Those who stand for nothing fall for anything. - Anonymous
The inauguration of President Donald J. Trump has come and gone, and the actuality of his presidency is finally setting in across the nation. I have seen posts on Facebook and Twitter calling it the worst day in American history, and just as many saying it is one of the best. (Maybe that's what Dickens meant in A Tale of Two Cities.) All joking aside, today was no laughing matter for members of either party. Many democrats fear for the worst, yet many republicans are anticipating the best.
There is no doubt that Trump's choices for his cabinet are worrisome, to say the least. For me, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos immediately comes to mind. These choices, his post election day actions (removing any traces of deporting Muslims from his website), and his post-inauguration day actions (removing any traces of the LGBT+/civil rights movement from the White House's website) have left many people who voted against Donald in fear, and many people who voted for him dealing with buyer's remorse. However, this day doesn't put an end to our abilities to move towards a nation that each of us dream of inhabiting.
This past election has brought out the worst in people of both parties, with many people who claim to be liberal activists rioting in D.C. to protest the inauguration. These people are extremists who wear a name badge saying "activist" on it and bring activists and liberals a bad name while doing so. To those against the riots: I agree they are unnecessary and will produce no positive results, but I must argue against your statements that bring all liberals and/or democrats to their level of behavior. To categorize all left-wing minded people the same as the rioters is the equivalent to saying all Christians are members of the KKK, all Muslims are terrorists, and all of those who voted for Trump are racist and hateful. These statements are simply not true, in the same way accusations of all liberals being "crybabies" is untrue.
I would be lying if I said the idea of four years of the Trump Administration didn't scare me. I would also be lying if I said I wasn't going to speak out against that which I disagree with. The above quote, often credited to Alexander Hamilton, has been resonating with me for these past few days. Thinking about this blog, which I've decided only to use when something that holds great value to my heart occurs, I realized this was my way to make my stand, make my voice heard, and make a difference. With that in mind, I encourage all of you to speak out and stand up. Write to your congressmen, start a blog, share your opinions, and make your voice heard.
