THE DAY AFTER THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION

I continue to get feedback from family and friends regarding the aftermath of the presidential election. Here are a few..

"I am embarrassed and afraid for my country. I feel so sad that I've left this kind of nation for my children.".. son Craig, Dallas, TX

"Well, it looks like the U.S. did exactly what Putin wanted...It is too bad, indeed....My dad was a highly-skilled, blue-collar worker and he would never have voted for Trump. Dad especially would not have voted for Trump when he started talking about what a great leader Putin is, but I will betcha that most of my cousins voted for Trump. Some of them are blue collar and some of them are white collar. Some are business owners. All dreadfully wrong."..Cliffie S., Coppell, TX

"I am sick beyond sick . . . It's going to take quite a lot for me to come to terms with this."..Pam L., Denton, TX

"I'm willing to wait and see how it goes. Worried about my insurance coverage...Hoping this is not a huge setback for us women. We have worked so hard to be where we are. Just going to take a wait and see attitude."..Carol W., Denton, TX

A daughter of a dear friend of mine from high school lost both of her parents in recent years. She lives in the very small, conservative west Texas town where we knew each other. As she knows my family and so many of the ones who read my blog, I always include her. Here is what she has to say about the election:
"I started to cry as I was reading. You know Mom and Dad were Democrats.....so that's how I lean. I feel so alone and like an outcast in this area. I don't start a politics talk to anyone, and very rarely express my opinion."..Amy B., Ballinger, TX

Yes, indeed, her parents were avid Democrats. Sadly, there are few left in that small town. I feel sure this is happening in many rural towns in the U.S.  If you happen to live in one, and you are one of the few Democrats, reach out to others who might be feeling like "outcasts". My dear Amy, you are not alone.

My friend Jack finally came out of his shock mode and said, "I can't think very much. I feel like someone sucker punched me right on the jaw. More then anything I have fear. Imagine a man whose staff took his Twitter account away from him. Who's going to be there to take away the Nuclear Code? I greatly fear nuclear war in the future. Trump does not have the emotional control to be a national leader. I will not go so far as to say he is crazy, but he does have mental problems."..John Nance Garner V, Denton, TX

Jack wrote the following before the election. I substituted "voted" for "vote" in his original Letter to the Editor:

"If you voted for Donald Trump, you are saying sexual assault is all right with you.

If you voted for Donald Trump you are telling the world that lies do not matter.

If you voted for Donald Trump you voted for bigotry.

If you voted for Donald Trump you told the world that it is all right to treat women like second class citizens.

If you voted for Donald Trump you are in effect showing that Black Lives don't matter.

If you voted for Donald Trump you approve of tax cuts for the 1% of the nation's richest.

If you voted for Donald Trump you are satisfied with the super-rich paying little or no taxes.

If you voted for Donald Trump you have no respect for Latinos.

If you voted for Donald Trump it shows you stand for everything negative about him.

That's what voting for Trump says about you."

Lots of cartoons are expressing our feelings about this election. This one has to be my favorite. I think we all woke up feeling this way yesterday.

(David Rowe Cartoon)

I have more reactions for another time. In fact, I'd be willing to bet there will be many unfavorable reviews of this new president-elect during the next four years. May we stand firm in our belief that America is already great, that no one person can tear down all of our beloved institutions, and that we will learn lessons from this election. Hopefully, most of those lessons will be apparent to the disenfranchised voters who put this man in office. 

Above all, let's keep our sense of humor. After all, we will have a clown for president.

Peace, love, and hope for the future,

Marilyn