Trump's Accusers: Why Did They Wait?

As November 8th comes closer, more people are asking why these women waited until now to come forward.  Trump has even suggested it may be orchestrated by Hillary as a political move.

So... why did they wait until now?

Have you ever seen SVU?  Yes, it's a television show.  However, at times, pretty damn accurate.

Many women have a hard time coming forward after the fact.  Several reasons play into this.  Shame.  Fear.  Then there's also the trial where they basically relive the entire thing (a PTSD related effect) generally in the face of the accused.

Say you're a woman assaulted by Trump, a powerful billionaire.  Chances are he'd afford better lawyers.  So you'd relive the assault with the police.  Then your lawyer.  Then in court.  Then, as is often the case in these high profile cases, it would be splashed on newspapers, on television, and online.  You're reliving it everywhere you look.  Then you'd probably lose.  Expensive lawyers are good at that sort of thing.  All they need to do is create reasonable doubt.  Which they often do by attacking the character of the victim.  Pulling every foible and flaw to the forefront. 

Now you realize it's not the criminal on trial.  You are.  For having a voice and daring to say "I didn't deserve this."

At the epicenter of all this, could you understand why a victim would choose not to come forward?

Look into the psychology.  PTSD.  The shock, fear, and shame the victims go through.  Watch Law and Order.  Watch movies.  It may sound silly to turn to Hollywood, but I assure you... There are some commonalities shared by those of assault.

World Mental Health Day

When I was 13, I never thought I'd see this day.

I was just a kid who didn't understand why sometimes, I'd get really sad.  Sometimes everything was perfect.  My family was in great spirits.  My friends were cheerful and energetic.

Everyone was happy... and I was sad.  And I didn't know why.

When I was 16, I never thought I'd see this day.

I was looking at an uncertain future.  What did I want to be?  Who did I want to be? And why did not having the answer overwhelm me?  Why did I even think everyone would be better off if I was... No.  I didn't really think that.  I couldn't.  Life wasn't that bad.

But I did think that.  And I did believe that.  And I didn't know why.

When I was 18, I never thought I'd see this day. 

I joined the military.  Basic training was stressful, but it wasn't insurmountable.  Yet... I knew that I couldn't do it.  I had found my first brick wall.  My first obstacle that no amount of resolve could help me overcome.  My mind was shattered. 

I thought... Can I just go home?  I asked and... No.  Everyone told me I couldn't leave.  I couldn't leave.  With this notion in my mind, all I could think was...

I want to die.  I truly want to die. 

This was my dream.  The career I wanted for a lifetime.  But I wanted to die.  And I didn't know why.

Year after year, I never thought I'd see the next day. 

Breakups and breakdowns, triumphs and tragedies... I kept going.

I'm a month away from 30.  I never thought I'd see this day.

I have attempted things I wish I hadn't.  I have burned bridges I have never been able to cross again.  I have seen pain, cried tears, risked it all, and fought to reclaim it all back.

Today is World Mental Health Day.  A day where we consider the stigma that makes so many feel alone.  A day where we think about all of the invisible illnesses around us, whether we suffer ourselves or know those who do.  A day where we remember those who may have lost the struggle to their illness... Leaving a painful memory behind instead of a loved one to remind that...

You are not alone.

But honestly?  I think the most important thing to remember on World Mental Health Day is...

The struggle and awareness cannot be limited to today.

The pain and loss?  Truly goes beyond October 10th.

I have my good days... and I have my bad ones.

But I suffer from my illness everyday. 

If you know someone who suffers, don't wait until October to reach out.

And if you suffer?  Make sure you reach out.  Your loved ones aren't mind readers (if only they were).  They may need you to say:

"Mom?  Dad?  I need help."

I can say this...

Sometimes when I was happy, my family asked if I was ok.  Sometimes when my family thought I was happy, I was a breath away from taking my last breath.

World Mental Health Day may only be 24 hours...

But those afflicted can lose the battle everyday.

Just remember... these feelings?  They pass.  These thoughts?  They fade.  And your struggle?

You aren't the only one.

You're not alone... and it gets better.

It's Not About Hillary. It's About Trump.

Trump's latest gaffe.

I looked for a redaction somewhere.  Kind of like when a fake news story gets picked up by a major network and is disseminated before fact checked.

No dice.

He said this.  He 100% said this. 

The saddest part?  It will not faze his supporters.

Now... why is that?

Why is it that this individual... this monster... this prejudiced, hatemongering, and distasteful human being can say and do anything with an unreal level of impunity?

