Day One

So I'm here in Denton on the day after the inauguration. I'm going to the Women's Rally on the Square at noon, along with my beloved Sisterchicks here...and my son, who will be going with all HIS friends, male or female. And hopefully a few thousand others. Gomez volunteered to stay home to take care of the farm so I could come do this, something that gains him even extra points because I know damn well he would've liked to participate as well.

I was a little bit nauseated yesterday, a malady that I'm pretty sure didn't evolve into full-on puking only because I refused to watch the "festivities" in DC. It was more interesting to hear it from other people's eyes.

Conservatives said it was the best thing since angels declared the coming of Jesus to shepherds in the night and DC was filled to the brim with REAL Americans hollering their allegiance to their new savior. This isn't a stretch- a lot of these folks claim that Donald J. Trump- serial philanderer, ethics-free businessman and all around bigot, racist and misogynist...is God's way of "Taking Back America". I always knew their version of God was a vengeful, hateful prick, but COME ON. In and around all that pompous circumstance, we were told, again, that we need to "all come together" and "give him a chance". Sorry. I can't come together with racism, nationalism, isolationism, oligarchy, police states and dealing lethal financial and legal blows to people and things that can't fight back. I'm funny that way.

Liberals said his inauguration speech(as the London Times said) "painted a grim picture of an America only he can rebuild". So he apparently took his base- who voted for him out of fear anyway, and reiterated that their fear is warranted, their hatred and suspicion of anyone not "exactly like themselves" is sensible and logical and that this nation is SO BAD, SO FAR GONE, that the only one- out of all of us Americans in high and low places and with education and compassion and intelligence and an abiding LOVE for OUR nation---only HE can fix it. Well, isn't that special? Anyone who has been in an abusive relationship can tell you that's how they keep you there. Your fear and dislike of the abuser is overshadowed by the fear of what will happen to you if you leave- how much WORSE it is "out there" and how other people will treat you WORSE because "only I know what you need and only I REALLY love you". And there were like 5 Bikers for Trump who showed up, looking like a pitiful wall of meat. I guess a wall of Vienna Sausages? And the parade was sparsely-attended. And they are using stock photos of OTHER inaugurations to make it look like DC was brim-full of patriots!

Yes, Melania looked lovely. I have nothing against Melania Trump. Barron looked miserable and it was noted that no one- no one in the Trump family, reached out to take his hand or put a hand on his shoulder. I didn't see it, remember. But if that's true, it's very sad. I heard a bit of the announcing and it's apparent that the guy was an MMA announcer. How fucking classy. My son said that the official photo shoot at the Lincoln Memorial- all in black and white and surrounded by military holding flags, was quite reminiscent of official dictatorship photos...

The protests. Here's my take. And the take from people who I know and who were there. It was worse than hoped for but better than being shown. Lots of stock footage of other protest violence in other places, like there usually are when it's expedient for the masses to hate people who are fighting for THEM. My answer to a conservative who sneered, "Yes- we hated Obama and protested and carried signs...but we never DESTROYED anything" was to say, "Hey- I can't help it liberals are better at EVERYTHING than ya'll are." She said, "Wait. That was almost funny..." Was it right for people to set a limo on fire? Nope. Wasn't right for the police to pepper spray (hose-like) an old lady AND a little kid, either. And don't say, "Well, they shouldn't have been there!" because fuck that. This is America, remember?

I was hoping beyond hope that during the final handshakes, Joe Biden would kidney-punch Trump and just keep walking.

OK. I am now duty-bound to go read the transcript. I cannot see that face or hear that voice without retching, and I will read it in his voice ANYWAY, but I have coffee and hopefully will not vomit. Be right back...

(Interlude of "Muskrat Love" elevator music)

What the hell. I'ma just copy/paste it here and let you know what I think about it as I read it.

"Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans and people of the world, thank you.
We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people.
Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come. We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done.

Well, that just reinforces the Right's claim that "Obama did nothing and tried his best to destroy America right there.

Every four years we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power.
And we are grateful to President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition.
They have been magnificent.
Thank you.

