By Bob Gaydos

The New York Times played Trump‘s racist slur of the Obamas as the lead story on Page One.

    The racist-in-chief hit a new low, at least for me, last week when he posted a video clip on his social media site portraying President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. 

     I say “at least for me” because, even though using this imagery has long been considered to be crude, racist behavior for any average citizen and until now has been beyond belief that any American president would wade this deep into the sewer of the history of racism, no one is talking about it. Even though it was only last week.

     How low he has taken us.

     To be fair, in the crisis-a-day atmosphere of the Trump era, it can be difficult to maintain outrage. And the daily release of new names in the Epstein files with the continuing coverup by the White House is legitimate news  and worthy of its own outrage.

     And, The New York Times, rediscovering its role under the First Amendment, did give the racist post the appropriate position as lead story on page one the morning after.

     Still, the initial administration attempts to disavow and the even worse efforts to pass it off as a joke only served to make Trump‘s racism more difficult to ignore. From his long ago attacks on the Central Park Five to his history of demeaning comments about women of color and insulting remarks about non-white nations and American cities with large black populations, Donald Trump has displayed his racism, even eagerly it seems, at every opportunity. Sometimes, perhaps, just for the sake of it. 

   I am just angry and disgusted that he gets to do it while representing the United States of America to the rest of the world, demeaning the position and embarrassing the nation, and that so many Americans think it’s OK because (1) they agree with him, or (2) they  think, well, he’s always been that way.

   I’m sorry. It’s not OK. I just hope that, in the future, history lessons will include full, honest detail of this dark chapter in American history and that teachers will be allowed to teach it. 

    But if we ignore it now, I fear that’s exactly what will happen. So, please, don’t pass it off. Don’t let Trump’s racism get lost in the chaos. He eventually admitted he posted the slur of the Obamas. Fine. Then fight fire with fire. Call a racist a racist, habit or not, president or not. Let him know that it’s not in any way OK.

By Bob Gaydos

  “Put up or shut up.”

  That rather rude admonition occurred to me the other day as an apt metaphor for our times. Actually, it was delivered to me inadvertently and directly thanks to the United States Postal Service and social media.

    The message in the mail was not a new one, but it took on new significance as I tried to gather my wits, stamina, confidence and faith in an unknowable universe to deal with four more years of Trumpian chaos. What can one guy with an iPhone, a bunch of opinions and some supportive readers do to fight a wave of ignorance, intolerance and incompetence washing across our country?

    The mail held a couple of answers.

    One virtually shouted at me: “We’ve Seen 105 Years and 19 Presidents. Trump’s Gotta Get Past All of Us.”

     Right! I don’t have to do this alone. Step aside, ego. I knew this, of course, but at that moment I seriously needed a reminder.

     There are people who’ve been doing this a long time and know very well what they’re doing. Plus, they’re successful and they don’t ever give up. The ACLU.

      Yes, for the record, I’m already a card-carrying member of the American Civil Liberties Union and, yes, I’ll gladly renew. During Trump’s first term, the advocacy group filed 434 legal challenges against his administration. It won many important battles.

     Before Election Day 2024, it already had a plan in place, should Trump win, to fight his threatened mass deportation plan, provide legal aid to whistleblowers and those who oppose Trump’s policies, protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people and protect the right to reproductive freedom. All Trump targets.

    And they’ll do it all in court at all levels of government and all with experienced lawyers. So yeah, I’ll gladly put up a few bucks to help.

     There was also mail from the SPLC, another group of initials dedicated to fighting for people’s rights. The Southern Poverty Law Center was born in the civil rights movement and continues to fight for the rights of blacks (especially voting rights) across the South and, now, across the country. It has expanded its mission to fighting poverty, improving education and, notably, compiling a list of hate groups, state by state. 

    These groups, fed a steady diet of disinformation from far-right media that support Trump, represent a growing threat of violence against people of color, Jewish Americans, immigrants, LGBTQ+ and women. Again, all the people Trump targets when it suits his purpose.

   The SPLC has had some growing pains and internal issues recently in shifting its focus from helping individuals victimized by injustice to fighting injustice on a national scale, but it shows no less dedication in its mission and, again, it has been doing this for some time.

   Besides, the only other organization I can think of that might have compiled a list of hate groups state by state is the FBI and they don’t send me their list in the mail. So, yes, I will trust the SPLC and gladly renew my membership and, again, put my money where my mouth is.

    That’s the “put up” part. The “shut up” part came via social media. I’ve been sharing my opinions on various issues in newspapers and on social media for more than four decades now. I’m used to criticism. I also know that I speak for a lot of people who haven’t been given the privilege of opinionating publicly, as I have, or don’t feel comfortable doing so.

    So when I got a comment on one of my social media columns to the effect of: “It’s over. You lost. Stop” I had an immediate reaction. Not gonna happen. No way, no how and certainly not for any “sore winner.”

   No, I didn’t post this online. Never do. I’m not there to debate. But clearly, I got to this person. That’s good. Sometimes, the truth is hard to take. But I intend to keep spreading it as long as I can and it certainly helps to remember that, when it comes to fighting MAGA, you and I have our own bunch of smart initials — with lawyers who get paid — backing us up.

rjgaydos@gmail.com