Dear Mr. President,
You won! Congratulations. Now that you’ve installed yourself in the Oval Office and surrounded yourself with a cabinet that appears to be mined from the nightmares of the liberal left, a few things, if I may.
Please don’t speak of the MAJORITY. The fact is, the majority of Americans voted against you. Sure, you won the election, and there is plenty of back and forth over the system that allowed that victory, but at the end of the day, the MAJORITY of Americans don’t want you there. In fact, I’d say the MAJORITY of Americans loathe you, both personally and the policies you stand for. Of course, I have no proof of that, but if I had to guess, I’d say at least 1 to 1.5 million more Americans actively loathe you than don’t. I’ll get the National Parks Department on it right away for proof.
So, in between overuse of exclamation points (God help me survive four years of that), 140 character assignation attempts, and generally scaring the bejesus out of the modern world, you need to remember that when you say you speak for Americans, you really don’t. Not all of us. And not the majority of us.
The orders you are signing with the stroke of a pen? Those orders don’t respect the wishes of the majority of Americans either. They pander to a fear-fueled base of people who need something to project their fears onto–because facing inward and realizing that the life of a coal miner is never going to be the life of a Kardashian is too depressing to face. Oh, and those frothing at the mouth to turn a neighbor in for wearing a headscarf or not speaking English or cooking something that smells ‘gross’. And the ones that are all rah-rah-sis-boom-bah about blowing shit up. You are governing to a minority who feels that exceptionalism takes the form of Fuck you world, we’re America! Here, hold my beer.
That is not what American Exceptionalism is, or ever was supposed to be. American Exceptionalism is the idea of creating a bastion of freedom and democracy to use as a model, not chest thumping and grunting and posturing to see who has the biggest missile in their pants…I mean arsenal.
You have, in two short weeks, reduced my country to satire. In fact, no one can tell what is satire and what isn’t anymore. McSweeny’s, known for it’s cutting wit, just published one of your ‘speeches’ in lieu of a satirical piece. I use the term “speeches” lightly because really they are just a mash-up of words. Incoherent and full of braggadocio–or was it braggadocios?– ego stroking, full of falsehoods, well…shit to be honest. My seven year-old did a research project last year which was better thought out than your speeches. And his vocabulary was bigger too. And he knows what a thesaurus is. Granted, he’s pretty smart. But still…You know that theory that if you gave a group of monkeys long enough they would replicate Shakespeare? You didn’t have enough monkeys. And you didn’t give them long enough.
You may be playing to your base, but the eyes of the world are on you, Mr. President. And right now, those eyes are rolling heavenward with a mixture of “Are you kidding me? and “What the fuck is actually going on?” If, as my favorite author Margaret Atwood wrote, the greatest fear of men is being laughed at, well then, you should be shaking in your boots, because the majority of Americans and the world are laughing. Granted, we’re laughing while shitting our pants in terror, but we’re laughing none the less.
Your posturing is ridiculous. Your obsession with ratings and popularity. Your bullying. Your need for sycophantic (look it up) behavior and blind loyalty, your form of governance, which essentially amounts to I’m not going to share my shovel with anyone in the sandbox, your bizarre fixation with adoration, everything really. Everything about you is ridiculous.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
We, the MAJORITY, we will never love you. No matter what you do. No matter if you give free health care to all and reverse the Hyde Amendment. You did too much damage to our relationships, our psyches, our ideals and our vision of what America is and could be. Personally, I will never get over the pussy grabbing comment. Ever. No, we will never love you. You will never speak for us.
But you can go a long way toward easing the loathing.
You can start by listening to those around you when they tell you to wait, to study, to look before you leap. You can actually listen to what the MAJORITY of Americans want. You can do all you can to avoid getting into another war, instead of rushing headlong into one or two just to see who can piss higher up the wall. You can at least try to meet us–if not half way, then perhaps a quarter. An eighth even.
I’m not going to lie. There is still a part of me that wants to see you fuck up spectacularly–simply because I think you deserve the loathing of the minority as well as the majority. But I’m willing to shelve my increasingly dark fantasies if it means no actual Americans will be harmed during this reality show administration.
You want me to give you a chance? You’ll have to actually give the majority of Americans a chance first.
Respectfully,
A Majority Member
Wine and Cheese (Doodles) 
Wow! You’ve said it all. Gee, have you been inside my mind? Thanks for telling it like it is..
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Well, I guess what’s good for the President is good for the Majority as well, right? I’m a little high strung of late… 😉
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I absolutely love this!
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I’m glad. I felt like I needed to get it all out in one place!
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You did just that! The truth is so liberating lol
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I’m with you all the way, here, Dina. I’m actually reading The Guardian newspaper in the UK for the same comment you are providing, so I’ll save my money and read you instead. Michael Phillips.
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Well thanks, Micheal. Free rants for all!
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“Here, hold my beer.” is well known among the Darwin Awards crowd as classic last words, along with, “I wonder what this button does.”, “Who needs a seat belt?”, and “Hey, watch this.” Let’s hope karma has a pinpoint aim when she gives this yoyo his just reward.
