The above flag is the Gadsden Flag, designed by American general Christopher Gadsden in 1775.
This was my late father's favorite American flag. He flew it every Independence Day.
My father was a great fan of Independence Day. He was a great believer in what it stood for.
He also liked fireworks.
Make that loved fireworks.
My father would be horrified at the mess that is this year's election.
You can stop reading here if you don't want political opinion with your hot dogs and fireworks.
My father was a Libertarian rather than a Republican. He and I didn't agree on a lot of things in the political spectrum. However, we did agree that protecting the environment was an imperative. I tended to sway things towards talking about the environment, and then the conversation went well.
My father probably would have voted for a third party candidate rather than putting in a vote for either Donald T. Rump or Hillary Clinton.
I am of the opinion that Hillary Clinton is the lesser of two evils and will thus vote for her, regardless of the fact that I really don't care for her. I don't think she will do as much damage as The Donald.
Any way you look at it, we're screwed. So I'll take the "screwed" that at least has the decency to bring along lube.
Crass jokes aside, my reasoning will follow.
I identify as a liberal politically, but I am not fond of neoliberalism Neoliberalism believes in such things as legalizing prostitution, which I do not. Neoliberalism believes in such things as a cafe where a man can get a blow job with his coffee. I do not.
As a woman, I feel that neoliberalism sees me as just as much of an object as reactionary conservatism, it just sees me as a piece of ass whereas reactionary conservatism sees me as an indentured servant.
I am a liberal. I am not a neoliberal.
I believe in equal treatment for all people: people of all races, men, women, intersexed people, transgender people, people of all sexual orientations. I believe in the separation of church and state. I believe that we must socialize our medical system because the current mess we're in is killing people.
I also believe that we're in one hell of a fix right now.
The fellow who was my school's class president the year that I graduated is a very conservative Mormon. He is also a very kind and considerate person, and although he and I are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, we respect one another. He is not fond of Hillary Clinton, but he is appalled by Donald Trump and found himself wondering how the Republican party could ever have ended up nominating this monster.
The great documentary filmmaker Ken Burns wonders how Christians could vote for Trump. He points out that Trump lusts after his own daughter and makes crass and hateful statements about women's breasts and bodies.
"How is that in any way Christ-like?" Mr. Burns asks.
Thus, I will be voting for Hillary Clinton, although I'm far from fond of her.
Hillary Clinton reminds me a bit of Margaret Thatcher.
People in Britain sang "Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead" when Thatcher died.
I really do not want Hillary Clinton in the White House.
However, I would far rather have Margaret Thatcher in the White House than Josef Stalin without the class, which is what I feel Donald Trump is.
We lose either way, but where Mitt Romney would have set back the clock on treatment of women and minorities to the 1950's, Trump will set it back to the time of the Civil War.
Trump is so bad that I would choose Romney over Trump.
Trump is a racist who sees women as pieces of ass. Never mind how badly people with disabilities, including mental illness, would fare in a Trump regime.
Trump mocking a disabled reporter. You can't make this shit up.
Even if Trump is mostly ineffective during his time in office, having someone like him with attitudes like his in the highest office in the land sets the tone for treating those in lesser social positions like shit. The gains that have been made in securing protection for non-whites, for women, for those who do not identify as heterosexual, for intersexed and transgender people, for people with disabilities, either physical or mental, will be either eradicated or set back.
A Hillary Clinton presidency might be a nightmare, but a Trump presidency is an express elevator to hell.
Please, let's at least preserve the mess we've got.
We really can't allow things to get worse.
Happy Fireworks, Barbecue, and Don't Tread On Me Flag Day.
~The Cheese Hath Grated It~
Crafty Artwork not mine
