I’m feeling somewhat more optimistic after the record low turnout at the inauguration and the record high turnout at the women’s march (in DC, all across the country, around the world including Antartica).
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Today is the last day of President Obama’s term of office. I haven’t decided how I will spend it. Some of it working to be sure, but I want to make it something joyful, something memorable for the dark days, dark weeks, dark months and possibly dark years ahead.
I have a habit of naming years. If I didn't call 2016 The Year the Chickens Came Home to Roost, I should have. I don't remember what I called previous years, and I'm too lazy to go back through my posts to find them nor to even see how long I've been doing it. I didn't pick the name 2017, I got it from Obama's anger translator, Luther, farewell address sketch. The actual address starts at 2:57.
The video will not embed here so you must view it at Comedy Central.
A Farewell Address from Obama’s Anger Translator
By calling 2017 Orange is the New Black year it is apropos on so many levels. President Obama has done a remarkable job despite the enormous amount of shit thrown at him. There were things he did that I strongly did not approve of (like expanding the use of armed drones). Perhaps no president coming in how well intentioned can avoid being compromised by the office. It’s not right, but that’s the way it is. We already know how compromised our incoming president is going to be. We just don’t know how awful it’s going to get nor how quickly it will turn awful. It could all go south in less than 100 days. I’d like to be very wrong about what might happen. Better for me to be ridiculed than to see millions of people harmed (like losing health insurance coverage by repealing the ACA).
Update 30 Jan 17: It went to shit pretty fast with the Muslim ban. I’m thinking about changing my mind and calling it The Year That Went to Shit. And the thing is we haven’t see the worst yet. I’m going to revise my 100 day time frame to 30 days.
This is perhaps my favorite non-American holiday. It's the day after Christmas. It's celebrated in Canada and the UK and probably Australia and New Zealand. I don't know all the details, but it seems to be their equivalent of Black Friday after our Thanksgiving. A huge shopping day. I'd heard it was the day you exchange unwanted gifts. That sounds more fun. You get a gift you didn't like and exchange it with someone else who got a gift they didn't like. However, it was traditional to give money and gifts to the needy and that sounds a lot more worthwhile. The Boxing Day event I attended once was basically a decompressor with friends. Yes, we love our family, but family at holidays can be stressful. A decompressor with your friends who don't have the same expectations or baggage seems like a worthwhile endeavor.
And it will be official or we'll have a constitutional crisis. Either outcome is not good.
Update: 5 days now. We shall soon know if political courage still exists.
Update (Jan 2, 2017): And no it does not. The electors gave absolutely zero fucks about the Constitution. Zero.