The answer to that is two-pronged.

1st, people who were Republicans before Trump refuse to vote against him.  They have a dedication to their party that circumvents who's running under the banner of said party.

2nd, and this is the big one, they hate Hillary Clinton.

Hillary Clinton has been in the world of politics for decades.  She has years of political failures and casualities connected to her. 

Trump doesn't. 

Hillary Clinton has messed up as Secretary domestically and overseas.

Trump hasn't.

Hillary Clinton has been the center of political intrigue, she has drawn ire due to her platform, and received criticism because of her defense of certain policies.

Trump has, so far, never done this.  Not on the political stage.

Which sounds incredibly impressive. 

But Trump has never, ever, been a politician.  And its very easy to have zero black marks as a politician if you've never been one.

This brings me to my focal point.  The heart of what I'm really trying to state here. 

Please... Stop making this about Hillary.

You don't like Hillary.  So you're voting Trump.

Stop making this about Hillary.

You hate Hillary to such a degree that you'll excuse every disgusting thing he says.

She's your dragon.  So Trump can only be one thing...

Your knight.

That's not how this works.

You don't like Hillary?  Don't vote for her.  Vote 3rd party.  Write Bernie's name in.  Hell, write your own name in.

We need to get beyond this notion that this is about Hillary.

This is about Trump.

This is about electing a misogynistic excuse for a human being. 

We should be able to say:

"Donald Trump is presidential.  He has the temperament and the character of all those who took the solemn 'Oath of Office' before him.  Someone who can handle the pressures of this, the most powerful of all positions, with dignity and esteem."

But we can't.

There has to come a time when we take Hillary out of the equation.  Where we judge Trump based on who he is, his merits, and his flaws. 

We are weeks away from possibly electing a man who calls discussing sexual assault "locker room talk."

This is a man who has shown us, time and again, how he views women and how he treats them.

This is a man that, other than biologically,  shouldn't even be called a man.

The 2016 Presidential Election is not about choosing the lesser of two evils.

It's about stopping a tyrannical megalomaniac dead in his tracks and stating:

"How can Trump 'Make America Great Again' when he keeps showing us what he considers 'Greatness.?'"

In the end... One vote for Donald Trump isn't one vote against Hillary Clinton.

It's one vote for Donald Trump.

Trump Views PTSD As A Weakness: My Thoughts

I don't think even someone like Trump meant he views all soldiers suffering from PTSD as weak. 

Saying it?  Terrible.  Believing it?  Political Harakiri.

However I DO believe he sees soldiers who took their own lives as weaker than those who suffer from PTSD but haven't.

Its an interesting distinction and one that needs to be noted.

The fact is, the soldier was strong. 

He was strong when he put that uniform on the first time.  He was strong the first time he was pinned by gunfire... when he heard explosions... When he first squeezed the trigger.

He was strong when he came home, a different man than the one who left.

He was strong when he sought help for a condition that he couldn't figure out.  A condition he couldn't power through.  A condition that, as a mental malady, had no easy universal treatment.

He was strong everyday his mind told him to end his life and he didn't.

He was strong.  He was always strong.  Even when he couldn't be strong anymore, he was strong. 

Because an instant's mistake doesn't erase a lifetime of incredible fortitude.

Bernie and Obama say "You can't vote Johnson."

I get it.  Voting third party is still considered "throwing your vote away."  This is a ridiculous mentality, and one we've got to move past.

Right now you have our President, Bernie, and Hillary supporters stating "We can't afford NOT to vote Hillary.  This election is about stopping Trump. This is not the time to vote third party."

Well... When will be the time?

In 4 years, we may face another Trump vs. Hillary.  What will people say then?

My guess?  "We can't afford NOT to vote Hillary.  This election is about stopping Trump.  This is not the time to vote third party."

How many elections will we continue to say this?

The election shouldn't be about "Who's better?  The Conservative or the Liberal?"

It should be:  "Who's the best person for the job?  Of the multiple options, of all the parties, from Republican to Democrat to Independent to Libertarian to every single party...  Who is the best choice?"

The thing is, someday?  We will do that.

And when we don't like Choice A and Choice B?

Don't tell me I can't vote for Choice C-Z.

Don't tell me it's a wasted vote.

Don't tell me that I have to abandon my preference.  My candidate.  The only candidate I believe in.

This election is the perfect time to vote third party.

And if I've done my research, if I have a vehement objection to the two candidates you say I MUST choose between?

Then I think my vote is far from wasted.