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OP-ED

I am not entertained

Frank LoBuono was not entertained by the Inauguration of our 47th President.

After the actor Russell Crowe, as Maximus, the main character in the Academy Award-winning film “Gladiator,” violently dispatches another foe in the arena, he raises his bloodied arms in the air and in an act of pure distain and disgust, screams to the adoring crowd; “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!” It’s another way of saying, “what did you expect? You got what you paid for.”

I couldn’t help but have the same feeling after watching clips of the Inauguration of our 47th President, Donald J. Trump. Watching the entire event would have been an adventure in masochism. And, in the final analysis, we got what we paid for.

There is a litany of things that I could list as laughable that are actually very easy to compile. They include things of a trivial nature like the lame musical acts, Melania’s baffling fashion choices, Trump’s rambling, incoherent speeches, and his ridiculous “fist bump” dance. They are not very important, besides the fact that they make him look like the buffoon America seems to have forgotten he’s proven to be — repeatedly.

But what really concerns me is the REAL damage he can do with his ACTIONS. And, on his first day in office, he had already begun. In addition to some of the more baffling Executive Orders he issued, the five that I found the most egregious and downright dangerous are:

1. Declaring a State of Emergency at our Southern Border which will trigger mass deportations and a repeal of The Birthright Law.

2. Imposing 25% tariffs on 2 of our largest trading partners, Mexico and Canada.

3. The pardoning of over 1500 people convicted of assaulting the Capitol on Jan 6, 2021.

4. Withdrawing from The Paris Climate Accord and the W.H.O.

5. Officially designated two genders only: male and female.

My responses:

  1. Unfortunately, largely supported by most Americans, mass deportations will cripple our economy by removing an enormous number of workers in both the labor and service industries. Who will do the jobs currently filled by millions of immigrants?
  2. This will also be economically devastating. Tariffs are seen by the great majority of economists as a last resort measure and usually do more harm than good. In this case, the cost of most goods will skyrocket.
  3. Might be the most devastating of all. It makes a mockery of our judicial system where the rule of law is determined sole by one man – The President. Either you are with him or against him. And if you choose the latter, you will be held accountable.
  4. Leave us with a devastated environment where “drill baby, drill” will be our mantra. We will also be more susceptible to communicable diseases.
  5. Continues to erode of our basic human right to live as we choose.

Yes, we’ve gotten what we paid for and for the life of me, I’ll NEVER understand why. It was obvious to me that Mr. Trump was never more than a grifter and never will be. And he proved it in word and deed, over and over again. I’ve written essay after essay warning of the danger. Yet, the Americans who voted for him seemed to conveniently forget the many transgressions that clearly showed his poor moral character.

We didn’t care that he mocked a disabled reporter. We looked away when he said that he grabs women by the “pussey”.  We ignored him mimicking fellatio on a microphone. And there is more bizarre behavior to describe. But, in the end, none of seemed to matter. When confronted with these character flaws, his supporters always managed to find a convenient excuse for his abhorrent behavior.

We can fault the Democrats for their many strategic failures during this election cycle. And rightly so. Unfortunately, we are now stuck with the consequences of those failures. Please note that I used the pronoun “we” when referring to this debacle because that’s the way it works in America. We vote and then live with the consequences of that election. So, WE have no one to blame but ourselves for our current predicament. Many of my friends’ cry “foul” and say, “he’s not MY President. I didn’t vote for him.” Well, enough people seemed to have had collective amnesia or simply didn’t care enough about moral issues to elect a man sorely lacking in any redeeming value. But we did. And here we are. I AM NOT ENTERTAINED.

Frank LoBuono is a Nyack Resident, photographer, blogger and retired CBS News journalist.

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article are those of this independent writer and not the Nyack News & Views editorial staff. We welcome submissions from anybody who is interested in publishing their thoughts, ideas and perspectives about issues facing our community, both large and small. Please send to info@nyacknewsandviews.com with detailed contact information.



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