I was watching a replay of a football game today. It was my alma mater the Univ of Wisconsin playing Michigan at Camp Randall. It was from last year and the Badgers won. I so enjoyed watching it.
As I watched I realized that I miss so many things I hadn’t even realized that college football was even on my list. I always watch the Badgers, always cheer them on and I’m always proud, win or lose, I’m a Big Red fan. But that’s how I am and that’s how a lot of us are, we are fans through and through and we may not always win, but we are always proud of our team.
And then I read the news. Proud is not the word I would use to describe what I read. We have a Constitution that grants us the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Then there is the Golden rule I was taught to treat others the way you want to be treated. Those two things have served me well in my life. I try to treat others well, I do have a hard time confronting others when I am angry.
Often times when I am really angry I cry. I wish I was a different person, but that’s the way I am. So it is easier for me to write because I can explain my feelings and you can’t see my tears. And there are a lot of tears.
Our nation, our great democracy is in real trouble. There are some serious issues we have to resolve. But guns, bullets, bricks, batons, rocks are not the way to solve anything. But there are so many folks that are really hurting, so many. I can’t imagine the pain of the constant scrutiny faced by many people of color. The constant questioning, the constant suspicion, the fear of being killed is real and it happens and we see it on TV and on our Facebook pages. I can’t imagine it. And that is one of the biggest problems.
You see I can’t imagine it because I am white. I have never been afraid of the police or of being accused of something I didn’t do. I can’t imagine it. And I watch the families of the people who have been killed and I hurt for them and I can’t imagine what they must be feeling. And I see the protesters, the ones trying to raise awareness for change and I know they are sincere. I see what they want and then, the looters move in and the rioters. And then the other protesters, the ones with guns. The gun people who feel that they can not walk among people without a weapon . And then last week, one of them came to carry out his own brand of justice and killed two protesters and another lost his arm in our state.
So what do we do? Where do we go? I know that some feel that what we need to do is just keep supporting our government. Keep the status quo, we will get this under control and punish the protesters. I will tell you that is not the way I feel. We have 65 days before our next election and I can’t tell you how important your vote is because by now you know that your vote is the most valuable and strongest tool you have as a citizen.
I am voting for Joe Biden because in the past 3+ years we have been inundated with lies from Trump since long before he took office. He lied about having a health plan, he lied about Mexico paying for his wall, he lied to his wives when he took his vows and he lies to the American people every time he has a new conference. But even worse than that is Trump is not blameless in our current situation. He has made statements that have incited violence at every turn and he has never, ever shown the compassion, leadership and intelligence necessary to lead our great nation out of its current home grown Hell. Calling Nazi’s “very fine people” and making fun of a disabled reporter are just two of the things he did a long time ago and it has never stopped.
I watched a movie once where a preacher was leading a group in praying for rain in the midwest during a terrible drought. As I watched the movie all I could think is “When is our rain going to stop?” When is the ugliness going to stop? When can I turn on the news and not listen to outright lies???
When will it stop? I’ll tell you, it stops in November when we vote. This is no joke, this time it is for the whole shooting match as they say this time it is a matter of life and death-yours. Vote. Thanks for listening.
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