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Ten thoughts on Election 2016.

  1. The winning strategy was a diminishing of everything America has stood for. Compassion and acceptance were conquered by fear and selfishness, along with a repeal of the Voting Rights Act. You and I know this is not how the country is supposed to function, so we need to work on keeping and restoring those core beliefs intact over the next 4 to 8 years.
  2. Drumpf.
  3. The Republican Party is now officially the party of xenophobia and hatred. This has of course been implied in decades of coded language, but with Drumpf in office the dog whistles are going to become bullhorns, and every R in Congress is now tied to that mindset. Any talk of healing the nation, or helping those less fortunate, is offset by the lout in the audience shouting, "Build the wall!"
  4. If you like your Senator or Representative, make sure you know how to contact them, because there are going to be a lot of instances where you need to have your voice heard.
  5. The Supreme Court is about to get a lot more conservative. Keep a watch out for Planned Parenthood and other institutions that will need your help and support.
  6. Also keep an eye out for women, minorities, and other groups that will need protection from fascists and racists.
  7. Small victories: Tammy Duckworth in Illinois. The defeat of Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona. Local politics still affects your life significantly, and if you have people in your corner fighting for your ideals, that definitely helps.
  8. Jon Stewart took over The Daily Show in 1999, just before the George W. Bush years. This is the time for Trevor Noah to step up and help the nation in a similar fashion, and the fact that a South African comedian is everything that Drumpf stands against might help.
  9. Time to start that punk band.
  10. And time for me to start working on the podcast that I've been thinking about for a while.
  11. (bonus) America has been ruled by racists and other horrible people for a long time, so this is nothing new. That said, it's frustrating to think about all the gains we've made in the past 8 years that are going to be wiped out in record time.

Okay. Enough mourning, let's start working.

This article is my 70th oldest. It is 378 words long