I’ve been a bad minion, as is my wont, but I’m soooo NOT worried that I am writing in, not withstanding any scorning/lashing/banishment from your Czarness…yeh…yeh…yeh….

So, here’s the thing- the Democrats, a truly self-righteous bunch, are playing true to form. They cannot wrap their minds around the fact that “The Most Qualified Candidate EVAH” (Trademark pending)…did NOT …win. It MUST have been because of nefarious reasons rather than the notion that their candidates and platforms were deemed LESS-THAN-WORTHY. And we voters were just too damed stupid to see her brilliance….yawn.

But here we are:

1. Russian operatives hack emails of DNC officials and Clinton (she of the “EYE-legal” server) correspondents, and FINALLY a RED LINE has been crossed. Millions of Syrians can be displaced, multiple thousands dead, EU countries in a refugee crisis, barrels-bombs in Aleppo. YAWN. But now, by golly, is the US Government ever chuffed. So, upwards of 50 Democratic office-holders opted out of attending the inauguration, and it’s NOT EVEN COLD in DC. ‘Cause Trump is illegitimate. word… This boycott is from the same people who get a rash reading classic works of English literature which might refer to a child born out of wedlock in that same culturally-appropriate-for-that-time-but NOT-acceptable-today…word…illegitimate.… [Aside: Wow, that was a lot of hyphens] Anyhoo, getting the vapors about us plebeians knowing what the DNC and Clinton campaign folks ACTUALLY say, says a lot, but not about us, rather about what they think we ought to think [FYI-I agree that hacking is both bad & illegal, much like a Sec. of State putting a home-brew server in her closet in order to avoid Congressional oversight is bad & illegal.)
2. Now, we have 50 +/- Democratic office-holders refusing to attend the ceremony, declaring that Trump is “not [their] President” when a mere 4 months ago Clinton (way up int polls at the time) herself was excoriating Trump in advance “should” he not accept the results, when the results were a foregone conclusion in her favor. To call them hypocrites would be an insult to hypocrisy. Most of us deal with disappointment(s) daily, and we kinda move on. But NOT our Democrats. Nope. Hillary should have won, and in their minds, and the ONLY possible reason that she did not win….had…to be due Russian corruption of the ballot. Only logical explanation—the Russians did it. Ignore the fact that Republicans control an overwhelming number of state houses and governorship, in addition to both houses of Congress. That result simply, in their minds, cannot be a result of the rejection of recent Dem/DNC initiatives, policies and laws. Couldn’t be.
3. Therefore, release the hounds. Proverbially speaking, of course, ‘cause we don’t want to acknowledge that hounds can be both amazingly helpful as working dogs AND potentially harmful if they act as attack animals. Both characteristics can reside in the same animal(s). Hmmm.
4. Meanwhile in Gambia, one old “president-for-life,” who lost the recent election, is refusing to step aside and hand power over to someone else. Now that’s an illegitimate president! The guy who won held his swearing-in-ceremony…in another country, to which he had fled, fearing for his life. And in a country like Zimbabwe, which ought to be a wealthy nation, the ancient kleptocracy still clings to power by any means necessary. The worst Hillary and her voters have to fear is what??? Some loss of income, some poor nights sleep because of a badly run campaign that ignored or maligned a sizable % of the population? Jen Psaki might have to take a few weeks off? They won’t go broke, end up as political prisoners in some modern gulag, or suffer torture at the hands of the victorious party.

When I watched the inauguration, I did so knowing that I selected a different person in the primaries. I didn’t favor Trump, but others did. And he won. And the sore-loser Democrats can take their ball and go home if they wish, as is their right. But I will revel in the knowledge that power will be handed off without a hitch. As it was before. As it will be again.

In my younger years, I worked for a non-profit that monitored and assisted in elections in countries transitioning from corrupt and/or one-party rule. I was in a place, once upon a time, when the election was won by the opposition, and the question was whether the ruling party would resist. And whether we could get out of the country safely. Your humble minion was in a right tight spot herself, but the drunken gang that tried to break into the polling station were I was, well that gang was repulsed. Thanks be.

Every time, I see the peaceful transfer of power from one party to another, I am humbled and grateful that I was born here in a place where our Founding Fathers had the wisdom to divide power among 3 branches. It sounds so simple after a couple hundred years, but it was the most radical experiment in governance in the history of the world.

And the blessings of liberty are preserved to us and our posterity.

Good night, and may we all reflect on our blessings.
I remain yours from the Doublewide,
JAB