AND SO........

     One year later another election day. So what happened and what has happened during this year and most important, has there been any progress, particularly among the benighted? Well, one can only hope, but I think that there were some victories yesterday and some glimmerings of light and hope for the future. But make no mistake about it - there is still a long and difficult road ahead and we must be vigilant, careful, and proactive if we are to maintain our country as it should be and not as the morass of ethically challenged obscenely wealthy people who stand to crush the lower economic classes with taxation, no healthcare, no rights and no life.
     The slogans of "war is peace and slavery is freedom" come from the prescient novel 1984 and while we have passed that year, left it behind, we have not left behind those among us who glory in its thinking and picture of a bleak future. These are the people who lie and lie and lie yet again. These are the people who follow Trump's path, who base all on wealth accumulation and power associated with that wealth. It leads to people such as Ross and DeVos and Price and Scott and Tillerson and so many others who are now in government ruining our country, taking down all safety regulations, all hope for the future and who, along with Trump, benefit from the rulings and policies of the government.
     After one year we still have a president who is not a president. He is a big infant, an oversize baby who thinks in terms of making believe he is driving a big truck, or gleefully planning a "secret" trip to the DMZ, all the better to shout out defiance against the nearby madman, but in any case, failed in that, the trip a no go due to weather.
     He has made the art of telling a lie a premier rule of his administration. He has embraced white supremacists, hateful nationalists, "America Firsters", critters such as Bannon, and spins on a dime, all the better to change his lies and change the narrative of truth. We have gone backwards during his time in office and the rest of his tenure is threatening indeed.
     The rest of the world has begun to count us out, disinviting Trump to a climate conference, no room for him among 100 nations. America is not to be relied upon any longer because there is a deranged man at the helm. Impossible theories are put forth such as the fact that the proposed tax 'reform' is actually a welfare plan, for the wealthy, a give away for the bloated corporations who have stored away billions upon billions of dollars in oversea hideaways but that money has not filtered down to more jobs, better pay and benefits for the worker bees. Nope, and now he is proposing more money for them. There is no such thing as truly trickle down economy for the wealthy keep it to themselves and the corporations just hoard the money like uncle Scrooge in the comics.
     And meanwhile America keeps burying its dead, shot down in mass shootings, babies and all.
The proponents of free guns shout how one man with a rifle shot the shooter. True, but after how many deaths, after how many babies shot multiple times and if there had not been an availability of this assault weapon there would have been no shootings and no need for a rifle to have been in church. Even country music people have begun to come around to the necessity to change the rules, to make it possible to ban assault weapons. When will we ever learn? How many more deaths and horrific wounds and mutilations will it take for us to learn that and shut down the extremists of the NRA? How many more balloons and teddy bears and flowers and pictures and crosses will it take to finally get that message through?
     And so one year later we are mired in the muck and filth and incompetence and evil of the Trump reign. We have made a  start but more needs to be done. Much more and quickly. One year later and so much damage has been done. Where and how does it end and for how long will we have to bear the consequences of his mismanagement and cruel policies. Is there even an answer to these questions?