Honestly, I am too sick to my stomach today to write much. And no, I don’t have the flu.
I happened to be in the apartment as yesterday’s press conference was unfolding. As I heard the words coming out of that man’s mouth, my heart was in my mouth and my stomach churned.
But I wasn’t surprised. This is who he is. This is who he has always been. If you’re surprised, I presume it’s because yesterday was so blatant, so in-your-face, so unapologetic. Because we’ve always known this about him.
He and his father owned apartment complexes and discriminated against black applicants. They settled out of court – which means they were guilty. He spewed birther accusations for over five years. He believes he has superior genes. His father took part in a Klan march/rally. And he has at least three staff members who are White Nationalists.
This is who he is.
But it’s not who we are.
As for the ‘I don’t like Hillary’ or ‘the lesser of two evils’ nonsense, there was never any comparison. Never.
I’m praying that this is resolved immediately. That we are somehow able to rebuild a democracy that has been ripped and shredded and desecrated during the past seven months, that we are able to heal and emerge stronger than ever.
But it won’t be easy.
That’s all I can give you today.
Your sentiments are being felt all over. I can’t hear his voice without feeling ill. I’m still in shock everyday that he is where he is. What the heck is happening to us!
He brings such shame to our country.
Such enormous shame. xo
Your flowers look amazing with your quilt as a backdrop. So colorful.
Again, I ask the question …. why is still in power? This is awful, but why in a country where guns are everywhere has he not been taken down? What does he need to do in order to be impeached? What are the powers that be waiting for? Very confusing, watching it from the outside and getting more fearful by the day for not just the U.S. but the entire World as he manipulates and pisses off others. Sorry for my brutality but it’s so painful to watch what he is doing to your country, knowing that the effect is far reaching and now we are all at risk.
Sending you a big hug for a peaceful day Claudia.
X Chy
Because the majority – not all – of Republicans have lost their moral compass and are more interested in power and money than in our democracy. What does it take for them to finally step up? I’m as disillusioned and frightened as I can be, Chy.
xo
I dislike Trump as much as anyone, Chy, but you cannot suggest that “taking down” a president with a gun is a solution at all. No one can approve of a threat like that, Chy. Don’t stoop to his level. We will work towards a peaceful outcome to these terrible times.
Peace, Ellen
Yes, guns are not the answer. But he does need to be taken out of office immediately – I’m not sure how. 25the Amendment? Impeachment? Forced resignation? Thanks, Ellen. Peace.
If any of us in our work situations behaved in his manner, we would be escorted out of the building. Can that not happen? A forced resignation? I know an impeachment can take years but I feel like you don’t have years with him in power. I understand he is the head of the country but is there a ruling body who can decide he’s done? I’ve stopped watching the news as I’m scared of what the next news story will be. So fearful for everyone. X Chy
Me too. I would be fired immediately if I acted in the same manner as T. We should be able to fire him. Immediately.
I agree Ellen. I’m definitely never in favor of violence in any way. I guess my brief thought was wondering why he’s still in power and why so many seem to think he’s amazing. I wish there was a way to just quietly remove him (not with violence) so that the U.S. can go back to the nation it was and can be again. With him in power, it’s just so confusing as to what the voters saw that we on the outside don’t see. I wish for peace everywhere so we can all live our lives to the fullest, without threat of violence against each other and around the world. I keep hoping this ends well with a new leader in place so your nation can move forward and get back to reality again. X Chy
i agree that violence is never the answer. love, education, eradicating poverty and hunger, lifting up and not holding down people in need, enforcing the laws already on the books … in my opinion, those are some answers. along with impeaching a man who makes a mockery of our system, country, specific individuals and various groups of people and who puts our country and the world at risk.
ugh.
…
a song just popped into my head. “let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. let there be peace on earth. the peace that was meant to be. with God as our Father, brothers all are we. let us walk with our brothers in perfect harmony. let there be peace on earth. let this be the moment now …”. i remember singing that with my fellow sixth-graders at a school assembly more than forty years ago. forty!!! some things need to change NOW!
stay strong. hold the line and raise the bar. we can do this. we must do this.
kathy in iowa
Peace, strength and community are the best solution ….. I wish he had this in his circle so he could rise above the chaos he has created and make it right!
Thinking of each of you as you live and love and work and play, all the while hoping this ends/changes too!
