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H2O Man

(73,323 posts)
Sat Jun 16, 2018, 04:52 PM Jun 2018

America

When facing an unresolved issue or situation, many people in modern society imagine the worst case scenario. That's natural. Yet, it is more common for those issues to conclude in a manner distinct from that worst case scenario.

But not always. In a literal sense, Trump being “elected” president was the worst case scenario of this American generation. It was as if the orange pus of an abscess had oozed to the surface of our society, and infected the social order. Indeed, our nation – and the world community – is being held hostage to the disease known as Trump.

Thus, I understand and appreciate when people, including on the internet, express concern that Trump and his fellow zits on society will grant pardons, fire Mr. Rosenstein and or Mr. Mueller, or take any other action to disrupt his eventual impeachment. Indeed, with the mounting tensions that have come over the past week – involving Cohen, Manafort, the NYS Attorney General's filing, and the ongoing SDNY and Team Mueller federal investigations – it is difficult to imagine the orange pus limiting himself to merely tweeting lies.

More, the lawyers that had previously advised him to avoid pardons and interfering with the Justice Department (and who made clear they could no longer represent him, if he did) are gone. Instead, there are four delusional lawyers, with pus for brains.

A number of (relatively) sane republicans in the House and Senate have also told Trump that his interference would be unacceptable. But they are, obviously, a timid minority within their party. A rational person could believe their warnings are as impotent as Trump himself.

So it it fair to say that we are experiencing a time with great risks.

However, I believe that what we are experiencing is necessary. Issues of toxic hatred, be they sexism, racism, etc, have been at the surface of our society for a long time. That is not to say that progress hasn't been made over the decades. Rather, we have yet to fully disinfect the abscess. It's more like we were prescribed an antibiotic, but failed to take the full amount once we started to feel better. The infection may have been less visible – especially if we weren't looking at it in our daily lives – but it was there.

We are being tasked with a huge obligation to ourselves and our society …..and the global society. It can seem overwhelming. Trump is the very definition of the worst case scenario as president, and he calls forth the most irrational, hate-filled people in our country. But the actual worst case scenario would be if citizens, like you and I, believed the lie that we are powerless in the face of that orange pus.

In the next two weeks, we will definitely witness Trump reacting harshly to the increasing pressure he and his children are facing. That is certain. But do not allow yourself to become discouraged. For we are going to win this fight.

Peace,
H2O Man

23 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
America (Original Post) H2O Man Jun 2018 OP
Yes we will! NRaleighLiberal Jun 2018 #1
Yep! H2O Man Jun 2018 #8
We are Americans! Mopar151 Jun 2018 #2
"With the power H2O Man Jun 2018 #9
I don't think we have ever witnessed this degree of brazenness before... kentuck Jun 2018 #3
I agree. H2O Man Jun 2018 #10
It is evil and demonic... kentuck Jun 2018 #12
I have more faith in Americans than I do in Putin. GeorgeGist Jun 2018 #4
Yep! H2O Man Jun 2018 #13
Yes! Yes! Yes! Alliepoo Jun 2018 #5
Well, thank you! H2O Man Jun 2018 #15
But do not allow yourself to become discouraged. For we are going to win this fight malaise Jun 2018 #6
Darned right! H2O Man Jun 2018 #16
Maybe once this is all over coeur_de_lion Jun 2018 #7
From my experience, H2O Man Jun 2018 #17
Jesus coeur_de_lion Jun 2018 #20
I think you're right, H2O, despite . . . peggysue2 Jun 2018 #11
Thanks, Buddy! H2O Man Jun 2018 #18
Your post made me feel better Peggysue coeur_de_lion Jun 2018 #21
Thanks to you both and . . . peggysue2 Jun 2018 #22
our better angels coeur_de_lion Jun 2018 #23
I love you. Solly Mack Jun 2018 #14
Thank you, Solly Mack! H2O Man Jun 2018 #19

H2O Man

(73,323 posts)
8. Yep!
Sun Jun 17, 2018, 10:41 AM
Jun 2018

Thought this is speculation on my part, I'd wager that Trump is rather unpleasant to be around this weekend. Can you imagine the mood among the White House staff?

