Surviving the Trumpocalypse: Part 1 - The Courts

Here's a study in contrasts.  In an entirely predictable development, The Stain's election victory has emboldened the more deplorable of his supporters to act on their worst impulses:

There have been 437 reported acts of verbal and physical harassment recorded by the Southern Poverty Law Center since voters elected Donald Trump president of the United States. 

 Appointments such as Steve Bannon to Trump's administration and a failure to seriously address the hateful Trump campaign rhetoric, the social justice watchdog organization says there’s no telling how high that number will grow. 

Fortunately, the Obama administration is still in office for another 62 days, which includes an Attorney General who takes the rule of law seriously:

Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced Friday that the Justice Department is investigating whether the dozens of incidents of intimidation and harassment reported in the days since the election qualify as federal hate crimes.

“The FBI is assessing, in conjunction with federal prosecutors, whether particular incidents constitute violations of federal law,” Lynch said in a videotaped statement.

Unfortunately, more than 61 million Americans either didn't understand or didn't care that this would happen, and decided it would be a good idea to put The Stain and his cronies in charge of the U.S. government for the next 4 years.  And unless the U.S. Senate does its job, Loretta Lynch will be replaced by an Attorney General who isn't quite so concerned with civil rights:

 Sessions defended Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims from entering the United States and Trump has embraced many of Sessions’ proposals, like “canceling federal funds to sanctuary cities,” slowing legal immigration and challenging the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship. In January, a top aide to Sessions, Stephen Miller, joined the Trump campaign as senior policy adviser, and Sessions’ Chief of Staff Rick Dearborn is the executive director of Trump’s transition team.

In 1986, a bipartisan majority of the Senate Judiciary Committee rejected his nomination to a federal judgeship in the midst of charges of racial bias.

No matter who replaces Loretta Lynch as Attorney General, the Muslims, blacks, Latinos, LGBTQs and others who are the targets of The Stain's deplorables will be losing a powerful ally in the legal system.  This is why the most important and effective way those of us in the reality-based community can begin to fight back against The Stain is to support independent legal organizations who will step into the void left behind when the U.S. no longer has a competent Attorney General.  My recommendations are:

• The American Civil Liberties Union
• The Southern Poverty Law Center
• The Human Rights Campaign

The ACLU and SPLC are probably the foremost legal organizations for defending civil rights in America and fighting hate.  The Human Rights Campaign also defends civil rights, but it is focused on LGBTQ rights.  Pick your favorite, or pick them all.  If you can manage it, sign on to make regular monthly donations.  For the next four years, these organizations will be the best response we have to all forms of bigotry championed by The Stain and his supporters.

Of course, fighting them in the courts is just the beginning.