This Is Not Trump's America and Other Issues That Need to Be Addressed

Well, this has been a week, hasn't it?  You know it's monumental when you don't have to say anything more clarifying than that and everyone knows what you're talking about.

We all knew this election would be historical and epic, regardless of who won.  What is most epic to me, at least right now, is not the candidates, the gender of one of them or the slew of accusations and innuendo that came out during the campaign.  It's America's response to the results.

People have been losing their minds all over social media; calling for President Elect Trump to be tossed out before he's even packed a thing for the White House, to put Hillary Clinton in his spot, to ban the electoral college and protest, protest, protest.

Let's start with the first item.  Like it or not, the people of the United States have spoken with their ballots and Donald Trump won the election.  He may not have gotten the majority of the popular vote, because of the state of California is huge and with a massive population, but this is why the electoral college is in place.  This is how our system, a republic of the people, works.  You can cry about the unfairness all you like but there is a valid reason it's in place and nobody seemed to have a problem with it until Tuesday night.  You can sign all the petitions you like but it's not going anywhere, nor should it.  

I don't take issue with protests in general, provided they are peaceful protests.  I am scratching my head at what exactly people are protesting.  Are they protesting a fair election?  Are they protesting because they don't like the results?  Sorry, kids.  Where I  grew up, that wasn't protesting, that was being a poor sport.  If you want to protest against something that truly isn't right, turn around and go back to that homeless person - - possibly even a vet! - - that you stepped over to cry your river about how it's unfair that your candidate didn't win.   Protest that how we treat our vets, our elderly and our homeless is shameful.  Volunteer to help feed them and/or just talk to them.  They are people too.

For the college students who are protesting on their campuses, causing scenes, shutting down classes, etc.  Again, you do what you like so long as you're not vandalizing property that does not belong to you or harming others.  But put down your sign long enough to be thankful that you live in a country that allows you not only to voice your opinion freely but provides you with the opportunity for a wonderful education. A lot of people don't have that luxury.

For the college students who are so distraught they cannot go to class and cannot participate in assignments and tests and want to go to their safe space, I would like to meet your parents so I can see for myself what kind of people chose to raise such whiny, incapable individuals.  I have news for you, students.  Life is going to get harder.  For some of you, depending on what choices you make,it might get a lot harder.  If you can't function under the reality that you didn't get your way in this one election, I fear for our future with you far more so than with Donald Trump.

To the parents of elementary school students who are supporting their children protesting this election by walking out of school, shame on you.  Shame. On. You.  You are bad parents.  Your children are not old enough to vote, they should not care about presidential elections and they don't get a say.  They should be outside playing and, you know, being kids.  Stop using them to express your own feelings. You aren't teaching them to be strong and stand up for what they believe in.  You are teaching them to throw themselves a pity party if they don't get their way and that the world revolves around them getting what they want.  Newsflash:  it doesn't.  p.s., you are also teaching them to be assholes.

For those of you who have decided that the best way to protest the results of the election is to vandalize and destroy property which does not belong to you, I am grateful for the everyday existence of cell phone video and hope that once you are arrested, you will appreciate having to clean the state's property while you are in jail or prison.   For those of you living in states such as Oregon, where you lose the right to vote if you are arrested and convicted, what you did makes as much sense as going to Charles Manson for advice on how to treat people with respect and kindness so kudos.

To those persons who have taken to Twitter and Facebook, even with videos, to proclaim your desire and intent to assassinate the President Elect . . . I don't even know where to begin with you.  You really need to understand how our legal system works because what you are doing is a federal felony and you have put it out there not only for the world and your friends to see but also for the Secret Service.  Good job!  If you weren't sure how quickly the Secret Service is on things, you might very well find out.  I hope that while you are away serving your time your friends will up their game and find people who don't use their free time committing felonies.  

To the state of California, my current home, which has rumbled about leaving the nation to become "New California" . . . excellent job in making that dopey brainless California stereotype seem real.  California is broke being part of the States.  Not only that, we get a supply of our water from outside states so how is that going to work?  It makes as much sense as that green light theory of putting a green outdoor porch light on your house if you are a gun free home to symbolize the desire to ban guns.  What could go wrong?    But honestly . . California?  Leave the nation?  Ha ha!  Are we going to put Kim Kardashian in charge of New California?

