Author: Reemberto@gmail.com

You wake up one morning and realize you live in a nation that came to be through genocide of a native people, built on the back of African slaves, and maintained by the cheap labor of Latinos.

You wake up the next day and realize your religion is infested with pedophiles and sexual deviants – and governed by many morally bankrupt leaders.

How do you survive that one/two punch to the gut? How do you respond to the blast of reality that challenge your core beliefs?

Should I stay or should I go? Should I stay in this country? Should I stay in this Church? How can I possibly be complicit in building a nation with rotten roots or participate in a church corrupt at the core?

How can I declare allegiance to a nation led by an amoral, divisive, cheating, lying President? How can I contribute financially to a church paying for the legal defense and princely lifestyles of criminal clerics and bishops?

Oh, how to respond to this convergence of malice in civics and faith?

We Catholics have to each wrestle with this catastrophic moment in history and in our lifetime in ways that make sense to us as individuals – lest we become hopelessly depressed or “comfortably numb” (as the Pink Floyd song says) to the point of paralysis.

Some will walk away – literally or figuratively. Many will feel rightfully disgusted with the current state of affairs and withdraw from participating civically or in the Church.

Both this country and our Church are imperfect, incomplete, and dysfunctional. Of that there is no doubt.

You can certainly detach yourself from the gutter politics of the moment and turn your back to the horrors going on in the Church. You can certainly simply live life enjoying the immediate satisfactions of the consumer and entertainment culture and society; and you can certainly live life without the Church, in your own private faith space… Ultimately, some will say “we don’t need politics or theology.”

Or you can feel emboldened by this historical challenge and commit to do your part in reclaiming the goodness embedded in many of the people of this country; and rebuilding the Church affirming the beatitudes as put into practice by so many in our Faith.

Two paradigms come to mind:

[1] Don’t let the perfect get in the way of the good; and,

[2] Do everything as if all depends on you knowing it all depends on God.

Pragmatically, functionally, and logistically this means two simple things:

[1] Vote in elections.

[2] Do service with the poor.

Yes, your vote counts. And yes, your service makes a difference.

Convincing friends to vote to end this presidency and supporting your favorite Catholic charity working with the poor and/or immigrant are simple things we can do. Today. Everyday. Without much fuzz. Without long winded debates.

It is not a perfect solution. It will not end all the malice. But it will certainly move the needle.  It will certainly matter – personally and for the common good…  Even a little. And that is o.k. Tomorrow will be another day.

Don’t despair. Keep the Faith. Pray. Act.

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Voting in November matters because it is possibly the last chance we get to stop Trump.

Make no mistake about it. If the Trump Party and the Republican Party remains in control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is highly unlikely that Trump will be defeated in 2020.

The Trump Party and the Republican Party have demonstrated that most of their members are willing to accomodate indecency and divisiveness at the top (Trump) and seismic shifts in historic American values (insulting the press, shattering diplomatic traditions, etc.) to achieve certain pragmatic policy goals; i.e.: stacking the courts with conservatives, appointing their choice to the Supreme Court, and deregulating certain parts of government requirements and changing the tax code to expedite short term corporate profits.

If you are o.k. with the direction Trump is taking this country with these policy shifts and can tolerate his demeanor and approach to leadership, there is no argument that will cause you to consider voting against him. But, if you are uneasy about his leadership style, and confused with his erratic approach to diplomacy and economic policy, I hope you will consider stopping his march to a new America where decit rules, Presidential power goes unchecked, and resulting totalitarianism becomes inevitable.

And, if you are disgusted with this man’s behaviour – present and past – and are weary of his ability to do right for most Americans, then please vote.

Know that you will be tempted not to vote. Many will tell you it is not worth it. You will hear that the system is rigged. Some will argue that Democrats are no better than – and are as corrupt as – Republicans. Plus, “Trump is not on the ballot anyway”, they will say… And you may feel tempted to feel comfortably numb seeing certain economic indicators improving – a few even for yourself… So, why vote?

If you give in to these temptations not to vote, it will be a sad day in America. If you will be one of nearly 1/2 of registered voters that chooses to stay home and not vote, let it be on your conscience.

We’ve had recent election so close that literally had a handful of additional folks voted it could have changed the result. We are talking less than 1% difference between winner and loser… The old adage that ‘every vote counts’ has never been more true. Every vote counts.

One last plea. Making the personal commitment to vote is only a first step. Getting others to do the same is just as important. Your own family; your friends; your acquaintances; your coworker. They need to hear that you will be voting.

