Trump diminishes us all

Today, President Trump issued a memo restoring the ban on recruiting transgender people into the military. You can read in the CNN article on the memo some of the data from a Rand study that concluded that the idea that the presence of transgender folks in the military would cause big issues was basically false. Trump is simply doing again what he has done repeatedly: diminishing groups he does not like.

The thing is, though, that his moves diminish all of us.  When we as a country start saying which groups can have which rights, we set a dangerous precedent: that it's okay to deny rights to some of us.

I am past tired of this behavior.

We need to all recognize and proclaim loudly that we will stand with those whose rights Trump is damaging.

I'm lucky.  I'm an affluent, white, heterosexual male, the kind of person Trump seems to like to treat well.  If, like me, you are fortunate enough to enjoy these privileges, you should not let them stop you from standing with others who do not enjoy them.

When Trump signed that memo and took rights from transgender people, he hurt us all.  I stand with those transgender people, not with him.

We should all stand with them.

My Trump quote of the day

from the quote-rich New York Times story, is this one:

The president can’t have a conflict of interest.

Yup, that's a promising start.

I wonder if visiting foreign dignitaries will get coupon books good for discounts on stays at Trump hotels and bargains on Trump steaks--when you buy them in quantity.

Oh, yeah, it's going to be a long four years.

If you still think you don't need to vote for Clinton, watch or read tonight's debate

I couldn't bear to watch the debate.  I just couldn't.  I knew staring at Trump's smirk for two hours and listening to his outrageous statements would make me angrier than I want to be.

I also, though, couldn't resist knowing how it went, so I read an NPR transcript of the debate.

Stupid, now angry me.

If you're already clear that we must not let Trump into the White House, and that the only way to stop him is by voting for Clinton, then stop reading--but don't forget to vote.

If, though, you're considering voting for Trump or for Johnson, or if you're disgusted by the whole thing and want to stay home on election day, then do yourself--and all of us in the USA--a favor and read or watch the debate.  Look at all the crap Trump spews.

This man lives in a bubble full of people who endorse his view of the world, a view that is simply not in line with reality.  He acts as if it's his right to do anything he wants and to claim as fact anything he feels like saying.  That's scary with anyone, but it's incredibly frightening when the person might well become President of these United States.

We need to stop Trump.  We need to vote for Clinton.  It's that simple.