I feel asleep at the computer and then lost what I wrote, so I will be back tomorrow, but for now,
Isabel, I am so very, very, very sorry. I wish I could hug you and your family.

Isabel, I am so sorry and this is what breaks my heart.

I've experienced racism in what is considered very liberal places. My Tem and I were literally confronted by a very mean person. Tem wanted to knock the man's block off for his harsh words,and c rude behavior. It took everything in me to pull Tem away.

Unfortunately this election has given silent permission for bullies to get even more vocal. Those whom have never experienced hate sometimes ignore or give silent permission.

This makes my heart sad. We the people who make up America cannot give bullies permission to hate.

I have to say that when Trump won. Some People in American gave silent permission for hate to rule this country but they don't even see it.

As my son said after the election, "they are among us." Shocking to us, as we live in a liberal corner of the U.S. and outspoken Trump supporters were few and far between. But the next day, FB and Twitter were full of their glee. As "privileged" white people, we are still sad and scared for our country. I hope hope hope we are wrong.

Thanks everyone. I am feeling MUCH better for several reasons : one is that HRC will end up winning the popular vote by around 3 million votes. That tells me that the MAJORITY of Americans are NOT like this.

Second, is wonderful people like you that reject hate.

Ledonna, my friend. You have hit the nail on the head. I thought throughout the campaign that this was a binary choice. You either were for hate or against it. But the REAL demographic that got us to we were are , are the people who just don't care. Like the comic on the Daily Show said, " You don't hate me. You just don't care about me."

The people who didn't care about equality and social justice as a priority voted for an IMPACT that is based in hate mongering. They voted for the shredding of the implicit social agreement of decency. I find it not so "silent". A vote is your voice...and many people voiced their opinion that social justice, equality and inclusion is just not important. General Patraeus once said during an interview on Syria, to paraphrase : before you take action your question should ALWAYS be, if we do this, THEN WHAT ? This is our then what ? Hate-mongering.

I used the analogy that for many of us, the hate mongering from the President elect was a flashing red light. Some people liked that light. More still ended up being red green color blind and were able to ignore it. And that is what got us here. PEACE !

( Aquamarine, I live in one to THE most liberal places in the US. I can't imagine what is happening in places less liberal. )

Barbara Diane, I feel the empathy and the love through the screen....it is THAT powerful.

XXXXXXXXX

First off I just want to say Thank you to Angie and Greg and all of us here on YLF that are able to have this written conversation without it devolving. Next I want to say that I know that this is a fashion site but I feel as if it so much more and again I am grateful for us that make up YLF. Politics just like fashion has a place and we will all not have the same opinion and we can agree to disagree and that is okay. As long as we respect each other.

Now most of the country does not understand the electoral college and what it is and or how it works.

I've provided a link but in a nutshell The E.C. was made up by the forefathers of this country to prevent exactly what happened when Trump was elected.

To prevent:

The election of someone who is unqualified

The Majority having the say over the minority.

Unfortunate in the world we live in today. The electoral collage is outdated and not for today's America.

Even the president Elect Trump was quoted as saying this when President Obama was elected.

So technically
The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President.

So few get to choose the one who will be president.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/.....ollege-dis

https://www.archives.gov/feder.....about.html

YES !!! Ledonna...what an ironic twist of fate that the very escape hatch that our forefathers provided in order to avoid dictatorship/oligarchy is what has put us in this predicament.

And A MILLION times yes to thank Angie and Greg for allowing this to be ( yet again ) a place of healing.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Ledonna, I agree that the Electoral College is archaic and worthless. Unfortunately, Republicans who will control both houses of Congress and the Presidency, are unlikely to eliminate it since it helped them twice recently (GW Bush also lost the popular vote, in 2000).

Isabel, it pains me to hear of the abuse inflicted on you and your mother. I'm very very sorry.

So...you know, I'm not sure changing the system would do anything. I think we have a fundamental failure to uphold the system period - a culture war indeed. First, too few came out to vote. Second, the federal level rests on a local-level base - the people *up there* all come from somewhere - and how many of us have ever gone to even one dreadful city council meeting. Third, exactly what do you say when you ELECT a tyrant? The nature of a democracy or even a monarchy depends on the underlying values of the society. We have a divide, a deep divide, of belief on how we are to treat other people. Hanging on Twitter is so interesting and yet it's not - it's also just like being on the kindergarten playground. There are those who value being a winner and punch the crybaby. There are those who worry about the crybaby and want everyone to be ok. There are those who'd give up their lunch money readily, thinking the kid with the ready fists will give them the piece of Halloween candy they dropped on the ground or that one day they can do the punching... and they won't. Not ever.

