Trump Follower? Here Is What You Support…

Trump, the Vagitarian, 2017

Insurrection at the Capitol Building

Ok, we have all seen it by now… the mob entering the Capitol Building.

Property destroyed, five people dead, minimal police response (they were white people, after all–so no sense of urgency required)…

Oh, the shame of it all.

Some say, “This is NOT who we are!”

Unfortunately, to the contrary, it IS who we are. And we need to be adults and face up to it.

It’s time to move this country forward, folks.

Get active. Vote. Defend truth and justice.

[Don’t despair. Not all of this is bad news… I have a list of “Heroes” at the end of this post.]

First, The Visuals: Trumpism Revealed

You may not have supported these things outright, but by supporting Trump and sharing his lies on Facebook, you were giving oxygen to this…

Photo credit goes to Saul Loeb–please support this photojournalist and his work at saulloeb.com. No words really required:

Rebel Battle Flag in Capitol by Saul Loeb

If you know nothing of history, educate yourself on this one… Google the phrase, “Arbeit Macht Frei” and see if that’s something you’d like to sign on to. I have tried to find the photographer to give appropriate credit, but have had no luck:

Camp Auschwitz, Work Brings Freedom

Credit for this one… Spencer Platt/Getty Images (Times of Israel):

QAnon Jacket

Photo credit: possibly John M. Phillips on Twitter. Yes, it literally does say, “MAGA Civil War”:

MAGA Civil War Trio

And you were worried about Islamic terrorists in our country???

The Lies

Unfortunately, there are those who would gain from spreading lies and misinformation. But, if our democracy is to survive, we need to return to an agreed upon reality–facts matter, science matters, quality information matters, our democratic processes, norms, traditions, and institutions all matter. 

Yes, after that, we can argue about policy–but we need to all come together on these few basics.

There are millions of Americans (many of them our own friends and/or family members!) who will need to find some humility and wean themselves from sucking on those tempting internet teats that have sustained the anger, hate, resentment, lies, and conspiracy theories for so long.

This will be a long process, much like the reprocessing a cult survivor must endure to come back from the “dead”. Some will make it, others won’t.

The Principle Enablers

These folks need to immediately lose our support. I consider them traitors to their oath of office and to the United States Constitution.

They should be removed or voted out of office at the earliest opportunity.

Commercial entities need to find a moral compass, or be put out of business via boycott.

[NOTE: What follows is by no means an all-inclusive roster!]

The List:

–We have to start with the #1 Enabler, the Liar-In-Chief himself, Donald Trump. He deserves immediate impeachment and removal from office, if not criminal charges as well. (Then, put him in a few 12-Step programs… Power Addicts Anonymous, Sex Addicts Anonymous, Narcissists Anonymous, Misogynists Anonymous, Liers Anonymous?)

–Then, you have his tight little “Mafia family”: Don Jr., Eric, Ivanka, Jared, Rudy Giuliani, William Barr (too little too late, Bill!), Mike Pompeo, Kellyanne Conway, Kayleigh McEnany, Stephen Miller, et al.

–Next… Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, et al, and their click-bait, make-a-buck-at-whatever-cost, algorithms. They helped create these alternate, fact-free universes–these “information silos”– where millions of Americans have been bottom feeding. (I no longer use any of these platforms.)

–Let’s follow that with the so-called “news” outlets who have deliberately spread (and continue to spread) misleading information, propaganda, and outright lies–most prominently Fox News, Newsmax, and OAN… and maybe I should throw in QAnon here as well.

–And, of course, we can’t forget the media personalities with their propaganda shows masquerading as “news”: Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Hugh Hewitt, Ann Coulter, Michael Medved, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Jeanine Pirro, Dennis Prager,  et al, et al.

–Finally, for my list of enablers,  we need to include those 147 elected officials in Washington, D.C. who, instead of being leaders and speaking truth to their constituents, chose to perpetuate lies for personal political gain during the Electoral College Count and U.S. Capitol Insurrection of January 6-7, 2021:

[NOTE: I have put their faces here so we can all remember them in 2022 and 2024 when we head to the polls again. It’s a long, sad, seditious parade, so find your state/district Senators/Reps, remember them, then scroll quickly to the end for the Heroes list.]

Profiles in Cowardice

In the Senate:

In the House of Representatives:

The Heroes

–All the American voters who turned out in historic numbers to vote Trump out and the two new Georgia Senators in.

–Biden and Harris… for acting like leaders are supposed to act… for showing that they are dedicated to making government work to benefit ALL of us.

–The ten living ex-Secretaries of Defense… for standing up to Trump’s attempt to politicize and co-opt the military.

–All living ex-Presidents… for supporting the rule of law.

—The Lincoln Project… for exposing the fraud and hypocrisy of the autocratic and anti-democratic Party of Trump and attempting to preserve an authentic conservative alternative… and for being one more variable that helped push the election away from Trump.

–Finally, the election officials and poll workers (Republicans and Democrats)… for their dedication to democratic processes during an historic pandemic and a period of unprecedented vitriol in politics.

Remember COVID?

And let’s not forget, we are in the midst of a pandemic. So… here’s a huge toast to all of our health care workers (the vaccine developers, nurses, doctors, maintenance and janitorial folks, EMTs, ambulance crews) and to our essential workers (fire fighters, police, supermarket employees, farmers, food service providers, pharmicists, delivery persons, truck drivers, the post office/FedEx/UPS, those who maintain our electricity, water, internet, and sewer systems).

Here’s hoping 2021 will prove to be a year of renewal, enlightment and joy.