SLEEP TIGHT WITH PLEASANT DREAMS

SLEEP TIGHT WITH PLEASANT DREAMS 

It would have been nice if we could have realized how significant our teenage years were. If we could have attained the knowledge of just how fast youth passes, we would have cherished every moment of those years with greater appreciation. If we could have put “time in a bottle” as the writer of the songs says, and preserved it, and opened the bottle in later years, what a great time growing old would have been.  But the only way those times can be preserved is in our dreams. The Bible tells us that, “old men shall dream dreams.” And this is what it means; in our dreams we can relive those precious days of youth. 

If in our retirement we are living in a peaceful and secure environment our dreams will reflex those wonderful times of childhood. It is true we may have an occasional bad dream, but by far deep sleep and beautiful dreams fill our senior nights. For us who have had to struggle for our identity, great joy waits at the “End of the Trail,” and with a series of pleasant dreams all those struggles are made worth while. 

There was nothing easy about being a gay teenager in the Southern Bible Belt.   Even today the threads of discrimination pull heavy at my heart, and I have to take precautions to maintain a level head. I have faced discrimination, and I don’t like it! And I don’t like those who discriminate.  I must admit that in recent days there have been a series of occurrences that have upset those nights of adorable dreams. 

I have written much about Donald Trump, and I have made many of my friends and family members angry. But I feel strongly about this, and with every fiber of my being I believe that Donald Trump is corrupt and if unchecked he will destroy America’s democracy and set himself up as a dictator.  I have never felt stronger about anything in my entire life, than the fact that Donald Trump is a corrupt individual. 

The way this man has taken control of the Republican Party and the evangelical Christian Church has been abhorrent to me. And I have difficulty convincing myself that I am wrong. Everyday Donald Trump adds fuel to the belief that I am right. 

We have seen Donald Trump make fun of a handicapped reporter. We have heard him make disrespectful remarks about women. We have seen copies of the checks he used to pay porn stars for sex. 

We heard him make the statement, “Russia if you are listening,” and “There are fine people on both sides,” and we’ve seen him clap and smile when the audience shouted, “Lock her up.” We know this is not the correct approach for an opponent in a democracy. 

He sided with Putin at Helsinki in 2018 against all seventeen of American Security Agencies. In March of 2020 he was told that Vladimir Putin was paying Taliban Militants to kill American soldiers, and Donald Trump did nothing! 

He fired the Director of the FBI and other members of the Justice Department who were investigating him. He fired the people who told the truth about him at the Impeachment Proceedings.  98% of his cabinet members have been involved in corrupt schemes for personal benefit. 

He told Americans and the world that Mexico would pay for the Wall. He called football players “who took a knee” to address grievances against social injustices, “sons of bitches.” He called Mexicans rapists.  He called African nations “shit-hole countries.” He took babies from Mother’s arms and put them in cages at the Southern border. 

He has spent millions of taxpayer’s dollars hiring lawyers to prevent public inspection of his income tax returns and his business records. He has reduced the sentences of his buddies in crime, and has pardoned other friends who were convicted of crimes. 

He refused to take the advice of the scientists and doctors, and as a result, he has totally mishandled the Corvid-19 pandemic. His advice was to inject disinfectants to kill the Corvid-19 virus. He has made wearing a mask a political issue. He said, “If we didn’t have testing we wouldn’t have cases.” Now he has cut funds for Corvid-19 testing. As the result, America leads the world in deaths from Corvid-19.  During the height of the pandemic he asked the Supreme Court to overturn the “Affordable Care Act,” and eliminate preexisting conditions. 

It is safe to say that those people who have worked close with Donald Trump and were fired and who wrote a book, describe him as a totally incompetent, draft dodging liar, who should never have been elected the president of the USA. Hundreds of professionals are now saying, America may be able to survive 4 years of Donald Trump, but not 4 more years. If you love America, and if you believe in democracy, you should make plans to vote in the November election of 2020. Republicans are already making voting difficult because the only way they can win in November is by voter suppression. So regardless of the hardships, we must endure and we must vote because the “soul” of America rests in our hands. 

Now back to the issue of sleeping; I have made the decision that I will not allow any person or anything to disrupt my peaceful life and beautiful dreams. To my relatives and friends, who are Trump supporters, if he wins in November in a fair election, I will not shed tears on my pillow, but for now I will  do everything I can to see that he is defeated. However, from now until then, be assured I will sleep tight with pleasant dreams.