Now let me get to those of you who are posting videos of alleged Trump supporters who are beating people/vandalizing with racial slurs/threatening deportation of Hispanics and Muslims and labeling them as "Day 1 in Trump's America" or some other such nonsense.  This is not Trump's America.  It doesn't represent America as a whole; it never has.  These terrible, hateful actions have been around longer than you and I.  Sadly, the occurrences happen daily.  They are not being done under Trump's orders, nor Clinton's.  These people are mental midgets who are using this election as a means to justify their assholery.  Don't listen to it.  This is only our future if you feed into it.  We are better than this.   Instead of uniting in hatred against people who voted differently than you, or didn't vote at all, unite to put an end to these people who perpetuate hate crimes and then have the audacity to claim they are doing it under the guise of for the good of the people.

Last, but certainly not least, we should be calling out the media for their ugly, repugnant part in this election.  They created a mob mentality and are continuing to foster it by telling us how devastating a Trump presidency will be, cherry picking those particular events that highlight hate crimes and suggesting the possibility that Trump's presidency will be thrown out.  I see you, media.  You have shamed the field of journalism to the point of no return.  You have passed off gossip, rumors and innuendo as news.  I'm not immune; I fell for it too.  You should be called out so I'm doing that.  Remember, folks, this is same media who told us all that Trump had zero chance of winning the election so they don't know shit.

I'm going to sum this up by saying this.

Ignore the media.  They suck.  They are doing the same thing they have done for months; feeding their own agenda; scrambling for ratings; proving what piss poor analysts they are and jacked up human beings.  Stop it.

Accept.  You can be sad.  You can be disappointed.  But it is what it is.  The sun came up this morning, as President Obama said.  Life goes on.  Make it a good one.

Pray for Trump's Success.  Wanting him to fail, hoping that he will fail means that we all will fail.  Why would you want that? Whether you voted to elect him into office or not, he will be our great nation's new president so wish him well  and give him a chance.

Love Each Other.  Last week everyone was preaching love and tolerance.  Bring that back.  Love your family, friends and neighbors.  Unite this country.  You can do it.  We can do it.

Don't Be An Asshole.  Enough said.

Hate, Intolerance, Fear and Orlando

I wasn't sure if I wanted to write this post.  It's kind of like writing about politics - - you're going to piss half the population off and get emotions running sky high.  But it's weighing on my mind and I haven't written on this site recently (bad me).  I do have a good excuse for not writing though - - I am working on projects.

The attack in Orlando reminded me somewhat of Columbine only in the sense that our society seems to be moving to opposite ends of the spectrum since 1999.  There was outrage, shock, horror and unbelieving when Columbine happened.  Bear in mind that Columbine was not the first school shooting but the sheer violence of it and the number of dead and wounded struck a chord in Americans.  Seeing kids - - kids - - running from their school in fright and even dangling out of windows in a desperate attempt to escape were horribly powerful images.  As much as there were days when I didn't want to go to school in my youth, school was still a place of safety.  Never did I worry that I would be physically harmed, much less taken down with a gun by a classmate.

It's now 2016 and I'm no longer a teenager (although if I could go back then knowing what I know now . . . )  Hearing about the senseless attack at the nightclub in Orlando it seems that there is almost a sense of resignation in this world.  There is sadness, yes, and there is shock and anger.  As well there should be.  But isn't there also a feeling of "again?" or just a weary sigh that it's happened somewhere else?

I know many people feel the problem is guns.  I agree that we need to have stricter gun control laws.  But someone like the Orlando killer, who I will not dignify by naming, that is so intent on harming a group of people for whatever reason is going to do so by whatever method possible.  Yes, a gun makes it easier and usually ups the victim count.  I get that.

So what is the answer?

Hate and intolerance have been around since Cain killed Abel.  It's sad and discouraging.  Can we end it by posting memes and asking people to stop?  Maybe, maybe not.  

Rather than focusing on the hatred and the intolerance - - which I think is nothing more than old fashioned fear - - I find some level of hope in how people react.  Showing compassion, reaching out to victims, donating blood,  celebrating the victims and the heroes and standing united.  It reminds me of the ice storm that hit my hometown of Atlanta and neighboring Alabama a year or so ago.  The national media did little more than laugh at the stupid southerners who freaked out over a little ice and how a big city like Atlanta shut itself down from this little bit of inclement weather.  The people actually in it though?  Many of them banded together to take coffee, hot chocolate, water, sandwiches and fruit on foot to persons trapped in their vehicles.  They offered shelter to strangers, cold in their cars.  They took their own vehicles, with chains, to help pull others out.  In other words, they came together as a community to support each other.

That's what I hope we will get out of this terrible tragedy.  In the end, we're all just people.

Rant over.  Back to my normal sarcasm.