ROCKETS RED GLARE, BOMBS BURSTING IN AIR

I went to bed last night to the sounds of simulated war and it will only be 1000 times worse tonight.

Big firework displays can be exciting and beautiful. At-home fireworks are merely loud and potentially dangerous. All fireworks can be terrifying for some humans and non-humans. And think of what they represent -- rockets red glare; bombs bursting in air -- war.

The American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 were horrific, as all wars are. We won our freedom twice, the second time getting a National Anthem out of it; yet we were also warned by those framers of the Constitution that this freedom is fragile and not guaranteed. Forces from within could just as well bring it down as could those from outside.

From the National Constitution Center:

    There is a story, often told, that upon exiting the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was approached by a group of citizens asking what sort of government the delegates had created.  His answer was: "A republic, if you can keep it."  The brevity of that response should not cause us to under-value its essential meaning: democratic republics are not merely founded upon the consent of the people, they are also absolutely dependent upon the active and informed involvement  of the people for their continued good heatlh.

I want to keep our republic. Shockingly, some don't. It's a difficult 4th of July. I want to join in with the "Happy 4th!" festivities, but it rings a false note for me this year. So, I'm not really participating in the holiday with the usual parades, picnics, and flag waving. If I hang it at all, I may hang my flag with solemnity, with determination, with the promise to do what I can do this year to ensure we still have a working democracy next year.

Our political reality is a mess. The country is deeply and angrily divided. There is a chasm between those who believe in the values of inclusion, diversity, and equality; those who care for our dying planet; those who vision a future where there is a way forward where an extractive economy gives way to one that regenerative; those who believe that decent people can run for office and are applauded for their efforts, respected for having perhaps different ideas on how to achieve the best for all, but who still can work together to achieve it; those who believe leaders should follow the rules and norms of civil society, with a caring, generous heart -- and those on the other side, who have an entirely different idea of America.

The Republican Party has become a party walking the edge of Fascism. Its leader is a man devoid of human decency, now a convicted felon and serial sexual abuser, who blusters, bullies, and lies constantly, has no real vision for our country except to make it in his own image, where selfishness and tribalism exclude and denigrate and punish any who deviate from his proscribed wishes and who just disagree with him. He has repeated his lies so often in such a loud and forceful voice, preying upon fears and frustrations and grudges among many Americans, that they have come to believe his view of America and his sole power to fix it as he says they should want it to be -- divided and angry, but with a "strong" (bullying/violence prone) leader to give them what they think they want -- punishment to any who feel they've wronged them, "membership" in a club that bullies and bellows but gets nothing substantive done, and a nation so damaged that generations will pass before it rights itself, if ever.

If he wins, what they will get is the demise of democracy, a rapidly depleted planet upon which to live, the end of the rule of law, an economy that gives to the rich and even more so than now, robs the middle class and poor.

It makes me beyond sad that so many Americans support him. I cannot fathom that. I believe that differences in policy are good for us, to debate, compromise, decide a way forward. But moral character and good intentions, respect and humility are important too. When all of that is lacking, the way forward takes on a very different tenor, a very different vision, resulting in a very different world in which my grandchildren will grow up.

I am taking time this 4th of July to seriously consider and commit to a very specific list of things I can do to work toward keeping our republic. For this election could very well signal the end of it. Already our three co-equal branches of government have been corrupted by an ideology that places the President above the law, stalls any movement on legislation, and ensures the continuing gulf between Americans that may not be healed for decades.

I'm just one person; it feels overwhelming. No one can do everything but everyone can do something. I'll find the somethings I can do. How about you?

At least, that's the view from here..©

Photo Credit: www. pixabay.com

WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY?

 "You now know what you would do for your country if your country was ever in this much danger.  It's whatever it is you're doing right now.  What you're doing now, what you're planning to do for the next six weeks, that's what you're made of." -- Rachel Maddow, MSNBC 9/23/20

"There is no more time for silence.  ... All women and men of conscience must speak or they are complicit in America lurching towards a dangerous cliff of autocracy and chaos." -- Dan Rather, Veteran Journalist

"This is how democracy dies." -- Adam Schiff, Chair of the House Intelligence Committee

These are just a few responses to an Atlantic article published yesterday outlining the current president's plan to steal the election.  We already know there is an active Russian influence campaign to try to disrupt and discredit our election.  The current president is aware of this and complicit in it as he uses the exact same talking points:  The election is "rigged"; mail-in ballots are fraudulent; we can't trust the outcome.  He is suppressing the vote in many states through arcane voting laws, gerrymandering, closing polling places, and slowing down the mail by appointing unqualified crony as Postmaster General who has removed mailboxes and dismantled sorting machines in mostly large Democratic cities, but in other areas too.  He is preparing a legal battle if he is not declared the winner on November 3, and is planning a work around to appoint Republican electors chosen by state legislatures who will cast votes for him by overriding the will of the people due to "vote fraud".  Eventually this would go to Congress and the Courts, leaving the U.S. in chaos for weeks/months with the endpoint a victory for him, since by then he plans on having made his third far right wing Supreme Court appointment on the Court.

