Dump Trump

I have been feeling a little crazy lately. People that know well, call and say: "You are so calm and nice and quiet, the sweetest person I have ever met", but when I see your Facebook post on Trump, I am wondering who you are? My kids say I have become the Kayne West of Facebook. My daughter-in-law has even unfollowed me because she does not want to listen or talk politics every post.

Yes, I am docile. A sweet person. Will do anything for anyone to help them along or gain something they want. I am not really a fighter anymore. I was louder and meaner in my youth, but I have calmed down in my old age. 

Until Trump. From the moment I started watching him on his campaign trail, the more my blood boiled. In disbelief - of his behavior, his thoughts, his comments - of what his minions would allow him to get away with and still not question his character. David and I would sit here in sheer awe at what we were witnessing. I guess it was history in the making ... in a perverse way.

I was worried he might be elected. He was too calm at the very end of the campaign. Like he knew something millions of us did not. My best friend in Texas told me everyone she knew was voting for him and she felt very alone in a sea of Red. Not that she was a HRC follower, far from it. She was Bernie all the way. But knew the danger of Trump. 

Election night, I kept watching the electoral vote in disbelief. The numbers were coming in too fast to believe it all. (When I did email all the electoral college, most of my automatic responses had a "Go Trump" in the response). That also made me wonder, how can they represent their constituents if they all ready have their minds made up. At the end of the night, I cried. In shock. Many of my friends at worked called in sick. We were the walking zombies for a couple of days. I could not help myself, I went to social media and started complaining, loudly. 

I got into many arguments on FB with former co-workers, or classmates or acquaintances with my anti-Trump postings. I really could not believe what I was hearing from them. The two that sent me into a rage ... "I can't wait until we have a classy, beautiful First Lady in the White House" and when I would say I am fearful of Trump and what he might do ... "former friends and family" would say "know you know how I felt the last 8 years". WHAT? REALLY? YOU lived in fear when Obama was in office, what? because he was black? Because you thought he would take your guns away?  I am sorry, but it is all laughable. On that note, I am sure the entire world is sitting back having a good laugh at this ridiculous moment in U.S. history. Of course, we are a young nation, and have many mistakes in front of us to catch up with many countries in that area.

I was never interested in watching Trump's reality TV show. I have always thought he was a ridiculous person even before I started reading every piece of news I could find on him. I am not of the "realty TV" genre ... so I could care less about who he really is or what his status is. But he has now made a complete mockery of the American election process and he has 2+million angry, ignorant, dissatisfied white men and women that think he is a God, because he wants to "Make America Great Again", aka "Make American White Again". David and I saw this coming years ago. A smart, articulate black man in the White House with an educated wife and great kids and NO scandals and the anger that was building up on that issue. I have never been so proud to be an American than when Obama was elected president. But I knew in my heart there would be a backlash or "blacklash". I just never dreamed it would be the nightmare of "Trump".

So, I have lost many friends on FB and I could care less. If they think that Trump is the answer to all of their problems, frankly, I don't want them as a friend. Family - unfriended many of them. Luckily, I live out of state and never see them anyway. I really don't want to claim them as family if they think this joke called Trump can be a responsible, respectable President. I beg them to unfollow and unfriend me because I do not care to hear their point of view. 

So here we are, at the precipice of a new, dangerous era of American history. My kids are a little worked up about it but do not understand the magnitude of what could happen. This is THEIR life, THEIR future, not mine. I am fighting for them, not me. I will not be here that long. But climate change, nuclear war, Planned Parenthood decisions and women's rights, environment, saving our national parks, drilling, fracking, relationship with NATO and other responsible countries ... all of these things will affect their future, Mason's future.

It keeps me up at night. It makes me a little crazier than my family would like to see me. But I am not going to turn my head and say this is not my fight. I have many friends who are fed up with the anger, the hate ... "I have stopped watching the news", "quit posting my opinion on Facebook", "I just can't stand the hate etc". Well, I will not be complacent. I will not be silent. Maybe this is why my mom read me books about Hitler, the plight of Jews in Germany, Nazi concentration camps. My mom was little obsessed with this, I grew up with her reading me books, watching TV specials ... and maybe that was the reason. This is what happens when people become silent and do not speak up for what they see is wrong. This is how Hitler became into power. It scares me, really scares me. 

I hope, I really hope, that I am wrong and Trump is going to be a better President than what I predict. But with his choices for his administration and the question of Russian interference. It is all up in the air right now.