“Just shut up and get over it? Don’t be a sore loser? Give the guy a chance? Stop being so negative? We must all unite now. Grow up. Let’s hit the reset button. We must all work together now.” WHAT?!!!

Do we live in the same reality?

Waking to a nightmare: I woke up the morning of Nov. 9 and it was like hearing that the school bully, who pushed people’s heads into toilets, toppled lunches, stole lunch money, intimidated shy kids, snapped bras and groped all the girls, was just elected class president by beating up the smart kid in the class, after punching the principal in the nose.

As a woman who is over 55, it felt much, much worse than that. It felt like the person, who had sexually assaulted, demeaned, degraded and figuratively, wagged his penis in my face for 18 months, had just been acquitted and was allowed to walk away a free man.

For all women who have endured misogyny, sexism and sexual harassment in male-dominated fields of study and the workplace, as well as sexual advances and assaults by family and others, this was more like being assaulted and watching the guy get away with it. If that isn’t bad enough, now everyone wants us to forget all about it and “unify.” Are you kidding me?!!!

Why are we so upset? We are not crybabies, as some of you suggest, who are blaming one guy for the sins of other men. It isn’t even about an election or a race and losing to a man. It is about THIS man, THIS pig, who has been allowed to thumb his nose at all legal and social norms, simply because he is rich enough to get away with it. It is not about a man, who has been falsely accused and deserves his day in court to defend himself. It is about a man who…

• Openly bragged about grabbing women’s private parts and forcing himself on them
• Openly bragged about getting away with sexual assault
• Openly demeaned women for their looks
• Openly degraded and mocked intelligent women
• Openly attacked the character of the first woman presidential candidate and her family
• Openly bullied the first woman candidate and used male posturing and male intimidation techniques – on national television
• Openly humiliated the same woman by bringing her cheating husband’s X girlfriends into a professional arena, attacking her at an animal level, implying “she wasn’t woman enough to please her man”
• Openly exploited deeply troubled and vengeful women – contributing to further degradation of their characters
• Openly postured himself and used physical, mental and verbal intimidation – BULLIED
• Openly degraded and mocked disabled people
• Openly degraded and mocked a decorated war veteran
• Openly degraded and mocked the parents of a war hero
• Openly bragged about how he could do anything he wanted because he was famous
• Openly bragged about duping Republicans into voting for him because they were stupid
• Openly bragged about being able to shoot someone down in the street and getting away with it
• Openly mocked and degraded minorities
• Openly lied to the American people, over and over and over again
• Openly attacked the character of our first African American president and his family
• Openly attacked the character of every single immigrant and their families
• Openly attacked the character of every single Muslim American and their families
• Openly bragged about “conning others” and the “IRS” to keep himself rich beyond any of the “ordinary person’s” wildest dreams

What is our resistance about? Do we not care about America enough to put our petty feeling aside and just see what we can do with a Republican Congress and an unqualified president?

• It is about a person who willfully bullied, intimidated, mocked and degraded everyone.
• It is about a person who represents everything that is stereotypically wrong with white, entitled and racist America.
• It is about a person who lacks the intellect and decision making skills to juggle the needs of a country and the entire world.
• It is about a man who truly only cares about himself.

AND we are just supposed to sit idly by and accept this!???

I don’t think so!!!

Hillary represented all strong, intelligent women of a generation and she represented hope for generations of women to come. This man’s assault against a woman of her steely courage, poise, intellect, grace and professional demeanor, was also against all other professional women. All of us who have endured the ravages of a “male-dominated” world to reach success and self-assuredness in our professional lives. His attempts to “break” her spirit affected us all on a visceral level. He may as well have been talking over each of us. Bullying each of us. Degrading and demeaning each of us. Posturing himself with each of us. Sexually assaulting all of us. We FELT every blow.

Donald Trump lost the popular vote. This man is not qualified to be our president. He lacks the moral and ethical character needed to lead this nation. As a proud American and as a woman, who has had enough of the failed leadership of a rich, white, Oligarchy, I don’t intend to lie down and sleep with this rapist. I will not support him. I will not congratulate him. I will not!!!

Women have come too far and have had too many of our personal rights trampled upon to allow a buffoon like this guy to take over.

It is about wanting a better America than we had 60 years ago. WE want a president who will continue to carry the 60 years of change forward and build a kinder, gentler, more unified nation of law-abiding citizens; citizens who care about their fellow human beings. Enough is ENOUGH.

• Freedom
• Diversity
• Inclusiveness
• Equality
• Racial Justice
• Personal Freedom
• The Right to Privacy
• Religious Freedom
• Peace
• Economic Justice
• Community
• HOPE
• Diplomacy First
• Strength of Character
• Dignity
• Grace
• Education
• Security through a strong military
• Strong economy and global alliances
• Global Leadership in Science and Technology
• Fairness
• Laws which support the “common good”
• Life
• Liberty
• Pursuit of Happiness
• Responsible Citizenship
• A living wage
• Fair pay
• Access to Affordable Healthcare for ALL citizens, not just the very rich