Sincerely,
Chy
It’s hard to think of anything else at the moment, Chy, though I am grateful for work right now. It gives me some respite.
Violence is never the answer and I am not a violent person but a person of peace.
But if anyone could move me in that direction it would be him.
With lots of respect, Chy, I don’t think this is what she meant.
Sorry, I meant Ellen. These are very emotional times and my mind escapes me. :(
I hold responsible the person who signed off on the permit that allowed this group to march. If that person didn’t, there would not have been violence in Charlottesville. I am glad that Texas A&M revoke the permission of the group that would have happened on 9/11.
I agree. However, the town council would have been ripped apart for not allowing free speech. I blame Jason Kessler for refusing to move his domestic terrorist groups from Emancipation Park. The council told them that they were being moved to McIntire Park which could have held the crowd. But the Rutherford Institute and the ACLU butted in and said it was unconstitutional to make him move. I put blame on them and the Federal judge who refused to listen to the City of Charlottesville. So we had this diasaster in narrow, historic streets that allowed people no escape route.
An important point, Julie. Thank you.
I am, too. The permit has to do with the constitution, of course, and the right to protest. But I never want to see them have ANY rights. I can’t help it. That’s the way I feel, yet I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU.
Excellent article on cnn about the ACLU today.
Thanks, Julie.
He is truly awful.
Awful doesn’t begin to describe him, Tana, though I think I’ve run out of adjectives to describe how vile he is. I guess I’ll have to make some up.
I’ve tried three times now, to write down my thoughts…to be concise. Truth…I’m at a loss for words. Have we hit rock bottom yet? If not…we have to be pretty close. I am astounded that the republicans in charge have not condemned 45’s comments en masse. How can there not be more of an outrage by the republican senate and congress? I am so disheartened. I like what Kathy in Iowa said….stay strong, hold the line, and raise the bar!! Them’s fightin’ words! ;)
I think I was brief because I didn’t trust myself to be anything but that when I had to get to work by 10 and coach for 6 hours straight. But believe me, I could say much more!
Are the Republicans going to stop looking at their re-election prospects and at the polls and finally grow some BALLS?
I keep asking my husband, “Why can’t they get him out of there before anything worse happens?” It seems so clear to even the most-uninformed citizen. The man has left a trail of destruction in such a short time (no surprise, but far worse than I ever imagined). He is such an insult to everything I hold dear. How dare he have power over me, but he does in ways I can’t control, so I vehemently resent he is in a position to cause me harm.
But my husband, who really studies these matters in ways I can’t (multiple news and information outlets over many hours in a day because it has to do with his employment), thinks it isn’t going to be easy to get rid of DT; it’s an unprecedented time. He says they’ll get him on the business dealings (there’s so much questionable past and the paper trail is uneven but there’s a legal dream team on it now…so, as my husband said, be patient…but it’s hard to be patient when feeling in such jeopardy).
In this horribly-disturbing 7 months since that man took office, I had to turn away for awhile because I was just too riled up every single day and it’s not good for my health (I have a lot of health problems; stress is bad for everything). But I’m back to watching Rachel Maddow every night because she connects the dots, she has very key guests and her show just helps me understand things better. She’s not my only source for news/political commentary but, frankly, I think she’s brilliant.
I’m sure they’ll get him on business dealings and money laundering. Mueller is on it as is the Attorney General of NY. And when he’s charged by the AG, no amount of ‘pardoning’ is going to happen. His children are also in it up to their ears. (Not Tiffany or Barron, but the other three? yes.)
Well I certainly hope they grow some! We won’t know for sure until they (republican hierarchy) actually start calling out 45 for what he is! I was reading all of the comments….thank you for providing us a safe place to voice our concerns! Btw…what twitter account do you follow that is a ‘secret’ group? I need to follow them too! ;)
They’re not calling him out by name – only a few of them. I can’t divulge the secret group – wish I could.
I’m so afraid and ashamed. Others looking at our country must think we have all lost our minds. The hate is too much. A ‘leader’ who condones, even encourages that hate has to be removed from office. Many of us have not been silent for the past seven months but to those who have, you can no longer hide behind silence. You must speak out, step up and be counted. This is our country, those of us who love and are tolerant. We must take it back.
Silence is not longer permitted. Speak out or lose any moral standing you might have had. Right?
The man and his cronies are a cancer that needs to be excised immediately.
