We Really Do Care: Saturday Political Soap Box 186

Why did Melania Trump wear a jacket that said:  "I Really Don't Care, Do U?"  across its back?

I really don't know.  Do I care?  I'm not sure.  Did she mean the children?  Her husband?  The media?  The weather? 

But I think we do care.

We care about the children.  The separation of families has struck a chord with many of us, and we don't see a plan to reunite those families.  The American people's reaction is that we do care.  This was a step too far for even immigration hardliners.

We care about her husband.  At least we care about the damage he is doing to our country and the democracy it is founded upon.  We care that he has chosen to identify more with world dictators than he has with democratic leaders.  We care that his rhetoric is tinged with racist paranoia and that he is trying to get us to react in fear, rather than in reason or compassion.

We care about the media.  We care that we have a 24 hours news station that is basically state-run television supporting Trump, no matter how authoritarian he is, no matter what godawful thing he does or says, no matter how much they have to contort or change previous positions.  We care about how much of the media is controlled by only a handful of corporations.  We care that we're losing net neutrality, dramatically increasing the odds that the Internet becomes expensive and under the control of only a few large players.  Please keep reading my blog even if they slow down your access to it.

We care about the weather.  We care that global warming remains unchecked, indeed has even been accelerated by the actions of the Trump administration.  Rules and regulations concerning pollution have been reversed, and fossil fuels have been favored over alternative energy.  We care that extreme weather, exacerbated by climate change, has become the norm rather than the exception.  The negative effects of global warming will create millions of climate refugees as parts of the planet become uninhabitable.   The current level of refugees will look like a trickle compared to what's coming. There will be mass migration on a level the world has never seen before.

Not everyone who reads this blog cares about every single one of these concerns.  A few may not care about any of them.  But there are many of us who are concerned, about these issues and many others.  And as long as there is breath in our bodies, we will continue to speak out.

What I really don't care about is commenting too much about the lives of the first family.  I have never commented much on Melania Trump, one way or another.  Those of Trump's children who speak out on public issues, including adviser Ivanka Trump, make it fair game as it relates to whatever issue they've spoken out about.  But the rest is not my concern, and I really don't care what they do or don't do,  Do you?

So, I don't know why she wore that jacket.  It could have been completely unintentional with no ulterior purpose.  I doubt it, but it could have been. 

But I do know this.  We care.  And we will continue to care.  There will always be a reason to care.  There will always be people that need caring about, that need kindness and understanding.  There will always be issues that affect us all, that require our action and caring to make things better for all.

We care, Melania.  And I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt.  I think, deep down. you care too.

Only time will tell.

Nope. Can't explain it.