Ah....rachy, great observations! People want change and hate the government but tend to LOVE and re-elect their incumbents. It is every other person's legislator that they hate. But yet , You end up with a guy who has never been in government period , in any way, and he gets in through a fluke. Not only is this a cultural divide like you said, it is a moment in history where the pendulum swings hard right as people resist globalization : look at Le
Pen in France and Brexit. GERMANY is now the stalwart Liberal under Merkel!

Rachy very good indeed. Social Media is skewed perspective just like the news is.

It does not eliminate the hate mongering and the fear that those flames are feeding.

Yes... and I don't think that many can all squeeze into Germany... !!

On the news they just reported that Barbara Boxer has introduced legislation to eliminate the Electoral College. This is the 700th time this has been tried.

... sometimes... Barbara... listen, I want to vote for CalExit, but then I'd be trapped in this state with certain people... lol... but of course I do love *my* Barbara, Barbara Lee. Now she has had the guts to stand alone, totally alone, in both houses of congress... jus' sayin'...

ETA: My mom has just brought me a cartoon that she alleges I drew when I was in grammar school, concerning the election of Ronald Reagan. I don't know man, I just don't know... I think I was being indoctrinated...

Barbara Boxer

I do love her enthusiasm. lol

I really don't like the 2 party system although there were 2 other candidates.

Was the system rigged from the beginning?

The reality is that some teen at my nieces school called a Muslim girl a towel head and to go back to where she was from.

My niece said That the kids ganged up on this boy and beat him up. They are having a H.S. assembly to address these and other issues based on race.

Something is happening all the time. There is an undercurrent of hate and fear.

Many are not sure how to resolve it.

I just lost what I spent over an hour writing.

Shorter version, as I must be satisfied and hit send. I may hit send after sections.

Everyone, I am so glad that you have joined in and had words of solace for Isabel and LedonnaN.

Isabel, I was so shocked and saddened to hear about what happened. And so angry.
LadonnaN, same with how you and Tem were treated. I'm glad you were able to stop Tem.

I am so stunned and saddened at what has happened to you two, all I want is to hug you. And help.

Barbara D. Thank you I just want for all of us to be treated equally and fairly. I don't think it's hard but it is challenging to keep that train of thought. I'll take a virtual hug.

Please, if I lose anyone with what I write in this section, please continue to read my next postings.

One thing I want to remind everyone of, the majority of Americans did not vote for him. 58% voted, and then less than half of those voted for him. So a net of 29% or less. And of those who voted for him, I believe many did not like him, but they believe in the Republican platform. They want the Supreme Court to be conservative, they are anti-abortion, they believe that the US Federal government should be small, and that many things should be decided at the state level.

Many voted for him because they were afraid. Afraid of ISIS, afraid that refugees arriving here would include terrorists, etc. They wanted to avoid more Boston Marathon type bombings. They want to avoid the assaults that have happened in Europe. They thought he would be stronger in preventing these criminal acts.

They did not agree with his other statements and behaviors. They expected he would change some of that after he was elected. And they really wished he was not the nominee.

And I think that these people did not expect what has happened since the election.

Barbara D. Thank you I just want for all of us to be treated equally and fairly. I don't think it's hard but it is challenging to keep that train of thought. I'll take a virtual hug.

I think many of us thought a lot of the problems that we have become aware of in the last few years had been resolved years ago. And even some that happened to us and ours, we thought since they had happened rarely, and we did not hear that they were happening to others, we brushed aside.

Then, many years ago, our local synagogue joined with local congregations and started an organizing committee. I don't know how the need for it came to our attention, but it did. Later non-profits joined. The committee has affected local rules and practices for the better. Our collective voice is heard.

And then I read things people started writing. And after cameras recorded police killings, people started to share their stories. And many of us woke up. And our congregation started educating ourselves, and has started to take action.

Isabel, I would love for you to tell your children that yes, there are bullies out there. And yes, some people are being meaner. But many, many, many people are in shock. But the people in shock are coming out of the shock, and we are sharing our shock and horror and pain. And we are looking to figure out what we can do. We value each and every human being. And we will not stand for this.

