I am afraid.

[kpete]

This Is Real, This Is Happening
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
By William Rivers Pitt, Truthout | Op-Ed

..............

I am afraid.

I am afraid to admit that I am afraid, because such an admission makes the whole thing real.

It's real. This is happening. The sun will rise on January 20 to shine down upon Donald Trump taking the presidential oath of office. The bitter winter wind will raise up his hair flap like a shark fin unless his handlers dog it down like some errant sail, he will complete the oath, and every living organism on Earth will be joined together as we enter the uncharted waters of the terrifying history to come.

Easier to pretend it's all just bad television while sorting the spoons for the sixth time. Easier, but not better. It is fine to be afraid -- you'd be a fool to feel otherwise -- so long as you remember that you are not alone in your fears. There are millions of people in this country who share the sentiment, and millions more besides throughout the world.

Importantly, not everyone is stuck in the mud. Many people -- including many of you -- are already knee-deep in resistance, strategizing and formulating plans to push back against Trump's destructive vision. The work to defend and preserve a century of human progress is already well underway. This is a generational affair, a towering global challenge. It will be nasty, brutish and hopefully short, but it will be. The trick is not to shelter in place, but to find the people near us who are mobilizing, and join with them. It takes many fingers to make a fist.

The cupboards will keep. It's time to get to work.

...............

Way more:
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/38795-this-is-real-this-is-happening

[H2O Man]

1. Recommended.

[Ninga]

2. I'm just enormously sad. What a mess. Nt

[betsuni]

3. Oh dear, I'm afraid this is very bad writing.

It take only one finger to make a point.

[brush]

5. I started to read it but then when I noticed the byline I stopped. Wasn't that guy banned from here?

And rightly so for his vile, divisive and unwarranted attacks on the president. Ef him.

If you want to read some good writing check out this piece from one of our stalwart posters:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=2663468

[betsuni]

7. Yes, I know about bravenak's post, was first to comment!

That Pitt guy is an idiot.

[Gothmog]

25. Agreed

[MineralMan]

4. Too little; Too late, Pitt.

In holding our current President's feet to the fire again and again and in such and ugly way, you helped to split the Democratic Party. And make no mistake, the constant calumny you heaped on President Obama did play a role in what happened in November. The names you called him, in your sometimes articulate way, helped to divide people, rather than helping to create positive change.

You're no longer here on DU, so you probably won't even see this, but it's too late for you to change what has happened. And it needn't have happened at all. By working to divide people, you have helped to destroy progress, not to create progress.

Sorry, but you get no pass from me by calling, too late, for working together. I truly wish you had thought of this before, because it's too damned late now, Mr. Pitt.

[phylny]

11. Yup.

Never understood the adulation.

We need to stand together. Solidarity.

[zipplewrath]

13. Who are you talking to?

I'm a bit confused. The OP seems to "still be here". Unless he announced somewhere he is some how leaving/boycotting. Are you making reference to someone else? Is "Pitt" and Kpete the same person?

[ProfessorGAC]

14. Pitt Is The Author of The Truth Out Piece kpete Linked In The OP

And i share MM's sentiments regarding the author.

[zipplewrath]

15. Ah, I see

Do you place kpete in that category as well? My take is that kpete is advocating unity, and using the authors words to express it. Do believe he also is suggesting a larger support for the author, or has otherwise established that reputation?

FWIW, I actually prefer people use their own words. I've always been bothered by the technique around here of posting the writings of outside authors with little if any added substance. It is often a way around the TOS in the sense that the juries seem to allow far more leeway in posting otherwise alertable content if it is from outside sources.

That said, it does seem you are trying to place kpete in the same category. Was that your intent?

[ProfessorGAC]

19. No. Kpete and I Are DU Pals

I don't presume to put words in kpete's mouth. If you want to know why that TruthOut post was linked, ask kpete.

You missed the firestorm caused by Pitt around here and his inflammatory anti-Obama screeds. So, there are some of us old timers that have a jaundiced eye regarding him.

