I meant to start this yesterday. Yesterday was January 20th 2017. I tried not to watch live TV so I ended up spending the whole day watching episodes of Star Trek.
BBC America runs them all day long. I soon realized I was watching them because the Star Trek Universe is the way things are supposed to be. The Earth has no poverty. Everybody has jobs. The planet is doing just fine.
The only problems in the 24th century are Romulans and grouchy Klingons.
But eventually I had to come back to reality. All day today, January 21st 2017, I have been watching live TV. All day. I just finished watching the new President give a speech from CIA headquarters in Washington DC.
It was sort of a stream of consciousness rant. He mostly talked about himself. He pointed out for some reason that he has been on the cover of Time Magazine more than anyone else in history. Yes, he said “In History.” Of course, that’s a lie. The person who was on Time Magazine’s cover most often in history was … Richard Nixon! Why? For being President. But he was on the cover a lot more because of Watergate and the fact that he was the only U.S. President ever to resign in disgrace. Trump may be bad for the country but he’s great for irony.
He then complained about the crowd estimates for his Inauguration. The “dishonest media” were reporting that 250,000 people showed up. He said that he saw maybe a million. Two “sort-of” sentences later he said that he saw at least one and a half million people! Why was he so obsessed with this topic?
Well, as he was giving this speech an actual half million people were in Washington DC protesting against him! There were marches on every continent, including Antarctica. Seventy countries, 673 towns across the world held HUGE protests; 370 cities in the United States alone. At least one protest in EVERY STATE! And here’s the thing that really surprised me.
When he finished, I expected the mainstream media pundits to start dissecting every crazy thing he said and waste hours pointing out why 90% of what he said made no sense. But no, the media just interrupted the coverage of all the protests, aired the speech and as soon as it was over they went right back to the coverage of the protests. They ignored him.
That is when it hit me. The media are covering the real story. It’s bigger than you think.
To put this in perspective, I’ve been in the news biz for a long time. I rarely went out in the field, but on my first time out I covered the anti-Vietnam war protests in May 1970 in Washington DC for my college radio station, WVHC.
It was a big deal. More than 100,000 people showed up. I was up on the stage at the base of the Capitol looking out over a sea of people, shoulder-to-shoulder as far as the eye could see. Then, Country Joe and the Fish sang “The Fish Cheer”. But instead of Fish it was F#@K. More than 100,000 people where chanting: “What’s that spell? F@#K! “What’s that spell? F@#K!
Aah, the good times. That’s it. Those were good times. Even though we were there to protest a horrible war, everybody was upbeat. It was positive. It was a real movement. It took years of war in Vietnam, a war which had taken thousands of lives to get people to the point where they were willing to get up, get out, and march.
Today I watched more than 500,000 people march in Washington. I watched Madonna tell the new President “F@#K You. The news outlets are reporting that these are the biggest and most widespread protests in history. Biggest. Protests. Ever. It’s not hyperbole. It’s true and real and important because …
IT’S ONLY HIS FIRST DAY IN OFFICE!!!!!
The other interesting thing is how diverse the crowds are. All ethnicities. Women, men, young, old. The placards are great. My favorites:
“There is so much wrong, it cannot fit on this sign.”
“We Shall Over Comb”
I can see the baby boomers realizing that they have to get out of their recliners, go out into the streets — and do it again. The thing that keeps coming out is how positive all these marches are. This new “Women’s Movement” has been much bigger than anybody anticipated. I’m not surprised. To paraphrase Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto when he was told of the successful attack on Pearl Harbor, “I feel all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill her with a terrible resolve.”
Many are complaining that a lot of these people:
“Didn’t vote for Hillary”
“Didn’t vote at all”
“Where the hell were all these people before the election?”
You know what? It doesn’t matter. They’re here now. Will it continue? I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s a flash in the pan, either. It’s more like a shot heard round the world — with the whole world shooting.
On January 20th 2017, a door closed.
On January 21st 2017, a window opened. Through that window appeared rays of hope. Right now, that is pretty much all we’ve got. I hope we don’t fall out.
Oh yeah, and don’t take the brown ant-acid.
From Marilyn: A big thank you to my cousin, Dr. Roberta Goldberg, who actually got up and went out and did her part in keeping American great and keeping America AMERICA.. We ARE great. She took pictures — another thank you!
Categories: Civil unrest, Government, Humor, Politics, POTUS, Tom Curley
Excellent post! I agree with you.. he is great for irony.
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one thing no one commented on–those pink hats so many people, even men, were wearing. They are called Pussyhats (really) and I noticed a LOT of those in those photos. and once you start seeing them, you can’t miss ’em. That pink really shows up. =)
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I should get one. I seem to have lost ALL my winter hats anyway 🙂
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I did what you did, except I escaped to Star’s Hollow with the Gilmore Girls, where Miss Patty and Gypsy put it all right. Let’s hear it for the Boomers, recliners are so last century. Toni
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My spine would disagree, but only about the recliner 🙂
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I’ve got a cup that says:
“When God closes a door he opens another – but it’s hell in the hallway.”
