Puppy Days Are Gone

Oh, how I long for the days when my columns would often be about puppies and nostalgia and entertainment media (books, TV, theater, movies) and my wonderful family and their accomplishments.

But y'all decided something different, didn't you?

86% of the people in my home county voted for the most unqualified and catastrophic Presidential candidate in American history.  And the consequences will be devastating, not just for the next fours, not just for this generation, but for irreversible changes that permanently alter the human race's existence on this planet.

Think I'm being hyperbolic?  I'm not.  You may not be there yet, but before this is over, the vast majority of you will be.

Looking at the headlines as to what was to come made my heart ache and my skin crawl.

He's not only going to not do anything about climate change, his policies will super charge it.  And make us more dependent once again on the fossil fuel that cause so much environmental damage and political chaos.

That is something the next Presidency cannot fix (if he even allows another election - I'm not kidding).  It's already iffy if we can do much more than mitigate it, think about four more years of accelerated damage will do.  I can see the headlines - "MIAMI SINKS AS PRESIDENT FIDDLES IN DC"  "PRESIDENT DECLARES UNITED STATES IS ENTITLED TO LATIN AMERICA WATER RESOURCES; WAR IMMINENT"

We're going to waste billions and billions of dollars on a useless fence that won't work and isn't needed.  All it will do will is send a message to the world about how belligerent and racist America has become.  I can see the headline - "60 BILLION DOLLAR WALL BEATEN BY A 20 DOLLAR LADDER"

We're going to further dehumanize and create a hostile environment for our American Muslims, and certainly abandon our moral obligation to assist and accommodate refugees.  For those who fancy that Trump is not like Hitler, maybe you need to substitute the word Jew for Muslim in Trump's speeches.  It can happen here.  Don't kid yourself.  I can see the headlines- "CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS PROTEST THE BUILDING OF MUSLIM INTERNMENT CAMP IN THEIR STATE"  "MULLAH ARRESTED FOR REFUSING TO WEAR CRESCENT STAR ON HIS CLOTHES"

Living black in America, already a challenge, will become worse, as schools gallop towards re-segregation and privatization, as stop and frisk laws become more resurgent, as voting suppression accelerates, as discrimination suits are dismissed and ridiculed.  I can see the headline - "BEYONCE ARRESTED FOR REFUSING TO COOPERATE WITH A STOP AND FRISK WHEN PULLED OVER FOR THE CRIME OF DRIVING WHILE BLACK"

Millions upon millions will lose their health insurance when Obamacare is repealed.  What is the terrific plan to replace it?  Some minor adoption of purchasing insurance across state lines, which will only serve to promote crappy policies from the states with the weakest regulations.  I can see the headline - "INSURANCE PREMIUMS SKYROCKET AS INSURANCE PROVIDERS ARE NO LONGER HELD IN CHECK"  "MILLIONS ONCE AGAIN EXCLUDED FROM COVERAGE DUE TO PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS"  "MEDICAL BANKRUPTCIES LEADING CAUSE OF HOPELESS DEBT IN USA"


This is just the beginning.  But that's all right.  I have at least four years to tell it.

And tell it I will.

Yes, puppies will come back.  So will nostalgic tales of my youth, funny anecdotes about life, commentary on ripping good yarns, fiction, family and fun will creep back in.

But the pall will still hang over it all.

You, the American people decided that, with your electoral college victory for the frightening, disgusting visage of President (I'm gagging now - literally gagging)  Donald Drumpf.

Things will never be the same again.