Yes, LadonnaN. Hugs. And one day I will get to Chicago again and we will meet up.

Rachylou, please tell us about the cartoon.

Well, it shows the election results being announced and people putting bags over their heads and some swings... maybe that was pre-tween observation not instruction / indoctrination...

...Have to say, my handwriting was pretty good, hehe!

Had any other premonitions we should be worried about?

Ledonna, so sorry to hear about what has happened at your niece's school. I am glad the school is addressing it. After 9/11 a friend told me her son said a Muslim kid at our sons' middle school was being taunted. I called the school. What sort of surprised me was that she hadn't called the school. Luckily her son told her, and she told me.

About our political system, it is my guess is that no party will have 17 people run ever again, and no media will give that much time to just one candidate, no matter how colorful. Unless maybe to warn us.
And we will not assume we know the results of the election before they happen.

And I hope more people will vote. And realize that every vote matters.

Parliamentary systems have major flaws, and small extremist parties often end up with disproportional power and voice.
I don't know the answer.

Isabel, I am heartbroken about those stories you recounted, as well as many others I've been hearing.

All of this has brought back a long-forgotten memory. My best friend in first grade was from Taiwan. She was (and is still) brilliant and talented, and a sweetheart. Her family had moved to the US around the time she was born, and she was teaching her mother English at the age of six. She's now a doctor.

Anyway, the only time I ever kind of got "in trouble" in elementary school was because a boy a couple of years older than us came up in the lunchroom and started making fun of her and kept calling her "chink." I stepped up and planted myself in front of her and yelled at him to stop. Apparently, that's when a teacher walked in and only saw my reaction, not the boy's cruel actions. It took a trip to the principal's office to sort it out, but I think it surprised everyone that a quiet, shy, bookish kid like I was stood up to a bully like that.

If I see anything like these hateful things happening in person, you can bet that secretly feisty first-grader in me is coming back out.

Well done, Janet!

"They wanted to avoid more Boston Marathon type bombings."

I just wanted to interject here that while I agree with what you are saying, the irony is that Boston would be horrified that Trump was elected in their name.

Yep! But I know people who were worried about exactly that. Haven't seen them in a while, so not sure how they ended up voting. And the irony that some people were worried that letting in refugees would increase hate crimes like occured in some European countries, but didn't foresee the hate crimes unleashed by Trump's election. And don't realize that most mass shootings, etc. are perpetrated by American born white boys. Look at all the school shootings, etc.

Emailed one such friend to have lunch soon. I'm hoping it goes well.

Thank you Barbara for your support...and you too Janet !

I don't know about the fear. I have heard so many different things and not one person has mentioned fear of the "other". They talk about dominance of the "other" and the other stealing jobs or benefits or whatever.

But I believe we have hit a place that it is a psychological impossibility to come back from because it is so outrageous. Let me give you an example : someone who didn't vote for HRC and lives in MI was furious that Obama has never done anything for MI. And that he deserved to be abandoned as a result. She lives in MI. I then reminded her that he helped orchestrate the auto industry bailout. Specifically GM in MI. To the BILLIONS of dollars. One of the largest windfalls to any state in history. She looked dumb founded. She had "forgotten". How does one reach a person outraged about being economically left behind when she "forgets" that she has a job because of a federal bailout ? Or one that demands small government and that its main job is defense but then is furious it is not providing enough Medicare or jobs. It is an absolute conundrum. One woman told me that she voted for him because she home schools her children and wants common core dropped. These are all people whose priorities are NOT equality. They just don't care. And apathy is worst than hate, IMO. Hate happens and gains power through apathy.

The morality of a society is set when a group of people agree on the rules and priorities that will govern them : the mores. I feel as if country has split into two societies. One where the morality lies in equality and social justice. And the other in pure self interest with no care for the loss of others ( a la Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead - you are just not my problem...) But the former is also out for blood. It is not enough to have their own mores. They need to minimize others to feel that they have reached their potential.

Anyway, enough philosophizing....I LOVE this place ! Thanks !

Our incumbents all ran unopposed, and rhey're all Republican. I live in Trumpville, USA and our county had a high 80% voter turnout. At least I could choose who I wanted for President, though.