Can I just say I’m tired of this? I’ve spent the past four years spilling my outrage into Twitter, Facebook and random conversations. I’ve actually tried to hold back, knowing that venting spleen disturbs the social harmony and punctures the veneer of the “happy life” that we can create in the online vignettes that we spin about our vacations, family visits, pets, anniversaries, etc. I like that stuff just as much as anyone and click “like,” wish people happy birthday, extend sympathy and congratulations. But sometimes the Dylan Thomas inside me just has to surface. “Do not go gentle into that good, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” And my friends, the light is dying.
The country I was born into, grew up in and was taught to be the greatest nation on earth is not doing well. You don’t have to take my word for it. There are so many people who write more eloquently than me. Take umair haque for example and sample some of what he has to say about capitalism, climate change and democracy. It’s sobering and very sad. Here what he has to say about four more years with Donald Trump in charge: “A second Trump term would be absolutely catastrophic to the point of ruin for America. It would be rock bottom at a whole new level.” More than a million Americans could end up dying from COVID. Many more could be homeless and without healthcare while military spending will set spending records. Bigotry and racism will go unchecked and authoritarianism will reign. Hated minorities have felt the effects for a long time, but this is coming for all of us.
So, we should not be surprised that the upcoming election is being framed by both sides as a choice between saving the nation or letting it collapse into degradation. If this is true, then I want to be on the right side of history. I want my kids and grand kids to know where their patriarch stood and what he stood for. I want them to see some of that rage against the dying of the light. I want them to know that, in my own small way, I pushed back, resisted and cast my solitary vote into the breach and with an ear piercing scream … “Trump will not get four more years!”
This Life ... the Best of Them? 
I really like the saying, “If you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention.” This saying couldn’t be more true. We are already teaching Parker not to be a bystander when she sees someone being mean. I want to be able to tell her someday that we spoke out against Trump, that we would not let him get away with destroying our nation. I want to tell her that we trusted scientists, combatted climate change, worked to be anti-racist, and respected people of all different abilities, religions, races, cultures, and sexual orientations. I want her to grow up in an America that cares about others and ensures that all people get to live in dignity by earning a living way, having access to free healthcare, and getting a quality education. This is NOT Trump’s America. He only wants the rich to get richer, the sick to get sicker, and the planet to get hotter. You’re right that America is dying. And we should be sad, and very very angry. I, too, want to on the right side of history. Speaking out is the right thing to do.
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I couldn’t be more proud of you Samster! Parker already has a strong moral compass and a generation of children like her represent hope for a planet and a society that desperately needs loving caretakers instead of pillagers.
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