Here we are, barely a week into the Trump administration, and there is already enough going on to merit an entire section of the paper, let alone a single column. His sparsely-attended inauguration is just the tip of the iceberg, following the protests that took place worldwide on Saturday, which ended up being the largest protest in American history, and considering all of the different areas of the world they took place in, quite possibly and probably world history as well. But it’s not that historic gathering that has me writing. It’s the blatant use of lies and misinformation that has come out of every meeting the Trump administration has had with the press.
Sean Spicer, press secretary for the Trump administration, spent his first press conference getting overly mad about the crowd reporting for the inauguration, saying “it was the largest inauguration ever attended, period.” Add to that former campaign manager turned White House advisor Kellyanne Conway’s insistence on the existence of “alternative facts”, and you’ve got a worrying opening salvo from the new cabinet.
Some people are insisting there isn’t anything to worry about, but this is all very worrying. The people in power are refusing to speak truth. I am so confused as to how this is okay with so many people, a lawsuit has already been filed against Trump for ethics violations and conflicts of interest. At least a third of this country has become drunk on hate, essentially, and Trump is the embodiment of all of that hate. He is the ugly underbelly of this country personified, and the people who voted for him don’t seem to understand they actively voted against themselves.
We live in a country where we would rather see family and friends literally beg for money on the internet instead of guaranteeing something as basic as healthcare. One of Trump’s first acts as president was to sign an executive order to repeal the Affordable Care Act. So many people don’t understand that Obamacare is the ACA, they hated the former because it was named after a president they hated, and are now learning the hard way that they’re going to lose their coverage. It’s estimated that some 43,000 people will likely die as a direct result of this, according to reporting by The Washington Post. That’s beyond politics and paperwork.
So here we are. We have an administration dealing in “alternative facts” (read: lies), supported by the “alternative right” (read: nazis, fascists, white supremacists), and actively working to leave a large swath of the American people to die. Folks can tell me I’m overreacting, but that last sentence is literally just what is happening. It’s the new reality we live in, and it’s scary.
I honestly don’t know what anyone can do. Aziz Ansari made an excellent point over the weekend while hosting Saturday Night Live, making the point that largescale change doesn’t really come from the people in power, but in large groups of angry citizens, and he’s right. A lot of stuff changed as a reaction to the world going to hell around them. The foundation of this entire nation is literally a scrappy country giving the proverbial finger to a massive world power. We can’t lose that aspect of rebellion and insurrection that is fundamental to us as a country. Aziz was also right in his assertion that this may well be the largest group of angry citizens ever. We have to keep fighting that good fight, because no matter what the folks who say we’re lib-tarded special snowflakes do or say, the truth is that we’re as vital a part of this nation as anyone else. We’re the best aspect of the idea of America. We can’t let the worst ones drag us down.
Expectedly Unexpected
Dane La Born
Here we are, barely a week into the Trump administration, and there is already enough going on to merit an entire section of the paper, let alone a single column. His sparsely-attended inauguration is just the tip of the iceberg, following the protests that took place worldwide on Saturday, which ended up being the largest protest in American history, and considering all of the different areas of the world they took place in, quite possibly and probably world history as well. But it’s not that historic gathering that has me writing. It’s the blatant use of lies and misinformation that has come out of every meeting the Trump administration has had with the press.
Sean Spicer, press secretary for the Trump administration, spent his first press conference getting overly mad about the crowd reporting for the inauguration, saying “it was the largest inauguration ever attended, period.” Add to that former campaign manager turned White House advisor Kellyanne Conway’s insistence on the existence of “alternative facts”, and you’ve got a worrying opening salvo from the new cabinet.
Some people are insisting there isn’t anything to worry about, but this is all very worrying. The people in power are refusing to speak truth. I am so confused as to how this is okay with so many people, a lawsuit has already been filed against Trump for ethics violations and conflicts of interest. At least a third of this country has become drunk on hate, essentially, and Trump is the embodiment of all of that hate. He is the ugly underbelly of this country personified, and the people who voted for him don’t seem to understand they actively voted against themselves.
We live in a country where we would rather see family and friends literally beg for money on the internet instead of guaranteeing something as basic as healthcare. One of Trump’s first acts as president was to sign an executive order to repeal the Affordable Care Act. So many people don’t understand that Obamacare is the ACA, they hated the former because it was named after a president they hated, and are now learning the hard way that they’re going to lose their coverage. It’s estimated that some 43,000 people will likely die as a direct result of this, according to reporting by The Washington Post. That’s beyond politics and paperwork.
So here we are. We have an administration dealing in “alternative facts” (read: lies), supported by the “alternative right” (read: nazis, fascists, white supremacists), and actively working to leave a large swath of the American people to die. Folks can tell me I’m overreacting, but that last sentence is literally just what is happening. It’s the new reality we live in, and it’s scary.
I honestly don’t know what anyone can do. Aziz Ansari made an excellent point over the weekend while hosting Saturday Night Live, making the point that largescale change doesn’t really come from the people in power, but in large groups of angry citizens, and he’s right. A lot of stuff changed as a reaction to the world going to hell around them. The foundation of this entire nation is literally a scrappy country giving the proverbial finger to a massive world power. We can’t lose that aspect of rebellion and insurrection that is fundamental to us as a country. Aziz was also right in his assertion that this may well be the largest group of angry citizens ever. We have to keep fighting that good fight, because no matter what the folks who say we’re lib-tarded special snowflakes do or say, the truth is that we’re as vital a part of this nation as anyone else. We’re the best aspect of the idea of America. We can’t let the worst ones drag us down.