I think most of that is true.
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I think that’s a brilliant quote!
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That’s great.
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Just read about your post on Chronicles of an Angloswiss. I marched in San Jose, CA. It was very inspiring and the first time that I’ve felt positive about our country since the election. I’ll continue to be out there working to make sure that all are welcome, supported and respected.
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It really encourages me that so many people is so many places cared enough to get our of the comfy chairs and march. Nothing going on in Uxbridge because nothing every goes on in Uxbridge … but not far away, in Boston, they WERE marching. And maybe they could hear me cheering.
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I loved your post…informative, supportive, entertaining, all without malice or bitterness! Thank you for the great model of protesting! (and the memories…Country Joe, right on!!)
Here’s my favorite thing I’ve seen online so far. Goes well with your sharing..
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The signs were great. Other favorites:
Melania, Blink Twice If You Need Help
Great, Now You’ve Gone and Pissed Off Grandma
There Will Be Hell Toupee
And
Super Callous Fragile Ego, Trump You Are Atrocious
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I can’t understand what’s going on.
Leslie
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I stopped understanding anything about a year ago. The world started rotating backwards. But we shall all endeavor to set it right again, shall we not?
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Obviously there are a lot of angry people out there.
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There are a couple right in this living room.
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I hear you.
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Obviously!!!!
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I hear you Garry.
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Nobody can.
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That isn’t very reassuring, Tom.
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Tell ’em we’re comin’ and hell’s comin’ with us.
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Tom (aka, mi amigo Pancho) — what a TERRIFIC post!!
You’ve covered all the sound and fury surrounding the new Prez, his inauguration and the vocal opposition.
I must confess that we did NOT watch Friday’s events. Initially, it was a conscious decision. Then, Charter, our cable company screwed up and cut our TV and telephone service while “upgrading” our package.
Marilyn waged a valiant 4 hour war on her I-phone with customer service. I suspect the techs were Russian renegades working for the new Prez. We finally caved and returned to “Doc Martin” and “Murdoch Mysteries” on Netflix. Our TV/cable and phone service was resumed later that evening. I threatened Charter with Investigative coverage from my old employers, Ch 7/Boston. But I think it was Marilyn’s efforts that finally got those Russkie Scum faux techies to “fix” our cable and telephone service. I believe they had drones circling our house, reading to beam orange marmalade poison rays to vaporize us.
Kudos to Cuz Roberta Goldberg for joining the protest and lending her vocal dissent to the mob now running the White House.
This is just the beginning…..keep watching the skies!
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Here in Chicago the “March” turned out so many people that organizers had to cancel the march in favor of a rally downtown. There was no way they were prepared to take that many people along the downtown parade route. Instead we had approximately 150,000 people protesting where Barack Obama gave his first acceptance speech.
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It is so good to hear that. Mrs. Angloswiss says there were more than 2000 protesters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Swiss are not known for their protest movements! It’s heartening.
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I am sure the administration has an “alternate fact” for this.
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George Orwell is going “Hey I was writing fiction! WTF?”
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That happened in a lot of places. The crowd filled an entire parade route.
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Thanks for your perspective and for including my pics. It was a great experience. If only 10% of participants become politically active things will change for the better. Get involved at the local and state levels and look to 2018.
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Thank YOU. I bet you’re my cuz, Ms. Anonymous 🙂 Thank YOU for being there and the pictures which really improved the quality of the post! I think we are entering a period in which none of us can afford to be complacent. Personally, I’m deeply troubled, but trying to keep a lid on it. I may not be able to march, but i can keep putting out the word.
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I am interested in world politics but I decided not to watch the news yesterday It only makes me depressed I like Star Trek but I escaped to the country (BBC)
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We had no choice. Our cable company screwed up and all we could watch was streaming stuff. But there were still newspaper and the internet. You can run, but you cannot hide. The world doesn’t go away because we don’t want to know. If only.
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So true! I just felt like it was too much.
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That works too.
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Keep walking! 👣 👣 👣
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Hobbling, but I will try. What I do is this. Because this is something I CAN do and I’ve spend five years building an audience. Hopefully, in my own way, I can make a little bit of a difference.
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LOVE THIS!!
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Thanks. And it’s only day two.
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I’m fascinated that Trump, and I am deliberately not giving him his title, would say he could see two million people. Did he count them? I was having lunch with friends today and a couple who had either seen the news or read his speech said that it sounded like a campaign speech. One also said that plainly he can’t dance.
Watching Star Trek all day sounds like a much better idea and I agree, the Star Trek Universe was created to be what Gene Roddenberry hoped we would become one day. He’d be spinning in his grave right now.
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I can’t even type his name without getting twitchy, so I’m working around it. i suppose eventually I’ll have to cave and actually use the name. But not till I have to.
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I literally can’t say Presi%$#T T#@#@mp. Seems I can’t write it either.
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Along with Lincoln, Kennedy, Washington … I could go on but I won’t
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❤ i marched in ann arbor.
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GOOD for you!!!!!
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Great!
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