Build Friendship Not Walls, The Day After and the Myth of Eternal Recurrence, Rolling that Rock Back up the Hill

From the #CrushTrump rally in NYC on 3/19 by Minister Erik R. McGregor.

Micah Bucey in action. Photo and caption by 

Erik R. McGregor makes protesting look magical.

The world breaks my heart and then it surprises me. This is what elections in this divided USA are all about.  Some years I am deeply moved; others i cry with regret or frustration that we have to work so hard for our basic dignity, for health care, reproductive autotonomy, education, etc.

Walking to class yesterday, I stopped by the offices in our department.  Other faculty had long lines under their eyes.  No one had slept.  Several were on the verge of tears.

In class the students talked about what it all meant.

"As a Latino woman, I feel like all the men can now grab my ass.  This gives them licence."

Several concurred.

Another said she feels embarrassed for the USA. She said her family called from the Dominican Republic offering consolation.

And others talked about us needing to fight back and organize just like the Young Lords and the Black Panthers.

Looking at them, my students who are immigrants, queer, from the Caribbean, from the US South, African American, Latino, some born here, some not, I wondered why this part of the USA was not revered.

Its a threat.

"How do we organize to stop the electoral college?" another faculty member asked.

"We won more votes," my daughter bemoaned later in the day.

Brother Ron told me about student street actions all over San Francisco.

For much of the day, students talked about what had happened and what to do.  Many suggested we need more education, more power, not less.  Some wonder whats the point.  Others want to organize with CUNY Rising. 

Finishing class, I rode to Union Square in the rain.  Several thousand people were there, with signs, screaming,

Fuck Trump.
Not my president.
Love Trumps hate.

Hopefully we can organize together to create something better. For now, we have Chuck Schumer to clog the republican agenda and we have ourselves to create a pulsing civil society.

The call for the action was simple, not simply against Trump but for something more dynamic and inclusive, for queerness and education, woman and immigrants, and working people of all stripes.

Join us in the streets to demonstrate mass opposition to Trump! Build a WALL around Trump's bigoted agenda!

We will meet at Union Sq. NORTH SIDE (across from Barnes&Noble) at 6pm and march to Trump Tower (725 5th Ave) at 8pm.

Build a movement to fight racism, sexism, and Islamophobia! 

- No Border Wall! Stop the deportations of undocumented immigrants!

- Black Lives Matter!

- Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline -- Green Jobs now! -- #NoDAPL

- Fight sexism, rape culture, and all attacks on women!

- Tax the super rich like Trump! Fund healthcare for all! Make college free!

The Democratic Party has proven they are incapable of stopping Trump. The Democratic Party has failed. This is the result of the Democratic Party leadership backing Hillary Clinton instead of Bernie Sanders. It is time to build a new party of the 99%.

If someone else has organized a similar protest, let us know so we can join forces.

So lets organize again. Lets build it up again, even if the task seems daunting.

As Nietzche writes in the Gay Science

“This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything immeasurably small or great in your life must return to you, all in the same succession and sequence—even this spider and this moonlight between the trees, and even this moment and I myself. The eternal hourglass of existence is turned over and over, and you with it, a speck of dust.”

