It's so easy to get depressed about the way things are going in this country. I can't believe that a full 42% of Americans have a "favorable" view of Donald Trump. It makes me sad, as much as it made me sad to hear my countrymen dismissively say things like, "If Trump thought he was a king there wouldn't be any No Kings protests." Don't these people ever stop to reflect on tea in the Boston harbor and why we don't speak with a British accent?
Well, I do. I believe in Madisonian democracy. I follow elections. I work campaigns.
On Tuesday November 4, my efforts were rewarded. The judges I supported were retained by the good people of Pennsylvania. It was very satisfying.
I want to give a shout out to Postcards to Swing States and Postcards to Voters. They have given me a way to serve and make myself heard. All it takes is time, stamps, and the willingness to contribute.
This matters. Not only to my country but to my peace of mind.
Honestly, I used to write postcards and support mostly Democrats, but then I took a hard look at what the Dems really stand for and I don't agree with or support any of it. I am not sure that I can every vote for a Democrat again. I am talking about things like abortion, same-sex marriage and gender ideology. They just do not represent me. No, I am not a "Trumper." I like some things he has done and others not so much. I am not a die-hard MAGA voter. I don't know what the future will hold for our country, but I do know, at least for now, the Right represents me personally more than the left. You do not have to publish to comment because I know you don't agree with it. I commend you for standing up for your beliefs and doing what you think is right.
ReplyDeleteI simply cannot, as a Christian, support the unrelenting marginalization and cruelty MAGA has enthusiastically embraced. "Whatever you did or did not do for the least of these, you did or did not do for me." People of color, immigrants, trans people, gay people ... these are my friends and neighbors and I cannot accept their demonization by today's Right. My faith left me far more comfortable with the "compassionate conservatives" like John McCain and George W. Bush, who I certainly never voted for but trusted would at least try to unite and lead all of us. As a patriot, I do not approve of the way this President ignores judges' rulings. The judiciary is a co-equal branch of government, whether he likes it or not. On the one hand, the convicted January 6 rioters are pardoned and then Chicagoans are pepper sprayed for protesting. The founder of Binance was found guilty of money laundering but pardoned because he was in business with the Trumps. Meanwhile the DOJ seems to have adopted the Stalinist motto, "Give me the man and I'll give you the case against him." This all draws a circle I cannot square. As an American who is proud of her country, I cannot sit back and watch the dismantling of the Kennedy Center and rewriting history at the Smithsonian. (Check out what's going on at whitehouse.gov. It's positively skin crawly.) The destruction of the East Wing is a metaphor and, corny as it may sound, it pierced my heart. I despair that as long as 42% of the country approves of all this, we will never again be able to discuss abortion, same-sex marriage and gender ideology as well intentioned people who disagree. The legs of the stool are being kicked out from under us. As my late friend John used to say, "In Berlin before the War, they didn't know they were living in Berlin before the War." I refuse to be Sally Bowles. Our way of life is slipping away and I have to do what I can to stop it. Joan Baez says we may not be able to stem the tide but at least we save some fishes. That's where my heart and my faith lead me. PS My President responded to my marching on No Kings Day by posting a video of himself, in a crown, dumping feces on my head. I now have a baby grandniece. This is not the America I want her growing up in.
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