Women's March
Well, preliminary evidence is coming in about today's Women's March on Washington. Here are a couple of pictures, and then my comments:
The lower picture is of the Mall, of course, looking from the Capitol toward the Washington Monument. The other is on an adjacent street. It is very difficult to calculate the size of this demonstration, because there is tremendous spillover from the Mall onto the parade route. Even so, it is obvious that there are far more people on the Mall alone than attended the Inaugural. News sources report far larger attendance that expected, with size estimates in the 500,000 range, or close to twice the number of people who attended the Inaugural. And remember that this is one of many marches being held today, with those in the large cities likely well above 100,000. 150,000, for example, were reported in Chicago, and I can tell you that my wife and I tried to go to the one in Los Angeles, only to find that it was impossible to drive and park downtown, and there was a three hour wait at the metro stations.
More to follow, but I think the American people are delivering a decided message today, and that message is, "Screw you, Donald Trump." I was very active back in Vietnam days, and I must tell you that this is the first time in all the decades since then that I have felt the level of commitment and anger that I saw then. Trump, in concert with Congressional Republicans, may very well be able to do tremendous damage to this country in a short period, but they may very well have awakened something which is going to crush them out of existence, and take control of the country away from their hate-filled, racist, vicious supporters forever.
More to follow, but I think the American people are delivering a decided message today, and that message is, "Screw you, Donald Trump." I was very active back in Vietnam days, and I must tell you that this is the first time in all the decades since then that I have felt the level of commitment and anger that I saw then. Trump, in concert with Congressional Republicans, may very well be able to do tremendous damage to this country in a short period, but they may very well have awakened something which is going to crush them out of existence, and take control of the country away from their hate-filled, racist, vicious supporters forever.
Comments
But these are mainly people who have the time to do it. The people not wondering where their next meal is coming from. And how long can it go on?
I despise Trump no less than most fact-based world-dwelling people who really do live in freedom, but when Trumpism collapses, and in however bloody a fashion that occurs, there had better be a preparedness to enact an alternative. "Don't bruise my first-world feelings" is not enough. There needs to be a narrative spelt out and amplified constantly so the resistance doesn't just lurch to 2020 in search of a fresh face and a warm voice and donations. Change has to happen in order to achieve change.
No the jobs aren't coming back and yes the deplorables have been had. But what to do about that? What to do about the people who don't have jobs or those who have three that pay shit and have no benefits? And how to avoid the narrative from being swamped by selective inattention on the part of media, or outright obfuscation by the Right using phony scandal and distractions? That's the noise worth hearing.
"I hate Trump" is a good start but wholly insufficient.
These are steps that I have repeatedly advocated, along with the clear need to strip a large part of the wealth from the rich, not as a punitive measure, but in order to insure a healthy economy. Too much money in the hands of a few is the cause of bubbles and economic instability, and that instability will continue to exist and threaten us all as long as a grossly unfair division of wealth remains.
Well, it's a start.
I find that a bit ironic.