I had an employee once. Briefly. Every time I would ask him to do something he would say, "Yes, Ma'am." But the tone of his voice told me he was really thinking "fuck you". That's how this "Thank you" to Obama sounds, especially after the opening statement. He's literally DISMISSING the former president of the United States.

Today's ceremony, however, has a very special meaning because today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C., and giving it back to you, the people.
For too long, a small group in our nation's capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have bore the cost. Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered but the jobs left and the factories closed.
The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been your triumphs. And while they celebrated in our nation's capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.
That all changes starting right here and right now, because this moment is your moment.
It belongs to you.
It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America.
This is your day.
This is your celebration.
And this, the United States of America, is your country.
What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people.
January 20th, 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again.

What the literal fuck. Sure the pols in DC got rich. Yanno why? Because people like Donald J Trump PAY THEM to pass laws that only protect the RICH- the pols don't get tax breaks and decide to move business out of the country- the CORPORATE OWNER RAT BASTARD WEASELS DO.

The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer. Everyone is listening to you now. You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement, the likes of which the world has never seen before.
At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction that a nation exists to serve its citizens. Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families and good jobs for themselves.
These are just and reasonable demands of righteous people and a righteous public.

...and people like YOU, sir, are why we don't have that. Also, that little detail about how you lost the popular vote by 3 million and only half of registered voters bothered to get off their asses and vote. You won because the electoral college put you up there, and more of the electors went rogue AGAINST YOU than in any other time in history. Never forget that.

But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists.
Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities, rusted out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation.
An education system flush with cash but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge.
And the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.

BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU, YOU CLUELESS, SMUG BASTARD

This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.
We are one nation, and their pain is our pain.
Their dreams are our dreams, and their success will be our success. We share one heart, one home and one glorious destiny.
The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.

Yes. Of course. Say what you need to to keep the children quiet and pliant while you molest the crap out of them. Say the pretty words and they will believe it even tho historically it's YOU who have caused the most pain and damage.

For many decades we've enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry, subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military.
We've defended other nations' borders while refusing to defend our own. And we've spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while America's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.
We've made other countries rich while the wealth, strength and confidence of our country has dissipated over the horizon.
One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores with not even a thought about the millions and millions of American workers that were left behind.
The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world. But that is the past, and now we are looking only to the future.

Yes. The military contractors like Cheney and the rich assholes like yourself who do "business" overseas have gotten very wealthy. You really think we believe you will do anything about that? You've promised to throw MORE money at the military. "American workers left behind"? YOU BUILD YOUR SHITTY CRAP OVERSEAS AND HAVE NOT MADE ONE MOVE TO BRING ANY OF THOSE JOBS HOME. YOU BANK OVERSEAS. WHAT THE FUCK?

We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital and in every hall of power. From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land.
From this day forward, it's going to be only America first, America first. Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families. We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our product, stealing our companies and destroying our jobs.
Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength. I will fight for you with every breath in my body, and I will never ever let you down.
America will start winning again, winning like never before.

Protectionism, isolationism, nationalism. That's how abusers get you. Make you believe that they are only thinking of YOUR well-being and ISOLATE you from other people and ideas. Isolation is the main tool of the abuser. The main tool.

We will bring back our jobs. Great. You closing your factories in "Jina" and Mexico?

We will bring back our borders. Where did they go? What a ridiculous thing to say.

We will bring back our wealth, and we will bring back our dreams. So you're going to bank here again, too? OUTSTANDING

We will build new roads and highways and bridges and airports and tunnels and railways all across our wonderful nation. ...after getting rid of any minimum wage at all, right? So we can afford to do that if we are paying people $2.00 an hour.

We will get our people off of welfare and back to work, rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor. ...by getting rid of social safety nets. I guess that's one way to do it.

We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and hire American. You first, asshole.

We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world, but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first. Ah, yes. Friends with benefits but no real commitment.

