As the Potential End Of The United States (PEOTUS) comes closer (and closer), I know I am hardly alone in being nearly swallowed alive by my fear and rage. Like it or not, change is here, and from the perspective of those who believe that the incoming administration will lead us down a multitude of wrong paths, this is not positive change.
PEOTUS's bald contempt for basic civility should surprise no one who has followed (or rather, been force-fed media accounts of) his career since he first desperately groped for the limelight some thirty years ago. The Republican Party's willingness to cooperate with this proudly narcissistic and utterly unfit candidate, however, that move still shocks me.
I can admire the strategy, riding this ridiculous whirlwind into full control of our country's rudder, but to allow someone this vulgar to forever cheapen the Presidency? With social media attacks on celebrities, baseless boasting and an inability to complete coherent thoughts while speaking? I thought there were grown-ups at the helm, but what we are confronted with are adolescents obsessed with one-upmanship, with no vision of a future beyond the next campaign cycle and a deep-seated fear of women.
PEOTUS will spend his term furthering the effective work he started on the campaign trail, mocking opponents to avoid debating them, spreading easily-debunked lies without shame or retraction and goading world leaders into war. Those in his camp will thrill to his outrageous adventures, while the rest reel from each fresh insult, and the divisions will deepen and hatred of our fellow citizens will fester and the culture wars will metastasize into civil war. As we rage at each other, our own government will quietly strip the country for parts.
The last few days I've gone numb. I tried to watch the strategically-timed press conference on the 11th, but couldn't get past a few minutes. Watching that mouth move so much without saying anything ("Fantastic job." "It's gonna be phenomenal." "He's terrific, the greatest.") while half of our citizens are either too uneducated to notice, too cynical to care or just not paying attention was overwhelming. I don't yet know how to properly affect positive change, so the best I can do is to voice my dissent, even as a single squeak in the darkness.
To that end, I plan to join the rally in Lansing, MI on the steps of the Capitol Building on Saturday, January 21st. It's in conjunction with the Women's March set for Washington D.C. and I encourage anyone of a like mind to attend as well. There are Michigan rallies set for Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids too, but I'm choosing Lansing because of its significance as the seat of State power. There are a few hundred of these so-called "sister marches" around the country -- you can find the march closest to you here.
I'm sure others are looking forward to the chance to protest, to publicly state their case and enjoy the company of fellow dissenters, but I'm not. It's gonna be crowded, noisy, freezing cold, and likely impossible to find parking. Really, I don't feel like going to this fucking thing. But adding one more body to the crowd is the least I can do at this point, and the least any of us can do moving forward. This administration was voted in by less than half of the population ... we need to make sure everyone remembers that and let the people in charge of this nation know we're watching what they do and we won't remain docile when we disagree.
Even if it ruins our Saturday afternoon.
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