You do not need to be like the preacher standing at the corner yelling that you must be saved. (Though that is not a bad idea!) But, certainly you have personal influence on certain folks that care about you and will be impressed with your decision. Don’t assume for a minute you don’t! People care about others. People care about you… Good friends don’t let voters stay home!

The President of the United States called a woman a dog last week – and it is already old news. And, his supporters did not flinch, did not care, they gave it no importance.

The President of the United States revoked the security clearance of a past high U.S. government official last week for the simple reason that the ex-official was voicing opposition to the President.

The President of the United States last week renewed his attack on the media, again calling the media “the enemy of the State.”

These three lowlights are indicative of the new world in which we live in these United States. We have us a President who is not only perceptually different in behavior from past Presidents, having introduced a level of lewdness, crassness, and right out insulting and lying that we had simply never seen; but also taking unilateral measures to silence his individual detractors and destabilize institutions that may oppose him.

No surprise coming from a man who for years advanced the false narrative that a recent President was not a U.S. citizen, called Mexicans rapists, insulted Muslims, degraded Black football players and so much more.

We now know this man. We know what he is like. We know what he stands for. He is simply a selfish, self-centered individual who to ensure his personal riches is willing to destabilize this Nation, degrade the Office of the Presidency, and create division and chaos among Americans.

He has created a cult of personality bought into by a sizeable portion of voters that will be with him regardless of what he does. These voters simply do not care about his insults and degradation of others, nor do they care where his destabilizing of the government may lead, and they are o.k. with him realigning the world order to have the U.S. and Russia become allies – indeed, many are o.k. with Russian having helped get him elected… They are hearing what they want to hear; they are seeing what they want to see. They are all saying: “So what if we are on the road to an authoritarian State or the world does not like us? Our 401(k)s are doing just fine; unemployment is down; and we are sticking it to the them with tariffs and such. We are winning!”

Such are his followers. Such are the good Americans that are so gullible as to believe this bad reality t.v. character of a President.

While we certainly need to push for bringing him down through legal and procedural means – be it the Mueller investigation or impeachment – the most effective and efficient way to bring him down is to political handicap him. And, politically handicapping this President can be done only one way. And only the American people can do it. It is called VOTING. If this coming November there is a true ‘blue wave’ of Democrats elected to the House and Senate, we can stop this madness. Nothing else will do it. No investigation, no court can guarantee the dismantling of this President’s craziness. Only having the House of Representatives and the Senate in the hands of the opposition will put a lid on his warped policies for two years until we vote him out of office directly.

If this sounds like I am ‘preaching to the choir’, I am. I am not expecting to change the minds of his foot-soldiers nor stop his State Media from spewing propaganda.

I am simply imploring everyone who is sick of this man to get out and vote. To get others to vote. To volunteer to go door-knocking. To get your old aunt and young nephew to register in time to be eligible to vote this November. To talk to your faith community to make sure we have buses to take people to the polls. To do what it takes to #RESIST and #VOTE.

If not you, then who? If not now, then when?

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The economy is humming. The stock market is doing fine. Near zero functional unemployment. Few Americans are at risk of war worldwide. Crime is down throughout the U.S.A. We are enjoying sports, entertainment, and travel is easier than ever… The affluent is doing just fine, thank you. And doing better.

Yet there is a lurking dark side to this lifestyle that is conveniently not discussed, excused away, or simply dispelled as guilt trips. Much of this darkness has been with us a long time – if only we are willing to admit it. But this administration under the leadership of Donald J. Trump has exasperated things, for sure.

We the affluent are certainly reaping the benefits of past exploitations, historical societal sins, and a financial system that is structured to perpetually enrich the rich. Some of us choose to accommodate the guilt caused by this knowing by engaging in charity and jumping through philosophical calisthenics that justify our actions. And we muddle through the shackles of success.

After all, we came from nothing, we tell ourselves. We were children refugees who came to America and struggled for years to fulfill the American Dream. We got an education. We had the ranch house and the yard. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt… We have navigated the established American culture with a passion. We have succeeded.

All along we remained politically engaged, trusting a system that generally works, but whose militarism and excessive consumerism never felt quite right. We learned about great men (and a few women) whose caricature in the history books we found easy to embrace: Our Founding Father, Honest Abe, FDR, MLK, and many others. We bought into globalization, diversity, and equality. We were lulled into the mindset that the price of freedom is massive military strength and the inherent excess and imbalance of the free market. We thought we had moved beyond the racial ugliness of past centuries when we elected our first Black President. We accepted his capitulation to the international monetary powers when they were bailed out rather than brought to justice after the Great Recession… It is all for the greater good, so we seemed to say to ourselves. At least – we would further tell ourselves – there is a semblance (if imaginary) of process, governance, prudence, and decency at the top leadership.

