Strings

Strings 

“If you are someone who woke up this morning and is (sic) going to start seeing people as who they voted for, and not the person you have always known them to be, then you are what is wrong with America.”

I must be what’s wrong with America, then. Though I have been staunchly supported in some sectors, I have been chastised, criticized, ostracized and sermonized recently by others, for my incorrigible attitude on social media. 

The reason? I have taken a hard-line stance when it comes to this political circus, one with far more than just three rings going for-or against-it. This is not your normal, run-of-the-mill circus; no, this is the circus of horrors, with Steve Bannon as the co-ringmaster.

Now on center stage: Steve Bannon!

Despite having addressed this issue on multiple occasions, I take word processor in hand, and once more charge the breach to explain bluntly, why I have chosen to sever long-standing friendships over “political crap.”

My five circus rings: political ideology versus political reality; past history; unification; ramifications; and integrity

The first is the easiest component so I will just say I do appreciate that millions voted according to their political affiliation, including me. As Americans we have come to expect specific elements from both major political parties, and this most recent election featured additional political parties/candidates, which also had influence over voters. 

There was the controversy of the Electoral College and, of course, there was Russia. Believe me, the affair was better for Russia than it was for us. And the thing about Russia? There are strings attached and I'm not into strings.

All of that being said, hateful campaign words have become reality-in-action, and we have seen the Constitution pulverized in the first week of the new regime.

trump has demonstrated that he has no clue as to what is entailed in being President. He listens to no one, acts impulsively and has appointed Steve Bannon as his chief adviser, a man who is an avowed white supremacist.

President Bannon's first action? The ban.

Secondly, past history, only four generations removed in my family, throttles our attention with the ominous similarities between the actions of trump and those of Hitler. Personally, I find trump to be the more odious of the two because his motivation is money.

Sold! To the highest bidder...

trump’s rhetoric, dealings with the media, disregard for human rights, narcissistic personality disorder and his lack of experience, all combine to conjure up the oft-seen meme of him as a petulant two-year-old, who just happens to have his finger on the Red Button.

I do not feel this is the time to sit back and take a “wait and see” strategy; I have seen quite enough.

This is not the time to sit back and listen to others’ views. I do not care if President Obama employed the exact same course of action, when it came to having to ban people from a specific country due to a direct threat.

I do not view that as I do the ban which just went into effect, that included countries based on trump’s business connections. The man is not even smart enough to see how transparent this is, which frankly, I find frightening in and of itself. 

He is more delusional than I am.

Third, the response on January 21st, history’s biggest single-day protest, showed we were ready to speak in a united fashion. The instantaneous demonstrations at airports all over the country, in response to the ban, indicated our willingness to act spontaneously.

No, the time for talk will certainly come, hopefully over a bowl of Great Success, but right now we need to stand up for human rights, and let it be known that as a unit, we will not stand down.

Fourth, ramifications have already cascaded down, in the form of horror stories about detained Americans, injustices occurring repeatedly due to the unconstitutional ban. 

Bannon, in pointy-hat, white robed garb, lurking in the background with marionette strings firmly in hand, terrifies me, as he should terrify every single one of us.

And we are supposed to sit down with trump supporters for tea and crumpets?

Not MY President...

Penultimately, in my opinion, is the abysmal lack of integrity which now pervades the White House. Jimmy Carter downplayed his Christianity and removed himself from his peanut farm, in order to preserve the integrity of his tenure in the White House.

Where was trump when the integrity was passed out? Down in the cellar, eating sauerkraut.

Integrity is a word that no one, regardless of political affiliation, would ever apply to the trumpster. Ever.

Ultimately, friendships almost always endure growing pains. How many long-term friendships do not have to survive some sort of a crisis? Isn’t that what defines friendships? The ability to be resilient?

So if I must part ways with folks for a minute or two, who is to say that down the line, once equilibrium has returned to our nation’s capital, that we cannot once more take up our friendship? 

Could be yes; could be no; could be just-maybe so.

"Look Mommy! No strings!"