Naming He Who Shall Not Be Named

From now on, I will only refer to him as "Trumplethinskin."

That is all.

"Let the Record Show" by John Pavlovitz

I am reprinting the entirety of John Pavlovitz' excellent column here, now, simply because I could not have expressed my feelings today any better that this.  The only things Mr. Pavlovitz says that would not come out of my own mouth are his comments on faith and Jesus.  Otherwise, I'm with him 100%.

My crappy health does not permit me to march today in protest to the Trump presidency, but at least I can share this.

The entire column can be found at http://johnpavlovitz.com/2017/01/19/let-the-record-show/

Let the record show that I did not consent to this.

Let it show that I did not vote for this man, that he did not represent me, that I did not believe he was deserving of being here, that I grieved his ascension.

Let History record my objection to him, to the ways he humiliated women and vilified Muslims and threatened protestors and disregarded people of color.

Let it record my repulsion at his tremendous cruelty, his lack of compassion, his contempt for dissension, his absence of simple decency.

Let witnesses mark down my disgust at the way he boasted of infidelity, at how he ridiculed a disabled reporter, at the way he attacked female opponents for their appearance, at the way he marginalized immigrants.

Let it be remembered that I did not look the other way when women accused him of assault, when the reality of his Russian alliances came to light, when he refused to share his tax records—though large portions of the American media and its people chose to.  

Let it be remembered that I did not buy into the fear that he perpetuated of those with brown skin or hijabs or foreign birthplaces. 

Let the record show that I looked on with disbelief as he spent countless early morning and middle-of-the-night hours following the election on social media, broadcasting a steady stream of petulant, insecure, incoherent messages instead of preparing to do a job he was ill-equipped for and seemingly not all that interested in.

Let the record show that I watched him assemble a Cabinet of billionaires and bigots, of people woefully unqualified to steward our children, our safety, our healthcare, our financial stability—and that I was horrified by it all.

Let it be remembered that my faith would not allow me to fall in line behind this man while so many professed religious people did; that I saw nothing resembling Jesus in him, and that to declare him Christian would have been to toss aside everything I grew up believing faith in Christ manifested in a life.  

Let History record my grieving at the racism and bigotry and homophobia that characterized his campaign, marked his supporters, and is evident in his assembling Administration.

Let it be known that I was one of the more than 65 million people who voted for Hillary Clinton; who understood that though not perfect, she was an intelligent, experienced, passionate public servant with the temperament, commitment, and qualifications to lead and lead well. 

Let the record show that I greatly lamented the day of his inauguration, and that I promised to join together with other good people to loudly resist and oppose every unscrupulous, dangerous, unjust and dishonest act this new Administration engages in. 

History has been littered with horrible people who did terrible things with power, because too many good people remained silent. And since my fear is that we are surely entering one of those periods in our story, I wanted to make sure that I was recorded for posterity:

I do not believe this man’s actions are normal.
I do not believe he is emotionally stable.
I do not believe he cares about the full, beautiful diversity of America.
I do not believe he respects women.
I do not believe he is pro-life other than his own.
I do not believe the sick and the poor and the hurting matter to him in the slightest.
I do not believe he is a man of faith or integrity or nobility.
I do not believe his concern is for anything outside his reflection in the mirror.

I believe he is a danger to our children.
I believe he is a threat to our safety.
I believe he is careless with our people.
I believe he is reckless with his power.
I believe America will be less secure, less diverse, less compassionate, and less decent under his leadership.

And if I prove to be wrong, it will be one of the most joyful errors of my life. I will own these words and if necessary, willingly and gladly admit my misjudgment because it will mean that America is a better and stronger nation, and the world a more peaceful place.

But right now I don’t see that happening. 

Right now I am worried for my country, concerned for our planet, scared for the future of my children, and greatly saddened that 62 million Americans seem okay with all of this.

Let the record show that I was not okay with it.

Not at all.

2016 In Memoriam

Not "in memoriam" of the actual year 2016 -- that is an annus horribilis that is best burned to death, locked in a trunk, and dumped overboard into the Marianas Trench.  I just wanted to leave a note about many of the people who influenced me who died in 2016.  This is only a partial list, at best, of all we lost last year, which somehow makes it even more sad.

William Christopher.  Debbie Reynolds.  Carrie Fisher.  Richard Adams.  George Michael.  ZsaZsa Gabor.  Alan Thicke.  John Glenn.  Ron Glass.  Dooky Chase.  Florence Henderson.  Gwen Ifill.  Leon Russell.  Robert Vaughn.  Leonard Cohen.  Janet Reno.  Arnold Palmer.  Darwyn Cooke.  Edward Albee.  Gene Wilder.  Gloria DeHaven.  Garry Marshall.  Elie Wiesel.  Anton Yelchin.  Gordie Howe.  Muhammad Ali.  Alan Young.  Morley Safer.  Prince.  Doris Roberts.  Merle Haggard.  Patty Duke.  Garry Shandling.  Pat Conroy.  Harper Lee.  Vanity.  Abe Vigoda.  Natalie Cole.  David Bowie.  Glenn Frey.  Alan Rickman.

If I missed one your favorite influences, please, please don't hesitate to leave it in a comment.  Happy New Year to all.