Not My President, Again

Not My President, again. You know, I really really wanted to post my Spider-Man: Homecoming review today, or talk about the cool Valerian or Captain Canuck animations I found online, or even the new Coke Zero, but then something happened that simply enraged me. You guessed it, it has to do with the Orange Hobgoblin.

The monster Trump, who cannot be stopped from Tweeting just as a liar cannot stop lying, Tweeted some horrific stuff this morning. And as many in the media fear, his Tweets are soon to become policy. His target this morning was the transgender community, despite his Tweets before the election (which he still whines about winning, eight months later) that indicated he would support the LGBTQ community and fight for them.

His Tweets this morning indicate 'a military decision' despite 15,000 transgender individuals already serving in the US military, and calls them a burden. That doesn't sound like supporting or fighting for them, that sounds like targeting them and discriminating against them. And while this stinks of a diversionary tactic to steal focus from the Russian investigations, and discord within his administration and even his own family, he's still doing it, and it's very real.

Already former allies are turning against Trump, like Caitlyn Jenner, and transgendered soldiers are speaking up as well, like Navy SEAL hero Kristin Beck. Questions at a White House Press Conference earlier today were casually deflected as if unimportant, like will the transgendered currently in the military be pulled from their positions, their jobs, their combat operations. There is no plan, only Trump's discrimination, betrayal, and Tweets.

Later, Trump addressed the American Legion Boys Nation and Auxiliary Girls Nation at the White House. He spoke of loyalty, something he betrayed some Americans earlier, and while he didn't tell any salacious stories as he did yesterday with the Boy Scouts, he did tell the children they should pursue their dreams, and all I could think was as long as they're not transgender and want to serve their country. I imagined transgender children in that audience crying silently.

At the end of his speech a reporter yelled out a question about Trump's policy on transgenders in the military, to which he called her "rude." A chill ran down my spine as he spurred the children to start chanting "USA USA." Surely I'm not the only one who wondered about the youth there and what they would be like as adults. I also wondered what happened to the 'rude' reporter. Was she roughly escorted out like the dissenters verbally threatened at his election rallies? I can only fear that today's 'rude' is tomorrow's criminal. Freedom of speech? What's that?

Back on topic, to a point. My friends in the LGBQT community are among the bravest and strongest people I know, and if they want to serve in the military, they should be able to. Strength is important for that gig. I don't have it. Those targeted today do.

For most of the first two decades of my life I was bullied, from roughly fourth grade right through to senior year, and for most of that time the epithet of choice was 'faggot.' I'm not gay, but it didn't stop the constant verbal abuse, getting beaten up almost every day, and whenever I hear someone say that anything other than heterosexuality is a lifestyle choice, I get angry. No one would choose that. I still have emotional and physical scars to prove it. And it comes back to strength. To be LGBTQ and out is the bravest choice of all, and only the strong can do it, and there is no one else I'd rather have defending me and my country.

Now we have a bully president, just like the monsters I encountered in school, and he has to be stopped. Today he stabbed his transgender supporters in the back, will you be next?

Please join and/or donate to ACLU, vote, or register to vote if you haven't already, support People for the American Way, Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, Lambda Legal, and Public Television.

Blog March 2017: Not My President

So many folks use the term 'not my president' these days for Trump. I freely admit I'm one of them. I also must admit I was unaware it was a term some folks used for President Barack Obama during his two terms. I would disagree, Obama was my President, and I'll talk about that shortly, but first let's talk about presidents.

When I was growing up, in the days of Johnson, Nixon, and Ford (yes, I'm that old), the president was the enemy. Granted that impression was sowed and influenced by "Saturday Night Live," Mad magazine, and scores of counterculture sixties movies that I loved, but one thing changed that - it was truth, not media.

I used to walk home for lunch when I was going to elementary school, and while I was eating my sandwich and French fries I would watch reruns of "Brady Bunch." Then something happened that shattered that routine. Watergate. The hearings were broadcast live all day, everyday, and on all channels (of which in those days were few, maybe seven at most).

At first I was annoyed. I wanted to watch the Brady kids, and these hearings went on for seeming months. With no "Brady Bunch," eventually I began to watch the only thing on, and learned firsthand how evil and corrupt and hateful our leaders really were. This stayed with me, for decades, never completely trusting those in power, even after I had the power to vote.

