By WILLIAM LEDFORD
This is the first issue of 2017 and Trump has finally been sworn in, it’s now been some time now since the election was decided and the reality show that is President-elect Trump with his “victory tour”, transition team, cabinet selections and non-stop “tweets” is still churning on ad nauseam in the broadcast and cable news outlets, especially Fox News. It’s kinda disgusting to see Sean Hannity all giddy like a schoolboy with a fierce crush. The only Fox News talking head to keep it real when Trump is being discussed was Megan Kelly and even she’s getting the heck out of the company of them good ol’ boys. The rest of the bunch on ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC and CNN seem to be glued to the coming and goings at Trump Plaza like rubberneckers at a car crash. After the first minority President is this guy the answer? What was the question anyway? Anybody else sick of Kellyanne Conway yet?
Realities: I was bummed out when Trump won and more bummed when the Democrats didn’t pick up enough seats in Congress to make the first two years of the Great Trumpkin a little tougher. I’m hoping that since many of the mainstream GOP leaders are very wary of and do not seem to like Trump, hopefully they’ll put him in check to keep him from embarrassing the GOP and the country. It’ll be a tough job because to do the right thing for the majority of Americans they run the risk of alienating his very vocal basket of deplorable voters. But I’ve suffered through Nixon, Reagan, two George Bushes plus a dash of Gerald Ford I can probably stomach this guy for four years, maybe two years if the Democrats re-group and take back the Senate and tighten up the House. An absolute reality is, this guy is nuttier than squirrel crap and his sad bunch of glow-in-the-dark KKK-type followers are as bad if not worse. We Native people need to stay alert to the realities of this President, he is an insecure, vindictive, petty, spiteful jerk and he doesn’t like us. That’s the reality for Indian Country.
Tweets: A line from one of my favorite films goes, “I don’t think he’s gonna stop!” The words described a guy that could puff up, expand and expand and finally exploded. And seems to describe our new President and his Twitter account to a tee.
Psychology: I’m no psychologist but I understand the classic narcissist description that fits Mr. Trump to a tee. “Narcissistic personality disorder is a long-term pattern of abnormal behavior characterized by exaggerated feelings of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration, and a lack of understanding of others’ feelings. People affected by it often spend a lot of time thinking about achieving power or success or about their appearance“. Sound familiar? Kinda explains the tweets, the “grabbing” comments, the labeling of the media, the pathological need to respond to criticism, the need the need to base all pre-swearing-in activities in the familiar setting of Trump Tower, the need to have a building named Trump Tower…
Tired of Trump? How about some news about the Dakota Access Pipeline. I’m amazed. There are some very tough, very resilient people up in North Dakota, still camped in place, waiting for spring to come so they can get back to the business at hand which is stopping Energy Transfer Partners from installing an oil pipeline under a very crucial water system. The water protectors are continuing to stand their ground, even in the face of northern blizzards and sub-freezing temperatures. Man, I thought North Dakota was cold in October with 46 degree temps and 45 mph winds blowing south out of Canada but this is unreal. I’m never gonna moan about cold weather again. But, there’s good news. The word has spread. Water protectors are now defying the Energy Transfer Partners, yep, same people, pipeline build under the Rio Grande River in Texas. Unfortunately you won’t get any of this news on TV unless you watch the Democracy Now! show on PBS. Check out their website or listen to NPR. Stay informed! And, stay tuned.
I’ll close for now with a quote attributed to many. It fits with Melania Trump’s GOP Convention speech and Trumps choice for communications direction for the NSA. “To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research”. See ya!
Ledford is an EBCI tribal member currently living in Albuquerque, NM.