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Exactly. You know the US, we like to take everyone and supersize it. As a friend said, ‘you want fries with that?” Instead of a burger this time, its civil rights, women’s rights, immigration reform…oh, the list goes on and on 😦
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From a Brit watching with horror, thanks for these words of sanity.
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I think the next one is going to have to be a letter of apology to the rest of the world, isn’t it. I promise we are trying our best–but it’s going to take a while. Don’t lose faith in us…just yet.
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Reblogged this on Elissa's Solutions.
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With all the way Dina….. Stephen Hall http://www.stephenhallart.com 55 Bethune Street, Suite C320 New York, NY 10014 646-963-3306
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Spot on. I’ve reached a point where when his big head comes on the screen during the news, I switch channels to a home decor channel until he goes away. It’s difficult because I’m a news junkie but the doc had started to comment that my usually scary low blood pressure keeps creeping upward over the past 4 months. I go through my social media and delete every pic of him–that’s becoming a full-time job. I don’t think I’ve ever wished for someone to keel over or stroke out, but that’s becoming a deep longing. The fantasy of a lightning strike while potus, v-potus, Ryan, McConnell and Bannon hold hands and dance in a circle is probably a bit dark, huh?
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Lol. My recurring fantasy involves a meteor!
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Perfect, I could not have said it better, although I am a bit concerned about the karma and the collateral damage cause it tends to be less than laser focused.
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sharing, thanks.
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The man doesn’t care what anyone thinks, except the de facto president bannon and his racist cohorts. Don’t waste your breath even thinking of talking to him. Talk to representatives and like minded individuals like you and me to organize against him and his anti-American principled reign (of two weeks so far). He is going to self destruct and hopefully he won’t take too many innocents with him. He is not up to the job, as everyone in the world knows but him.
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Very well said. You certainly voiced my concerns. I loath this man and all herespresents. I thought I was done marching in the sixties, but he makes me so mad, scared, and upset, I get up and go to be there expressing myself as an African American retired teacher, mother, wife and grandmother. Keep resisting in all you do, and never stop speaking out against this crazy, bigot, racist president who does not represent the majority of Americans.
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You too. We all need to.
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I can hardly bear to look at the news every morning, another outrageous tweet, another infuriating executive order. It’s frustrating and embarrassing.
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Every morning I wake up and check the news with dread. Honestly, I feel like it’s some alternative universe I seem to have stumbled upon.
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Oh my goodness. You and your fellow commenters are ridiculous. Let me address some of these things one my one:
Majority huh? OK so Hillary won the popular vote. That’s your go to stat. Why are you not writing about the majority of California voters voted NOT to allow same sex marriage. Now before you go on a tangent, I’m talking about majority vs majority. Why is one right and the other wrong. Or does majority only work when it aligns with your view? What about my view or does that not matter?
Pussy grabbing? You mad about that? Come on. You said you have a seven year old. Did your pussy not get grabbed. Stop the self righteousness. Men talk that shit all the time. Rather you want to admit it or not so do women. Oh yeah by the way them left leaning celebrities with all that money probably worse than trump and us common folks. Look at all the musicians and how they racking up that pussy being THROWN at them. Where’s the outrage over that?
Kardashian life style : Who said the coal miners are mad that they won’t have the same life-style as a Kardashian? This also coming from people like you that think someone should get paid 15 dollars an hour to work fast food. You made a judgment call on coal miners did you not?
Also know regardless how you want to portray it in your mind, coming to this country is a PRIVELEDGE. It is NOT a right. So when someone comes here they should have the common decency to learn OUR language which is ENGLISH. Immigrants long ago learned that. Think I’m harsh? Go to Iran and demand they put signs around town in English so you can live more comfortably. Or pick another country. They won’t do it. So why do we? Why is it if we ALLOW someone to come to our country then we must go out of way to make their lives easier? If I come to your house to live do I deal with the accommodations you have or do I force you to buy a new more comfortable bed and build an addition on to the house because I feel my room isn’t big enough?
Trump is not in the White House just making shit up like you want to think. He is getting us back on track to follow the rules that have always been on the book but have been bent over the years. He hasn’t banned anyone he hasn’t rounded up people and sent them out of the country. Before you get all crazy, if they here ILLEGALLY then shit out of luck. He has not put any orders in place to ship out ALL Mexicans or ALL muslims so why do you try and make it sound like he has?
If you are so concerned with Trump’s 140 characters. Stop following him on Twitter.
Oh yeah and about the posturing. We need to do that. You think acting like a pussy ass nation is going to help. Proof and point. Obama weak as hell. What happened? Russia decides to fly their planes close to our ships no repercussion. It would have happened just once if I was President. Do it again the plane will be in the ocean. I don’t think we will be disrespected like that with Trump in office.
In closing. Life is not rainbows and unicorns so it may get a little rough out there. Make sure you stock up on your crayons and play doh.
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It’s always the play doh and crayons and safe spaces and snowflakes with you guys isn’t it? It’s supposed to be some sort of jibe at the left or liberals, but it’s tried and trite and getting old. But by all means, continue it if it makes you feel good.
