview, he was asked point blank if he had any regrets.  The interviewer gave him the opportunity to appeal to us, to give us a reason to respect him and give him a chance, and he had no remorse.  He could have apologized to everyone he hurt and insulted and threatened, for causing the extreme division, and that could have been a step toward healing, but no.  He flat out said no...no regrets for anything, and he wouldn't do it differently.  I'm not sure what he means by making the country great again, but as long as we are so divided and feeling so betrayed by our own countrymen, and this deplorable man, this country will not be great.  It's going to be a long unhappy 4 years.  Or longer.

The other thing that caught my ear in that interview was his odd interpretation of the Constitution.  When asked if he'd repeal Roe v. Wade (abortion rights), he said he was pro-life and would support federal repeal, and allow states to decide.  If a woman wanted an abortion, she might have to go to another state. When asked about marriage equality, he said "It's in the Constitution, it's done".  Wait.  Isn't Roe v. Wade in the Constitution?  So what...he's going to cherry-pick the Constitution, the same way christians cherry-pick the bible to suit their bigotries?

He reportedly wants to go on a victory tour of the states that won him the election.  What a Trumpian thing to do!  It's like he realized that from now on, his contact with the public will mostly be via camera where he can't hear and feel the adulation of his Trumpers.  He needs those rallies to pump his enormous ego.  Twitter won't be enough for him since there are so many anti-Trump tweeters.  He brags about his millions of followers thinking that means they all love him.  Hey, I'm following him, but not because I love him.  Pretty sure I'm not the only one of that mindset.  That's how ignorant that dipstick is.  And besides, doesn't he have an awful lot to do between now and inauguration?  He doesn't have time for a frivolous tour.

Now there's this feud with the cast of the musical Hamilton.  If you haven't heard, Mike Pence VP-elect, attended a performance, and was booed by the audience when he was recognized.  After the final bows, the cast addressed him personally, appealing for tolerance and respect for the diversity of America, which caused him to slink out of the theater.  Trump took to Twitter to blast the cast for its action.  Once again showing us a very frightening image of a world leader with a paper-thin skin, and no respect for the Constitutional right to freedom of speech.  And later, Pense said he wasn't offended by the Hamilton thing.

And Mrs. Trump.  Awww, bless her heart.  She's taking on internet bullying as her First Lady Cause when she's married to a world class bully, and maybe even bullied herself.  In that interview, they tried to give us the impression she has some say in that marriage, but that would be very hard to believe.  Their dynamic looked so fake to me.  Unless she has something on him.

There's a word I learned about during this campaign that I hadn't paid much attention to before now.  Evangelical.  I had to look it up.  Basically, it means the extreme right christians, the ones who insist the bible be followed literally, and laws of the land follow the law of the bible.  The hell-fire and brimstone christians.  It's become a foul word to me.  These are people who could influence this administration to threaten my freedoms.  This word is especially abhorrent because these are the most hypocritical christians.  They claim they voted Republican and therefore Trump for family values.  To them, family values means anti-gay, anti-abortion, and anti-non-christian.  But bigotry, sexism, sexual assault, pedophilia, liars, and cheats are okay.

Then there's the report that Trump wants to split his time between the White House and his New York penthouse.  Well, isn't that special.  We, the tax-paying people will pay for extra Secret Service detail so King Midas can sleep in his golden tower.

Each day, there are more new appointments to his cabinet.  There's much speculation based on who is admitted to the golden tower, and then a confirmed appointment that we didn't expect.  We're losing our SC governor to be U.N. ambassador.  I haven't been here long enough, or paid enough attention, so I don't know much about her, but she seemed like a level-headed woman who ran the state without a heavy hand.  We might miss her.  Her deputy governor will take over, and his titles/previous positions sound like he will not be a progressive head of state.

We're still waiting to hear all the cabinet appointments, but from what we've seen it looks like cronyism all around.  He had said during his campaign that he "would get the brightest and smartest, the best people" to help him.  Apparently, the brightest, smartest, best people are the ones that like him.  Or are desperate to kiss his ring to get their foot in the door to the golden tower.

Now there's the New York Times interview.  I read the transcript, and it was typical Trump.  Rambling, immature and limited language and grammar.  I learned an alarming new thing.  Apparently, the President has more power than I thought, and even less accountability.  Meaning he can rewrite rules as it suits him, and use the office to further his business goals.  With his authoritarian personality, having been a powerful boss all his adult life, he could turn himself into a fucking king!   How can anyone doubt this is not about America, this is about making Trump great?  How can anyone trust him to run this country with its people's best interests in mind?  Goddamnit.

King Midas, this country will never be united under you.

tnt

Ok, I lied.