And then Trump happened.

Hell bent on dismantling the established post WWII world order and turning back the historical clock on evolving cultural norms, he unleashed an anger and vile hate in those that felt they had been done wrong over the last decades. He coupled this with an unholy alliance with the most powerful and a commitment to deregulate and redo the tax system to facilitate their exponential wealth creation.

And as if that was not bad enough, he did this by spewing lewd, insulting, intimidating, hurtful, self-centered, self-congratulatory comments through Tweets and other means. He did this while displaying a personality more akin to authoritarian dictatorial strong man than that of a democratically elected president.

Trump is riding the wave of the inevitable success of post Great Recession economic improvements, the winding down of military conflicts throughout the world, and the relative internal calm in the U.S., claiming it all as his success. Instead of riding this wave of success and building on it, he is taking draconian and short-sided policies that may very well lead to meteoric wealth growth for some – including himself and his family empire – but cause immediate real damage to many, the environment, and international stability.

Both on policy and personality this man is tearing America apart, devolving it to a mean-spirited state of affairs, pinning neighbors against neighbors, and instituting lying, crassness, and crudeness as a successful leadership style.

I want no part of this man’s America.

Yet my 401k is not doing too bad. The Braves are competing in the NL East again. Hollywood continues churning out awesome movies. And I am off to travel again.

Thus, here I am. Reconciling living a life of affluence in a Country led by a leadership that I totally disagree with… Maybe I can’t have my cake and eat it too. Maybe the perfect nation-state does not exist and we just gotta put up with this lunacy, and turn our focus to personal and family wellbeing, enjoy the moment, and look the other way.

Except I can’t.

We have what could be our last chance to stem the tide of Trumpism in America this November. We can reclaim sanity in our governance. We can bring back a balanced dialogue where people actually engage and disagree civically, and reach consensus for the greater good.

Keep it simply: Vote Democrat. Don’t overthink it. This man and his cronies gotta go.

And if in doing so my 401K is damaged a bit, the uber-rich has to pay more taxes, and industries are regulated to protect the environment, that’s ok too. That is a small price to pay for reclaiming decency and sanity in our world.

#RESIST VOTE IN NOVEMBER. REGISTER OTHERS!

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Can the case be made that Trump’s actions constitute treason?

 Don’t go there, some will say. They will say that route would be “outlandish, unnecessary, and counterproductive”. Yet, some of what Trump is doing sure smells like intentional acts against the United States. Key among these:

 [1] Realignment with Russia and away from Europe and North America

• Russia is the USA’s enemy. It is their intent to destroy the American Empire. Canada and Mexico are our friends. They want a powerful, democratic USA. Putin, instead, would like to see an American system controlled by a puppet oligarchy. Putin could not have scripted a more advantageous series of events to achieve this end than what Trump is doing. Trump has not critized Putin, has hinted he is ok with Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and is handing Cuba back to Russia without hesitation.

 [2] Destabilizing government institutions

• American democracy is built on the trust that the government generally serves the people. We are seen that trust eroding – particularly with the President’s disparaging remarks about FBI, the dismantling of the EPA, and the shrinking of the critically important Census Bureau – because the President wants it to. If that trust is broken – if government institutions are destabilized – control is then centralized in the military and police force, responding only to the authoritarian leader.

 [3] Intentionally sowing divisions

• We have a President that consistently refuses to be President of all the people. Instead, he aims to please exclusively his supporters, and actively demeans, insults, mocks, and makes fun of those that dare disagree with or criticize him. Creating a loyal, fanatic base of unquestioning supporters is an required element of a dictatorship.

[4] Discrediting the media

• This President calls some in the media “the enemy of the State.” He has set up a media empire (Fox News) that is an undistinguishable integral part of his official information and propaganda apparatus. An independent, credible, and robust media is one of the most critical safeguards against an emerging dictatorship. Trump has demonstrated he wants to destroy any media not enthusiastically with him.

In conclusion, Trump’s behavior and actions are treasonous. Pure an simple. (Not to say anything about his indecent, toxic, and vile manner of speech – which unfortunately is not grounds for impeachment, but are disgusting and unpresidential for sure.) Two more years of this insanity may very well create an irreversible situation. If his madness is not held in check at the ballot box this November, 2020 may be too late.