Yes.
I think and feel as you do Claudia. How much longer must this go on? I worry so much for the targeted groups: people of color, Jews, LGBTQ, Muslims, immigrants, refugees, women. My fear and outrage pales in comparison to what they must be feeling. This is a nightmare.
I cannot imagine what they are feeling. The actor who plays Oberon is African-American and we had a long talk about this exact thing this morning.
As a person who has had Klan members in my family, I can say that each of us has a choice whether to embrace that kind of hatred or to abhor it, and President Trump has clearly made the wrong decision. As a woman whose father was brought to a lynching when he was 11 by his father, I know intimately the kind of threat that our country faces. His views are made clear, and hate-espousing groups are cheered by his reaction. VICE News embedded a young female reporter with some of the organizers of the Charlottesville . . . I don’t even know what to call it. It was frightening. I was frightened for her, but she managed to keep her voice even and calm and to elicit the most chilling, terrifying rhetoric from people who came armed with multiple assault rifles, pistols and knives . . . and I’m not talking about within the group, but rather on each person’s body. The follow-up interview showed an exhilarated organizer, thrilled with the success of the rally. Is this one of the “many fine people” on the Alt-Right side whom President Trump mentioned? The only thing that encourages me these days is that some Republican lawmakers are beginning to separate themselves from Trump, although here in my deep red state, our congressman is still literally running from constituents who want to talk to him while still aligning himself with Trump. One of our senators, Senator Cruz, surprised all by speaking out in clear tones, however. I believe that happened only because the tide is turning. I and many of my friends call our legislators almost every day. I call the White House Comment line, too, but I have not been able to get through, stopped by a busy signal, which I take as encouraging. I don’t think, with a 34% approval rate, that the lines are busy because so many people are calling to applaud President Trump’s speech. My brother is busy penning a letter to the editor, because these do get the attention of our representatives. Our Indivisible group in our teeny town has raised nearly enough money to put up a billboard on a major highway. We are making a difference. I just pray that it’s enough.
Sorry for the rant, Claudia. Feel free to delete it if you feel it will alienate your readers who come to you for more measured talk.
Nope. I love your comment and here it will stay.
Oh, Linda. How close to the bone this must be for you. Your comment is eloquent and incredibly powerful. Thank you.
Thought this was interesting concerning how many hate groups there are in our country.
http://247wallst.com/special-report/2015/07/09/10-states-with-the-most-hate-groups/print/
Thank you, Trina.
I keep asking myself , is THIS the line we won’t cross? Is this the LAST straw? I have no respect for anyone who supports this man, works for this man, or doesn’t immediately stand up to finally say ENOUGH .
As far as I’m concerned we crossed the line a long time ago, yet still there are those in power who are not saying “Enough.”
Sickened, yes. Surprised, no. Appalled and ashamed, yes. If we can’t get rid of Trump, can we not get Bannon, Miller, Gorka, et al out of the White House?
They should all be gone.
I want to hear from every single member of Congress, every single member of the Cabinet, every single White House aide and counselor, every single one of them.
I could not even watch the entire VICE interview with the white supremacists. If you watch any of it, force yourself to watch the last few minutes, the one-on-one interview. It is truly chilling. And I also give credit to those Republicans finally calling out this disgrace of a president BY NAME. Paul Ryan, no; he meanders around but does not use Trump’s name. Kudos to those, on all sides of the aisle and in the armed services, for having the courage to use his name and specifically shame him on this. Now, we need to do more.
And Ivanka and Jared need to pack their bags as well.
Jared’s grandmother who barely survived the Holocaust does not deserve this silence from her grandson. Shame on him for not respecting what she went through.
No, she doesn’t.
I don’t think I can handle that interview right now. I saw links to it on Twitter, but I’m not ready to go there yet.
Paul Ryan needs to step up now. Say Trump’s name. As does Mitch McConnell and everyone else who has enabled this presidency.
I have not always been a fan of our governor, John Kasich, but at least he had the backbone yesterday to speak out and call out Trump on his cowardice. (As did Rubio and Charlie Dent, among a very, very few others.) And I understand that Kasich is in a very different position from people like Ryan but still…
I don’t agree with Katich on everything either, but I’ve always thought him to be a man of integrity. I was happy to hear his words. As for Ryan, I don’t give a fig for his position, it’s now come down to a moral imperative.