That changed with Barack Obama. He was my age, he had my values, and he believed in the rights of all people. He was also a comic book reader, something that really resonated with me. As a Spider-Man and Conan fan, I knew Obama was aware that with great power came great responsibility, and that might didn't always make right. He appeared on talk shows, podcasts, and treated his staff to Five Guys. He liked TV, music, and movies I knew, and he cared about the issues I cared about.

These may all sound like small trivial things, but Barack Obama was truly my President. And when horrible shootings happened on campuses, in schools, in malls or on the streets – things which happen far too often – President Obama mourned with us. He came on TV and mourned with us. These events hurt him the way they hurt all feeling Americans, all human beings. This was a President, this was a man, who had a heart, and a soul. I don't know if I can say those things about the person who currently holds that office. The only emotions I have seen Trump have are those that harm others, he is not an empathic man.

Trump is not my president. A real leader does not joke about nuclear weapons, nor does he intimidate or humiliate women. He doesn't make fun of the disabled, or care about the size of a crowd. A real leader doesn't gloat about an election months afterward. He doesn't invite murderers to the White House and say he'd be honored to meet him. He doesn't take health care away from those who need it most. And he doesn't fire folks who may be investigating shenanigans in his administration.  Trump is not just not my president - he's a monster. And he is the worst kind of villain, the kind who not only thinks he's right, but also thinks he's the hero. Not my president, and shouldn't be anyone's president.

If you're not an official stop on the Blog March tour, do it anyway. Speak your mind, write your heart, and get the word out. Link back to us so we can help you spread the word.

Please join and/or donate to ACLU, vote, or register to vote if you haven't already, support People for the American Way, Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, Lambda Legal, and Public Television.

Check out the next stop on the Blog March right here tomorrow, and here the next day. A full schedule can be found here. And thank you.

Blog March 2017

From my dear friend Robin Renee's blog, please join the blog march if you feel the same, and contact her at the email at the bottom of the post.

This is what's happening here and all over the web for the month of May. We are coming together to claim and reclaim the value of our ideas, truths, and inspirations. We are a diverse group including activists, artists, musicians, scientists, authors, spiritualists, atheists, health advocates, and general engaged citizens. Here are just a few of the Blog March participants: Rorie Kelly, Kevin Patterson, Diana Adams, Tom Limoncelli, and Pamela Means. I hope you'll check in, read along, comment, and share. As of this writing, there are still a few spots to fill along the way, so if you'd like to join in, get in touch ASAP!

Here is the original outreach:

Join the Blog March – Raising Voices for Freedom of Expression, Knowledge, and Information

There is so much to be angry and afraid about in the current political climate. Many people I know have been locked in a kind of emotional and political paralysis – Friends have been asking each other, “What can I do when there are so many points to fight and so much ground to defend? Where can I even start?” Pick a cause, start where you are with what you know, and give it whatever energy you’ve got has been the prevailing wisdom. The idea for Blog March came in a flash and I feel compelled to see it through.

Aside from the phone calling, letter writing, marching in the street and (of course) voting, I want to be part of the movement of insistence upon our full and honest voices – declaring the importance of art, science, creativity, clarity, and all of our lives, however alternative or marginalized. I want to be part of the movement of demanding truth and full information from and about our government. I stand up to insist upon the necessity for research and scientific knowledge and the unobscured dissemination of that information.

With those ideals in mind, will you participate in Blog March with me? All you need to do is to sign up for one day during the month of May to write a blog post. Write something honest. Write something that feels risky. Write something that needs to be said as a way of pushing back against a political trend that seeks to disregard, distort, and devalue so many. At the end of your blog post, you’ll share the link to the next day’s stop on the way, along with any info on how to support your favorite organizations or activists who work for freedom of expression, knowledge, and information.

Here are just a few ideas:

Write a rant.

Write a love poem.

Share some visual art or photography.

Write about the impact of protest and resistance - personal, cultural, political.

Address freedom of expression through the lens of race, class, economics, ability, sexual orientation, gender, or relationship design.

Discuss how you arrived at the political issue you are most compelled to address.

Talk about an important development in a scientific field that shouldn’t be missed.

Give us a roundup of writers, musicians, and/or artists you think should be seen and heard.

Write through the lens of your regular blog theme – pop culture, science and technology, spirituality, LGBTQ, personal essay, music, history, humor, etc.

Make us weep.

Make us laugh.

Write what you most need to express right now.

I know that 31 blog posts alone won’t change the world, but speaking up and speaking out is movement in the right direction.

Get in touch at BlogMarch2017@gmail.com. I am looking forward to your ideas!

Robin Renée