#RESIST BY VOTING AND REGISTERING OTHERS TO VOTE.

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The crisis at the border in this early summer of 2018 with the forced separation of children from their mothers may be the breaking point. Or not.

Grabbing pussies did not do it. Lies and more lies did not do it. Flirting with the Russians did not do it. Trying to ban Muslims did not do it. Deregulating the financial market did not do it. Crazy tariffs did not do it. Affairs with porn stars did not do it. Denying climate change did not do it. Insulting Mexican, the disabled, women, LGBTQ, blacks, and many others did not do it. Pandering to the racist alt-right did not do it.

So, will separating undocumented mothers from their children as they flee horrific situations – that the U.S. helped create – and try to enter the U.S.A. as refugee do it?

Maybe. Maybe not. Time will tell.

An opinion piece in the Washington Post today was titled simply “Repugnant”.

I see the article begins quoting a Cuban-American (Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen) – Republican at that!… Totally relate. This incident may do more than anything to date to wake-up the ‘right of center’ Cuban-Americans to the embedded indecency of this President. Cuban-Americans – across the political spectrum – are all too familiar with family separation issues; from the ‘Peter Pan’ children of the 60’s to Elian Gonzalez. Those of us that were separated from our parents – albeit by choice and under loving condition – remain hyper sensitive to the psychological scars the current situation will inflict on these children…. The damage is done. Politically – this incident coupled with the mishandling of the recovery in Puerto Rico – Trump might have just sealed the fate of Florida’s upcoming elections.

And yet some of his supporters try to justify the situation by either evoking the horrible things Obama and the Clintons did, or quoting the Bible, or grossly simplifying the situation and options, or simply deflecting the simple fact that Trump caused this problem. He seems to have changed his mind with an Executive Order that is vague in details. And now what?

… Not sure these folks minds can be changed though… Therefore:

For the historical record: Here are a couple of the least insulting and most charitable Facebook comments from the Trumpistas:

If God’s children can obey this nation’s laws and adhere to the above requests, please, enter the U.S. and enjoy the freedom you’ve been looking for! Here’s 81 verses in the bible that relate to laws – …  Here’s the bottom line as I see it: 1) Please enter the U.S. in one of the 389 LEGAL ports of entry. Just pick one, it doesn’t matter which one, but please pick one. Don’t put your child in jeopardy of being taken away from you 2) Please make sure that the child that you are bringing in is YOUR child, not someone else’s. The last thing we need is to provoke a child smuggling ring in the U.S. 3) Once we grant you an Asylum hearing, PLEASE attend! 80% of those people seeking Asylum do not attend the meeting, then they are virtually impossible to find. We don’t need any more illegal immigrants here after we’ve tried to help them become legal, PLUS, you don’t want to spend the rest of your stay here with your family hiding under the radar. Please think of your family, do the responsible thing and attend the hearing!

Yeah…. But undoing what Obama did is a huge task….have friends in. Military and they hate O for what he tried to do for 8 years…the list in endless…so why did Obama crafted a law that if follow to the T caused this???? Think about it.. this, no one raised hell like now….Trump follows the law as written and suddenly he is a monster…. The hypocrisy of the left and Dems is amazing….he is the only one with cojones to actually follow the law.

#RESIST. Get friends and families registered to vote. Don’t waste your time trying to change the minds of these folks. #RESIST

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I was asked recently “Why? Why do you join those dysfunctional institutions like the Catholic Church and the Democratic Party? Why do you stay?”… Actually, I have been thinking about this for a while, since the last spiritual exercise I attended a few months back… I’ve been meaning to jot down some thought about this, and here it goes.

Am I a joiner? I choose to belong and stay in my neighborhood, community, political party, faith, and civic and service groups.

I could choose not to belong. I could choose to go at it along. I could choose not to join. I could choose to quit.

Certainly some do. And they are no less of a good person.

Some choose to go at it alone, yet they are not loners. Others choose to be socially active but not necessarily join in social action. And many pray in private, not community… There are also those who plug in and out of institutions for a particular purpose of a given time… And that’s ok… That approach to life just does not seem to be who I am and simply does not seem to be for me…

To me life is most lived in growing relationships. Relationships amplify life. Love is most found in healthy relationships. I can (and do) love myself, marvel in creation when contemplatively alone, and find my soul in solitude. Yet, it is relationship, companionship, community, sharing moments and stories, discussing wisdom and irreverence in conversation and dialogue, and marking rituals and celebrating together that I find the energy and drive to keep going, work for a greater good, re-examine the missteps of the past and pursue the possibilities of the future.

