A year ago tonight I was restless and terrified. Those horrible electometers at The New York Times flailing wildly. It was really happening. Reason had died jumping off the blue wall. My wife. My children. My friends (Muslims, Latinos, gays, academics) Our future in doubt.
A revolution about Sol later structural integrity is compromised. The country is not in physical ruins but neighbor distrusts neighbor and family members just can't talk about certain things. But for all the bans, walls and tweets, I feel accomplishment that we the reasonable have not been rounded up and shot. I am far from hope, but the piercing wound of November 8th, 2016 has started to scab over.
Thanks to my wife for marching. Thanks to my children for living. Thanks to my patients for praying. Thanks to my faith for persevering. Thanks to my friends for laughing in the face of fascism. I survived this year and you did too.
News outlets are printing heavy declarations on the meaning of last night's Democratic victories in the commonwealth and on the boardwalk. The lesson of 2016 for me will be that you never can tell. And my liberal, reasonable sensibilities tell me that both parties are crumbling as is the ground beneath their feet. This realignment is just beginning. I call dibs on the Voltron Party!
A year after a bigot running an overtly bigoted campaign accumulated enough geographical votes to win the Oval Office, a transgender person won a seat in the Virginia State Legislature. She won by running on a trans platform -- transportation that is. She won by not entering the mud pit. She won because Americans were willing to give her a chance.
Nothing is certain. We are certainly not safe. But perhaps reason has come back from walkabout.