I said I'd try not to write about that again.  But then there was this one thing.  I finally watched his acceptance speech this morning.  Couldn't bring myself to look until now.  He was surprisingly nice and articulate.  Why couldn't he have run his campaign like that?  We wouldn't be so stunned and hurt and divided right now if that was the man we had seen for the last year and a half.

Am I more optimistic now?  Ummm, not so much.  He's promising an awful lot of things that will cost a lot of money.  Hasn't said how he'll pay for all of that.  Promises to cut taxes, but where will the money come from?  I guarantee somebody, probably lots of somebodies, will lose something else to fund it.

Good luck, dear America.  We're gonna need it.

tnt

Wow

I...I am...just...wow.

Before I go any further, let me start with a disclaimer of sorts.  It's not that I was for Clinton.  It's that I was NOT for Trump.  I would have been ok with almost any other Republican president, but not THAT one.

I watched my favorite voices of reason this morning, hoping to at least get something to smile about.  Even there, all I saw was raw emotion.  They tried to make us laugh, they did, but even they had a hard time finding anything to joke about.  It's not funny anymore.  We are now a realty tv show, and not the fun kind.

I made a little post on Facebook.  Very little because we have to now be very careful what we say on social media.  You know he will go after anyone who says mean things about him.  I wonder how that will affect my comedy news teams.  They're my refuge from the real news.  I truly fear for many of our freedoms, and two of the most important are freedom of speech and freedom of press.

Facebook would only let me use one of those "feeling" things in that post, and I went back and forth through that list trying to find the one that covered what I'm feeling.  There were so many, how to choose.  I ended up with " feeling worried", but I'm also feeling scared, disappointed, sad, ashamed, disgusted, and yeah, a little bit angry.  The more I think about it, scared does seem to cover it the best.

Here's what I fear for the country.

We now have a very right-leaning Republican controlled government.  He says he's for all the people, but that can't be under this administration.  It just won't, because the Right isn't for all the people.  The people who elected him certainly aren't.  The Constitution is in great danger from this regime.

This is going to affect us for a long long time.  The turmoil, the unrest, the anger, the bigotry, the fear.  I saw a Trumper post somewhere that said something to the effect, "Make America great again because nobody likes us anymore".  Oh, you think the world is going to like us now?  We just proved that America is basically a country full of hateful, bigoted, sexist white people.  From what I've seen, the rest of the world is as anxious as we reasonable Americans are right now.  Oh sure, this will go down in history, but that doesn't mean a history to be proud of.

The economy?  He says he'll fix it because that's what he's good at.  We still don't know where his financial allegiances lie because he never released the documents that prove he isn't aligned with nefarious entities.  We also don't know his true business practices.  Again, no proof it's all on the up and up.  I'm pretty sure any economic "fixes" will benefit him and his legacy, and his cronies.  Not the middle and lower classes he claims he wants to help.  Oh and get ready for another major war.  I think you can bank on that.  No, wait, maybe you better bury your money in the backyard.

Foreign policy and economics?  He's told us what he wants to do with that.  Buckle in, kids, and start hoarding your goodies.  Look around at what you have, and imagine if you can still have that if global trade and economy breaks down.  That fancy smart gadget in your pocket?  Your electronic toys?  Pfft.  You'll be lucky if you can afford them.  We need to get along with the rest of the world.

He stated he would shred the Johnson Amendment giving the church the freedom to lobby in government politics.  The church is an extremely rich industry thanks to its tax exemptions, and corrupt nature.  Non-christians would lose their voices, and very likely their freedoms.  This very wealthy entity would have more than enough power to influence educational policy by insisting the bible be included in science and history curriculums.  We already rank way lower than we should when it comes to education in primary schools.  How sad and shameful to dumb down bright young minds even more.  My taxes could pay for something I neither support or get benefit from.  The exact opposite in fact, I could be forced to pay for destroying my own freedoms.

The other freedoms we've gained since women earned the right to vote?  Equal rights?  Marriage rights?  Respect for women?  Respect for anybody?  Say goodbye.  When we first heard "Stop and Frisk", little did we know that literally meant grab whoever/whatever you want.

So good job, Murica.  You get to keep your guns (which were never at risk), and own your bigotry.  Long live King Midas, and fuck the rest of us.

Here's what I fear for myself.

I depend on the health of the auto industry and Social Security for my livelihood and medical insurance.  The loss of either could put me out of my home.  So I have a great fear of this administration's unclear economic policies that I'm pretty sure won't have me in mind.

I'm a non.  Will I be forced to acknowledge a mythology as the law of the land?  Forced to swear legal oaths on a god and ancient adulterated text?  Forced to trust in a god I don't believe in, let alone trust?  Forced to put the word god on my car's license plate?  Forced to bow my head in meaningless and trivial prayer?  Forced to say Merry Christmas?  Will I be discriminated against, vilified, or burned at the stake for my lack of faith in a higher power.  Will I be forced to hide?

