Come together, right now, and overcome.

This country is galvanized today, and some feel as if they are in a state of shock, while others feel a sense of privilege and bravado. This is not the time to wallow in “why me,” or “why us.”  Blaming others because they voted for the opposition, or didn’t vote for your candidate doesn’t help. Nor does insulting others because of their beliefs, just because you feel somehow cheated or angry. The time for stumbling around with should have, could have, or would have are over. We must focus our attention on this very moment and not some future boogeyman or demon. All of these previously mentioned emotions are what more than half this country stood up against: bigotry, misogyny, sexism, homophobia, and the litany of other issues we stood against. Instead of dwelling on negative feelings, emotions, and actions, we must find a way to channel this energy into actions that can bring real change at a local level.

A simple fact which may be overlooked by many is that 53% of the turnout of voters did not vote for the President-elect; also, the Democratic Candidate actually won more votes than the President-elect. It is a time for solidarity and coming together in our communities, and our tribes, in our families, and our religious affiliations, and stand united to support one another whatever may come. We, as individuals have not lost anything (yet). It is not a time for speculation or fear mongering, it is a time to unite and get closer to our sisters and our brothers who may be affected in the future by previously stated political rhetoric. There is already too much hatred in this country, we don’t need to add to it. I feel this is a time for a real assessment of who and what each of are made of; as well as, what we are, and are not willing to tolerate, and make a commitment. This commitment, first and foremost, must be with ourselves; secondly, we must make a commitment to our individual communities to stand and act with them in both the good times and the bad. However, this action should not be based upon our imaginings or fears, our actions should be directed to real and tangible actions against any type threat that may appear in the future. Furthermore, we must remember the teachings of Ahimsā, or non-violence, which is found in the teachings of Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism; as well as the successful strategies of social change begun by Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 20th Century.

Let us not forget that the president's power is limited by a system of checks and balances written into the United States Constitution. The legislative and judicial branches have specific powers to deny or impede the executive branch's actions.

The system of checks and balances was added to the Constitution so that no one branch of government would grow too powerful. The framers of the Constitution saw the complete power that the British monarch had over his country and designed American government to prevent this situation from reoccurring.

Realize that right now it is estimated that the Senate will be composed of 48 Democrats and 52 Republicans. Furthermore, Bills can pass through the Congress with a simple majority vote of 218 votes and currently there are 239 Republican Congressional members, so it looks like there is little hope for Congress helping us. 

Under the current rules of the Senate–which can be altered by a majority vote–it takes 60 votes to proceed to a vote on a bill when some of the sitting senators want to continue debate forever, or filibuster. It has not traditionally been the custom that every bill gets a filibuster and so requires 60 votes in order to pass; plenty of bills in the past have passed the Senate with fewer than 60 votes. In recent years, the filibuster has changed from an occasional gambit to a more routine part of the process. Since the Republicans took back the Senate after the 2016 elections, it may become almost a matter of course that a bill opposed by most of the minority party will have to overcome a filibuster in order to pass.

But that doesn’t mean that a bill needs 60 votes to be approved; it means 41 senators can keep a bill from being voted on. The distinction is worth making, particularly since the ability of the minority to obstruct is dependent on the willingness of the majority to be obstructed.

The legislative branch is responsible for budgeting; it can limit the president's actions by stopping the flow of resources. The president must also have approval from Congress before enacting treaties with or declaring war on foreign nations. Although the president has the power to appoint Supreme Court judges, the appointments must be approved by Congress.

In the judicial branch, judges cannot be removed by the president once installed. The courts also have the power of judicial review, which examines actions from the other branches for constitutionality. If an executive action is called into question, the Supreme Court can annul it.

There are many things that the President-Elect has said on the campaign trail and not all of them he can act on. Also, there will be a transition period prior to anything changing significantly. Saying and doing are very different phenomena. We can use this time to gather momentum in our communities and start to build bridges in an attempt to fortify our positions. 

What are we willing to do to be ready? A good situation, is a bad situation, and a bad situation, is a good situation. Meaning that the winners can easily become complacent in their victory; let us therefore, look upon this as an opportunity to come closer together and unify for the common decency of fairness and equality. We also need to come together with all people, regardless of age, economic reality, education, ethnicity, faith history, family structure, gender identity, nationality, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation and life experience. Most importantly let us not become, or take on any of the traits, of that which we fought so strongly to oppose.