Protests or Temper Tantrums? Scream at the Sky Night

Beginning on the night of Nov. 9, 2016 when Donald Trump won the Presidency, Democrats have been in search of ways to alleviate their disappointment and pain over Hillary Clinton’s loss. Most of these remedies have proven unproductive, only serving to intensify their anger and make the rest of us grateful for the current limits on their power. We’ve had protests such as “scream-at-the-sky night,” an unending campaign of “Resistance” that ensures nothing gets done in Congress, and a litany of protests that sometimes resemble a large reunion of mental patients.

We go on with our lives, and wonder when the rest of the Country will get the psychological help it needs.

The protests often include a near-primal exhibition of emotion, as in the case of those surrounding Justice Kavanaugh’s nomination. It is difficult to take people seriously when they’re attempting to smash in the door of the Supreme Court, and when screaming at Congress while wearing Handmaid’s Tale costumes. A number of self-soothing projects are undertaken for a very different purpose. They have no policy goal. They exist solely because the participants believe that it will annoy the President. It is difficult to grasp the level of animus (and free time) required to engage in these efforts.

Barack H. Obama Avenue

The perfect example is the petition to rename a stretch of Fifth Avenue in New York City. Elizabeth Rowin got the idea from a comedian, who suggested that it would anger the President if the City renamed the two blocks that pass in front of Trump Tower to “President Barack H. Obama Avenue.” That’s it. The idea, and the impetus behind it, is to anger the President.

Now, I wasn’t a fan of many policies that came from the Obama administration. And sometimes, I was angry. But it never occurred to me that I might find relief for my anger by angering him. Aside from the embarrassingly juvenile goal, its real purpose is self-gratification for people who still can’t accept the results of a free and fair election. My guess is it won’t be as satisfying as they predict, as the President has more important things to worry about – like nuclear missiles, massive trade deals, and a Party obsessed with his impeachment.

Rules are Negotiable?

Rational thinking, however, hasn’t stopped a whopping 446,225 people from signing the petition. The petitioners’ goal is 450,000 signatures. It is unclear how many signatures are required to pass, but one existing rule states that the honoree for a street name needs to be dead for at least two years. Rowin believes the rules are negotiable.

The petition reads as follows:

“The City of Los Angeles recently honored former President Barack Obama by renaming a stretch of the 134 Freeway near Downtown L.A. in his honor. We request the New York City Mayor and City Council do the same by renaming a block of Fifth Avenue after the former president whose many accomplishments include: saving our nation from the Great Recession; serving two completely scandal-free terms in office; and taking out Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind September 11th, which killed over 3,000 New Yorkers.”

So Many Questions

“Scandal-free?” We’ll leave that debate for another day, but as one can see, it’s not disguised as a non-partisan petition. One wonders, if the petition is successful, will the people who signed it feel better? Will they believe they’ve finally “gotten” Trump? Or will it just fuel their need to attempt more malicious “practical jokes?”

Sadly, while this particular effort has no potential to cause lasting harm, there are efforts underway to permanently damage the President and his family through a variety of frivolous lawsuits and accusations based solely on rumor. There is a viciousness to American politics today, which Democrats routinely blame on the President, but which clearly flows from the Left. So while half the Country runs around exorcising their feelings in full view, the rest of us watch in awe and disgust, and go on with our lives.

O… M… G… Becky!

As I write this, there’s a new emergency. There is screaming and gnashing of teeth as one would expect at the world’s end, but these things hardly turn a head anymore (Except for the heads of people now addicted to their own chaotic existence.).

Here it is: Somebody heard that the President may have said something inappropriate to the leader of Ukraine. There are calls for impeachment, and one Republican 2020 candidate even suggested the President committed treason, punishable by death. But since NO ONE has seen the transcript or heard the recording…

We go on with our lives, and wonder when the rest of the Country will get the psychological help it needs.