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.

Remembering Carrie Fisher

2016, that horrible, horrible dumpster fire of a year, is not done with us yet, apparently.  Today we lost Carrie Fisher, who suffered a heart attack on an airplane over the Christmas holiday.  Today it was announced that she had died.  Today it seems like the entire world is mourning Princess Leia. Maybe it's because of the success of the first stand-alone Star Wars movie, "Rogue One."  Maybe it's just because Carrie was such a memorable icon, whether in her white dress and buns or her metal bikini and ponytail.

When I think of Carrie, though, I don't think of "Star Wars."  I think of "The Blues Brothers."

See, back during my acting career (such as it was) I got to work as an extra on the Chicago set of "The Blues Brothers."  I was in the crowd during the finale's concert, and I was in the crowd dodging the cars during the chase scene in the mall.  I got to meet most of the principal actors at the craft table.  John Belushi kept mostly to himself.  Dan Aykroyd was very nice and very genial, always making sure that the little guys were doing OK.  And Carrie was simply hilarious.  She always had a story, and seemed to always be laughing.  While I did not meet her formally, like I did with Dan, I was usually in the group she was telling stories to in between takes.  There were a fair number of "Star Wars" nerds among the extras even then, and Carrie was always willing to oblige with a story, usually one at her expense.

I do remember that Dan gave her the Heimlich Maneuver one day when she was choking, and I heard that they became engaged shortly afterwards.  I can't speak to the truth of the second part, but I know he saved her from choking.  I also found out long afterwards that part of the craft budget went towards the purchase of cocaine for the principal actors.  I couldn't say who indulged, but I'm sure most of my readers have their own opinions.

My favorite words from Carrie herself:

So in respect for her wishes, let me say that today Carrie Fisher drowned in moonlight, strangled by her own bra.

One of my daughter's Tumblr friends, who blogs under the name "princess-slay-ya" had this to say, and God, do I wish I had written it myself (but be warned, some language is not safe for kids/work) --

"It's hard to imagine moving foward without Carrie Fisher, but her legacy will remain even if she is not physically with us.  She was someone who went through shit in life and still came out of it a princess.  We all may never star in one of the most famous movies of all time, or be award-winning authors, or help write one of the most famous Star Wars movies of all time, or be able to tweet with emojis in witty and hilarious ways, but we can all still be like Carrie.  She survived, she thrived, she owned who she was.  She was just as much of a rebel as Leia is.

"We can carry on with Carrie's legacy by loving ourselves and fighting for ourselves and being the kind of people that Carrie would be proud of.  Whether it be writing that story you've been dying to tell, or looking in the mirror and saying, 'this is my body and I fucking love it!' or just simply getting up in the morning again and again and keep moving forward.  She would want to know that she is survived by a legacy of boys and girls who give no fucks and who fight for themselves and who were inspired by everything Carrie gave to the world.

"May the Force be with you."

I would like to end with this Tweet from K O'Shea:  "Fight on the front lines.  Strangle fascists with the chains they would have you wear.  Be a motherfuckin' general."

And as for 2016 -- I hope you die, and it hurts, and you suffer while you die.  For Carrie, and for Richard Adams, whom you also took from us today.  Burn in Hell, 2016.  You abomination.

Giving Update

Just a quick update for our holiday giving project:  See the previous blog entry for details on who and how you too can donate, to causes that may be under threat with the incoming Trump administration. So far my family and friends have really, really come through.  There are no presents under our tree.  There are no stockings hung on our mantle.  And if there were, they would remain empty.  But my family and my friends have, to date, donated over $2,200.00 to the NAACP Legad Defense Fund, Planned Parenthood, etc., etc.

I could not be more proud of my family and my friends.

Holiday Giving

I have been going back and forth as to whether or not to share this with the world.  Here goes nothing.  I hope I won't have to disable comments.  I post this not to offend anyone, or to initiate any arguments, political or otherwise.  I'm sharing because this is what my family decided as a group to do this year, and I believe it may be of use to others.

This year we sent out variations on the following message, and I'd like to share it publicly now:

"Dear Family and Friends,

"Megan, Olivia and I want to try something different this holiday season.  To say that the election this year was a disappointment would be a huge understatement.  We honestly believe that this is a dark time in our lives, politically speaking.  So we are asking all of our friends and family members that might be sympathetic to the mess that our country is in to please do this for us:  instead of giving us stuff for the holidays, we would like you to take every penny that you would have spent on us and instead donate it to one of the causes that are going to be under siege with a Trump presidency.

