As we settle into our new and frightening reality, I can’t stop thinking about that existential feeling of dread I felt on election night when it became apparent Trump was going to win against all odds. It was a little like the sacroiliac injection I had a few years earlier. After an anesthetic shot that took care of any surface discomfort, this long spinal needle was driven into the deepest part of my physical body. I gutterally groaned at the depth of the pain, it was nothing like I had felt before. Sometimes doctors will tell you that cortisone shots are like a miracle, that you’ll feel better within days, but this was not the case for me. My lower back still hurt afterward, and I had to go back for a second shot. The second shot was not quite as painful, and the doctor told me that the inflammation was like burning coals so the second time, things were a bit calmer. At this moment my soul hurts, the deepest, most tender part.

Many of you know I have been on top of the corruption and hypocrisy of the Trump administration from the very beginning. I have learned to negotiate Twitter, the good information and the bad information. I do not score 100% on this, but I have learned to consistently question the veracity of information that’s out there. This at the same time that Russians are capitalizing on our open society by throwing out disinformation to further their cause, sowing division in our country, proving the point that an open democracy can be exploited for nefarious purposes. For the people who have not paid any attention at all, many elements of our own country’s right wing are also exploiting the same, multiple avenues of…