I’m not sure I understand your majority vs. majority point. Why is one wrong and one right? They’re not. That’s the point. In a system like ours where the majority (by raw numbers) voted against the President, he’s not speaking for all of us. Same would have held true if Clinton had won. So again, not sure what you’re getting at.
So because you and men you know talk about causal sexual assault I should just brush it off as a joke? Don’t think so. First of all it’s demanding. Secondly it’s illegal–it’s falls within the definition of sexual assault. If you and your buddies want talk like that, there’s noting I can do to stop you. But that doesn’t meant I am ever going to condone it or think it’s ok just because you do it. And for what it’s worth if a musician was interviewed and talked about grabbing pussy, I’d be just as disgusted. Freedom of speech protects your right to go around and talk like a dick. It doesn’t protect you from the consequences of how other people react or perceive it.
Women and minorities and immigrants (documented) have been working shit jobs for decades at the same time trying to maintain civil rights. They take whatever job they can get and get on with it. Yet the white rural working class are out of jobs and it’s we’ve got to burn the whole lot to the ground. And yes, I think everyone deservers a living wage. Do I think every small business in the country can afford to pay a $15 an hour wage? No. But when you have people working full time jobs who still need government assistance, it’s a problem. Higher minimum wages is one way (one) to tackle that.
Who isn’t speaking English? How would you even know if they were learning or how long they’d been here? Most immigrants DO learn English, but many settle in enclaves where others from their home countries are, and speak their mother tongues at home. Does it bother you when you hear people speaking another language on the street? Why? There’s no national language in the United States. The Constitution says nothing about the establishment of a national language or religion. Many other countries do–but not ours. No one is asking you or people like you to bend over backward, but some times being helpful or kind, or just human? It doesn’t cost you anything.
What accommodations for legal immigrants are you talking about? Being able to press 2 for Spanish? Is it really impacting your life in any way?
Rules are bent and broken by everyone in office. He’s not getting the US back on track. He is systematically challenging the social progress that’s been made in the last 30 years regrading women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, civil rights. He had INDEED banned people from 7 different countries from entering the US, even those who have been vetted with valid visas.
Why do you associate being a nation who gets along with the rest of the world being “pussy-ass”? And why do you associate the word pussy, which you seem to think it’s ok to grab, with ‘weakness”. You talk about Trump being respected because he’s tough? Far from it, he is a global laughing stock who people fear with launch a nuclear weapon just because he doesn’t have the skill or diplomacy to get out of a situation otherwise. That’s what bullies do. And no one respects bullies. You want a leader who is feared because he’s unstable and apt to do something ridiculous just to prove a point? That’s your right. And Trump’s you guy. But there’s no respect there.
And I don’t follow him on Twitter. But thanks for coming and leaving a comment. Always good to hear how the other side thinks.
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You have written what is in so many of our hearts and spelled it all out so clearly. Our anguish and fear and disappointment in the entire ridiculous situation…you hit it spot on. Thank you. Please keep writing.
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Some days that’s the only thing that keeps me sane–or at least mostly sane. I have to believe that the majority of Americans want to do what is right, and want to protect themselves and their interests, but I keep waiting for some to figure out that we can do that without isolating ourselves and running roughshod over others.
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I’m confused. There would appear to be two Americas. Light America and Dark America. Sadly Dark America seems to have the World by the throat.
If you are worried about Trump (and many of us are) then read this (and worry a bit more):
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/04/white-house-agenda-collapse-global-order-war
If only the world’s politicians would stand up and tell us what they really think….
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The Guardian has been putting out some amazing stuff of late (which reminds me, I must donate to them, thanks!). I like the way you worded that, Light America and Dark America–there are many different ways you can look at that as well. I think the two have always been there (thinking slavery, civil rights etc), but for the most part, we seem to get the balance right. Right now, we’re all askew. It’s like Star Wars. We need to get the force back in balance.
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Oh karma. I can’t wait 😃.
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One can only hope, right?
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Thanks for writing this and replying to coffee bean.funny , his name is after a plant that is best from foreign countries. My question to him why is in a bromance with a country that we have been taught to hate and why didn’t trump ban Saudi Arabia yet he banned countries that have never killed any American on our soil. Most of 9/11 hijackers were from saudua Arabia. Another issue with this wall thing is that most immigrants like trump’s mom and wives is they didn’t have to crawl over or under a wall , the overstayed their visas
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Correction :trumps mom did not immigrate to the us on a plane.
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It’s easy to overlook the hard questions and justify them with phony rhetoric. Immigration is great! When we need workers (or wives, apparently). The Middle East is our friend (when we need oil and business deals). None of this is black and white or simple, there are always decisions made which are going to royally screw a lot of people. But when I ask myself if this administration is doing the most good for the most people? Absolutely not.
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I hope the meat heads realize just what a bad prez he is for the people ASAP. Totally out for himself and makes enemies where there should be friendship, diplomacy, civility, and safety. Our kids live here. ❤
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I don’t think so. I think for many, it was enough to keep the other woman out of office. That’s it. That’s the sole gain for many, regardless of what happens it will still be seen as a victory. Sad, right?