[zipplewrath]

30. And that's fine

My problem is that the original response was in essence TO kpete. Now, I now understand that it that it may have been intended to to be a response to the quoted author and not the OP. That's kinda why I asked. It would have cleared that up. I'm not aware of many CURRENT DU'ers that are guilty of his assertion. I'm sure there are one or two but hardly enough for a this response, and if there were, it'd be a borderline TOS violation. Someone called for unity and found an author that expressed IN THE WORDS WRITTEN for that action. One must really focus on what is being said, instead of HOW it is said. Do folks really object to kpete's call for unity, or how he called for it?

[Maru Kitteh]

32. MM wished to address his comments to Pitt, so he did. DU'ers often address original authors

You are not new here, so this should not be of any surprise to you.

It should also come as no surprise that the writings of any sort of divisive jack-hole, pine-bagger who professionally filleted one of the finest Democratic presidents of modern times for 8 years would be rejected by, to borrow a phrase from Van Jones, anyone with a functioning brain stem.

Broken clocks, though right twice a day, are still welcome to go perform anatomically unfeasible act upon themselves.

I hope this helps clear things up for you.

[Hekate]

22. I generally knr KPete's posts without a second thought, but not this one. KPete is not divisive here

...in my recollection. I doubt the person you are responding thinks so either, so why stir that up?

[MineralMan]

35. Who I was addressing is clear in the subject line of the reply.

Clearly, William Pitt is not the same person as the OP, and I specifically named Pitt as the person I was addressing.

I apologize for not replying earlier, but I could not. Now, I can again.

[beaglelover]

16. Agree 100%.

[Hekate]

23. Ain't that the truth

POSUCS was unforgivable and never atoned for, and that was only one instance of many.

[Gothmog]

26. I agree with your analysis 100%

I am also tired of people attacking President Obama and tearing down the Democratic party. I am glad that this poster is no longer on DU

[Maru Kitteh]

33. Full agreement, MineralMan. PBO was one of the greatest of modern times, yet some spent 8 years

acting as though he were one of our greatest enemies. Their cries for unity are beyond suspect.

[BainsBane]

36. and shitting all over our nominee

People like him put Trump in office.

[deaniac21]

6. It will be better in 24 business hours.

[RedWedge]

8. What kind of monster puts nuts in chocolate chip cookies?

[MineralMan]

9. Quote: It takes many fingers to make a fist.

I have just one finger for you, Mr. Pitt. Just one. It's an impudent finger. See it?

[WhiteTara]

10. I am not impressed.

I find his writing to be overly flowery and I know he is insincere. I've read his other work and know that he doesn't care about uniting anyone, but is just stroking his ego to assuage his guilt over his divisive writings of the past. Go back to JackAssRadicals, they love you there.

[mcar]

12. No thanks

Working against Democrats, including our president, in the name of "progressive" purity does not equal coming together. This writer helped to make this mess.

[Maven]

17. This after he shat on the one person standing between us and this mess?

He has a lot of nerve.

[GeorgeGist]

18. Yawn.

[bravenak]

20. I hate when a POSUCS comes back around and pretends that the shit that they've been selling

for years about Democrats and Obama and Hillary did not poison the well and help bring King Trump into power. I hope remembers when he bashed Obama and whines about how Obamacare was the worst thing ever to happen to him. I hope he remembers all the nasty anger he spewed at the democratic party for being horrible right-wingers when King Trump shows him what a real rightwing corporatist willdo to this nation. I will enjoy that just as much as he enjoyed attacking Barack Obama for eight years straight. Now he's scared. Good. He helped bring this to fruition.

[Gothmog]

27. Agreed

[ismnotwasm]

21. Oh the POSUCS dude?

He should be.

[RedWedge]

24. Does this mean he didn't get his pony this past election?

Ox, gored, etc.

[pangaia]

28. I hope there is a fucking blizzard, -15 F, wind chill of -50F

and 72" of snow and ice!

And a solar eclipse!

[BeyondGeography]

29. Tell it to these guys

[MFM008]

31. Praying for worst storm

In Washington DC history......

[kjones]

34. Ugh...sanctimonious Pitt. Gross...

I think the only fist he ever cared about was the one
wrapped tightly around his...uh, ego...he was always
stroking vigorously.