What will it take for you to get involved?
Instead of just “reiterating” how important this election is, we need to start discussing why it’s important for everyone to be involved in preserving our democracy. We have seen how apathy and complacency lead to the dismantling of civil discourse and democratic values (having a choice) in the last 5 years.
I have voted in every election from the time I turned 21 in 1973. And since I was paying attention to politicians from an earlier age, I knew I would be a registered Democrat and voted accordingly.
The 2016 election was a pivotal moment for me. I knew when I saw Donald Trump ride down an escalator that we would have a hot mess on our hands and we did. I did what I could to help promote Hillary Clinton (including donating to her campaign), but it wasn’t enough. The divide in the Democratic Party was enough to open the gate for a trump win and a living nightmare for the rest of us. I still didn’t get it. And it wasn’t until I participated, by actively protesting in a “tax march” against him in 2017, that I finally understood. We cannot sit idly by and allow our “feelings” to guide us in making decisions that have serious repercussions for the nation.
For those who “hated Hillary,” I hope they have learned their lesson. First of all, the reasons I heard was the kind of stuff elementary school students would use. She did nothing to the individuals complaining about her not leaving Bill, or even in the Benghazi issue, because she was not calling the shots in Benghazi—a little detail that many have ignored. It wasn’t her fault that Congress ignored her requests and then did nothing until it was too late to do something for those killed. Hillary didn’t kill them or cause them to be killed—irresponsible politicians did.
Now, because of the dereliction of duty by most to vet all candidates thoroughly and to exercise “wisdom in voting,” we have to fight off the loss of democracy for all because of the haters in America. Our Freedoms hang in the balance of our time in existence. Rights that have been fought for and won are now being reversed because of white supremacists making decisions on the Supreme Court. Those who hate and are fearful of those who don’t look or act like them, are responsible for the mess we face.
Once again, we must understand history, in this country, in order to understand what we’re facing. Before the establishment of Roe v Wade to ensure the safety of a woman who chose to terminate a pregnancy, many women died at the hands of the unscrupulous and ill-equipped. Overturning the “decided” view and sending to the states to determine has turned back the hands of time and once again, if we the people, don’t’ do all we can to stop it, many women will die again.
For those states who have ruled that banning abortion was in the interest of the “fetus” and not the woman, we’ll see how this plays in the court of public opinion, globally. Pro-lifers—are not for “life” of any living, breathing human being outside of the womb. They are “pro-fetus” and all they care about is “controlling what women do with their bodies.”
Even when women may have to travel to other states to access healthcare they need, having to travel is akin to bounty hunters crossing state lines to hunt and return run-away slaves. In the 21st Century, no one should be subject to such treatment and disregard.
So, while many think the current situation is just about the loss of “reproductive rights,” they need to think again. There’s more to the sinister plot on the Supreme Court and it all leads to white men controlling what women do—again. There are not content with controlling reproductive rights, there is discussion on the table to reverse a number of “settled law” precedents that include: marriage equality rights, privacy rights regarding sexual relationships, civil rights, having access to contraceptives, having access to a quality education and for the most part—human rights—with the exception of controlling what men can do.
As a result of the sinister plot being revealed on the Supreme Court, every eligible voter in the country needs to start thinking be yond partisan ideology and political party and get involved in the political arena to “preserve our democratic (having a choice) republic. If not, we will soon be a fascist nation with a dictator calling all the shots and forbidding our participation by negating our rights to vote.
As Americans—born in this country and having full rights as an American—we cannot allow the hateful and bigoted antics of the white supremacists organizations to ruin our country. We must get involved and we must vote for those who will protect our rights to vote (without trying to overturn an election when they lose) so that our children and grandchildren will have a chance to enjoy what we have fought for in times past. They should not have to fight the same battles that were already won, until a narcissistic megalomaniac won an election because “some were angry with Hillary.”
The time is NOW—in every primary election and general election for the next 20 years, for us to fight to retain our democracy! Vote Blue in 2022 and beyond!
maryhallrayford 