For a century women have fought tooth and nail for equality in the political arena, in the workplace and in our marriages. Today it feels as though though nothing has really changed, and yet everything is different. The Donald Trump Supreme Court will bear that out.

Voters rejected a woman who has dedicated her life to service to others, was eminently qualified and had the audacity to aim high. We’ve just witnessed an election that was the modern-day equivalent of a witch hunt. Instead of shouting “Burn her!” people shouted “Lock her up!”

Talking heads, the press and members of government were mostly silent (except for the FBI), and in their silence, they condoned what Trump was saying about one woman in particular, but in reality, about all of us.

We the people elected a crass misogynist who, with a nice bankroll from his father, has worked for the past 30 years to improve life for himself. And talk about upholding family values? Well, maybe we better not.

This charlatan (“Trust me, it’s going to be great!”) made his fortune on the backs of the little guys he didn’t pay. As leader of the free world, he’s promised to fix the economy, to fix ISIS, to fix your life if you are dissatisfied.

I am scared and deeply saddened by what this means for all of us, but especially for my daughters and granddaughters and for all other second-class citizens. I am quite sure all the other women of Salem, the ones who were not burned at the stake, got the message loud and clear.

And as for the people who were shouting and meant it? I really do not have a clue. They have just launched a grenade into a very dangerous world. We all better duck and cover.

Chris Crawford

Gorham