"Home of the free, the sick and depraved"

(Title quote taken from the Motionless in White song "A-M-E-R-I-C-A from their album Infamous)

It has been difficult to stay silent during these troublesome times. What is happening in the United States right now is horrifying, to say the very least. It’s a jumble of strange behaviors, upsetting attitudes, and terrifying proclamations and ordinances.

It leaves us with so many questions. How did we get here? What went wrong? Who supports this? Why does this continue to be allowed? Where did all these people come from? When will it all end? And on and on…

During the elections, everyone I knew believed there was no way Trump would win, regardless of how loud his supporters were. Sure, Hillary Clinton didn’t offer anything different, interesting, or radical. Many of us didn’t really want her in office either but there weren’t many options that were good options for the election. Bernie Sanders was pushed down by the party, in favor of Clinton. Which is a shame because he did offer more profound ideas for the country than Clinton. Alas, the two-party obsessed country would either cast ballots for Clinton or Trump (for the most part).

The world was on its tiptoes at the edge of a cliff as votes came in and the electoral college made its decision. Clinton won the popular vote by a lot, but the electoral votes went to Trump. We were about to see a man with no political experience running the government. Many people wanted that – to shake things up by having a non-politician in office. I don’t understand why, and as his ridiculous policies and visions continue, I understand even less.

A political background, even if it comes as part of the career of a politician you don’t agree with, gives someone the insight and understanding needed to strategize appropriate advancement through the creation of statutes and bills. It is a necessity; a highly important piece of how and why our government works.

Image source: https://share.america.gov/u-s-constitution-is-alive-watch-it-evolve/

Those of us who were naïve about it thought he’d attempt to control things in ways that made him powerful, as we believed he just wanted the power associated with the position. We also assumed that any authoritarian, autocratic, tyrannical changes would be blocked by the House and Congress. They wouldn’t let us slide down the slope towards a dictatorship, right? Trump would easily and readily be kept in check.

We were wrong. Trump worked, and has continued to work, by surrounding himself with a cabinet of those who will only obey, who will follow his instructions and make his perspectives a reality. At every turn, he has gotten away with illegal and immoral steps. Yet his followers still assent; they still give support, loudly or silently, for heinous actions.

Those of us on the opposite side are angry, sad, appalled, ready to fight the power, as it were. We’ve been ready since it began, but the feeling grows stronger daily. Now there are children ripped away from their parents at the border. Children. Babies. Toddlers. Families belong together. This is torture for both the parents and the children – emotional abuse at its peak.

Why are so many people adamant that these people aren’t good enough to be afforded human rights? I can’t understand it. I refuse to even try to put myself in that mindset. These are human beings. These are people. People who want a better life, who want the best for their children, who want to be happy and successful. Just like me. And you. Seekers of asylum, ready for the land of the free and the home of the brave. But they’re met with border control, snatching their children from them, putting them through a living nightmare.

This is added to all the other disgusting things we’ve seen as a response to Trump’s leadership or because of his leadership. Virulent racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, transphobia, and Islamophobia (amongst many other repulsive attitudes) have dominated the country and the headlines. Harassing and hurting people has become a badge of honor and destroying personal property belonging to them is suddenly viewed as an act of courage and American fervor.

What does it mean to be a proud American now? I don’t feel any pride in who we are as a nation now. We are a worldwide embarrassment. And argue that what the world thinks of us is unimportant as much as you’d like – it matters. Globalization is important and real. These vindictive and malicious behaviors by Americans make me want to leave America. I’m scared for my life, for the life of my kids, for the life of my friends and family.

I find myself feeling a desire for asylum. The need to be somewhere freer, safer. Now more than ever I understand the mindset of wanting to be somewhere with liberty and welfare for its citizens.