We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example.
We will shine for everyone to follow. You realize not everyone wants to BE American, right? Because other places are also pretty great. What an ignorant, boorish thing to say. "We will be a GREAT example for the rest of this shithole of a planet!"

We will re-enforce old alliances and form new ones and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the earth. How? Your very attitude towards 'those brown people' and vow to (continue and escalate) bombing the shit out of them MAKE MORE TERRORISTS, YOU STUPID PRICK.

At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country we will rediscover our loyalty to each other.
When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice. Your version of "patriotism" is what BREEDS prejudice.

The Bible tells us how good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity. We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity. When America is united, America is totally unstoppable. There should be no fear. We are protected and we will always be protected. We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement. And most importantly, we will be protected by God. OH, BROTHER. Has this guy even read the Constitution? WE ARE NOT A THEOCRACY. I'll bet this got the biggest cheer from the assembled masses, tho...ESPECIALLY his "prayer warriors"

Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger. Wait. He missed a chance to say BIGLY? In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is striving. We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action, constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.
The time for empty talk is over. Now arrives the hour of action. Ummm...the only way to get things done quickly are illegal as hell. Our nation has a set of rules to govern by that are on purpose convoluted and lengthy. It is frustrating but prevents a DICTATORSHIP from forming. I hope it holds up to this because this is the biggest wall of bullshit and razzle dazzle that has ever come up against it.

Do not allow anyone to tell you that it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America. We will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper again. You just told us how crappy and awful it is. YOU'RE the one who's been telling us it's totally fucked for over a year now. So yes. We WILL thrive and prosper again. As soon as we get your ass OUT of there.

We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow. What? We're 17 years into the new millennium and you sound like a cross between George Jetson and a snake oil salesmen.

A new national pride will stir ourselves, lift our sights and heal our divisions. Oooh oooh oooh- did he pass out brown shirts at this juncture? It's time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget, that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots. Unless you're a chick soldier. Then you're just a distraction and asking to be raped, like you've said in the past.

We all enjoy the same glorious freedoms and we all salute the same great American flag. ...unless you're gay, or a minority, or female, or an atheist or a liberal, right? I mean...let's not get all CRAZY here. And the flag is a symbol, not what we worship or fight for. Our soliders are fighting for America, not the cloth symbol of it. Because that would be idolatry, and your God sort of frowns on that.

And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty creator. And if they are born rich, they don't have to worry about shit, right? When their daddy gives them a "small gift" of a million dollars at their high school graduation...you forgot to mention those kids. You literally have no fucking idea of how 99% of the kids in this nation live, do you?

So to all Americans in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, from ocean to ocean, hear these words: You will never be ignored again. Your voice, your hopes and your dreams will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.
Together we will make America strong again, we will make America wealthy again, we will make America proud again, we will make America safe again.
And, yes, together we will make America great again. More pretty words to suck in the victims. Note it's all "again". Note that most of it is already great. We have the largest most badass military the world has ever seen. We have more billionaires and more income inequality than any country- you think he's for changing THAT ratio? Most Americans are DAMN proud and we love our nation fiercely- that's why we're protesting YOUR election. Safe? Great! You're for gun control! That'll go down well in Red America...

Thank you.
God bless you.
And God bless America."

I'm glad I didn't watch it. I would've broken the TV.

So even without watching it, here's what I dreamt last night.

I was here in Denton, but when we got here, the house next door had been moved. It was taking up our driveway, had eliminated our garage and there was a new fence making half of our yard their yard.

I knocked on the door and asked them about it. They said they had just bought the house and had had it moved to where it now was. I said that there was some mistake and they needed to call the city and get a survey because they were clearly taking up a big chunk of OUR property- so much that we couldn't park in the driveway anymore and had no garage anymore at all.

They laughed and said that they could do whatever they wanted to do because they were REAL Dentonites and that if we didn't like it we should just move somewhere else.

Welcome to Trumpfuckistan.

I'd better get a shower. I have a rally to attend. I'm old and tired but goddammit, this shit WILL be watched, it WILL be protested, and it WILL be gotten thru to the other side.