And so I join others in imperfect and dysfunctional institutions; in sometimes chaotic, difficult, and hurtful journeys… If I was to join only perfect institutions and seek only perfect relationships, I’d be miserably disappointed since none exist.

Clearly we all make choices for how we invest our time, talent, and treasure in relationships and institutions in a way that align with our core values and personal mission. Clearly most often joining most any institution requires choosing to focus on where personal values align and intersect the institution values rather than highlighting where there is discord, conflict, and divergence.

It is not about compromising values, nor suspending focus on them, nor ‘giving in’. It is also not about acceptance or being quiet or not dissenting.

I choose to join these imperfect and dysfunctional institutions because I believe in their mission. And – not but – I also choose to work from inside to create an environment where change is possible, never hesitating voicing dissent, and pursuing the greater good.

It can be tough, lonely, and disappointing for sure. Yet, I choose to remain – mostly. (There have been exceptions.) I choose to remain in light of seemingly insurmountable odds; I choose to remain in light of criticism – stated or not – of people I cherish and trust; I choose to remain even in light of oftentimes being viewed with suspect from some insiders who may think I am not a true believer, weak, or too conciliatory or compromising with outsiders.

I find the structure, ritual, permanency, and stability of these institutions something I welcome and cherish. I respect those that have come before me to create the institution I now belong to – and criticize from the inside. These institutions have firm boundaries, rules, regulations, hierarchy, and protocols that are necessary to their functioning as an institution. Oftentimes it is in these boundaries, rules, regulations, hierarchy, and protocols that I find challenges. So I routinely remind myself that my alignment with the mission is more important than the disagreement with a certain aspect of how that mission is achieved. (Though process still matters. A lot. I could not belong an institution that consistently disregards process or is consistently indecent, lies, cheat, and has no empathy regardless of how laudable the ultimate mission might be. Thus I can not support our President. But, that’s for another posting.)

Here are three personal examples of why I joined institutions that have many faults, yet have laudable, aspirational mission with which I align and enthusiastically support:

The government bureaucracy – I have worked with the public sector all my life. I more than know how inefficient and ineffective the bureaucracy can be. Yet, the mission of serving the collective good is something I embrace wholeheartedly. Sometimes I may feel like I am ‘in the belly of the beast’, yet when I see the many examples of very good people that have devoted their lives to public service, I find the energy to stay and continue the struggle.

The Democratic Party – I choose to be involved politically. And, given the wrapped limiting two party system that we have in this country, Democrats simply best align with my personal believe system for creating a civil society that is empathetic and cares for the disenfranchised people. Surely there are serious points of deep disagreements; yet, there is no question in my mind that the greater civil good is best achieved by electing Democrats.

The Catholic Church – I am a practicing Catholic. That is, I am practicing but haven’t quite got it right yet. I shiver sometimes at the over the top pomp and circumstance, the sometimes seemingly intentional alienation and exclusion of women, and requirements for membership and behavior that seem from another millennium. Yet, the core mission of the Church, particularly with its evident commitment to social justice is totally me. I am all in. (I am totally in particularly with the Catholics Jesuits whom which I choose to join in the journey of faith.)

So I chose to join these imperfect and dysfunctional institutions sometime in the past through a process of discernment now long forgotten. But, I choose to stay through the same, a process of continuous discernment, a daily practice of meditation, and attempts at contemplation.

No institution is perfect. Yet, even in light of imperfection and dysfunction, and knowing they are led by broken souls who are definitively not perfect either, I choose to stay because I too am broken, imperfect, and dysfunctional.

But, in this odd journey of life with companions – some of like mind and some not – building relationships that spark love which sparks action, building relationships that spark action that spark love, and building relationships where we can support and help each other flourish we keep on keeping on, not letting the perfect get in the way of the good and always aspirationally striving for the greater good.

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Trump comes at you fast. He is a good game show host! He knows entertainment suspense. He keeps us off balance… What will the next Tweet say? Will he or won’t he comment? Who will he insult next?

Oh, so entertaining!

Yet, the Presidency is serious stuff. Governance is not entertainment. Politics is not a sport.

People’s lives are at stake here.