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My comment just accidentally deleted and I can’t redo it all. It was about inconsistencies in the blog-post and also in the comment by coffeebean2017. I was glad to see coffeebean’s comment. Coffebean misspelled PRIVILEGE, which undermines his credibility, and he is not the most refined of commenters, but you are not so refined either. You fall back on the use of the “f” word as if that made any argument stronger (not!).
My main comment was on the outrage over Trump’s infamous “pussy” comment. I hate very much to type that word, but I can’t keep abbreviating everything because it looks silly. This getting oneself so very worked up over this thing is misguided. I actualy do not have any more time to write about this right now, but maybe I’ll make a post of my own about it. Sexual assault is a horrendous thing. But don’t pin your floating rage on Trump. He did indeed, as coffebean said, only say what many guys say – and most guys are not sexual assaulters. Did you actually listen to the video (which was a long time ago, by the way)? Trump spoke of what the women would “let him” do. You have exaggerated and misconstrued, in your rarified, delicate world. This is why the right are referring to us (yes, I’m a liberal too! And a woman!) as snowflakes who might melt in too much heat. That’s a reference to children who need to be protected – perhaps overprotected, like the schools that won’t award trophies and that sort of thing. It is nice if you have not experienced the more common variety of male: very nice to be so sheltered. But most men are a little crude (have you heard of the book, “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus”?). The comment was spoken to Billy Bush in a bragging way in the expectation of privacy. You truly exaggerate to say he spoke of assault, and you do the man a disservice, because he shows evidence of being a gentleman. Heck, he ate tic-tacs: at least he cared about his breath! (Joke?) (You will only get that if you actually saw the video..) Seriously: a red-blooded attraction to women is not a crime. Why does the hostess wear such a clinging dress if she doesn’t want to be ogled? He didn’t grab her (except when the rather loathsome Billy Busy pushed him onto her). I am sure you have heard of things like the “casting couch”, groupies, the “scores” of Wilt Chamberlain.. Celebrities of both genders can be aggressive at times. There is predatory behavior out there, yes, plenty of it. Some of it is reprehensible, and some of it is wretched assault: look at what Bill Cosby is accused of, or – I can’t think of the others right now. Priests, coaches: there are too many guilty. But Trump didn’t do that. He’s not so unforgivable and disgusting as you paint him. It is all a game of politics and that is not honest. Either that or you’re simply mistaken. It’s no more right to pour such vitriol on him than it is for him to pour it on others. As Ghandi or somebody said, “An eye for an eye makes everybody blind”. Or something like that.
Regarding what coffebean said about majorities, I didn’t think you’d understand that, but he (she?) was trying to point out some hypocrisy: why do you not care about the majority of voters who apparently voted against same-sex marriage in California (but still lost their preference)? You stand up for the majority who voted for Hillary, but you make no mention of the “majorities” who have lost their causes but whose causes you did not agree with. I guess it’s just that not everyone gets their way. You’re not so special or different. Majorities have lost before, he is saying; you understand.
I really liked your comments about braggadocio(s?) in his speeches, and your seven-year-old and the monkeys and all of that, above and below those comments. You have a biting and acerbic wit, but your smart-sounding and the mutual back-slapping party is mean-spirited. You sign “respectfuly” but you really didn’t offer much respect, though you probably think you gave more than was deserved. It can be easy to sound smart, right and hurtful. Kindness never hurts, though. Don’t be so very quick to find an enemy.
That’s my advice! Thank you; bye!
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Thanks for taking the time to read and comment–and to do it all over again–nothing is more frustrating than typing out your feelings and then losing them into the nether of the internet.
To answer your question about why I didn’t write about the majority of people in California, it was simply because that’s not what this particular article was about. It was also not about Majority vs. Minority, it was about a President who thinks, acts, and speaks as if he is speaking to the majority, when in actuality, he is not. At all. Of course when we uses a marjory system, there is going to be a large portion of the populace who lose out. It’s one of the failings of not using a proportional representative system. But, what happened in CA was due to the ruling of SCOTUS. And in this case, federal law trumped (joke?) state law. (At least I think this is what you and the previous comment were talking about? If not, I’d need more clarification). No one in the state overturned a majority vote, the law was influenced by a Supreme Court ruling. Had the majority of state voters voted one way and the state government dissented, that would be something else. This was a case of legal appeal (as is what is happening in the travel ban now). Again, if I’m mistaken, it’s only because I’m unclear as to which particular case we’re talking about.