In the news Trump win sparks student walkouts and angry protests across California Los Angeles Times‎ -  1 hour ago Late Wednesday, anti-Trump demonstrations were underway in Boston, Chicago, New York ... Anti-Trump demonstrators march in downtown Chicago WLS-TV‎ -  2 hours ago Anti-Trump Demonstrators Take to the Streets in Several U.S. Cities New York Times‎ -  9 hours ago More news for anti-trump demonstrations Anti-Trump Demonstrators Take to the Streets in Several U.S. Cities ... www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/us/trump-election-protest-berkeley-oakland.html 9 hours ago -  Demonstrators took to the streets across the country overnight to protest the election of Donald J. Trump as the 45th president of the United ... Anti-Donald Trump protests break out in New York and Chicago after ... https://www.theguardian.com › US News › US elections 2016 4 mins ago - People protest Donald Trump outside Trump Tower in New York. ... Thousands of anti-Donald Trump protesters shut down 5th Avenue in front ... Watch Live Stream of Anti-Donald Trump Protesters Marching Through ... patch.com/illinois/.../emergency-protest-be-staged-front-donald-trumps-chicago-hotel 28 mins ago - This isn't the only anti-Trump protest the national group has planned. One of the group's organizers told the crowd that plans were in the works ... US anti-Trump protesters block streets, smash windows (PHOTOS ... https://www.rt.com/usa/366085-us-elections-protests-students/ 17 hours ago - After Donald Trump was elected the 45th president of the United States, ... in anti-Trump protest, 24th and Broadway #Oaklandpic.twitter.com/ ... Anti-Trump Demonstrators Take to DC's Streets | NBC4 Washington www.nbcwashington.com/.../Anti-Trump-Demonstrators-Take-to-DCs-Streets-400626... 55 mins ago - Dozens of people are protesting Donald Trump's presidential victory in the District Wednesday night. Anti-Trump demonstrators set fires, break windows in California ... www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-protests-idUSKBN1341RY 16 hours ago - Protests against Donald Trump broke out in California's Bay Area late on Tuesday after the Republican candidate won the U.S. presidential ... From: Hillary Clinton <info@hillaryclinton.com> [Add to Address Book] To: ben  Subject: Thank you Date: Nov 9, 2016 12:55 PM Benjamin -- Thank you. Last night, I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country. I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans. This is not the outcome we wanted or we worked so hard for, and I’m sorry we did not win this election for the values we share and the vision we hold for our country. But I feel pride and gratitude for this wonderful campaign that we built together –- this vast, diverse, creative, unruly, energized campaign. You represent the best of America, and being your candidate has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I know how disappointed you feel, because I feel it too. And so do tens of millions of Americans who invested their hopes and dreams in this effort. This is painful, and it will be for a long time. But I want you to remember this: Our campaign was never about one person or even one election. It was about the country we love -- and about building an America that’s hopeful, inclusive, and big-hearted. We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought. But I still believe in America –- and I always will. And if you do, too, then we must accept this result -– and then look to the future. Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead. Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power, and we don’t just respect that, we cherish it. It also enshrines other things –- the rule of law, the principle that we’re all equal in rights and dignity, and the freedom of worship and expression. We respect and cherish these things too -- and we must defend them. And let me add: Our constitutional democracy demands our participation, not just every four years, but all the time. So let’s do all we can to keep advancing the causes and values we all hold dear: making our economy work for everyone, not just those at the top; protecting our country and protecting our planet; and breaking down all the barriers that hold anyone back from achieving their dreams. We’ve spent a year and a half bringing together millions of people from every corner of our country to say with one voice that we believe that the American Dream is big enough for everyone -- for people of all races and religions, for men and women, for immigrants, for LGBT people, and people with disabilities. Our responsibility as citizens is to keep doing our part to build that better, stronger, fairer America we seek. And I know you will. I am so grateful to stand with all of you. I want to thank Tim Kaine and Anne Holton for being our partners on this journey. It gives me great hope and comfort to know that Tim will remain on the front-lines of our democracy, representing Virginia in the Senate. To Barack and Michelle Obama: Our country owes you an enormous debt of gratitude for your graceful, determined leadership, and so do I. To Bill, Chelsea, Marc, Charlotte, Aidan, our brothers, and our entire family, my love for you means more than I can ever express. You crisscrossed this country on my behalf and lifted me up when I needed it most –- even four-month old Aidan traveling with his mom. I will always be grateful to the creative, talented, dedicated men and women at our headquarters in Brooklyn and across our country who poured their hearts into this campaign. For you veterans, this was a campaign after a campaign -- for some of you, this was your first campaign ever. I want each of you to know that you were the best campaign anyone has had. To all the volunteers, community leaders, activists, and union organizers who knocked on doors, talked to neighbors, posted on Facebook - even in secret or in private: Thank you. To everyone who sent in contributions as small as $5 and kept us going, thank you. And to all the young people in particular, I want you to hear this. I’ve spent my entire adult life fighting for what I believe in. I’ve had successes and I’ve had setbacks -– sometimes really painful ones. Many of you are at the beginning of your careers. You will have successes and setbacks, too. This loss hurts. But please, please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it. It’s always worth it. And we need you keep up these fights now and for the rest of your lives. To all the women, and especially the young women, who put their faith in this campaign and in me, I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion. I know that we still have not shattered that highest glass ceiling. But some day someone will -– hopefully sooner than we might think right now. And to all the little girls watching right now, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world. Finally, I am grateful to our country for all it has given me. I count my blessings every day that I am an American. And I still believe, as deeply as I ever have, that if we stand together and work together, with respect for our differences, strength in our convictions, and love for this nation -– our best days are still ahead of us. You know I believe we are stronger together and will go forward together. And you should never be sorry that you fought for that. Scripture tells us: “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.” My friends, let us have faith in each other. Let us not grow weary. Let us not lose heart. For there are more seasons to come and there is more work to do. I am incredibly honored and grateful to have had this chance to represent all of you in this consequential election. May God bless you and god bless the United States of America. Hillary