"I know we have tried to do this in the past, to unplug the "Christmas Machine," but it somehow always got away from us.  But this year we are going to ask you all to please forego ANY holiday giving to us.  No little tokens. No “just a little something to open.”  No stocking stuffers.  Nothing.  Take every cent you might have spent on gifts of stuff and instead give that money to something truly worthy.  (Kids are, of course, exempt; we are happy to get something for the kids!)

"Last Week Tonight, John Oliver’s show on HBO, had some excellent suggestions and we are sharing them with you below.  This is the complete list of John Oliver’s recommended charities, but feel free to find your own.  You know what the issues are.  And if you have a preference on a charity to which you would like us to donate in your name, please let us know.  We'd love donations to the Trevor Project or the Trans Lifeline.

"An article on John Oliver can be found at  https://www.inverse.com/article/23698-john-oliver-donate-trump-list-president

"The Trevor Project, for LGBTQ youth:  https://give.thetrevorproject.org/checkout/donation?eid=63307

"The Mexican-American Legal Defense Fund, for immigrant rights:  http://www.maldef.org/ways_to_donate/index.html

"Planned Parenthood, for women’s reproductive health:  https://secure.ppaction.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=FA6641A45265C5F542940F5929F82A7B.app259b?df_id=12913&12913.donation=form1&s_src=Evergreen_c3_PPNonDirected_shorturl

"The Center for Reproductive Rights, also for women’s reproductive health:  https://www.reproductiverights.org

"Natural Resources Defense Council, if you care about climate change:  https://www.nrdc.org

"The International Refugee Assistance Project, for refugees from ISIS and other world tragedies:  http://www.refugeerights.org/donate/

"The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, to fight racism:  http://www.naacpldf.org

"The Trans Lifeline, a suicide and help line for trans youth:  http://www.translifeline.org/donate

"We all believe that is truly one of those times when like-minded people need to band together, walk the walk, and put our money not only where our mouths are, but where it will do the very most good for the most people.  It’s up to us to shine as much light as we can in these dark times.

"To better days (and holidays) in the future.  And know that we love you all.

"Always, Megan, Tom and Olivia"

So that's it.  If nothing else, I hope the links are useful for any charitable giving you might want to do.  And have the happiest of holidays, from my family to yours.

Stunned

So it's the morning after the 2016 US election.  Trump won.  Dear God in Heaven, Trump won.  We can look forward to four years minimum of misogyny, homophobia, isolationism, racism and God only knows what else.

The main reason voters are citing is that they wanted "change."  They wanted an outsider who would come in and "shake things up."

To which I say, be careful what you wish for.

After the mess he inherited when he assumed office in January 2009, President Obama has been steadily, quietly and determinedly reducing the national debt and rebuilding the economy.  Unemployment is at an historic low.  And he has not gotten one iota of credit for it from the people who voted Trump last night.

I remember reading some years ago about something that I thought was the most peculiar thing I'd ever heard of.  Apparently there is a segment of the Japanese population, usually the older folks, who are literally incapable of hearing Japanese if it's being spoken by a Westerner.  The idea that only Japanese people can speak this beautiful, complex language is so deeply ingrained that even the most fluent of Western speakers is heard as gibberish.  They just can't get their minds around the idea.

I wonder if the same thing isn't going on here.

I wonder if there isn't so much white anger and fear bubbling below the surface that some people simply cannot accept the idea of a black leader making things better.  Which Obama has done, in the face of hatred, obstructionism and deep, deep partisanship.  My sister, who testified before Congress in Obama's first year in 2009, overheard two Congressmen saying to one another that "this guy gets NOTHING."  Anecdotal, but certainly arguable in the light of ensuing events, what with unfilled appointments, executive action having to be taken over legislation, and all the other political crap we've had to deal with for eight years.  I think that some people have their heads so deeply in the sand that they simply cannot see how much better things are than they were eight years ago.  There is a whole cycle of memes to be found that start, "if Obama were white...."  I think there is a lot of truth to be found there.

Which is why we find ourselves as Americans witnessing our first black President turning over the keys to the White House to the first candidate endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan.

My heart is broken today, and I don't know if it will ever be mended.  I'm nearing the end of my days, but I fear for the world my daughter now will have to live in, in an America divided by hate; an America that seems to say it's OK to treat women and minorities badly; an America that turns a blind eye to global warming until it's too late to reverse it; an America that I truly believe will find itself feared and shunned by the rest of the world.