I am declaring that all residents of Meland should watch The West Wing on NetFlix before election day. Recognizing that it is a fictional construct, I am still convinced that every effort was made to reflect the reality of our White House. Proof of that I believe is offered via Season 3, Episode 19 in which segments are interspersed by interviews with people who actually held the jobs being portrayed in the series.

When I compare what I see in the series to the current presidential candidates, I feel a mantle of dread descend on my shoulders and circle my throat.

I understand many of the fears Trump supporters display. We all have fears. Everybody is getting tense. There seems to be an increase in murder-suicides. Guys for the most part who kill in response to their dissolving universes. A final fuck you to the universe. What terrifies me is that I think it has only just started.

I despair when I see what we are allowing our civilization to become. Our time is passing. This is what it was like in the long decline of Rome (amongst others).