I haven’t slept and feel physically sick.
How dare he put my husband who was a counter protestor in the same vane as these domestic terrorists. Are we supposed to let them come into town and be fine with it? They had published hit lists of who they planned to murder. As our governor said, they were better armed then the police.
The night before on The Lawn at UVA was a peacefull demonstration with Tiki torches? Mr President, did you talk to the small group of counter protestors who were surrounded by hundreds of torch bearers who threatened to burn them?
A little known story is Deandre Harris. A young black man who was severely beaten in a parking garage just before Heather Heyer was killed. These are kind people?
Come on Congress get the papers ready. Impeach Trump. We have got to stop this nightmare.
I have followed the story of Deandre Harris. It is heartbreaking. There are those online who are doing their best to identify the assailants. Let’s hope they can.
Julie, thank you for your words, from someone who knows.
Getting rid of just about anyone he has appointed on his staff is probably a good idea but my fear is that even with them gone will he replace them with someone even worse? HE is the problem.
I can’t even listen to the sound of the man’s (I hate to even call him a man) voice. I keep my television muted now when I’m not watching a show just in case there’s something that comes up with him on it. I do not want to hear his voice. Reading about his statements and comments or lack thereof is more than enough for me.
Speaking as the wife of a disabled veteran, I cannot begin to find the words of how heavy my heart is these days. I thank God everyday that my husband is no longer serving under this Commander in Chief. I just cannot fathom the things that come out of his mouth. There is no excuse for the vile and disgusting things that come out of his mouth. There is NO excuse for racism or hate of any kind in this world Period.
I cannot and will not ever understand how this man became our President. I had so much more faith in the people of this country than this. I feel as if I’m walking around each day in some really bad movie that this can’t possibly be all real.
Once I’m past the tears I pull myself together and realize THIS IS REAL. This is the America that we are living in. And we must all continue to stand up and speak out against the horrendous man that is in the White House at this moment. I must move forward by believing that the strong and good people of this country will continue to resist and we will prevail. I must believe that the day is coming that the Republicans are going to disassociate themselves with this person. I believe he will be removed from office in some way. I don’t care how it is done at this point, just so that it happens. And then we can began to heal as a nation, as one. We are moving backwards with all of this hate! It breaks my heart and makes me so angry that I can’t even see straight! It is 2017 for God’s sake people.
Blessings to you Claudia.
I just want him gone. In exile or prison, preferably. He is an evil man. The list of his despicable deeds is so long, it would take several blog posts to even begin to make a dent in it. He cannot be in office a moment longer.
Oh, Claudia. I ache. I woke up at 4:10 AM and cried. I just watched pieces of the funeral for the young woman who had her life wiped out…. by these “good people” as that waste of skin called them. Her mother’s words were amazing. I have to believe if this had happened a year ago, that our President would have been in attendance at the funeral. I’m glad this idiot stayed home. And to people who say they were shocked by what he said…. I am shocked by that. He was brought up in a house that had affiliation w/ the Klan. I know the sins of the father are not of the son, but in this case, they are. I AM astounded by the lack of words coming out of the mouths of the Republicans. To have an Asian American woman and 2 Jewish men lined up next to him as he randomly spouted that stupidity yesterday was beyond reproach. The thoughts of people thinking that ANYTHING will be accomplished under his “rule” is ridiculous. Oh, except I guess he is accomplishing much of his own agenda. That is moving along quite nicely.
Naming Washington and Jefferson in comparison to Lee and Jackson only highlighted his stupidity. He knows nothing of our history and no knowledge of how to govern. He needs to watch some episodes of Schoolhouse Rock to watch “How a bill becomes a law”. We are making the leader of North Korea look like a scholar. Seriously……. it is beyond words.
My Dad fought the Nazi menace during WW II. That we have come to this is beyond all comprehension. I hope that those who voted for him are re-thinking their loyalties. My loyalty is to my country. And he is trying to take that away from all of us.
The whole thing is beyond words. I never thought we could ever be in this place, where a traitor and a coward and a bigot and misogynist and sexual harasser and an islamaphobe and a xenophobe and a congenital liar and a cheat and a con man and a money launderer and a narcissist and an ignorant ass could be President.
And I am so happy that so many of us, since that fateful day last November, have proudly said that he will never be our President.