H2O Man

(73,323 posts)
9. "With the power
Sun Jun 17, 2018, 10:43 AM
Jun 2018

of soul, anything is possible; with the power of you, anything we want to do." -- Jimi Hendrix

kentuck

(110,950 posts)
3. I don't think we have ever witnessed this degree of brazenness before...
Sat Jun 16, 2018, 04:59 PM
Jun 2018

...and that is scary. It is the unknown that freaks people out. I agree that we should not permit ourselves to become discouraged. This is a mental battle where we must remain positive.

H2O Man

(73,323 posts)
10. I agree.
Sun Jun 17, 2018, 10:56 AM
Jun 2018

I've literally felt sick about the separating children from their parents. Decades ago, in my first human services job, I worked with families where child neglect and/or abuse was an issue. Taking children away from their parents, even when necessary, has consequences. My goal was always to do whatever possible to insure safety, of course, but within the family structure. Removal was the last resort.

At the clinic, I was tasked with coordinating with two therapists from other agencies in developing a course to evaluate for the family court system if -- in worst case scenarios -- parents should lose their parental rights completely. I created the entire 20 week course and system of evaluation. Any parent that wanted to remain in their children's lives could document that by taking the course. I put a lot of hours into that.

There really is no more accurate measure of any system, be it a family, community, or country, than how it treats children. This administration is abusive in that area. And the cruelty they display demonstrates that they have zero respect for the law.

Hence, I try to be objective in my opposition to this administration. That helps me to not feel overwhelmed.

kentuck

(110,950 posts)
12. It is evil and demonic...
Sun Jun 17, 2018, 12:28 PM
Jun 2018

...to treat children in such a way, in my opinion. And he is doing it as a negotiating tool to get the Democrats to give him his wall.

GeorgeGist

(25,294 posts)
4. I have more faith in Americans than I do in Putin.
Sat Jun 16, 2018, 05:00 PM
Jun 2018

I hope he loses slowly and excruciatingly ... for all the wannabes to witness.

Alliepoo

(2,196 posts)
5. Yes! Yes! Yes!
Sat Jun 16, 2018, 05:00 PM
Jun 2018

OMGosh I love this! Thank you!! We are not powerless and we will get through this mess and be stronger for it. Great post!

coeur_de_lion

(3,666 posts)
7. Maybe once this is all over
Sat Jun 16, 2018, 10:05 PM
Jun 2018

We can say that we are somewhat glad that the evil pus came to the surface so we could see it and deal with it.

Love this:

We are being tasked with a huge obligation to ourselves and our society …..and the global society. It can seem overwhelming. Trump is the very definition of the worst case scenario as president, and he calls forth the most irrational, hate-filled people in our country. But the actual worst case scenario would be if citizens, like you and I, believed the lie that we are powerless in the face of that orange pus.


It's true that I didn't know there were so many ugly people in this country. I thought the infection was under control and had been since the 1960s.

I started to see the uglies when Obama was president. Even my old grade school friend started spouting ugliness about Obama, which shocked me right to my core and caused me to end a lifelong friendship.

But this -- this is like having millions of George Wallace wannabe clones coming to the surface. No it is way worse than that. Trump is like Wallace on a double dose of steroids. I'm absolutely gobsmacked. Every fucking day.

Next week I start door-to-door canvassing with local Democratic candidates. It's the best thing I can think of to do, and I really must do something. It will relieve my mind. I'll probably be doing the administrative tasks, registering voters and signing them up to vote by mail. I haven't been politically active since 2004.

Most of the time I am pretty laid back -- I don't take action unless I have to.

I am grateful for people like you who inspire me to ACT instead of sitting on my ass complaining.

H2O Man

(73,323 posts)
17. From my experience,
Mon Jun 18, 2018, 12:41 PM
Jun 2018

with people I know, the racism has been at the surface all along. I've spoken before about two brothers I had known since the early 1960s -- when JFK was President -- who were murdered by a fellow who disliked black folks. This was in the early 1980s. The murderer got a shorter sentence that summer from a county judge, than a college student who had a quarter gram of cocaine ....his first offense.

In the 1990s, my nephew was attacked by a racist hate group that didn't approve of a non-white high school student getting a lot of press for being a scholar-athlete that led his team to a state title. They left my nephew for dead in a field that night. Though he lived, he has injuries that will last throughout his life. The gang leader got a $50 fine for having an open beer at the time he punched and kicked my unconscious nephew repeatedly. That was it.

