When a man drove a rented truck down an NYC bike bath, killing eight people, here is what happened: After the president found out that he was a Muslim, he responded quickly to 1) call for his death, and 2) “POLITICIZE A TRAGEDY” by using this act of terrorism to try to strengthen his case for keeping Muslims out of the country with immigration policy change. Though when a gunman walked into a small church in Texas and killed 26 men, women, and children while they worshipped, if the killer had been a brown Muslim instead of a white former Bible School teacher who was dishonorably discharged from the military for domestic violence, he would have probably used this tragedy to pat himself on the back… just like he did after the Orlando shooting.

Instead, since we have YET ANOTHER white man with an assault rifle who decided to go on a killing spree, we have a very different response. From Japan, Trump said this about the Texas Church shooting:

“Mental health is your problem here. This was a very, based on preliminary reports, a very deranged individual, a lot of problems over a long period of time. We have a lot of mental health problems in our country, as do other countries. But this isn’t a guns situation. I mean, we could go into it, but it’s a little bit soon to go into it.“

Okay. Fine. Maybe it’s “a little bit too soon” after this tragedy to talk about how policy changes might prevent this sort of thing from happening again (or at LEAST prevent it from happening with this sort of regularity). Maybe a month? Should we wait about a month to talk about how easy access to weapons designed to kill a lot of people in a very short time MIGHT have something to do with all of these massacres where people are using weapons designed to kill a lot of people in a very short time  in order to KILL A LOT OF PEOPLE IN A VERY SHORT TIME?!? Does 35 days seem about the right length of time? If so, I’ve got some good news for you, you narcissistic nitwit… Because that’s how long it’s been since you suggested it was “a little bit too soon” to talk about guns after the Las Vegas shooting that left 58 people dead.

Trump went on to say, “This is a mental health problem at the highest level.” Yes. That’s right, you horse’s ass. This IS a mental health problem at the highest level. YOUR mental health. And Congress’. And the lunacy of listening to the NRA. And the craziness of continuing to elect people who refuse to do anything about this public health crisis. But this constant stigmatizing of mental illness is doing nothing to help either. People experience many kinds of mental illness, and linking that to violent behavior is unfair and unfounded. Another thing that does nothing to help is when Trump OVERTURNS MENTAL HEALTH REGULATIONS ON GUN PURCHASES as one of his first actions as president.  But yes… When someone does something like walk into a church and start killing people, most people look at an action like that and say, “That person is obviously crazy.” But then again, that’s also what most people say when they hear you speak, you bloated orange pustule.

Right, right… I know, I know… We shouldn’t be calling people names. “Ad hominem,” and all that. But some things I have to do for MY OWN mental health… And right now, one of those things is calling Donald Trump names. Not because I think that — even if by some miracle, this post made it to the president’s eyes — that it would do any good in changing his warped nature… But because I imagine him wincing when I say it, like Prince Humperdinck winces when Wesley calls him a “warthog-faced buffoon.”

And yes, imagining being able to look into Trump’s eyes and call him a “miserable, vomitous mass” makes me feel a little bit better right now. Sometimes, I daydream about getting within earshot of the president, and telling him what I think of him while the Secret Service has me forcibly removed. I’ve given it some thought, and I think if I only had enough time for three words, I’d go with “deranged narcissistic moron,” but I’d do my best to also get in “cowardly bag of shit.” And I’m aware those daydreams do nothing positive… Other than make me feel momentarily better. I realize this is an indictment of my own character. I’m just being honest.

I’m so very tired of writing about something this self-evident.

“Feeling better” seems to be a bit of a rarity for me lately.  I realize I haven’t written very much recently… I feel this responsibility to be hopeful, and sometimes there honestly doesn’t seem to be a whole lot to be hopeful about. And I know I’m not the only one. I read this article about how, even if Robert Mueller proves there was collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, it probably won’t even matter to his supporters. They can just write the narrative that Mueller was part of some grand conspiracy, and things will go on like they have been… With a dishonest moron as our leader. Why would any of it make a difference? None of the other countless disqualifying things he has said have made a difference. And that genuinely grieves me. It’s a daily thing, this grief… And daily grief can start to feel like depression. Ugh. I’m sorry… Again, I am just being honest.

Anyway, I’ll leave you with a glimmer of hope in these dark times. I just watched Wonder Woman. I know, I know… I’m one of the last people on the planet to see it. I’m one of those annoying people who doesn’t see most movies until a year later when they are out on video (and I don’t have to spend $85 taking my whole family to the theater). Sometimes waiting to watch a movie works out, though, and this was one of those times. The movie (in case there are any others out there who haven’t seen it yet) is about mankind’s brokenness, and whether it’s worth saving. Spoiler alert: It IS worth saving. It’s worth working for. Even when we are outnumbered by people trying to use lies and violence to gain wealth and power, there is still good in the world, and it IS worth fighting for.

One last thing. While I was watching Wonder Woman, I kept thinking about this tweet:

And this is why history is so important. When we look at things from the ground, it can look like everything is falling apart and going to shit… But when we look at things from 30,000 feet — from a historical view — it’s easier to see that things actually ARE getting better. Sometimes progress is “three steps forward, two steps back,” and sometimes those two steps can be 20, 30, 50 years long… But things ARE progressing. They are not progressing fast enough, but they are progressing. Sometimes life can feel like Atreyu pulling Artax through the swamp of sadness.

But there is more to the story than that. And even in the midst of all this sadness, there is still hope. Not hope that is based on daydreams and movies… But hope that is based on history — A history that reveals the sort of world where our princesses become generals. Then again, this tweet is also true, so who knows…

I am so thankful to all of my Patrons, who help keep me hopeful. Thanks to the ones who give, and thanks to the ones who used to give, and no longer can (or want to). As we process our grief and our frustration and our depression and our feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, let us continue to lean on each other. If you want to support this blog and my writing, you can BECOME A PATRON. If you want to leave a tip, you can DO THAT ON PAYPAL. Otherwise, if you want to stay in touch, you can LIKE MY FACEBOOK PAGE or you can FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER. But most importantly, if you ever get within earshot of Donald Trump, don’t waste that opportunity by not calling him “Tiny-handed simpleton with delusions of grandeur.” Or something thereabouts… Love you all.