The sun came up today, and yesterday – so, yes the world has not ended. Yesterday, I had to get out, even though it was a little gloomy in the morning, skies cleared by noon and I managed to squeeze in a bike ride.
I rode past a mosque – I was not afraid
I rode through immigrant rich Chatswood – I felt no urge to build a wall
I rode past a WW1/2 memorial – I felt no desire to stop and insult the mothers of the fallen soldiers
I spotted a woman in a head scarf – she seemed harmless
I hopped a train to avoid rush hour traffic – there were some pretty girls on the train – I felt no obligation to make rude comments, eat tic-tacs, much less grab any part them.
My bike was made in Taiwan, with components from Italy. The phone in pocket was from an American company but made in China. My jersey was made in Malaysia. My shoes were made in China while my pedals were made in the good old USA.
I had a nice ride and best I could tell, my bike and all it’s varying components were quite happy as well.
Oh yeah, thank you to west coast for the voting results.
And thank you America where more people voted for HRC than any other candidate.
I feel better now, as does my multicultural bicycle, peace,
Leave Without Pay 
Trump is not afraid of religions – he’s afraid of people who are religious zealots willing to die along with innocent people.
He wants to build a wall to keep out the flow of unvetted people. A country without immigration control is not a country. Immigrants who don’t want to learn our language and adapt to our culture are not immigrants – they want to recreate their own village/country in a safer place.
Your “insult mothers of fallen soldiers” comment is not fair. Hillary allowed the killings in Benghazi, and lied to their mothers in order to protect her failed narrative.
Trump’s issues with women (comments) pale in comparison to those of BOTH Bill’s and Hillary’s actions.
I lost my job because of foreign competition, exacerbated by NAFTA in the ’90s. If Trump can bring back jobs to those without college degrees (though I have a BS in Mathematics), and give hope to those who live off public support today, I’m all for it.
There isn’t a chance that Hillary would support any of the points you mention, with the exception of foreign jobs.
May you enjoy smooth roads and tailwinds,
Mike
How I feel right now is how I feel. Putting my feelings in writing helps me deal with them. There are probably close to 60 million Americas in the same boat – feeling very lost. Had the results gone the other way, the supporters of Trump would be feeling much the same (except they probably own more guns). It was a hugely divisive election with a 50/50 outcome. Making arguments today to convince “non-Trump” people they should become Trump people is really just a waste of both parties time. From now on, Trump will be judged on his actions.
I hope, for the sake of America, that you are correct in your view that Trumps positions will moderate from the words he actually said and tweeted during the campaign. As to how we deal with the question of a man accused of sexual assault leading America, I don’t have a good answer. I do know, however, that the Clintons are gone – it’s probably time now to stop using anything Bill and Hillary did to justify Trump’s past actions.
WOW!! unlike the two people above – I thoroughly enjoyed your post. Felt
pretty sad at the result – but had a couple glasses of wine and felt a bit better. I love going to an international market and seeing all the nationalities and all the languages. . This is what America is all about. I’m still Canadian so if things get really bad I’m out of here. Happy Trails. Patti
God save America…. the next 4 years will be really interesting!
Thanks for posting your views Dave. The beauty of America is that everyone has the right to voice their opinion. I served in the military to protect that right. Your message was well thought out and makes good points but as stated up front, 50% of the USA sees things quite differently. The GOP now controls all branches of government and have the opportunity to fix everything now. The majority of people hope they can, no matter which way they voted. Viva Mexico!
Thanks Chuck – I did not know that you served in the armed forces. For that and your comments, thank you. Ultimately, we are all hoping for America.
I feel betrayed by the voters who chose the bully. The very same one who wouldn’t commit to supporting the votes of the people if they had chosen HRC now wants to bring us together. Ha! He’ll probably ship dissenters off, maybe to Mexico, and I’d be one of them. My ancestors were from Ireland and England and all made contributions to America. I wonder how many of those voters will change their tune when they wake up and think about what they’ve voted for.
I wonder if they thought that he and his family will now be protected by the Secret Service for the rest of his life. Where do those dollars come from? Taxes – taxes not paid by him. If HRC had been elected, no additional money would hace been paid as she and her husband were already being protected. The next four years will be interesting. Stay on your bike and keep riding but say a prayer for us because we will need it.
Dave, I throughly enjoyed reading your post. The population of USA (like Australia) is made up of immigrants. The first batch of immigrants from Europe did not adopt the language nor the customs of the native population. We will see if newly elected president with help from congress can create good paying jobs, hope he can.
Thanks, Dave, for using our freedom of speech to relate your feelings! Most of us in the America are from immigrants who came looking for those freedoms & rights that give dignity to every person. God Bless America.
Dave, what I am going to do is step up my game to participate in holding him accountable for upholding women’s rights, and environmental protections so that we will provide a better world for future generations.
Mary Jo
I’m in your peloton brother.