Today, I mourn the grave – and perhaps, terminal – illness of democracy, for today, following on yesterday’s shameful event (the State of the Union address), the Senate votes to acquit Donald J. Trump of the charges which were the basis of his House of Representatives impeachment. Today, as a nation, we begin our walk of shame.
Much is being made of Speaker Pelosi’s ripping up of Trump’s State of the Union speech; less is made of the fact that he pointedly refused to shake her hand. I think, however, that Trump – once again – committed the graver errors: he clearly lied in his address; he demonstrated his coarse, impolite, and discourteous nature in ignoring her outstretched hand, and he awarded the Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh, a racist, homophobic, rabble-rousing reactionary. (Don’t worry, I won’t wait until Limbaugh is dead to speak ill of him.)
This is my day of mourning for America. There is, in addition, one good thing to assuage my ever-present grief over the death of my son: my dear Luke is not alive to see all of this.
I fear I will have to leave the country if Trump is re-elected.
