Mistakes were made ... | The Celtic Friar

It hits me every now and then that I’m human, especially when I make mistakes. Tuesday morning, prior to the election, I woke up with a story on my mind. I quickly wrote down a few notes and finished it later on in the day. I had made it no secret that while I did not vote for Trump I wasn’t exactly thrilled by the aspects of having Secretary Clinton as President. There are some areas where I think she was more qualified but her stance on abortion, it being 4 more years of the same crap we’ve had for the last 8, … just wasn’t looking forward to it. As such, I woke up with a story on my mind, it’s below.

Four Million More

As Hillary Clinton and those who voted for her celebrate her victory, there are obviously those who are disappointed at the outcome of this election. Trump supporters are obviously upset. Those who supported Bernie Sanders only to find that the party they support stabbed them in the back might feel robbed. Still more who backed neither candidate and voted for a third party must sigh heavily at the results as yet another year goes by where we’re stuck picking the lesser of two evils. All of these camps will have their say in the days to come. But there’s another group we won’t hear from. No media outlet will interview or conduct polls. The newspapers won’t write op-eds about their plight. Approximately four million more men and women will not be heard because they don’t have a voice.

These are men and women who are doctors, lawyers, chemist, biologist, cab drivers, homemakers, factory workers, educators, and entrepreneurs. These four million have children of their own who also will go unnoticed and unheard from. They have no senator or representative to hear their case. As a nation marks history at electing its first female president, approximately half of the four million are women who are silenced, no voice or opportunity to cheer or lament because no one is listening. No one listens to the dead.

Dead, not that they never existed … they did. How is it then that one million Americans can die each year and it doesn’t make the news? In fact, since 1973 over 58 million Americans have died at the hands of physicians. For some perspective, the total population of Great Britan is right at 60 million. Imagine if the population of California, Texas, and Maine was gone. No bodies, what wasn’t burned was sold off for profit.

This was my biggest issue with Hillary. I think perhaps Hillary is more qualified in regards to Foreign Affairs experience, she certainly knows her way around the beltway in Washington … but I can’t get past the fact that she’s ok with the murder of children. Had she come out and stated that current laws do not protect children in the womb BUT I think it’s something we should evaluate then who knows … I might have voted differently. Mind you I didn’t vote Trump either. I voted for a candidate who was very clear on how they felt about abortion. My sincerest hope is that one day we’ll wake up and follow Ireland’s lead on extending rights to all children. (article)

But for now, congratulations to President-elect Hillary Clinton. I hope you do well and that everyone in our country will succeed under your leadership.

Like I said, mistakes were made. Instead of President-elect Clinton we have President-elect Trump. I’m surprised really. I wasn’t feeling well Tuesday night so I went to bed early and figured I’d wake up to the results of a Clinton victory. My sentiments are the same, though. I do hope that one day we will come to the realization that all life deserves protecting. Especially those who cannot speak and act for themselves. There’s a great deal more I’ll say on all this later. But it’s late and I’m still not at the top of my game.

I have to say this, though. In my rare spurts of browsing social media today, I have seen some great posts calling for unity, solidarity, and peace. Sadly, I’ve also seen posts of folks that are afraid. This breaks my heart. Trump is not a dictator, nor can he become one. We have checks and balances in place for a reason. If he tried, the same folks that supported him would rise up against him. There was a great deal of fear mongering on behalf of the media. Please don’t buy into that. In the words of Vincent, “be cool”. I’ve seen several posts where folks are stating they are shocked that America is filled with so much hate. I don’t think we are. I think those who supported Trump are just everyday people who are tired of the establishment. Towards the end of the Bush presidency, we saw the bank get bailouts while Main Street suffered. In the Obama years, we saw more drone strikes, more war, not closing Gitmo, more campaign promises not kept, and a Health Insurance overhaul that was shoved down our throats. Folks are sick and tired of a government that’s out of control.

I can’t recall who said it, but I heard it said on some video today that the people are giving a middle finger to the political elite. That finger just happened to be Donald Trump. No sense in being afraid, if you’re an American citizen you have rights and protections that no man can take away without due process. Our job now as citizens of this nation is to hold those in office accountable. I read Trumps 100 day plan and I’m very interested in term limits and putting guidelines down around those in government becoming a lobbyist.

Stay involved. Stay checked-in. If you don’t like something, roll up your sleeves and get to work changing it. Love yourselves and your neighbors. The sun will rise tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and the next. I promise. Unless it doesn’t, and at that point who sits in an office doesn’t matter as much as your relationship with who sits on the throne.

In fact, that’s true right now.

The Celtic Friar

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