The United Hates of America

The election is now two weeks behind us in the rear view mirror, but the effects of it loom on the horizon like a blazing light blinding the future for the next four years. I was too upset to write about it prior to now. I needed time to gather my thoughts, to digest the horror that we now face. In the days that followed, I held out hope that the man who had spent most of his life as a Democrat would soften his positions. I waited to see if the rhetoric of his campaign was simply a ploy to fool the "under educated" to cast their vote for him. I thought perhaps he would pick more moderate people to fill his cabinet. Unfortunately, we now have answers to all of those questions, and none of the answers are the ones I'd hoped for.

I'd been saying all during the election cycle that Trump wasn't running for President, he was running to become a dictator. His actions in the past two weeks only seem to support that theory. Not only has he chosen disgusting people to fill the top positions, but he continues to attack the basic beliefs of the Constitution. This past week, he made clear attacks on the free speech, the right protest, and the press. He continues to lash out at any person or organization that criticizes him. So what happens when a nation criticizes the inevitable horrible decisions he will make? What happens to our already fragile journalism when he "opens up the libel laws?" And what happens when the rash of hate crimes that followed his election continue and grow? What is his relation to Russia and the dangerous role they played in our democracy? How will Trump respond?

The problem with a Trump Presidency is that we have no idea what the answers to these questions will be. He is simply too unpredictable. And now he is the most powerful man in the world. I'm truly fearful for the future of our country and the institutions and principles that guide it. Beyond that, I'm fearful for the world and the environmental and military risks that it now faces. And I'm even more afraid that those who voted for him will continue to support him and lap up the bullshit he will continue to feed them.