Regardless. My disrespect for the President and his remarks regarding grabbing women is the culmination of a track record of demanding women. I have two sons. Every day I work to teach my sons that everyone is deserving of respect, regardless of color or religion or sex or gender. And if word got back to me they were speaking of women like that, whether they were in the company of other men or not, I would be just as horrified. It shows a complete and utter lack of respect for women. I won’t address the comment about the hostess wearing revealing or fitted clothing other than to say that it’s putting the onus on women where the onus should be on men. I haven’t led as shelter a life as you may think. I’ve been groped. I’ve been harassed. I’ve been a 17 y/o in an office situation with a man who thought he could make comments about my body, my clothing–just because people do these things does not mean it is right, or ok, or that we shouldn’t all work to do better. Believing that women are there solely to be ogled or groped, or as sexual fantasies–that is something I believe is wrong. It’s something I think we, as a society, can do better at. Women do not exist solely for the sexual gratification of men. And men should, and need to know that. By condoning or justifying or in any way excusing that reaction or speech from them just tacitly condones the behavior. He was not a young, green teenager when he said these things. He was a 60 year old man who was clearly using his ‘fame’ as a means to objectify women. As to the actual assault. Well, nine (or eleven?) women came forward to say he did actually do those things. So he did transgress. Shall we not believe them? We didn’t believe the women who came out against Bill Cosby either and look how that turned out. Is it comparable? No. Is it right just because it’s not as ‘bad’? I would also argue no.
I understand complete that use of ‘fuck’ is off-putting to a lot of readers. I tend to use it when I am trying to make a point. But again, it’s my choice and I also understand the others don’t agree with it. I own that, but won’t apologize for it. Nor will I for the mean-spiritedness of the post in general, for that is exactly how it was meant. What I see if a man who thinks of no one but himself. Who degrades, continuously, anyone who doesn’t agree with him, women (Megyn Kelly, Rosie’ O’Donnell, Carly Fiorina, Hillary Clinton, Alica Marchado, the women who came forth to accuse him), the disabled, immigrants, Muslims–the list goes on. He has done nothing to deserve my respect. And you were right that the ‘respectfully’ salutation was facetious. However, what you missed was the ending, in which I laid out that there is indeed room for change. That if he truly wants to be a president for all the people, there are plenty of ways he can do that. So far he has not shown any inclination to change. Time will tell.
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It truly amazes me how people think he is great , I am truly scared . And cannot wait to say I told you so to the blind ignorant people who voted for him, if we’re all still alive,
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Thank you for this post! He tries to talk up how popular he is and how great he is, when in reality he has become a loudspeaker for the small population of racist, sexist, hate-filled people that had been kept silent until now. He threatens how we now live because his administration will greatly limit what choices the general public have like right to choose to have an abortion, gay marriage, and gender equality legislation. I really hope that this open letter will be read by more people!
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Yes to the limiting of choices. I will never understand how same sex marriage between two people threatens the sanctity of someone else’s marriage, or how one women’s choice regarding her body affects someone else. I really hope this administration will rein itself in and start helping rather than hindering.
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I hope you don’t find my posting out of line and I never post to increase contention. I post to increase dialogue, which at the end of the day is the only way we will accomplish anything. Now to my point. I agree that Trump is arrogant, conceited, grotesque, the list goes on. Your point is correct about the majority of the American population voting against him. But I ask you, In a country as large as ours, is it reasonable to take the will of 3 or 4 cities over the will of the remainder of the population? Our founding fathers didn’t think so. So his comments about majority are correct in a sense. Even though a majority of the population did not vote for him, a majority of the Country did.
I understand that his comments on the bus were obscene and offensive. They were not becoming of a presidential candidate. That being said, are you offended by rap songs? (by you I am referring to anyone that has condemned these comments) Where is the outrage in these forms of public media? Not a defense of the comments, just an observation on the outrage.
Now to the most destructive thing I have seen, more so in the comments. It is very irresponsible to categorize those who voted for Trump. The comment says I must either be a racist, a sexist, or hate-filled because I voted for him. That is entirely inaccurate. You commented referring to his stance on homosexuality and abortion. I will not address the abortion topic, but I will refer you to go watch Trump’s speech at the RNC. Yes, some of Trump’s supporters are racist, sexist, hate-filled people. But so are some of Clinton’s supporters.
You as an American have the right to be upset, you have the right to speak your mind on here and countless other outlets. If you are angry and disagree, I encourage you to keep posting. Regardless of my views or anyone else’s. But I will say you immediately lose a large portion of your audience when you belittle a group such as those coal miners your spoke of, or when your harbor the hate-filled speech in the comment section above. I am not saying this road is not being traveled by many on both sides of the aisle. At the end of the day in order to be heard you catch more “flies with honey” and you should “be the change you want to see in the world.”
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Thank you for leaving a comment, and for the obvious thought you put into leaving it. It’s appreciated.
Is it right to take the will of 3 to 4 cities over the rest of the country? Well, that’s certainly a question we’ve been asking ourselves as a country for a while now. If the majority of people live in those cities, is it fair to count their vote as ‘less’? Usually it depends on which side of the coin toss you land on, I think. You’ll notice that I never questioned the legitimacy of the election results (though I would like to see the Russian connection thoroughly investigated), nor did I ever call into question the legitimacy or the purpose of the electoral college. Is it perfect? No. Is it the right system to elect leaders? I’m not sure. Many believe it was put into place in order to give pro-slave states a larger stake in elections (http://time.com/4558510/electoral-college-history-slavery/). Should that be overhauled? Again, it probably depends on which team you’re playing for: the winner or the loser.