(Side note: and here is where anti-abortionist will say, “Exactly the point. The unborn lives are at stake here and that is why we voted for him no matter anything else.” I have no argument against that myopic, zealot position other than to remind my good anti-abortionist friends that facilitating bringing a life into this world without the accompaniment of quality pre-natal care and post birth healthcare and support is a rather narrow – and ultimately counterproductive – view of things. More on this topic in another posting. But I digress.)

Policies like indiscriminately yanking children from parents at the border; leaving thousands of people in limbo by not addressing – or worse yet, negatively addressing – DACA and TPS; slashing environmental programs; and walking away from Puerto Rico demonstrate a devolution of American values that diminishes our nation being viewed aspirationally by Americans as well as others throughout the world.

Rash acts like the on-again off-again North Korea summit, temper tantrums against entertainment and athletes,  and insults of other politicians and federal departments demonstrates a lack of civility that is degrading not only the American Presidency but also the respect for authority that is so needed for a well functioning nation.

This President’s inability to articulate an argument in a coherent, developed manner; his limited vocabulary; and his flippant demeanor degrades the Office of the Presidency to the point that it leaves many with a yearning for true statesmen and stateswomen of the past, great men and women that present themselves as knowledgeable of the subject matter and can converse in a manner that is intelligent and actually makes sense.

This devolution of the Presidency – and of America by association – is so rapid and rampant that it has brought into question the very essence of the country as a nation others look up to, as a country in which one takes pride living in, or a President that we want children and youth to emulate.

Instead we have a country that has devolved to simply being one of many. Sure, an economic powerhouse, but culturally shrinking. Sure, a sports giant, but artistically shallow. Sure, a military might, but responsibly reckless.

We have a leadership that merits no more respect – and oftentimes much less respect – that the leadership of other first world nations (and even less respect than some second and third world nations!) We find ourselves in a downward spiral chase to the gutter that makes many other countries seem just fine, thank you.

The shining city on the hill that was the U.S.A. is fast becoming the chaotic, mean, transactional city of excess where riches may be found but souls are so often lost.

Of course we can still turn this mess around. #RESIST, help friends register to vote, and vote vote vote come November!

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One third of America does not care about the character of the President, what he did with porn stars, or how he made his money. They care about the change he is causing, the disruptions he is creating, and the improving economic times.

Whether you agree with this clear, sharp capacity of many Trump supporters to cheer him on, that is how at least of 1/3 of America feels. These are  – generally – the same folks that were tired of the excessive political correctness, have no patience for the complexity of diplomacy, or simply don’t care about the collateral damage of simplistic solutions.

These are some of our neighbors, family members, and friends.

And that would be o.k. Except.

Except this scorch earth, simplistic, take no prisoner approach to governing is devolving American ideals, cheapening the presidency, and causing some real damage to real people in this country and throughout the world. This bumper sticker approach to governing is shallow – and right down dangerous.

Build the wall. Move embassy to Jerusalem. Lower taxes. Terminate TPS. Make all abortion illegal. Deregulate.

All make for good bumper stickers. But, not considering the impact of these actions in the complex world we live in is irresponsible, authoritarian, and very, very dangerous.

The problem is the Trump supporters do not want to hear this. And if they do, they will resort to simplistic responses like: “It is the law. It has to be upheld.” Or, “he campaigned on this and now he is doing it.” All fine and good.

Yet, they will take no responsibility for their actions:

Never mind that the embassy move caused many Palestinian death; not the President’s fault, they will tell you.

Never mind that their new immigration policies lead to separating families; they should not have come here to begin with, they will tell you.

Never mind that paying for lowering the taxes for the rich causes real pain for the poor; don’t worry – it will eventually trickle down, they will tell you.

Never mind that anti-abortionist care only that the baby is born; that is all that matters – even if there is no universal healthcare, childcare support, or extended work leave, they will tell you.

There comes a point when you can no longer argue with these folks. You get to the point where you are just talking past each other. No one is listening to the other with good will.

And, don’t even bring up the President’s character or investigations. It is all irrelevant and/or a fake news conspiracy promoted by the deep state, they will tell you. And they believe it. And nothing will change their minds.

So the only thing left to do is get them out of power. So you #RESIST. And vote vote vote. BUT: Before you vote you have to be registered.

NOW is the time to get your friends, family, and anyone you know is fed up with this devolution to get registered to vote. It is most crucially important to do these in States like Virginia, Texas, Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas. So if you know folks there, get in touch with them. Now. As in today. Make the call; send the text or e-mail. Let’s do it!

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