A Personal Reevaluation: Why Do I Continue Writing?

When Trump was given the presidency on November 8, 2016, I was in shock. When I awoke on November 9, I had decisions to make. The first was easy. I promised myself to never watch television news again. I resent being lied to more than anything else in the world. This was the result of the fact that all mainstream media outlets contributed to Trump’s controversial victory in the Electoral College. My second dilemma was far more important. I was uncertain if I wanted to continue writing about politics, something I had begun in 2012. I lost faith in the American people and the legitimacy of our election process. Trump told the truth for the first time in his pitiful life; the election was rigged.

I also lost faith in anyone in power: those who were elected in Washington, law enforcement, our military personnel, and the entire judicial system. Nothing I once believed in was real. My beloved country, and the people who compose that country, had disappeared. Something which had been hidden from me for decades was now creeping out from the shadows, and everything which I had believed since I was a small child in the 1950s and 60s was based on fantasy, not reality.

I realized that nearly one-half of our nation’s people lied when they professed their loyalty to the United States of America. These same people were now overtly claiming that they were the “true Americans,” as they waved their flags and wore the cross of Christianity around their necks. I was depressed. Nothing I believed in was real. I could not comprehend the fact that anyone would give their precious vote to a man who was not only the least qualified man in our nation to become our president, it was clear that he was a sexual predator, a racist, a fraud, having failed in every endeavor in his life, and from all indicators, a malignant narcissist. Donald Trump was the least likely man to become our president, and the polls offered the same information just weeks prior to the election. What the f**k happened? For me, it was something I didn’t want to admit, I no longer recognized the country I was born into in 1946.

Hillary Clinton was the most qualified candidate for the presidency in history. Was the fact that she was a woman the primary reason she lost the Electoral College? That didn’t seem possible. This was the 21st century. I found it difficult to believe that our nation was that ignorant and backwards. Days later I admitted that I was wrong. America is the least informed and most self-centered nation in the world. I’m no longer sure it’s worth saving. Why should I continue to write, offering the truth to people who simply don’t care? I spend most of my days researching and writing information I believe every American should know. And yet Trump continues to have millions of supporters. Is our country far more racist and bigoted than I ever believed possible?

Trump committed acts of treason at least twice, and that is an undeniable fact. He is an asset of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has been since 1987, although the media has refused to tell their readers and viewers the truth.

I admit that for the first time in my 76 years, I am at a loss. I cannot decide if my efforts are worth the time I have left. From 1956 until today I have been fascinated and involved in what happens in Washington. I am no longer fascinated. Most of it is depressing and results in more questions than answers. I always had faith until November 8, 2016. On June 24, 2022, what faith I had in the Supreme Court was crushed when the most biased and politicized Court in history denied a woman’s right to control her own physical and mental health.

Today, a man who stole national secrets, and by his own admission believes that anyone who commits such an egregious act should be placed in prison remains free continuing his efforts to divide our nation. This is the same traitor who attempted to overthrow our nation on January 6, 2021. How is this possible? All of my education and everything I learned in my life convinced me that anyone who committed the most serious crimes possible would be in jail awaiting trial. Nothing is real.

I am positive that what I believed, what I cherished about being an American throughout my lifetime, has been an illusion. The tales of our nation’s supposed greatness, and those who supposedly created the ultimate dream of democracy never became a reality. As it exists today, the United States cannot survive. There is no “rule of law,” and the Constitution is nothing more than parchment which is deteriorating and crumbling under the weight of injustice, greed, and personal ambition. The American people mean nothing to politicians. They do not serve us; they rule over us, and that is far from the “American way.”

When faith dies, hope follows. This is why at times like these I feel dead inside.

By James Turnage, Novelist
Edited by Sheena Robertson

Sources:

Foreign Policy: Why Trumpism Will Endure

Macleans: Was Jan. 6 the beginning of the end for America?

Politico Magazine: The Hidden History of Trump’s First Trip to Moscow

Top and Featured Image Courtesy of jcsogo’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Bruce Guenter‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License