'I Can See Clearly Now'

Through the gray gloom of late November, I see the large yellow Gadsden flag that my neighbor has just hung above his barn flapping in the breeze.

He had several Trump lawn signs prominently displayed in the lead up to the election but it’s curious to me why only after MAGA winning did the ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ swag come out.

The flag, so popular with J6 insurrectionists and militia types, had been nowhere to be seen on my neighbor’s property until he perceived victory for Trumpism.

Now he seems to be sending a message - one that I am sure is being repeated by typical Trump voters all over the U.S.

The message is clear: we won and this is our country now.

It is meant to intimidate and claim ownership of what they believe MAGA stands for and was being offered to them.

A chance to be the bullies and the beneficiaries of an unequal distribution of power.

One that will punish those that don’t play along or get in line.

It is likely that from the guys who fix the highways and drive the salt spreaders to your local sheriff and dog catcher; much of the municipal infrastructure of suburban and exurban America is run or controlled by MAGA voters now.

Trump was a lifestyle brand above all else - and the Carhartt crowd is gonna have their celebration dance and strut their MAGA merch like some sort of peacocks on Ozempic with greasy fingers and guilty smiles.

They have zero idea what is about to hit them.

Trump offered such a flag drenched, patriotic pablum and screaming orgy of ignorance to his followers that they are now basking in the toxic glow of a life that is about to get a lot harder and shorter.

The dumb sons-of-bitches just don’t know it yet.

Their Medicare and Social Security will be plundered so some an eccentric billionaire can buy more rocket ships. A reward for helping the worst man ever become POTUS again.

Trump should be in jail but instead his enemies may soon be heading there.

This is not hyperbole but part of the plan.

A weaponized DOJ will be in the hands of a corrupt Attorney General that Trump purchased a long time ago for a paltry $25,000; less than he spends on the typical plaything.

That’s how he views women, as something to be purchased. Objects and agents of his desire.

He is a Neanderthal and a predator.

An idiot encased in aspic, a perfect representation of the worst 1950’s suburban white male patriarchy.

A call back to the smothering sexual politics that brave and enlightened women and their allies fought against not just on behalf of themselves but on behalf of ALL of us.

The true cost of inequality is a price born by society itself, in that it fails to evolve; it fails to become the best version of itself.

It stymies our progress as a people.

We are denying ourselves the talent and leadership we most need in this moment for what? For him.

Part of this mandate is the belief that Trump’s brand of misogyny was not only accepted it was championed at the box office and the polling place.

That it has in fact been reflected in our societal mirror.

A regressive refraction of a darker version of ourselves.

Trump may not be entirely wrong about how people feel.

So many showed their true colors when it comes to women in leadership roles and what that says about us as a people is not good.

Instead of equanimity and progress, the toxic masculinity, manosphere aesthetics and cave man attitudes will be in full force in the coming Trump administration.

It will be bromageddon on the Potomac.

Admittedly, it almost feels like more than one can bear but bear it we must.

Not in acceptance but in fierce resistance - and a protection of the ideals and evolution of humankind itself.

Trump and his ilk are a regression and a bastardization of our ideals.

They are dangerous to democracy and the spirit of freedom everywhere.

He has been rewarded by a system that was designed to protect men like him and ensure that his mediocrity is further coddled, while true talent and vision are left out in the cold.

If we are truly going to survive whatever corruption MAGA and Project 2025 have in store we must begin to reimagine what it means to be an American.

If many of our citizens are deeply unsatisfied with the direction of our country that may be because we have fallen short in fully articulating a vision moving forward.

The old ideas and imagery have been sullied and co-opted; as a brand they have become symbols of fascism over the nostalgic totems of our forefathers.

Much of our population needs a personality change if they want to overcome their powerlessness living under a dictator.

Many of them need a new pair of glasses so to speak.

We like to think of ourselves as the land of the brave but Trump has made that notion a myth - we are a shadow of our former selves - and the sooner we admit it the sooner we move on.

Everyone must reach their bottom if they want to recover - this nation has been scrapping the floor for years.

Lets admit defeat and surrender to our better angels.

In my opinion, Trump was built up as a man of consequence by corporate media and lazy politicians. It was easier to drone on about his inevitability than it was to shine a light on the ugly underbelly of what he represents.

He was a serialized plot line that stupid people could easily follow along with and smarter people could profit from: this was dangerous and led to our undoing.

As Bob Dylan sang, ‘It’s not dark yet, but its gettin’ there...’

To move forward we must connect with each other in meaningful ways. There needs to be a constant dialogue designed to illuminate the dangers and corrosiveness of what Trump and his administration have planned for our democracy.

You can do things the easy way or the hard way - America just chose the hard way.

This is no time for complacency, the season of mistrust is upon us - if we stand for anything it must be justice and equality.

Whatever challenges arise that threaten ANY of us must be met by ALL of us that truly believe in the land of the free.

You and I will not be in the fight alone.

For this I am grateful.