……..In my Sunday morning meanderings through the national news, I have a thought. The thing about the first thought is takes you to other thoughts and then there you are with a conclusion that makes sense to you, but perhaps no-one else. So here are my thoughts on the National front.
…….We are a nation that’s grieving the loss of America as we remember it. Not, as it was, but as we preserved it in our minds. The school shootings, the vitriol that spews forth in the political forum, the distrust that behind every corner there is someone waiting to do us or those we love harm, seem to intrude into our everyday world. The television is just waiting to keep us up to the minute on the latest tragedy. I myself, though I am a news junkie, keep the television off all day preferring instead to hold off my sadness til six p.m.
…….I know about grief. Most of us do because we’ve all lost someone dear to us and when we can’t make it go away or bring the loved one back, grief often turns to anger, a bitter raging anger. And, that is where our Country is today. We are angry that we can’t get the America back that we remember fondly. But, we are also painting the past with a rosy hue that if peeled back reveals a nation that was in turmoil and in fear.
…….Those of us who came of age in the sixties and seventies, remember the violence that turned brother against brother due to Viet Nam. You were either pro-war or pro-peace and no two friends could think opposite and remain friends. The distrust and degradation of those of who were a different color is abhorrent now. It was the norm especially in the southern states back then. To those who risked life and limb to change America into a land where all colors were equal can only be repaid if we continue to view humans as all equal. As a teenager, I knew girls weren’t treated as equal in my day. Girls took home ec, boys took shop. Girls’ basketball meant you were only allowed to dribble the ball once and then you threw it to another girl for her one dribble. I often wonder if they were afraid we might get too far with that ball. We did .You had to be there to remember what it was like to be denied a job, a credit card, a bank loan and yes, control over your own body.
……..So we as voters have to spend some time remembering the bad and know that we as a nation did what we needed to do by working toward change, both at the ballot box and in our communities, and treat this election as the most vital we have ever had.
……..I believe voters need to know specifics, not generalities when it comes to casting their vote or working on an election campaign. Many candidates are counting on the 30 to 60 second sound bite that sticks with you to capture your vote. Don’t let that happen. Do your research, know the issues and cast an informed vote that can return us to the America we know and love.