I'm feeling so much right now.  I'm having a hard time finding the words.  I don't want to write about this ever again.  It's done, and we have to figure out a way to live with it.  Don't know what happens next.  My pessimistic part says maybe it's a good thing I'm in the late afternoon of my years.  I'm not sure I'd want to be young right now.  The thought of a long uncertain and unsettled future would be even scarier than my less long one.

I will try not to write about this ever again.  At least until it does affect me personally.  But no guarantees.  I have buttons that can be pushed.  This will require much self-indulgence, libation, and total immersion in my fandoms and guilty pleasures to cleanse my palette.  Tall order, that.

P.S.  We will miss you, Mr. President and Mrs. Obama!  Sooo much!  There will never be a First Couple as cool as you!

tnt

Random Musing

About climate change.  Lot of talk about that these days.  Some, including His Trumpness, say it's a hoax.  Science says it's the real deal.  I will always side with science.  If you have any science education at all, you can't deny that this planet has gone through many climate changes.  Change is just the nature of the universe.  We can't stop it, but we can plan for and adapt to it, and we have the means to do that.  That's what climate change advocates are trying to make the world understand.  Coastal populations need to prepare for rising sea levels due to warming and polar ice melt.  It's a sad fact that many species will be lost to a drastic change, but that too has happened many times.  Evolution will fill in the gaps, but there will be further loss as nature adapts to the changes.

By the way, here is my view of the world and all.  Humans may consider themselves the dominant life form on this planet, but we are not the most important.  The loss of just a few key species at the lower end of the food chain will impact us tremendously.  Warming seas will deplete krill and plankton which would affect fish and other oceanic species.  On land, coastal flooding would kill off terrestrial plants and animals.  The warmer and higher sea levels will affect the weather.  All these changes will affect our food supply and lifestyles.  We have to plan for this, and come up with solutions.  We can't just sit here and go oh pooh pooh.  (nerd note: that's a Buffy reference)

About Ancient Aliens.  Yeah, I'm going there again.  Not about aliens, but about ancient civilizations.  I've said before that I'm not necessarily buying the Ancient Alien Theory (AAT), but that something very important was going on in pre-history.  I began to think about what would survive if our current civilizations collapsed.  We're in the digital age now.  Would any of this survive the test of time?  Nope.  Paper certainly wouldn't, unless it could be preserved as some ancient scrolls were in perfectly arid conditions.  Iron and steel?  It would be iffy, I think.  Eventually most metals succumb to corrosion and erosion.  What would stand the test of time?  The same thing that survived ancient times...stone and gold.  What if there were civilizations in our distant past that arose to the technological level we are at now, and then collapsed (oooh, climate change?), and then we had to claw our way back to where we are now.   All our previous knowledge was lost to time, and had to be relearned.  All we had was whatever survived the collapse, and maybe that was whatever had been written in stone.  I think we need to preserve our knowledge in true hard copy....stone and gold.

About funerals.  Hey, I said this was going to be random stuff.  Humans desperate need to enter an imagined afterlife has created the most environmentally irresponsible funeral practices.  We destroy acres of valuable habitat or potential farm land to accommodate non-biodegradable containers to preserve (often chemically) a carcass that should be feeding the earth as nature intended.  Not to the mention the waste of water, oil, and gas that large expanses of cemetery turf grass creates.  Cremation is the best choice, in my opinion, and many ancient civilizations agreed.  I read a story once (Sci-Fi) that had such an elegant and responsible solution.  A body was buried upright in a vertical hole, and a tree was planted over it to honor the dead, and give back to the environment.  How beautiful and reverent of the nature of life and death.  I've read that there are organizations that can make something similar to this happen.  I'd much rather my remains feed a tree than serve no purpose at all.  Even cremation ashes give more back to the earth than a casket burial.  But religion is responsible for this gross irresponsibility and waste, and until we let go of that, we will continue to rape the earth for our superstitious beliefs.

tnt

Long time no write...again.

I've actually written several times (often drunk blogging), and in the light of sober day, didn't upload.

Not drunk blogging now, but I've got things to say.  I don't want to bother my social media friends with my opinion in their feeds.  Here, I can say it all at once and they can read it or not.  So here I go.

The election is getting close, and it's very scary.  For everybody.  Republicans can't in good conscience support their party's candidate, but they're stuck with him.  Democrats are only half-heartedly supporting theirs.  America will be screwed either way. 

There are a couple more candidates that are basically just side shows.  If only Bernie Sanders could have come back as an independent.  I believe he was the only popular choice that was a truly honest man who cared about this country.  Only he could take on the 2 options we are now stuck with, and I think he could set a precedent for an Independent President.  Imagine that for a minute.  ANYONE could become President, not just those with the money and power.  Our founding fathers wanted it that way, but big money made sure that can't happen.

