Politics Plus

We voted. We stumped for Kamala Harris. We encouraged everybody we knew to vote. Some of us drove people to the polls. Some of us text or phone banked, some of us knocked on doors, some of us wrote and mailed postcards and/or letters. We hoped, and some of us prayed. But, sadly, the 2024 U.S. Presidential election was a triumph of evil over good. Millions of US voters who think of themselves as patriots betrayed this country by voting for an incompetent jerk who is a convicted felon. Do these people wipe their bottoms with copies of the Constitution?

Rump’s re-election is the worst disaster in US history. Hurricane Katrina, the 9/11 attacks, the 2011 tornado super-outbreak – those were scraps in a Kindergarten sand box compared to what awaits us beginning in January. He will not be our 47th President, he will be our first dictator; and in his foul wake comes Christian [sic] Nationalism. The Tangerine Troglodyte probably doesn’t have a Christian bone in his body, but millions of so-called Christians adore him and will gladly destroy everything the United States of America is supposed to represent and pervert this country into a religious dictatorship.

A lot of us, upon hearing the appalling news, thought “Oh noes, the USA is f—-ed!” However, hope is not lost. Plan A didn’t work, so it’s time for Plan B: Resist. Contrary to what the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation say, resistance is not futile. Nor does it have to be violent. Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. both demonstrated that passive, non-violent resistance works.

Many are already making plans to flee to Canada, or elsewhere. However, emigration is not nearly as easy as you think. A couple years ago I wrote and published a Sound Off! about how simply leaving this country can be a tall order, as well as expensive. Yes, there are certain segments of the population that will be in dire peril; however, it may be better if we stay and fight back in any way we can.

The Orange Ogre’s return to the oval office will alienate the USA from much of the world. We may face sanctions and embargoes that will cripple our economy. Also, the tariffs he promised will cause a lot of prices to increase sharply, perhaps even skyrocket, which will tick off consumers. People vote their pocketbooks as a rule, and a President who aids and abets inflation will encourage a political bloodbath in the midterms.

The tRump chumps can howl and cackle in their evil delight all they like. They have won a major battle, but not the war. We can make sure their victory is Pyrrhic in the extreme by causing what the late Representative John Lewis called “good trouble.” Besides, let’s see how wide their smirks are when Project 2025 bites them in their bottoms.

Now is the time to support organizations that defend freedom and protect human rights. Now is the time to start vetting candidates for the 2025 and especially the 2026 elections. Don’t give up hope – we may still be able to have elections. And we will, if we put our agony and grief aside and prepare how to counterpunch.

We have a lot of work to do, so get out your marching shoes. We can take this country back and return it to the path of progress. With any luck, we can do so without shedding a drop of blood. Our opponents will react violently, and there will be punched noses and smashed-in heads, so the temptation to bash back will be strong. However, we can still win in the end if we keep our cool. Let us hope that we can still win using peaceful means, just as the Suffragettes and freedom marchers did.

Meanwhile, my X-Wing is on order.