Yes, I am offended by rap songs which objectify women–however, those ‘artists’ are not vying to lead the country. There is a big difference, but the short answer to your question, is yes, I find them offensive. I also find movies which glorify violence against women offensive and others which treat women as nothing more than sex objects to be ogled and fondles (The Wolf of Wall Street comes to mind). I put my money where my mouth is and video games which feature ridiculously big busted women and cars and guns are not allowed in my home.
I try, to the best of my ability, to keep the comments here open and uncensored. Unless it’s a personal attack (it’s happened), I approve each comment, even when, and sometimes especially if, it disagrees with my position. Like you, I think an open dialogue is crucial. Many of those who voted against the President feel that by voting for him, you were condoning racist, sexist behavior. It’s difficult if not impossible in some cases, to tease out the racist, misogynistic rhetoric from the chaff if you will. For many, LGBTQ, women, immigrants, of color, it was and is a personal affront to have someone vote for a man who has campaigned and pledged to change their lives for the worse. Politics this year is personal. For what it’s worth, I don’t condone racist, sexist behavior in anyone, regardless of party or who they voted for. If you voted for Clinton but think women can’t make decisions about their own body, I’m going to question you just as thoroughly as I would anyone else.
At the end of the day, what angers me is this: women, people of color, immigrants, they have been struggling for years. They’ve been angry for years. But their anger got swept under the rug and washed away in concerns of the economy. They were told to be grateful, wait their turn, work harder, pull themselves up by the bootstraps. So they hypocrisy of housing on the white, rural working class’s anger for those same things, and giving legitimacy to it over the legitimacy of the others? That rankles. And it rankles hard. And I AM angry. I have spent years having dialogue. I have spent years listening. Waiting, letting the anger of others take precedence. I encourage you to read more of my posts. Some are angry, most are not. But if everyone else is allowed their turn to be angry and flip the table, surely we all should be, no?
Again, thanks for both the comment and the civility throughout.
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I will certainly look into more of your posts. I am the type that looks more for opposing views than similar. I do this for many reasons. The main being that I hope to gather understanding of others views and interpretations of what is going on around us. I will try to respond without it reading like a grocery list.
You certainly have not questioned the legitimacy of the election. I, like you, would like to see the Russian connection. I would also like to see a report followed up on from just before Obama got re-elected about the number of Illegal Immigrants that voted. This story was written and published by the Washington Post. I agree views on the Electoral College currently depend on what side of the aisle you sit on. You are also correct that that the Electoral College was put into effect for the southern DEMOCRAT slave owners. But the purpose they were upset I can relate too. They were upset because their needs were so much different than those in the northern industrialized cities, but because the cities were more populated their voices were not heard. This is very similar to the reason Trump was elected.
The fact that you openly acknowledge your disdain for those comments and act appropriately on them is commendable. As I stated above, I was not defending the comments. and my question is more in response to the outrage as a whole. Because I am certain a majority of those who have been outraged do not approach it the same way you do. I find it impossible to accept behavior from some and not accept it from others. It is either right or wrong.
I understand certain groups being upset. I also understand a “hopeful” misunderstanding of his rehtoric. Two groups that I do not understand fear based on a detailed look into Trump’s views and speeches are the LGBTQ community and people of color. Trump on several occassions has stood up for the LGBTQ community and many of his planned policies will provide more work opportunities to the predominantly black inner city population. I will agree with Trump on one thing. Immigration is not a problem. Illegal Immigration is a huge problem and they are two very different things. Those that have illegally immigrated don’t have a voice in our country, nor should they.If we can properly vet people who want to come into our country and they take the proper steps, I will be the first one to welcome them. But bypassing the system and stealing social security numbers to obtain work is wrong, and disrespectful to those that are following the rules. I understand we are a nation of immigrants, but we are also an established nation that is disliked by many throughout the world. For our safety we can’t allow people in like we used to. A video interview with the Syrian President was released and he adamently stated that he knew terrorists were infiltrating the refugees coming to the US and Europe. As far as Women’s rights I am not sure educated enough on those issues to agree or disagree with you. I have my views on abortion and they are biblically based. As all my views are. One thing I encourage many people to do is remember that disagreement is not equal to a phobia, or hatred, or anything more than disagreement. I disagree with my wife all the time but I still love her. I understand your anger, I am still angry. Heck, I am angry that Trump is my President as well. One thing I am excited about though, is I really do think that the needs of those people that are legally in our country will come first so that down the road we are in a position to truly help others without risking our own well being in doing so.
