My veteran’s day started with a wonderful swim and deep concern for our country. Trump was insisting he won the election and doing crazy things to try to call into question and subvert our democratic process. I was upset and posted on facebook, which I almost never do. Here is my post.
On This Veteran’s Day
To my family, friends, and anyone who stumbles upon this post, I want to share the feelings of my heart about what is happening in our country. I check Facebook maybe four times a year, and I rarely speak out because I don’t like to make waves.
But at this moment my heart is bursting with hurt, disappointment, fear and even anger. Never in my 36 years of living have I had to wonder if our democracy is at risk. Never in my life have I wondered if a war is coming or if my family will be safe in the next year. Never have I seen a president more obsessed with his preservation of power than in the peaceful continuation of country that he leads. As a country, we have never been more divided. I feel it. Do you?
Trump has said before that he will accept election results only if he wins. In the past, I’ve laughed at a lot of Trump’s antics. For example, it felt comically poetic that he would leave office while in the process suing America. But I’m now realizing Trump isn’t just extremely dysfunctional. He is highly dangerous. His decision to not give a concession speech has put America on edge and made so many people uncertain of the road ahead. Trump’s secretary of State announced there will be a smooth transition into Trump having a second term. Trump just replaced the head of the Department of Defense today with someone who is loyal to him. For those who have followed Trump, you know the list of people he has fired and removed to replace with loyalists is ever growing, but this most recent move is particularly alarming. The scariest thing is that Trump is a compulsive liar and his followers believe what he says. He said we’ve never been more united as a country in his last debate. Is that really what you see? He also said he has done more for Black people than any president except for maybe Abraham Lincoln. Anyone who has any pulse on the overall feelings of the Black community towards Trump know that is a flat-out lie. This morning I was listening to NPR and wondering if and when that will be either cancelled or taken over by Trump loyalists. I’m literally scared of what he is capable of.
I want to make something incredibly clear. This is not about Republicans versus Democrats. I personally decided I am a Democrat yesterday, but prior to that I spent years wanting to focus more on the caliber of the person–regardless of party, and I spent many more years before that as a Republican. The reason I’m now a Democrat is primarily because of how appalled I am that Republican leaders are choosing Trump over our democratic system. We have never had someone lose in the electoral college and try to sue, intimidate, and grab his way to victory. Even Al Gore gave a concession speech as soon as the Supreme Court gave their verdict. I’ve followed the law-suits Trump is initiating and by and large they are spurious lawsuits that will go nowhere and certainly not change the outcome of the election. Again, this is not a partisan matter. This is about our democratic system. I would be equally appalled if a Democrat were holding on to power this way. I was appalled at both the Democrats and the Republicans (except for Mitt Romney) during Trump’s impeachment because everyone lined up exactly along party lines. No one is thinking anymore. And that is what is happening now. Well, now is the time to think. Look around. Understand that what is sacred in America is not our politicians, not our positions, not even our policies. It is our PROCESS. No one in the history of America (that I am aware of) has done so much to undermine our sacred processes. Processes like voting for elected officials. Processes like the transfer of power. Processes like how the balances of power can check each other. If our voting process breaks down, and the candidate who won the most popular votes (by millions) and the most electoral votes does not get put into office, then all of a sudden we have no working process. That leaves a power vacuum for fascists like Trump, who has appointed loyalists all around him and desires to rule through autocracy and not through the democratic voice of the people.
I am wounded and hurt by what Trump has done to this country. I am wounded and hurt that otherwise good and decent politicians, family members, friends and citizens continue to support this person who is so poisonous to our democracy. As I have said, I have never in my life actually worried about the future of democracy in this country, or the safety of my family. I cannot express sufficiently my disappointment in anyone who would continue to defend someone who endangers me, my family and my country.
On this Veteran’s day, may we reflect on the courage that so many in the past have summoned both on the battlefield and in daily life to protect our democracy, to stand up for civility, and to preserve the stability of our country. May we go beyond feeling grateful for what others have done to protect what we have and realize it is our turn now to be courageous and to stand up for what we want future generations to have down the road. Nothing would make me happier than to learn that I’m overreacting and that we never really were that close to having our democracy topple. But democracy, national stability, peace and the security of my family is not something I will leave to chance. My family and I are educating ourselves, speaking out, donating to causes that uphold democracy and engaging in civil discourse. I invite everyone to do the same, regardless of your party or politics.
Things got more fun in the afternoon. We all did s’mores outside and then got in our pjs and watched a movie as a family. I think we might have watched the second Despicable Me movie. It was so nice to spend the day with family and have a day off of work!
