Against my better judgement.....

So, here it is. 

Inauguration day. 

Some people are mad. Hurt. Scared. Unforgiving. Hateful. 

Some people are gleeful. Hopeful. Relieved. Unforgiving. Hateful. 

One side wants the other to get over it. "Stop crying!! Your person didn't win!!"

One side wants to hit a fast forward button to 4 years from now. "He's NOT MY PRESIDENT!!" 

A celebrity (who is a person, people. A breathing, alive, living, American) can say something with grace and dignity and people scream "JUST ACT!!! WE DON'T PAY YOU TO HAVE OPINIONS!!!" Seriously. This is ridiculousness. 

Both sides are incapable of empathy or understanding. Both sides are incapable of conversing. 

All it is is "YOU'RE WRONG!!!!!! I'M RIGHT!! ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!"

So divided. 

People who are happy to be done with the previous administration say "at least he isn't him!" 

Comparing the two is apples to oranges. 

I don't really think Obama was the greatest president ever, mainly because my knowledge of politics is limited and I don't agree with all of the decisions he made.

However, I don't think he was a vile man.

The new President, however.....

I could not vote for a man who used "God's will" in one sentence and then completely insulted and alienated entire demographics in the next. Completely unapologetic. Proudly. The fact that religious leaders touted him as being a 'Man of God' absolutely DISGUSTS me. And people will say, "he's God's chosen." This turns my stomach. With that thinking so was Hitler. Stalin. Putin. 

I could not vote for a man who is SO unprofessional with his social media. A man who will insult anyone who has the nerve to call him out on his faults is just childish. His tantrums are so embarrassing. This is not who I want running my country. 

As a woman raising a woman, I could not vote for a man who disregards women like he does. I am raising my daughter to KNOW she deserves to be treated better than being "grabbed by the p@##%" by some 'entitled' man. "But that was locker room talk years ago." And he has shown me no different since. How mothers to daughters voted for him, I just don't understand. Sorry, I don't. 

I could not vote for a man who proudly incited SO MUCH HATE. I watched rallies and I cried. He spewed hate and retaliation and people ATE IT UP! He liberated the KKK. He let them come out in the light - boldly, proudly. He WELCOMED their support. No. Nothing about that is okay. I have friends who are not white. I have friends who are not straight. I have friends who are not male. I REFUSE to support a man who feels like these people deserve less than. These people deserve to be spoken down to. To be used. To be persecuted. 

I will not attack anyone for voting for him. I will question what was worth overlooking his entire being to vote for him. Seriously. This is how I see it....

"His Pro-Life stance." Bulls%$#. He doesn't give a care about tiny babies. A man with so much disdain for grown humans could never be so concerned with them as babies. Period. 

"I'm going to drain the swamp." And he did. He filled it with people who look just like him. And they're going to work hard at protecting themselves and lining their own pockets. He is not concerned for you, my dear. 

"I'm not a politician." People. Seriously. 

"I'm going to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" *for the rich, white elite. Because, priorities. See my above comment about his spewing of the hate. By 'looking past' his OPEN racism, you accepted it as okay. I think this is where the most fear and hurt from fellow people stems from. How can your minority neighbor trust you, laugh with you, and be comfortable with you when you support a man who stands for their oppression? "But that's not how I feel!" But you supported it. 

He did that political thing where he said trigger words to get you to completely block out his real words. Except usually men wait until they get into office to show you what complete douche's they are. This one paraded it around like a badge of honor. 

I am very vocal about not voting for our current President. Very. Vocal.

I am also very vocal about the fact that I have ZERO issues with voting for a candidate that isn't a major party candidate. I'm not red or blue, I'm more purple. A "Conservative Liberal" if you will. It's a sore spot to some of my more conservative family members. However, it's my choice. It's my right. 

I think there should be stricter gun control laws (I could have an entire post about this one issue. It would totally have my Dad rolling over in his grave). I think women and minorities and the LGBTQ community deserve the same chances as everyone else. I know I've shared my opinions on abortion and same-sex marriage before. I don't want The Man telling me what do to all the time. I don't want The Man controlling everything. I think the people struggling through several jobs to barely make ends meet deserve affordable health care. I think completely defunding Planned Parenthood will cost women their lives. (I've spent a day in Planned Parenthood with a dear friend who was there for cancer screenings. Abortions aren't all they do.) Education is important. I believe there should be stricter laws in regards to child abuse. I feel like child molesters should go away for all of eternity. I firmly believe we do not do as much as we could be doing to protect our smallest. I also think we fail to protect our women. On the flip side, I think marijuana should be legal - TAX THAT MESS!! 

See why my family is a bit concerned. 

I was raised Conservative and I still swing mostly that way on a lot of things. But I also think people should be treated kind of equally. And love should outshine fear and hate. And if it's not something that actively hurts me or my family - what is the problem?

So when it comes to voting, I listen to speeches. I read about stances. And I vote without guilt. Mostly. And this year, I wrote someone in. I know, GASP!!! "You wasted your vote!!" Nope. I voted for someone I agreed with. Someone I believe in. That wasn't a wasted vote. Besides, I'm a total cynic and I live in Texas - if the Devil himself ran as a Republican - he would win. Obviously. 

So you will probably says it's all my fault. Which is dumb. He didn't win by 1 vote.

And he's who we have now. 

And I will respect the office. But not the man.

I can have hope he will eventually earn it, however, I am painfully doubtful. The decisions he has already made are heartbreaking and worrisome. 

But I can hope! 

Until next time......