Of course, I've seen a lot of crime that wasn't rooted in racism, too. But it's always been there. It's just that Trump has given license to these "many good people" that has encouraged them to come out from under the rocks.

coeur_de_lion

(3,666 posts)
20. Jesus
Mon Jun 18, 2018, 01:17 PM
Jun 2018

Now I remember the second story but I don't remember if you told me the first one. Makes me so sick that this could happen to good people. I just can't stand it. Makes me sick to think of what happened to your friend and your nephew. You don't even live in the south like I do.

Call it white privilege or something but I guess I have been sheltered for a long time from bigotry. I just don't know anyone who is like that so I can live in bliss thinking people are good and racism was mostly defeated in the 60s and 70s.

My Dad was a psychiatric social worker after he retired from the military. He always felt it was better to get the bad feelings out in the open so they can be dealt with. Not always fun. But my experiences with him are probably what made me such a confrontational person.

I's awful and ugly but perhaps we are better off knowing we have so many people like Fredo and Sessions and their disciples who would love to start more racial discord like we had in JFK's time. Let them all come out of the woodwork for the world to see. And maybe we can shame them into submission.

I can't stand the thought of our country behaving as they did in the south during the 60s. Please God please deliver us from the hate.

peggysue2

(10,811 posts)
11. I think you're right, H2O, despite . . .
Sun Jun 17, 2018, 11:25 AM
Jun 2018

my moments of exasperation, that the end to this debacle will bend toward democracy and decency.

The despair trolls and woe-is-me crowd, the loud, caustic critics of all things American are agitated for a reason. They want us to lose hope, give up, pretend we are powerless in the face of the Trumpsters, the Nazis, the White Nationalists who are spreading their hatred here and across Europe. It's no mistake or coincidence that the Trumpster and his odious acolytes are railing against NATO and the G-7, planning to pull out of the UN Human Rights Council, undermining what they claim is a global conspiracy of Allies because those Western safeguards stand between them and complete usurpation of the Rule of Law, democratic governance and values.

Democracy does not favor megalomaniacs and mobsters.

One need look no further than our southern border, the way immigrant children are being treated and abused to understand the fullness of their cruelty, their no-tolerance mandates and policies that would spread to the whole of the populace.

In the end, we will push the haters back under their rocks but we won't emerge unscathed. We will, however, have an opportunity to heal, repair and take our freedoms, our laws, our system of governance more seriously and accept the responsibility of citizen watchdogs.

Democracy, self-governance is a fragile, messy system. This has been a dangerous shot across the bow. Hopefully, we'll all take note and no longer take the fruits of that system for granted or retreat from making it a more just, more humane system for all.

Thanks for the reminder!

coeur_de_lion

(3,666 posts)
21. Your post made me feel better Peggysue
Mon Jun 18, 2018, 01:23 PM
Jun 2018

Thanks for giving me some hope, this latest news has really had me down.

peggysue2

(10,811 posts)
22. Thanks to you both and . . .
Mon Jun 18, 2018, 01:33 PM
Jun 2018

I have my own dark moments, days, coeur_de_lion. But we'll find our way to the other side, Then the real work begins--healing, repairing, shoring up the best of the country while replacing, renovating and strengthening the weak and rotted parts.

It's going to be a generational mission but we'll get there. But first, this debacle must be brought to an end.

I still believe in our better angels.

coeur_de_lion

(3,666 posts)
23. our better angels
Mon Jun 18, 2018, 03:03 PM
Jun 2018

need to prevail or we will be living in a country very similar to Nazi Germany.

Prayers to the Universe, God, and our better angels.

Solly Mack

(90,740 posts)
14. I love you.
Mon Jun 18, 2018, 12:31 PM
Jun 2018
orange pus of an abscess had oozed to the surface of our society, and infected the social order.


We're not powerless but we must not stop short of the full dose needed to cure ourselves.

Trump and his minions merely being gone isn't enough. The cure demands we excise all of the pus.

That will take time and we can't get complacent and think sanity has returned simply because Trump and his minions are out.

H2O Man

(73,323 posts)
19. Thank you, Solly Mack!
Mon Jun 18, 2018, 12:44 PM
Jun 2018

And you are exactly right, for it was that infection that brought Trump to the surface, rather than his causing the disease.

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