When we're citing Japanese internment camps as a great example of why Trump's policies will work, we've got a problem. Over the past week there have been swirling rumors of President-elect Trump's forthcoming policies and staff, and all of them have one thing in common: they are not normal.
It doesn't seem like Donald Trump was entirely ready to win this election. His transition team has no plan, he has no formalized staff, and he has no formalized policy, but we do have rumors. Like the one citing Donald's Muslim registry, which could require immigrants from Muslim-majority countries to register with the government. Sound familiar?
The idea is abhorrent and while it may not be a formal violation of the Constitution, it seems to be at least a violation of its principles. Things don't get better when you look at his prospective staff. Trump's chief strategist, Steve Bannon, is a white nationalist, his EPA transition guy, Myron Ebell, is a climate change denier, and his attorney general, Kris Kobach, is a right wing "extremist." A lot has already been said about Donald Trump here at The Huffington Post and Outspeak but it bears repeating, this is not normal.
Trump is the least popular President-elect of the last four elections. The American people are divided more than ever before and we're in a world where the person who didn't win the popular vote is the sitting president. Okay, that is a little normal.
Despite this mess, despite how you may feel about what's coming, and despite calls for unification it's important to remember that this is not normal. More than that, this cannot become the new normal. Resting easy and letting the glaring oversights of Trump and his presidency carry on unnoticed will be a disservice to the American people.
So exercise your right to protest, look racism in the face and refuse it, and if you're white, stand with minorities. It's easy enough to rely on pure emotion in the aftermath of this election but that's not enough. Above all else, educate yourself. Don't wait four years to become political again. Watch every move Trump makes, question every policy, and resist the politics of fear.