So here's the thing. Hillary is up by almost 2 million votes with millions still uncounted. Donald Trumps ties to Russia that the FBI passed over are now being closely examined by the White House. You can read them yourself if you want here.
Donald Trump still hasn't released his taxes, which isn't illegal but you should be wondering what's in them. After all, we get plenty of threats if we don't pay ours. The President Elect is refusing to acknowledge the impact of his rhetoric on the country and in other news, hate crimes are happening everywhere, being reported and he's still not calling for an end to the violence. These are not encouraging signs for his Presidency. If Clinton's popular vote keeps climbing, and is not addressed, there will undoubtedly be a resistance movement that grows that is enormous and larger than anything you are currently seeing in the streets.
Resistance isn't romantic and it's often deadly.
Maybe this is what's necessary? I don't know. Frankly? I'd prefer to see it addressed now thoughtfully between all of us, even though that means that the most radicalized supporters from the right and left will have an "excuse" to amplify their violence for awhile.
Deepak Chopra wrote an excellent article about the internal shadow of our nation and when I read it this morning I was humbled. I've spent a lot of time with my own shadow so I was able to relate easily. The easiest way to describe it? You are what you resist.
That's why so many men fighting against LGBT rights often get caught with their hands in the cookie jar and support medieval solutions like conversion therapy. It's why really decent guys with wonderful wives get in trouble with pornography and young girls.
My first example was someone I knew early on who was a straight A student with a really bright future and a absolutely angelically beautiful face who was constantly preaching to me about behaving appropriately and in a ladylike fashion. She was eventually caught shoplifting and selling her body. It was the saddest thing I'd ever seen anyone do. The shadow emerges because it needs to be dealt with directly.
Trust me. Everyone has a shadow side. There's just not enough space or time on this page to share mine.
It takes a lot of strength to look within and acknowledge that you are in some respects the very enemy you're fighting. I think that's what's made Donald Trump so appealing. He's made all of the excesses look easy and the accountability unimportant. That's appealing to anyone. The best thing I can say about what's happened is that the genie is out of the bottle.
The Democratic Party, home to all the people, the workers , principles of equality and justice for all has been exposed as being every bit as deceitful, manipulative and corrupt as the party whose misdeeds they're busy maligning. The Republican Party who has lined their mattresses by scaring the crap out of people , destroying our environment for their personal gain and using religion , nationalism and patriotism as the ultimate weapon against the country has been exposed as well for the shallow, hypocritical mass that they are.
In guns we trust.
Who loses? America does and because she loses, the planet loses. Her children lose.
Regardless of what happens with the popular vote it's not going to be an easy road for us for awhile and it shouldn't be, because we're a emotionally and spiritually lazy country. We cloak our own emotional treachery by going to Temple or Church once a week to feel better about what we don't do for each other. Same with all of the self help philosophy .
There are thousands of those books, I've got a few dozen on my shelf. You can whitewash anything to make yourself feel better about it.
Trump was elected on 15 second sound bites without any real plan , yet he sowed seeds of fear and dissension, making use of the right wings favorite weapon of fear. Fear of gays, women, Blacks, Muslims.
The Democratic Party didn't listen to its base, so busy were they trying to keep the first truly popular populist candidate they'd seen in decades out of office. Bernie had great sound bites, yet his plan was threatening to the Democratic Party status quo so they used classic suppression tactics..normally the tool of the Republican Party to stop his candidacy.
The only way forward that I can see is that we as Americans have to beat them, all of them at their own game. We have to talk to each other. Those of us who voted for Hillary have to acknowledge our quiet role in the acceptance of the suppression of the most popular Democratic candidate I've seen in my lifetime , simply because you were scared of the word Socialism and all of its 1950's implications.
I know many of you won't agree with me , but I also believe that we allowed the best female candidate we've seen yet to be destroyed viciously. That being said, that didn't happen in this election. That happened when all the powers that be forced her to suppress her femaleness and by that I mean feminist sensibilities. The Democratic Party should have pulled their heads out of their ass and let them campaign on equal footing. They'd have probably figured out a way to run together in the end and won. Then we wouldn't be fussing with this whole popular versus electoral vote concept.
Those of you who voted for Trump need to understand that even though you didn't vote for reasons of race or intolerance, that your vote has enabled all of those very things. Those of us with gay, bi-racial , female or Muslim or Mexican friends who are terrified find it very hard to accept that America voted in this tidal wave of intolerance on a sound bite of " I'm going to make America great again " . Do you understand what that means to me as a Jewish woman that you unleashed the KKK? Or to my bi-racial nieces and nephews? I talked to a gay Jewish man the other night who voted for Trump. I asked him why. He said because he was a "straight talker who would fix it. " I was gobsmacked. What does that mean? More sound bites and sound bites are way easier than self inspection.
Lots of us didn't speak up fully ( myself included) for reasons of political correctness. Democrats who were busy being kind and understanding were busy fucking ourselves, our black friends and gay relatives. They were also busy slut shaming Melania Trump with pictures from decades prior instead focusing on her husband. Just as misogynistic as the "pussy grabbing " comment if you ask me. Different group..same intention. How did you expect them to react?
Mind you when I say speak up, I don't mean slamming anyone about their beliefs. What I do know is that there are a couple of people that I could have had a conversation with that was respectful yet very direct on both sides of the aisle. I might have made a difference. You might have made a difference.
I thought it was interesting what my son said in the wild aftermath of Tuesday. " Political correctness is decadence. " I think he's right. Political correctness is just a way to keep the shadow in place. Keep the shadow in place without bringing it into the light and you've got room for all kinds of revolting things to slither and hide under it.
I'd add to that that thought, Political Correctness is tone deaf.
On both sides. Just the fact that the last weeks headlines were all about a Democrat named Anthony Weiner should shine candlelight into that crack. How about that FBI, who's busily trying to "protect us" and at the same time suppressing relevant information about the President elect and his connections to hostile governments?
For gods sakes people wake up. We've all been played by ourselves. That makes us a really easy target for anyone.
All of us, Democrat and Republican are responsible for this mess. Our shadow sides are out there fighting with each other for all of the rest of the world to see. The only way through this mess is to stop fighting with each other and look within. Do your homework. Have conversations. Forge alliances with the very people you claim to hate. March together to stop the radical ideologies that would love to keep us from living in peace with each other.
Follow the money. On both sides. Make no mistake. Domestic Terrorism in this country is being instigated by our leaders. Radicalized Islamic terrorism is a convenient threat to keep us focused on something other than our relationships with each other. The biggest threat to our current state of false democracy is if we all begin to talk to each other, to begin to forge common ground without them.
That's power. Time to take the country back. All of us, together.
Watch the movie Zeitgeist if you dare.
and then watch V for Vendetta. That ones closer than you think if we don't come together peacefully now. This would be terrible for all of us.
See you in Washington.
I don't know where the glorious mural picture came from. Thank you to whoever took it. It's just wonderful.