I'll start with Hillary Clinton.  The lesser of the 2 evils.  I'm not sure why so many voters despise her.  Because she's a woman?  A career politician?  Not Bernie Sanders?  Married to an ex-President who was impeached because he lied about an extra-marital affair?  Something millions of people do every day.  This country is in desperate need of an experienced leader.  She already knows the inner workings of the government.  She understands foreign policy.  She understands foreign and domestic economics.  I think she is fully capable of running point for the security of this nation, and the well-being of its citizens.  We can't afford a President who has to learn it all on the fly, and isn't smart enough to grasp it.

I get that many Americans don't trust her.  Her opponents have spent a lot of their considerable campaign funds making sure of that.  Do they have valid points?  I don't know, but she has been exonerated of all of the charges, and apologized for any blunders.  It's interesting that no one is calling for Trump to release his emails.  What a read that would be!

I'm so tired of Republicans and the wealthy NRA going on about how Clinton will take away their guns.  Nobody is going to take away your fucking guns!  If you have the legal right to own and carry one, you can.  All we want is more oversight into who can.  The recently shot down proposed controls were perfectly reasonable and not infringing on anyone's right to a gun.  Granted, criminals will still get illegal guns, but common sense measures will make it harder for bad guys to get one legally.  That's all we ask.  How many more people, especially children, have to die for you to get that?  Republicans are so protective of the 2nd Amendment, but seem to be willing to ignore or even destroy the 1st.  The very one this country was founded on.  I want a President who respects and upholds the entire Constitution, not just the part they care about.

And now Donald Trump.  Oh boy.  I won't rehash all the things he has said and done.  Murica.  This derogatory term has been coined to refer to the kind of people who admire someone like Trump.  Muricans are the ones that will take hits in the nuts for internet fame.  The ones that will physically attack protesters at a rally.  The ones who are bigots.  The ones who think a man who demeans non-whites, women, and anyone who disagrees with him is the best thing for this country.  Murica is why Trump made it this far.  Not America.

It's not like R-voters didn't have viable options.  They had a goddamn herd of them!  I'm really glad Ted Cruz isn't what they ended up with, but I wouldn't have had an objection to most of them.  Hell, what was wrong with the last one standing...John Kasich?  Seemed like an honest, intelligent, dignified and sane guy.  He could have pulled the party out of the gutter, and probably even win.   But, nooo, Murica has spoken.

I can't think of a single reason Trump should be President.  He has the temperament, emotional maturity, and vocabulary of a 12 year old.  He and his Trumpers say it's because he's a businessman and not a politician.  It's very clear he's not a politician.  But you know what, the President needs to be a politician to deal with the rest of the world.  Businessman, yes, but a good one?  Not so much.  Sure he has lots of money and a vast business empire, but his business failings are equal to or more than his successes, and very likely kind of shady.  The recent reports that he may not be paying taxes due to a massive loss 18 years ago (also very possible that loss was shady) is a slap in the face of every struggling hard working American.  If he has nothing to hide, why won't he release his tax returns?  Any economic plan he has will benefit him and his rich cronies, not America.  You say you don't trust Clinton?  How the hell can you trust Trump?

One of his other platforms is immigration reform.  This from a man who's on his 3rd trophy wife, 2 of whom where immigrants, and there's reason to doubt the current one was a legal immigrant.  Oh yeah, and she has a thick foreign accent that sounds rather Russian.  I know she's not Russian, just saying.  Trump does seem to be enamored with Russia.  The First Lady has a role to play, and we want to respect and admire her.  I'm having a hard time imagining just what role this one would serve, and how we could respect presidential arm candy.

Trump's battle cry is "Make America great again", but what he really wants is to make Trump great again.  He seems to think he can just go in and throw his weight around to meet his campaign promises.  Maybe he thinks he'll be king.  He doesn't have a clue.

There's a theory, and I believe it, that Trump never really wanted to be President.  He just wanted to run, prove he could win, and then ride out the rest of his life and business dealings on that "success".  A publicity stunt and ego boost.  I and I think most intelligent and responsible Americans are terrified he'll win, and be the President mostly likely to be impeached.  Which means we'd end up with Pence who would shred the Constitution if given a chance, not to mention the turmoil an impeachment would create.  Make American great again?  No, set it back 200 years.  Either way,  Trump or Pence, we lose.

I said in the beginning of this post that we will be screwed no matter what happens in November.  Even though I hope (I'd pray if I prayed) Trump doesn't win, and I believe Clinton is the only sane choice, we'll still be fucked if she wins.  Why?  Because Republicans will fight her tooth and nail for the next 4 years, and we the people will bear the pain of those Republican tantrums.  Republicans, you let this despicable man hijack your party and election.  Accept your fumble, and make our government work for the people for a change.

tnt