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Immigration, both documented and undocumented, is certainly an issue which needs to be addressed, but it, like everything else in life, is not a sole black and white issue. For instance, it is easy in the abstract to say “This person overstayed their visa, or snuck in the country over a border, they broke the law and must pay the penalty”. It’s an abstract thought. The reality is that often times the person that overstayed their visa has fallen in love, had a family, a job, a life. We must, while crafting immigration policies which are fair to our citizens, also remember the humanity of immigration, that these policies affect real people, real families. Also, I firmly believe the dialogue around immigration and particularly undocumented immigrants, has been tainted. For instance, most of the undocumented immigrants ‘pouring’ into the United States are not from Mexico, but from Central America, where they are fleeing war, poverty, drug wars. They are applying for asylum in the US. Because we are woefully under-equipped for the numbers applying for asylum, which must be reviewed, these people are often living in the US waiting for their cases to be heard. More Mexican immigrants are leaving the country than exiting it. And then there is the question of the economic value of immigrants (both documented and un) bring to the United States. Surely somewhere in there is a middle ground that both sides can hammer out, no? The taxes paid by undocumented immigrants using false SS #? They are largely credited with keeping social security afloat for the past few years (https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/09/undocumented-immigrants-and-taxes/499604/). What I am getting at is that no issue is every cut and dry, black and white, but we seem to have lost sight of that in our current political climate. As for refugees–well, that is a humanitarian crisis. Refugees are thoroughly vetted (there are numerous articles about this), and refugees from Syria are certainly not pouring into the country without proper vetting. Is is possible that a terrorist could be posing as a refugee? Anything is possible. Is it humanitarian to turn away thousands of families who are fleeing war just because of a possibility (while, I might add, turning your back on the everyday gun violence perpetrated in the US? Something this administration seems gearing up to do by changing the focus of their terrorism task for to focus solely on Islamic terrorism, not domestic white supremacist terrorism). You mention that your views are biblically based, surely then there is compassion for the suffering of others that guides your views. Easy questions or answers? None.
The current VP is a known enemy to LGBTQ groups, who in the past has urged for federal funds to be put into ‘conversion’ therapy, a demeaning and harmful process to ‘cure homosexuality’. POTUS chose this person as his running mate, knowing his history of anti-LGBTQ legislation, that says more to most than his stump speeches about being a ‘friend to the gays’. As for the Black American population, I think their voting record stands for itself.
None of these issues have viable answers which can be addressed by a stroke of the pen on an Executive Order. They require dialogue and critical thinking and yes, compromise.
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Wow we really are going down the rabbit hole here! I understand your point about it being abstract to a point. Because you are correct about those events happening in one’s life. It doesn’t make it right. I don’t want to pay to renew my drivers license, but should I not pay a penalty if I fail to follow that law? (much much smaller scale I know, but the point is similar). At the same time people who are already in our country and operating as contributing members should have freedom the ability to have Visa’s renewed. My views on immigration are much broader than one or two Countries. I could care less if they come from Canada, Australia, Mexico, or the North Pole. In my mind that is semantics. The point is we have rules to be followed. I also understand your point about Social Security but feel that argument is flawed. Yes, regardless of witholdings everyone with a W-2 pays FICA. But not everyone pays income taxes. Income taxes pay for a portion of the medical bills that are accrued by the uninsured illegal immigrants, pay for their children’s education, and free lunches at schools, and various other public programs used. But back to what I believe your main point is. Yes immigration needs reform. There are often issues that are not cut and dry. That being said (as bad as this analagy may be) it’s like organizing your closet. Sometimes you have to take a whole bunch out, and start from scratch. We can not properly continue to allow more to come in until we fix our own issues. In terms of refugees I feel this same way. I am not sure if you are familiar with Dave Ramsey. He is very popular for saying “You have to live like no one else, so that you can give like no one else!” I use this in my every day life and it has changed my views on the refugee program. The basis for this point is you have to do things that no one else is doing to get your life in order before you can help others. If we continue to to give what we don’t have and add to a budget that we can’t afford before long our country will be just like theirs. I know they need help NOW. There is an organization that we are a member of that does not do enough, in my opinion. This is the United Nations. Refugees are a UN issue.As a country we pay countless of dollars into the UN and I am not sure how that number compares to the contributions of other countries. But at the end of the day it is not the United States problem to fix, this is a global problem to fix. The point I am making is two fold. First, if you watch the interview with the Syrian president he is adament that he knows terrorists are infiltrating the refugee program, and as he put it, it only takes a few to be catastrophic. Secondly, The UN should foot the bill for the program. Should provide security, food, shelter, etc for the refugees. So yes there is loads of compassion for the refugees. But we are not currently in a position to take on this problem apart from the UN. (Very similar to a church congregation helping out a family in need).
I understand your comments about Pence. But in the same light how do you respond to Hillary Clinton’s adoration for Margaret Sanger? A woman very vocal about racial sterilization, calling the black population human weeds. Her self admitted adoration also says a lot to me about her views towards minorities. Please don’t be dishonest to the conversation by only calling out white supremacist groups. If you call out one you must also point out extremists within the Black Lives Matter movement. There are two ways to look at gun rights. Either eliminate their existence, or allow any American that is of right mind,and is not a convicted felon have the choice of owning a gun. I tend to lean towards the latter. Our gun issue, in my opinion is the inconsistent laws nationwide. One state a person can by a gun relatively easy and drive a couple hours and be in Chicago where it is essentially illegal to own a firearm. That in lies the danger. A little side note, I am from North Carolina and we have many small country towns throughout the state. A side joke that many of us have is you never see many shootings in these small towns because almost everyone has a gun. Most gun violence occurs with one armed assailant with most victims unarmed. I know from personal experience that calling the police will not stop someone from kicking in your back door, but the second they see you standing there with a shotgun they turn around and leave.
