"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness . . . we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”--Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

I was going to take a break from politics and blog a bit on local history. However, I was convinced to forego the leprosy scare of post-pioneer times by the continuing attempts of a few Trump apologists to put a damper on my revelations on the character of the unprincipled, amoral, deceitful, shameless, licentious, devious and dishonest individual now billed as “the most powerful man on earth.” That last descriptive bit was grasped eagerly by the domineering psyche of Donald, who has been wallowing in narcissism and self-glorification since his earliest days. He is a walking superiority complex, and everything else comes in a distant second.

The photo collage above includes ex-Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, Donald Trump, and a campaign photo of Virginia transgender candidate Danica Roem (read on) with a small inset of her added.

I also was greatly encouraged to proceed thusly by a recent introductory editorial  by David Remnick in a recent issue of The New Yorker magazine . Remnick at one point wrote:

“. . . The United States elected a dishonest, inept, unbalanced, and immoral human being as its President and Commander in Chief. Trump has daily proven unyielding to appeals of decency, unity, moderation, or facts.  He is willing to imperil the civil peace and the social fabric of his country simply to satisfy his narcissism and to excite the worst inclinations of his core followers.”

That was written shortly before full-of-himself Donald—in a presidential endorsement of racism—pardoned criminal-racist ex-sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona, a profiler of Latinos under whose authority Mexican immigrants were physically assaulted and mentally humiliated on a regular basis. Some also mysteriously died while in custody. This news—including such things as Arpaio bragging about his tent-city concentration camp—didn’t always filter down well to local media throughout the country. However, one can always google the “Phoenix New Times, Arpaio” to get an idea of some of the cruel and outrageous actions of this sociopathic brute over the years. While Donald  thus continued to gun for immigrants. He also took another shot at preventing transgenders from serving in the military as he finished his extended vacation at one of his golf resorts and headed off to monitor the Texas hurricane from the presidential retreat at Camp David.

But  enough of feculent Donald for the moment.

I’m going to turn here to speak a bit of transgenders, in defense of equality and individual freedom. Transgenders are people who have a gender identity or gender expression that differs from their assigned sex.Transgender people are sometimes called transsexual if they desire medical assistance to transition from one sex to another. It is a broad umbrella term. I would suggest interested readers begin by googling both words (see also “gender dysphoria”). I find no threat to America in it all, although sexual supremacists seem to take issue with anything not measuring up to their own self-anointed bias.

Let’s be right up front with this. The only threat of transgenders is to Donald’s vision of a super race molded in his own image. He also should give up his anti-black obsession. He doesn’t even begin to have what it would take to prove he’s a better man than Barack Obama as he vandalizes everything the latter created.

My older daughter and I are now supporting the candidacy of Danica Roem who is seeking a seat in the ‘Virginia legislature (13th House district—a seat currently held by a conservative Republican who has sponsored anti-LGBTQ legislation) in the Nov. 7 election in that commonwealth. She would be the first openly transgender representative in the Virginia legislature. All 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates are up for election on Nov. 7, 2017. 

Daughter Pam has joined me in recent years in appreciating the value of every single vote in a great many decisions effected at various levels of government around the country. I personally have financially contributed to the successful initial campaigns of individuals well beyond the borders of our own state—including current U. S. Senators Al Franken of Minnesota, Tami Duckworth of Illinois and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. Pam and I both have backed candidates in Kansas, Montana and North Carolina. I formerly had money working in Ohio and recently sent a few dollars to a candidate for mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. Pam, who lives in Oregon, also is backing Archie Parnell in South Carolina and Karen Hardy in Washington’s seventh-district state senate race (and I will be joining her in that one).

That last is a special Nov. 7, 2017, special election to fill a seat vacated by a Republican who left to accept an appointment in Trump’s agriculture department. Hardy is a Democrat. Last I heard, Republicans controlled the Washington state senate 25-24.

Of our latest chosen candidate, a supportive web site states: “Danica, a long time local reporter in her district is running a smart campaign focused on local issues - jobs, transportation, and education. She's not afraid to speak out unequivocally and forcefully when the situation demands it. On Charlottesville she said this: ‘Get that neo-N*zi white supremacy BS out of our commonwealth.’ Take notes wishy-washers: ‘that’ is how it's done.”

Danica Roem worked for nine years as the lead reporter for the Gainesville Times and the Prince William Times. She won awards from the Virginia Press Association seven times. She sings in the metal band Cab Ride Home. She is the stepmother to a child enrolled in public schools. She’s someone I’d love to know personally.

In my family it’s all about individual dignity and freedom of choice, whether you live in Port Townsend or somewhere else in the country. I haven’t checked lately with my wife and other children on their particular candidate support—but we’ll undoubtedly have a major pow-wow during the run-up to the 2018 mid-term election and collectively do our best near and far. 

Here’s a site that will give you a look at Danica and a button for campaign donations. http://danicaroem.ngpvanhost.com/  but just Googling Danica Roem will provide sites more comprehensive in nature. Opportunities to support diversity in our society don’t come knocking at the door every day. I’m grabbing this one.

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