On the eve of the presidential re-inauguration, I’ve got quite a few thoughts. But one thing I want to share first is something I initially wrote on January 6, 2021, after the attack on the Capitol. There will be a few edits to the original post since that was four years ago now, but my main reason for reposting it here is because I had written it on my personal Facebook account. More and more I feel like phasing that account out with how much social media companies are trying to sink their teeth into us, getting us addicted to their algorithms; anyone watching the events of TikTok going down and coming back up this weekend would be hard-pressed to disagree.
Anyway. Original post:
Today [January 6, 2021] felt reminiscent of how I felt nearly 20 years ago, in September of 2001. I’d been woken up that fateful Black Tuesday to the news that a terrorist attack had happened on US soil. I couldn’t fully grasp the concept of what that meant for us as a country, but it felt dark. I do remember, though, how quickly the country came together soon after, standing as “one nation, under God.” I could draw comfort in that thought, and we as a country were able to press forward.
As I watched the news unfold today I felt that same kind of darkness in my mind. Uncertainty of what the next steps would be. How in the world we could bounce back after something so devastating. Last time it was because of terrorist groups from foreign countries, and it was easy to see who the enemy was. Today, we hurt ourselves.
For the last couple of months (and really, the last [eight] years) it’s been made abundantly clear that the nation has been tearing itself apart. Is there a single solitary person or organization to blame for this? No, I don’t believe it’s quite that simple. But it is absolutely evident that the person who has been in our elected office as President of the United States [and has now been reelected] has done very little, if anything at all, to try to keep this country together, and is a perfect example of how to totally disregard our fellow man. (So… really a horrible example, to be honest.)
And this isn’t something that happened late in his term, either. He’s told lie upon lie upon lie, bragged about his so-called achievements over the years (even the ones that failed), and always viewed himself as the most important person in the universe. He has no respect for anyone else, and claims fraud or rigged outcomes when things haven’t gone in his favor. He’s convinced millions of his followers to think, and subsequently act, in the same way. The events in DC have served as a prime example of how much it has escalated. And those followers have been proud of it! I remember seeing someone having painted on their car [eight] years ago the phrase “deplorable Mormon”! Since some people seem to forget the importance of words and their definitions, “deplorable” (a term meant as an insult, but embraced by his supporters) means “deserving strong condemnation”!! Before he was even elected, he bragged about how he could get away with shooting someone and “not lose any voters.” What kind of psychopath can say that?! I couldn’t believe he won [eight] years ago, and was almost more incredulous in November seeing how many people still supported him with their votes.
After [that day’s] events I have no idea how he may have any shred of a conscience left, though if he does I’m sure he’s pushing it aside so that he can try to concoct some other devious scheme to retain power. I truly hope that tomorrow I can wake up feeling more hopeful that I did for most of today, but as long as that vile excuse of a president is still there, I fear that we may see further situations like today over the next couple of weeks.
Please, friends. However religious or spiritual you may be, whatever higher being you believe in, I hope that you’ll say a prayer tonight. Not necessarily that things will change overnight – the hearts of men hardly ever change so quickly. But pray for hope. Pray for peace. Pray for softer hearts, especially for our leadership. Keep your loved ones close and let them know you love them. And in the morning, do what you can to be an example of kindness and charity to others in whatever capacity you can. I’m a firm believer in the power of prayer, and in following it up by doing whatever we can to enact the positive changes we want to see in the world. That may sound a bit preachy, I know, but “we the people” do have the chance to stand up for what’s truly right.
I didn’t like him then, I still don’t like him now. You’re welcome to feel how you want about him but all I see is a grifter, a bully, a power-thirsty tyrant – who also will demand that others kiss the ring, give him money, and so many things that don’t represent the values I’ve been taught to have all my life as a Christian, as an American, or just as a decent human being. Even within the last 48 hours, he’s launched a “memecoin” cryptocurrency that skyrocketed in value and then sank like crazy as his wife launched one too. While I don’t understand much of the crypto world I know enough to make me not want to trust any of that. And then TikTok, which I already didn’t like, went down because of distrust from Congress and is now back “as a result of [his] efforts”… when he himself tried to ban it while he was in office the first time. So that’s two big things he’s flipped his opinion on before even getting back into the White House, setting a precedent that anything he wants being subject to change on a whim.
I don’t even like talking about the guy and am purposely avoiding saying his name throughout this post in an effort to minimize traction from the wrong kinds of people. SEO is something I’m definitely going to work on throughout this year as I try to grow this whole Marshall’s Matters project, but one wrong word could easily skew the kind of audience I want to attract.
“So why post this, then?” you may ask. “Why take a side at all?” Well, unfortunately I feel like I’m at that age where I can’t not care about it anymore. When I posted this on Facebook there was some healthy discussion at first, and a fair amount of positive feedback. That’s what I want to try to foster; that’s the kind of online forum that I miss and want to hold on to. So many outlets have ridiculous comment sections, and some companies thrive on controversy and outrage. I don’t like that and don’t want to contribute to it; I’d rather just say my piece and calmly talk about it with anyone who’d like to in an environment that won’t be swarmed by people looking for reasons to be angry that I don’t support the 34-count felon.
I will be watching the inauguration tomorrow. And some of the things I plan on keeping track of are how many times he complains about his rivals, anything he brags about, how many times he goes into a weird tangent – and all of that compared to how many plans he has for his second term. Because he, just like anyone else in that position, should actually make some decent promises and do their best to stick to them when they’re elected to the highest position in the country.
That’s all for now. And for the record, I don’t consider myself leaning left or right – both sides have their pros and cons – but I just hope that at least this time, at least this term, ends up being the last one that makes me so worried for the future of my country.
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