We should be surprised that anyone today holds those views, no matter the views espoused by their parents. I didn’t argue with my parents about much, but as a fifteen-year-old, I fought to be allowed to go on the Montgomery to Selma trip. Of course, my parents didn’t allow it, for many reasons, including their ideology but also because of my age. I not only grew up in a racist household but also in a town which swelled in size in 1960-1961 during the white flight from integration era, so I was surrounded by families with parents who believed much as my parents did. We still can break away–I and all my siblings did, with three of us actively resisting– and it’s more to Donald Trump’s shame that he didn’t because he had a first-hand view of how vile that kind of evil is.
Linda, you are indeed a testament to the fact that a lot of our moral fortitude is not only inherent, but found in choices we make as we go through life. You sound like you are fighting the fight along with the rest of us. We each can only do what we are able to do, but when that is all added up, we CAN and we do make the difference together!
He saw it and went along with it. There’s no excuse for this vile man.
I could write for hours on this topic. I don’t know HOW you managed to be so brief and concise with today’s post. I couldn’t do it. Anything I could say has already been well-said by all the other commenters today. In many cases, BEAUTIFULLY-said. To add a note of hope, I’ll just add that there is a growing undercurrent of belief out there – especially since the FBI raid on Manafort – that the Mueller investigation is light-years ahead of its original estimation. More & more people who believed that there was at least a year or more of work ahead are revising those estimations downward – and rapidly. Apparently, the lid has popped off the can, and all manner of slime is oozing out. As we knew it would, eventually. Trump & his cronies have been hurting people & involved in rotten schemes for DECADES. There’s no way that many secrets stays hidden forever. The clock is ticking, and the fat lady is warming up in the wings. Stay strong, everyone! Shalom. Peace. #Resist 🇺🇸
I could only be brief because I had to work and I couldn’t let everything out or I wouldn’t have been able to do my job.
I follow several people on Twitter as well as a ‘secret’ group where much of the information we know about the investigation is being revealed. We are much farther along than people know. I just pray that some action can be taken very, very soon.
Claudia and Janet, your words are giving me more hope.
if the investigation ends in trump’s impeachment, that would be good. to that end, i hope they aren’t rushing through an investigation in part to get out from under the enormous pressure they most likely feel. don’t want them to miss anything that could (hopefully) lead to impeachment and other improvements!
claudia, thanks for allowing a safe place for comments, ideas and support.
kathy in iowa
I agree so wholeheartedly! I find myself thinking “how could this have ever happened???” It scares me that people voted him in, and even more that they still support his stupidity. Thank you Claudia, for letting me voice that opinion. I tend to steer away from political conversations because it seems futile to preach to the opposition. But, please…..I will never understand…I wish I could hug you!
I’m sending you a hug right now, Jacqui.
Hello Claudia. I would think that anyone who values Democracy would be heartsick at this time. Truly, could all this really be happening? Did we learn nothing from the Holocaust? I hope good rises up and stomps on evil. But what totally amazes me is there are still people FOR him….behind him…cheering for him. Unbelievable. Your flowers are a breath of joy. Susan
I am stunned that anyone still supports him. But they do. Thank you, Susan.
Well said Claudia.
In the UK there are mechanisms for Prime Ministers to leave office either by choice or coercion.
Trump must go before he does even more damage than he had already
This too shall pass
Siobhan
I hope it passes soon.
It is scary and evil and unbelievable that your govt has not responded to these people like they would to any terror group. The world is watching and scared. We are talking about it in Canada and how to deal with this happening here. Prayers that people in the US will survive Trump.
My cousin who has spent most of her life there, moved back to Canada right he was elected.i
It’s horrifying for us. We don’t know what happened to this country. It’s like a nightmare that just keeps getting worse.
Every morning I wake up and wonder what embarrassment awaits me from the White House. It’s very discouraging to know that I can’t even make it home from an 8 hour work day to find our country further…. what? Hard to know what to say anymore. Irrational, dangerous, petty, narcissistic, a poor excuse for a president and a man. Very impressed with Heather Heyer’s mom.
Me too. Such dignity in the face of such incredible heartbreak.
Perfect post.
So true.
m~
Thanks, Monica.
Claudia,
I’ve said it before and I’m quite sure, he will create his own demise. It’s just a matter of time. In light of the last four days, it’s going to happen sooner than later.
Jane
Thanks, Jane!