I don’t think that pointing to voting history constitutes a groups fear. I have a voting history of voting Republican, that does not mean I am fearful when a Democrat wins.
When it comes down to it. I firmly believe that your last comment was 100% accurate. Based on the comment though, shouldn’t we both be angry at both sides of the aisle, Democrat and Republican.? The Republicans are using their majority to bully policy and appointments through and the Democrats are being staunchly opposed to every word said regardless of what it is, to the point they are even contradicting themselves on previous platforms. Until this changes critical thinking and compromise are out the window.
I will continue this conversation as long as you would like. But also understand that it may not be necessary. I certainly appreciate your views and civility throughout, but understand if no response is received.
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Sometimes it’s enough to agree to disagree , in the end. In my view, policy discussions, which are kept civil, are the way we reach a middle ground. Far right, far left, somewhere in the middle there’s a solution which works for the most people. Not all the people, but the most people. There is never going to be one, single solution which satisfied–or even benefits–all people.
But as for refugees, I disagree. I think the US must be a part of the solution. The US has committed to taking in a certain number of refugees, as have other countries. Many European countries, Turkey, they have accepted 10 fold the amount of Syrian refugees than the US agreed to (off the top of my head, the number I’m remember is 10K, though I haven’t double checked that). I do believe we have a moral obligation as human beings to help those who are in dire need, even if it is at our own expense. So obviously we disagree on that, but again, somewhere in the middle there is a solution which may not be 100% palatable to you or to me, but just may work. You may be surprised to hear me say this, but I agree with the GOP on some base issues of spending. The money for all the programs we need is there, we’re just wasting it, not taxing it, or spending it on the wrong things (a projected 21 billion on a border wall springs to mind). There is waste that can be cut, there are things that can be streamlined, but it cannot (in my view) come at the expense of abandoning those who need the most help (health insurance, food stamps, student loans, etc.).
As for you assertion that the UN does not do enough. Well, that’s a sore spot for me. You see, we are a UN family, and I find that most people who quote that the UN doesn’t do enough have no real idea what the UN DOES do. The US pays into the UN with money, other countries pay with troops for peace keeping missions. They ‘pay’ with soldiers. However, in order for there to be peace keeping, there’s needs to be peace. But I digress. Where exactly are the UN going to house millions of refugees if not relocating them to other countries, hopefully on a temporary basis? This is what is happening. Why should the US be exempt from taking in it’s share? We hold ourselves up above all else, declaring to the world that we are a beacon of freedom and democracy, a fortress of morality to emulate, yet we shouldn’t take in those in need? Also, I find it difficult to swallow soundbites from Assad, who has used chemical weapons against his own citizens as well as mowing them down in cold blood.
Interesting point about guns. So if states should all get in line with gun laws, what’s to stop forcing states to get in line with other laws as well? Say, healthcare access, education, reproductive rights? Again, it may surprise you that I don’t think getting rid of guns is the answer. I am aware that they play a large part in the traditions of many Americans. However, I strongly believe in gun sense restrictions, including mandating liability insurance, gun safety education, and mandatory safes when guns are kept in a home with children (among other gun sense laws). And I certainly think it should not be against the law for doctors to discuss gun safety with their patients, as it is in some states.
I have to say I think that your comment comparing Mike Pence to Hillary’s admiration of Margaret Sanger is a bit of a stretch. Sanger was alive at the end of the 19th century, and was a product of that time. Mike Pence is alive now. Incidentally, the quote you selected is false (http://www.snopes.com/margaret-sanger-weeds/). Sanger was a complex woman, if you’re interested in reading a brief summary, try this. (http://time.com/4081760/margaret-sanger-history-eugenics/). So no, I take no issue at all with Hillary Clinton openly admiring a woman who lived 100 years ago and who brought the idea of women having bodily autonomy into the mainstream. I do, however, have a problem with a man who is currently occupying the 2nd most senior post in the government’s record of anti-LGBTQ policies.
I will wrap up by saying that until this election, I’ve never had a true fear of a Republican in the WH. Sure, I was disheartened by many things about GOP led administrations (countless wars for one). But I do fear this administration, and I fear it because it is fueling itself on the notion of fear. The President and his advisors have succeeded in tapping into a culture of fear that has been on the rise for some time (as the mother of youngish children, I see it everyday in the way we parent vs. the way my parents did). Has that wave of fear reached its peak? I don’t know.
It’s obvious you feel very strongly about your beliefs, as do I. As you said, we can do a polite back and forth, but I can’t see us agreeing on anything other than the dialogue between Americans MUST be kept open. And so I will end our novella length correspondence with this: perhaps at the end of the day all we really need is to acknowledge that keeping the dialogue open is the only way to move forward.
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Reblogged this on From guestwriters and commented:
Clearly after some months in his chair D. Trump proved already he was the first president to get so fast so much division in those many States of America which became more and more divided as time past.
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