Artwork by Nicola Jennings of The Guardian

Resist

Time to call out the lies.

You can still be gracious.

But there’s no need to tolerate stupidity in the face of bigotry, misogyny and dishonesty.

So: write, text, tweet, and follow the folks whose aim is to halt the threats to democracy and pluralism.

Resist.

Watch Samantha Bee, Trevor Noah and John Oliver.

Support Planned Parenthood, the Standing Rock Sioux Nation, the Southern Poverty Law Center and Inequality Media.

Several of my pals told me in person or on email this week they share the sentiments in my blog—the despair and hopelessness created by elected officials whom we should be able to trust.

Instead, our officials show their spite by disparaging the poor and meek by promising to get rid of healthcare, social security and integrity.

Don’t let them get away with it.

Support actions that resist the hatred.

On Monday, January 9, nationwide protests are planned at Senators’ offices to peacefully demonstrate against the Republicans’ secretive efforts to install a Cabinet without due diligence.

Look for Day Against Denial on social media. And write, text or email your senator.

The aim of the Republicans, according to the New York Times, is to confirm the cabinet hopefuls without full ethics and background checks.

Their rationale?

To get a Cabinet in place swiftly without discussion.

Such action clearly shows their aversion to the fair democratic process they claim to embrace.

“Holding up confirmations just for delay’s sake is irresponsible and it is dangerous,” said a Texas Republican in The Times’ article.

Another lie, plain and simple.

It is a lie because the Republicans held up the confirmation of a Supreme Court judge: a seat that will have been vacant for a year in February.

The words, “Irresponsible and dangerous,” are hollow coming from John Cornyn, the Texas senator who can’t distinguish between hypocrisy and democracy.

Redouble your efforts to be watchful of shenanigans.

Turn your despair into resistance.

And watch out for the lies.

Drumpf’s most recent tweet-droppings:

“I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally” FALSE

“Activities by foreign governments had absolutely no effect on the outcome of this election.” FALSE

“The @nytimes states today that [I] believe ‘more countries should acquire nuclear weapons.’ How dishonest are they. I never said this!” FALSE

Meantime, I’m keeping track of the lies.

For example, “there’s no such thing as facts,” Jack Holmes wrote for Esquire in December.

Holmes is quoting Drumpfster Scottie Nell Hughes (political editor of a right-wing propaganda forum) who said, “There’s no such thing, unfortunately, anymore as facts.”

But the way I look at the situation is we need to be mindful ourselves of lies cloaked as truths: we can’t trust sources to be truthful.

Remember: the majority of voters cast ballots for Hillary Clinton, so there is no popular mandate for Drumpf’s policies.

A mandate occurs when “electors…support a policy or measure” that is “expressed by the votes of the electorate,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Republicans pretend their mandate arises from the majority of voters.

Not true.

Drumpf spokesperson Kellyanne Conway lied to the media when she said gutting the White House ethics committee was a “mandate to make significant change.”

Truth is the Republicans bulldozed the change in secret on a federal holiday.

So the question we need to ask it:

If the Republicans have a mandate—if they have our collective support and our best interests at heart—then why are they trying to shove through legislation and confirmations in the middle of the night and without a dialogue?

What are they afraid of?

8 January 2017

Artwork by Nicola Jennings for The Guardian

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