#HOW THE FUCK?????? DID PEOPLE FORGET THE LAST TRUMP PRESIDENCY??????? THE RACISM??? THE SEXISM????? HELL

[sprucelogsarepeak]

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME

[thedemonshade]

a message to my nieces and nephews and great n&ns

Confession Time: I never once voted in any primary or mid-term elections, or even local elections, until 2008 when Obama ran for president. I’ve been wanting to tell you guys this for a while.

You see, I had “issues” with politics. When I was 16 years old I watched the country vote for an actor. I didn’t know much about his policies, but I knew that an actor was, for all intents and purposes, a professional liar, and I could not believe we were stupid enough as a collective nation to fall for the lies. We sure were, though, and Reagan won two terms. Now people look back on him as an okay president, but he wasn’t. https://soapboxie.com/us-politics/21reasonsReaganwasaterriblepresident http://archives.bluenationreview.com/5-terrible-things-ronald-reagan-president/

What happened to me when Reagan won is that I came to the conclusion that all politicians were fame/money hungry, selfish, control freaks, and most certainly: liars. I had a strong conviction that elections were all rigged, and my vote certainly didn’t matter. Politics in general fell under the category of Bullshit to me.

I watched the first Bush just sort of be a place holder. I watched Clinton do some pretty good things, and he was in for 8 years, so I sort of thought huh, maybe it takes two terms to really get “up to speed”, you know? Maybe that’s why he was better. But oh the scandals. For the love of pete. Power hungry. Uses that power to have illicit relations. Figures. All the politicians are after is allllll they can get. Politics are bullshit.

Then the second Bush. [ heavy sigh ] Just how low is the overall average IQ of this bullshit country for them to elect that moron twice? Politics are bullshit!

But then Obama came on the scene. My curiosity was piqued so I started listening to him when he first started running. Mrs. Clinton too, but man… Barack Obama … he seemed so sincere, and the things he stood for resonated with me, and he wasn’t an actor, or the relative of a politician, and… I LIKED him.

Something you guys may not know about me (or maybe you are aware, thanks to obsessive facebook posts on random subjects) – once I find myself interested in a subject I start studying the hell out of it. With Obama’s campaign I found myself reading the history of presidents, elections and women in politics and discovered I had been WRONG not to ever bother to vote. Despite my realistic view of all politics being bullshit, women had been imprisoned, beaten and died getting my gender the right to vote. My own mother, your great/grandma Virginia, was 2 years old when women finally got the right in this country, the Land of the Free, to vote. My MOM was alive when we got this basic right! And that was just for white women. Women of color had to wait even longer. I had been wrong to waste that right. So, I voted in a local election first to get the feel of it. And then I caucused, campaigned and voted for Barack Obama, and watched every bit of his election and inauguration.

And he did not disappoint me. He really was the Hope and Change I’d wanted. There were no sexual tryst scandals, no apparent lust for money or power… he was what he told us he was: a man on a mission to make our country better FOR THE PEOPLE.

I did it all over again for his second term. I then felt like politics WERE important and that our votes DID matter.

Then this fucking debacle happened. I can’t even fathom how, but it did. And I have been sick because of it. I waited anxiously to see if there had been a mistake. I wanted to see if maybe we’d see Trump was actually going to set his con man personality aside and run this country in an altruistic way that would be FOR THE PEOPLE after all. I even waited to see if maybe he’d drop fucking dead before the inauguration. None of that happened, though, and now we are, once again, the laughing stock of the world, which is actually the BEST thing I can say about this bullshit. The worst thing I can say is… well, let me just point out to you that last week I started building a survival kit. No joke: I became a “prepper”. So far I have one week of supplies for my family of three and the two dogs. My goal is to have at minimum 6 months’ worth.  I am hoping I never have to open this stash of food, water, and basic necessities. I’m hoping I am as wrong about the horrific future I see under Trump as the rabid conservatives were about Obama. Obama never did take way those guns, did he.  And where’s the death panels? Yeah. So I guess now my self-proclaimed title of “The Crazy Aunt” is gonna be true, since I am now teetering on being a crazy survivalist/prepper.

The reason I am telling you guys this long drawn out crap is that I want you to know: I’m not going back. As much as this entire election year has sickened and angered me, I WILL exercise my right to vote at Every. Opportunity. I. Get.

We are stuck with this asshole for four years, but at midterm elections we can at least sway the scales closer to real humans. And I will not allow things like racism or sexism or bullying to happen in front of me I WILL speak up, speak out, and demand that people treat others as they would like to be treated.

I’m telling you younger relatives this so that you don’t go the same direction I went with your disenchantment of this process. Don’t do what I did when I was a young adult and toss away your vote because you think it’s pointless, or you think your voice won’t be heard anyway. Keep fighting. Nothing changes overnight, but change does happen with persistence. 

Best worst case scenario? Trump will only be in office for four years, and that’s rarely ever been enough time to really create changes. Please keep fighting. Don’t give up like I did for 28 years. And if anyone tells you to give Trump a chance, or “respect the office”, please know: you are under no obligation to do either thing. Trump is a greedy, perverted, racist, malicious con man with a reality TV show, who I have despised since the 90’s. He’s not going to change, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to give him a chance.

At the same time, because I love you, do make sure you’re careful with what you say to others. Some of the most dangerous people I’ve seen are supporting this demagogue, and as dangerous as he is, he is pretty tame compared to some of his followers. In other words: stay safe. Speak up for injustices, but be careful about with whom you argue.

“I listened as they called my President a Muslim.

I listened as they called him and his family a pack of monkeys.

I listened as they said he wasn't born here.

I watched as they blocked every single path to progress that they could.

I saw the pictures of him as Hitler.

I watched them shut down the government and hurt the entire nation twice.

I watched them turn their backs on every opportunity to open worthwhile dialog.

I watched them say that they would not even listen to any choice for Supreme Court no matter who the nominee was.

I listened as they openly said that they will oppose him at every turn.

I watched as they did just that.

I listened.

I watched.

I paid attention.

Now, I'm being called on to be tolerant.

To move forward.

To denounce protesters.

To "Get over it."

To accept this...

I will not.

I will do my part to make sure this great American mistake becomes the embarrassing footnote of our history that it deserves to be.

I will do this as quickly as possible every chance I get.

I will do my part to limit the damage that this man can do to my country.

I will watch his every move and point out every single mistake and misdeed in a loud and proud voice.

I will let you know in a loud voice every time this man backs away from a promise he made to them.

Them. The people who voted for him.

The ones who sold their souls and prayed for him to win.

I will do this so that they never forget.

And they will hear me.

They will see it in my eyes when I look at them.

They will hear it in my voice when I talk to them.

They will know that I know who they are.

They will know that I know what they are.

Do not call for my tolerance. I've tolerated all I can.

Now it's their turn to tolerate ridicule.

Be aware, make no mistake about it, every single thing that goes wrong in our country from this day

Forward is now Trump's fault just as much as they thought it was Obama's.

I find it unreasonable for them to expect from me what they were entirely unwilling to give.”