Normally...
I would write about the normal Christmas stuff. I would write about good will to men. I would write about the hope for the future that has long been associated with this date. I would write about this most magical time of the year.
“Normally” went off the table with the election of Donald Trump to be our next president, a madness made possible through the archaic Electoral College system that should have been deep-sixed decades ago. The country I love has gone off the rails.
Good will towards men? How is that possible when so many American voters, albeit not the majority of American voters, no matter how much Lying Donald might claim otherwise, cast their ballots for the candidate of the Ku Klux Klan and brutal Russian dictator Vladimir Putin? How is that possible when Trump and his followers demonized and threatened so many: women, people of color, Muslims, members of the LGBTIQ community, immigrants, progressives, journalists and any who would question and oppose them?
Hope? How is that possible when Trump and Putin are conspiring to increase the nuclear stockpiles of Russia and the United States of America with the stated intent to bully the rest of the world into compliance with their agendas? How is that possible when Trump has basically stated that he can and will do whatever he likes with the refusal of the Republican party to hold him accountable under the rule of law? How is that possible when Trump has named Cabinet members who want to destroy the departments they are going to be running? How is that possible when Trump and the Republicans are going to turn the Supreme Court into their rubber stamp?
Magic? The only magic I see is how Trump has absolutely refused to disclose his financial records and the conflicts of interests sure to be found there. The only magic I see is how the conflicts that are manifestly visible are being ignored by the Republicans. The only magic I see is how Russia can interfere with our elections and be greeted as our newest ally. The only magic I see is how, again, Trump and the Republicans have flim-flammed American citizens into voting against their own best interests, the best interests of our country and the best interests of our world.
So, no, this is not a normal Christmas. It is not the happiest time of the year. For many of our fellow Americans, it has become the most terrifying time of the year.
The only consolation I can offer to those who’ve been demonized and threatened by Trump and his neo-Nazi followers is that many of us, the majority of us, will stand with you. We’ll be there for you for the simple reason that we’re stronger together. We have to be stronger. The alternative is too scary to accept.
Earlier this week, just three houses down from my home in Medina, Ohio, I saw a hundred American flags along the sidewalk, driveway and front yard. They had been supplied by a local Boy Scout troop and were there to welcome the holiday visit of the family’s son and daughter-in-law. Both the son and his wife are on active duty with the Air Force. The couple’s three-year-old son was also with them. It was a grand sight and, for a few moments, it lifted my spirits. Sadly, those few moments passed...
...as I realized this was likely to be the last time in a good long while that I could take pride in the symbol of my country. Because the American flag is being disgraced on a daily basis by President-Elect Trump, his fascist friends, those honor-less Republicans and all those who blindly follow him.
Merry Christmas? Not this year.
© 2016 Tony Isabella
I would write about the normal Christmas stuff. I would write about good will to men. I would write about the hope for the future that has long been associated with this date. I would write about this most magical time of the year.
“Normally” went off the table with the election of Donald Trump to be our next president, a madness made possible through the archaic Electoral College system that should have been deep-sixed decades ago. The country I love has gone off the rails.
Good will towards men? How is that possible when so many American voters, albeit not the majority of American voters, no matter how much Lying Donald might claim otherwise, cast their ballots for the candidate of the Ku Klux Klan and brutal Russian dictator Vladimir Putin? How is that possible when Trump and his followers demonized and threatened so many: women, people of color, Muslims, members of the LGBTIQ community, immigrants, progressives, journalists and any who would question and oppose them?
Hope? How is that possible when Trump and Putin are conspiring to increase the nuclear stockpiles of Russia and the United States of America with the stated intent to bully the rest of the world into compliance with their agendas? How is that possible when Trump has basically stated that he can and will do whatever he likes with the refusal of the Republican party to hold him accountable under the rule of law? How is that possible when Trump has named Cabinet members who want to destroy the departments they are going to be running? How is that possible when Trump and the Republicans are going to turn the Supreme Court into their rubber stamp?
Magic? The only magic I see is how Trump has absolutely refused to disclose his financial records and the conflicts of interests sure to be found there. The only magic I see is how the conflicts that are manifestly visible are being ignored by the Republicans. The only magic I see is how Russia can interfere with our elections and be greeted as our newest ally. The only magic I see is how, again, Trump and the Republicans have flim-flammed American citizens into voting against their own best interests, the best interests of our country and the best interests of our world.
So, no, this is not a normal Christmas. It is not the happiest time of the year. For many of our fellow Americans, it has become the most terrifying time of the year.
The only consolation I can offer to those who’ve been demonized and threatened by Trump and his neo-Nazi followers is that many of us, the majority of us, will stand with you. We’ll be there for you for the simple reason that we’re stronger together. We have to be stronger. The alternative is too scary to accept.
Earlier this week, just three houses down from my home in Medina, Ohio, I saw a hundred American flags along the sidewalk, driveway and front yard. They had been supplied by a local Boy Scout troop and were there to welcome the holiday visit of the family’s son and daughter-in-law. Both the son and his wife are on active duty with the Air Force. The couple’s three-year-old son was also with them. It was a grand sight and, for a few moments, it lifted my spirits. Sadly, those few moments passed...
...as I realized this was likely to be the last time in a good long while that I could take pride in the symbol of my country. Because the American flag is being disgraced on a daily basis by President-Elect Trump, his fascist friends, those honor-less Republicans and all those who blindly follow him.
Merry Christmas? Not this year.
© 2016 Tony Isabella
The only advice I can give you is to bunker down with the family, and to control what you can control. So, not an un-merry Christmas because of all that's going on, but a good one despite it... I wish you the best for 2017 any way.
ReplyDeleteRemco
Tony,
ReplyDeleteThis might help you feel a little better:
http://politicalorphans.com/the-best-things-that-happened-in-2016/
Best wishes for 2017!
Rob