I went down to the demonstration today.  Didn’t really get any abuse, although some pro-Trumpers did yell at me.  I’m not sure why; I wasn’t carrying any signs (or singing songs) either pro- or con-.  I was carrying a camera, and wearing a badge that I made up that identified me as “Media – Press”.  I guess they assumed any member of the media or press would be a con-.  I think they’re supporting a con (see what I did there?).

We all know that these are unusual times, regardless of which side of the 30 foot wall we find ourselves on.  Those who support the Trumpster believe they’ve finally elected someone who will take on the Washington fat cats and their big business partners, who have all been screwing the people for decades.  I have a lot of sympathy for this viewpoint.  In fact, I believe that the Washington crew has lied to pretty much everyone about what they can accomplish, and what they want to accomplish.

The Republicans have claimed that they stand for free enterprise, and for lower taxes, and for less government spending, and a smaller less intrusive government, and all that good stuff.  Of course, they’ve stood for no such things – they have massively increased the size and reach of the government and lowered taxes for the wealthy whenever they have the chance(1).  At the same time they expanded the government into limiting the choices that individuals can make about who they love and live with, who they sleep with, what they can put into or take out of their bodies, and created a surveillance state that peers into every bit of our lives.

The Democrats are barely better.  They’ve mostly failed at increasing wages for most Americans, at creating jobs that pay middle class wages, and have also participated in the two most dangerous aspects of 21st century America: our huge indebtedness, and the continued intrusion, via surveillance, into everyone’s life.  I would argue that they talk a better game when it comes to civil rights and personal liberties, but aren’t very effective.

So here we are, with a President who makes up so-called “facts” as he goes along, and savagely attacks the existence of the free press every chance he gets.  A President who is so insecure and ego-challenged that he is still whining about Hillary Clinton, that she got 3 million more votes than he did, and repeatedly arguing that she would be a worse President that he is.  Hey, Donald – you won!  You’re the President (I shake when I write that)!  You have four years to prove that you can do some good stuff, unless the Congress gets fed up and decides to kick you out.

But in the meantime, lets all make sure that we don’t let him and his band of miscreants get away with continuing the trend we’ve been on for the last umpteen years: huge deficits, huge intrusion into our personal lives, and a gradual erosion of our freedom.  We need to #Resist his bigotry, his willful ignorance, his blatant disregard for civil liberties, and his moves to enrich himself and his family because he is President.

Marchers

Know-nothing party

George Takei is great

This way to the demonstration

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(1) Full disclosure – as you might guess from reading my “About” page, I’ve benefited financially from some of these policies.