Samain Thanksgiving Moon
Some people say wait. Give him a chance to lead. I say, he’s had a multitude of chances already. He’s responded with mocking the disabled, promoting sexual assault, referring to immigrants as rapists and murderers, challenging a sitting Federal judge who happens to be both Latino and an American citizen. His followers chant lock her up, stop the cunt, White Power and fly the Confederate battle flag. The KKK held a celebration in honor of his election, North Carolina, and David Duke says he has ratified their beliefs.
This was all prior to the win, of course. So, would the awesome responsibility of being President of all the people change him? It did not take long to find out. Myron Ebell, appointed to head the EPA is, the NYT times writes, “…someone to follow through on his campaign vow to dismantle one of the Obama administration’s signature climate change policies, President-elect Donald J. Trump probably could not have found a better candidate for the job than Mr. Ebell.”
This week he appointed Mike Flynn as his National Security Adviser. Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Admiral James Stavridis told CNBC on Friday, “I think he will play to the darker angels of this administration in terms of adopting very, very aggressive stance, very hard power, very anti-Islam,” he said in an interview with CNBC’s “Power Lunch.”
Not stopping there, he appointed former senator Jeff Sessions as attorney general. The ACLU says, “Senator Sessions once called the ACLU “un-American and communist” for “trying to force civil rights down the throats of people.””
And, of course, I’ve not mentioned either Reince Priebus or Steve Bannon. Priebus, former head of the RNC, is a party insider, a Republican’s Republican. Easy to understand this appointment.
Steve Bannon. Sigh.
“In an interview with Mother Jones in August, Bannon acknowledged that white nationalists and anti-Semites are drawn to the so-called “alt-Right” movement.
“Look, are there some people that are white nationalists that are attracted to some of the philosophies of the alt-right? Maybe,” he said. “Are there some people that are anti-Semitic that are attracted? Maybe. Right? Maybe some people are attracted to the alt-right that are homophobes, right? But that’s just like, there are certain elements of the progressive left and the hard left that attract certain elements.” (Mother Jones, August 2016)
— In a 2011 radio interview, Bannon had a hypothesis about why progressive women vilify prominent conservative women like Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin.
“That’s why there are some unintended consequences of the women’s liberation movement,” he said, according to BuzzFeed. “That, in fact, the women that would lead this country would be pro-family, they would have husbands, they would love their children. They wouldn’t be a bunch of dykes that came from the Seven Sisters schools up in New England. That drives the left insane and that’s why they hate these women.” (Political Vindication Radio, 2011)” Both of these quotes found here.
OK. So I waited. This all came while I was waiting. I have seen his leadership, his choices for important government positions. They are consistent with crony capitalism, crony Trumpism and the selection of mediocrities rather than the best minds possible for the jobs. Wait no more. The political apocalypse is already here.
Charlie, I have been eagerly awaiting the time when I could catch up on a bit of Charlie blog reading. Finally it arrived this morning. I was hoping that reading your blog would help heal a small portion of my continuous agony, early waking from night mareish thoughts, concerns for minorities, about the changes we are seeing in our country since the election and the ones I fear may come in the future. My hopes were fulfilled. Thank you for writing and speaking your truth as you see it. I found your words comforting – in the way a support group is comforting – a safe place to talk about what’s most difficult in life. A support group doesn’t take the work away of doing the daily work of what needs to be done, but it does help feel one to feel not so alone in their misery and not so fearful because there are others who understand and are willing to speak as well. So, yes, I sincerely thank you for what you have written. Indeed, I do not feel so alone as a result. In fact, I feel more encouraged, and more emboldened to speak and act as I am called to do today and in the future. Again, thank you for your words – they are like priceless little treasures this morning.