As I was clearing through my old blog posts and comments, I found this, from November 2016. It's now 2019. Could anyone have envisioned how much worse it was all going to get? Not in my wildest dreams.
Faithful Readers, Ms. Strega has lived through many, many Presidential administrations.
I was born into the Eisenhower years, though I was but a wee morsel. I remember Kennedy's assassination, though I was a small child, yet clearly knew that the President had died and that was a very serious thing. I watched, on television, Nixon resign the Presidency. I endured the Reagan years, the reign of the Bush family, and the years I really liked: Clinton and Obama.
And now, we have elected a complete madman, so puffed up by his ego that he doesn't seem to have time for security briefings or other crucial aspects of taking on the highest office in the land. I don't even think Trump wants the job at this point. As for a First Family, nobody's going to be residing in the White House most of the time; Trump's wife is prudently going to reside with their son in Trump Tower. I don't blame her: somehow there feels a sigh of relief in that choice. Trump will, of course, occasionally visit the Tower (I am not sure why they think their home is so wonderful: it looks as if a truck full of tacky gold mirror squares collided with the Roman Empire and Trump Tower arose from the ashes). Instead of getting down to the business of preparing for office, Trump tweets all night long about what meanies we liberals are and excoriates the press for criticizing him. Meanwhile, people spray-paint swastikas on buildings. The Southern Poverty Law Center has documented well over 400 hate crimes since November 8.
So here we are, Faithful Readers, in what may go down as the most insane time in the history of the United States. We have a pitifully inadequately prepared president-elect who has no idea what he is doing. He has begun to appoint a Cabinet riddled with white supremacists and incompetents. Hate crimes have escalated,because hate-filled and sick people now feel they have permission to do so now that the Trump Reich seems to be on the horizon. It will only get worse.
I support the recount taking place. In the slim chance that Hillary might go over the top in the recounts and win the Electoral Votes, the brakes might be put on a disaster looming large over our country.
However, yes, that chance is slim, as I said. What I foresee is, first off, citizens becoming unable to criticize the Trump Reich in any way, because at some point, free speech is going to be radically curtailed....at least that is my great fear, along with more and more hate crimes, and more, much more, up to worst-case scenarios I dare not even imagine.
We will be a very different country in a year, and the things we take for granted now--the ability to speak freely, to write as we will and wherever our imaginations take us, to assemble peacefully and protest, to live free of hate crimes and fear: I predict all this will be gone, or in the process of curtailment.
People fought and died so that we may enjoy the freedoms we have in the United States. What a slap in the face to their bravery, to turn this country into a dictatorship.
Pray for the best and prepare for the worst. That is about all I have to say tonight. Every day, the writing on the wall grows clearer, and the poisonous message is for all of us.
