It's taken me awhile to process all of my thoughts. On Tuesday, November 8th, I sat and watched as the polls closed across the nation, one time zone at a time. I watched Hillary win the states the pollsters guessed she would win. I saw Trump win the states the pollsters said he would win. But the swing states...the pollsters guessed the bigger swing states would go to Hillary, but they didn't. The pollsters got almost everyone wrong, and Trump won the election.
Since Trump has won the election, protesters filled the streets with signs stating, "Love trumps hate," but hateful acts and violence have spread across the country.
The Burning of the United States Flag
Two hundred students from the American University in Washington D.C. burned the flag during a protest. Although the burning of the flag is protected by the first amendment due to the ruling of Texas v. Johnson, it is highly disrespectful. When people in foreign countries and extremist groups, such as ISIS, burn the American flag it is a threat to the American people. It is an act of terrorism. So please tell me why we think it is okay to do it? To me and many others, you should be treated like a terrorist. I mean, you are acting like one. You are defacing property of the United States. Not to mention all the people who have fought to keep this country free.
When you burn the flag you disrespect the red, representing the courage, the hardiness and the blood shed by everyone who lost their life for our freedom and our country; the white, representing the purity of our country and the vigilance our country keeps; the blue, representing the justice and perseverance. When you burn the flag you are burning the memories, the hard times, and the blood shed by every person fighting for this country. People of every race, sexuality, and gender have fought for this country and you my friend are a disgrace to this country!
#HesNotMyPresident
People who stand with #HesNotMyPresident are under the oppression that whites claimed Obama was not their president for the past 8 years. First of all, not all white Americans are republican. I have not come across a white person who has claimed these allegations either. As Americans, we are allowed to disagree with what others do, which also includes the decisions of our president. Yes, there I said it, "our president." We have always claimed Obama as our president, but of course, we haven't always agreed with his decisions.
I'm not going to tell you that you have to claim Trump as your president, but you live in America and he is the next American president, which makes him your president.
"Moving To Canada"
For the crowd that has claimed prior to the election results that you are moving to Canada or another country if Trump wins, goodbye. If you don't want to live in America because of one president, you are more than welcome to leave. Just remember that there are many countries who don't offer their people rights that America offers Americans.
"Scared For My Life"
I am truly sorry if you are scared for you life, but with the policies and procedures that we have in place, you shouldn't be. Yes, Trump may be president, but that is why we have checks and balances. That's why we have amendments to protect our rights. No matter what your race, religion, gender, or sexuality, you are protected in America.
I'm sorry if you are truly upset that Hillary didn't win the election. Many people are disappointed with every election that is held. It's normal. Republicans were disappointed the past two elections, but we didn't hold protests and vandalize property. If you want your voice to be heard, protest, but don't create more violence than we already have.
It's time to stop posts like this. It's time to put your feelings aside, accept the next president, and move on. People don't vote based on how it's going to hurt a certain group. We vote based on who we believe will run the country best. So please stop saying if you voted for Trump you voted against certain groups of people because we didn't. We voted for what we thought was best, just like you did. So respect others' opinions. You don't have to like them, but respect them because I respect yours.
We are all different, but we need to all stand as one.