Yesterday, when asked by a reporter if he would commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election, he said, "Well, we're going to have to see what happens.  You know that I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots and the ballots are a disaster.  Get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very -- we'll have a very peaceful -- there won't be a transfer frankly, there'll be a continuation."  He also noted, "I think this will end up in the Supreme Court and I think it's very important that we have nine justices, and I think the system's going to go very quickly.  Having a 4-4 situation is not a good situation."

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I know I'm living through history.  

I know that these years of a corrupt, chaotic, and despotic presidency will produce a library full of books that my grandchildren may have to read for their history classes. (Are there still history classes?)  

I know this election is a defining moment for the United States of America and its experiment in democracy.   

I know that the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg last Friday was a jolt to women, who knew that without Justice Ginsberg discrimination on the basis of sex might still be rampant, not to mention the vacancy she leaves may push the Court to the far right, endangering abortion rights, affordable health care, LGTBQ rights, safety regulations, religious freedom, immigration, the upcoming election, and on and on.  

I know that the social/racial flashpoint that is occurring right now in response to police killings of black people is a wake-up call for all of us and a moment when, finally, some white people are seeing past their own privilege to take to the streets with their black brothers and sisters to demand an end to systemic racism.  

I know this summer's record number and size of wildfires and hurricanes is the earth's way of crying out for healing.  A thick blanket of toxic smoke covered whole states, and our town, for two weeks.  We barely left the house, keeping all doors and windows closed on what should have been beautiful summer days, had the sun been able to penetrate the smoke.

I know this Covid-19 pandemic, which has now infected nearly 7 million Americans and killed over 200,000 is not slowing down, not going away, and may be only one in a long string of similar health-related deadly consequences of climate change.

The world is turning.  Sometimes I think all of this is a purge.  We are at the point of change or die, in many ways.  Incremental change, half measures, and good intentions are not cutting it.

So....what am I doing?  How am I responding to my country being in this much danger?

It turns out there are few flashy heroic measures for most of us.  Most of us are just trying to survive this swirling chaotic storm, take care of our families, find some measure of happiness and contentment.  But my motto is "If we all do a little, it adds up to a lot." I'm doing a little.

I am passionate about the right to vote.  I am passionate about making sure everyone exercises that right. I am taking that passion to my desk, volunteering with four different organizations to write letters and postcards to prospective voters, especially in Swing States, especially under-represented people of color, to urge them to register and vote in this election.  I write and write and write.  I buy lots of stamps.  I pour my heart into each message, envisioning a person reading my words and maybe, just maybe, being moved to cast a vote.  I realize these cards and letters may also go directly into the trash, but studies have proven that a hand-written note to a specific person increases voter turnout 3-5%.  Sounds paltry, but adds up to several million potential voters at the polls.  I've written a couple of hundred notes and still going strong.

I also plan to do shifts of text banking for Democrats once I figure out the tech expertise I need to get up and running.  I am intimidated by it, but it feels like a teeny tiny thing to figure out compared to doing nothing after the letter/card campaigns end in mid-October.  The last push will be phone calls and texts.  I can do that.

I'm donating to candidates -- not just for president, but for key Senate races.  

I'm posting pro-Democrat information on social media -- a countdown to Election Day (a bit of a misnomer, since over half the states have already begun absentee and early voting), and Biden/Harris positions on various issues.  I'm hoping my FB friends will pass these on to their FB friends, but so far I'm not seeing any 'shares'.  Still, I do what I can.  

What I can't do is worry too much that others aren't joining in with activism.  Maybe some are and I don't know it.  Maybe some just aren't interested.  Maybe some are too busy, too tired, too distracted, too overwhelmed, too cynical, too afraid.  Over the past few years at various times my political buddy and I have tried to organize and enlist friends in joining us in calling legislators, writing letters, etc.  Not much interest, so we gave up.  In this time of physical distancing, we can't even try to gather anyone together, and she and I don't even see each other in person, so I am going solo.  I've found some enthusiastic online groups, have taken some fun and inspiring online trainings, listen to a few political podcasts -- all of which keeps me informed and motivated.  I do what I can.

So, what am I doing for my country?  I'm trying.  I'm eating healthy, walking regularly, practicing yoga and meditation, seeing my family with distance and masks when I can, calling and Zooming with friends, feeling deeply connected to and grateful for my husband, growing some of my own food, learning and writing about the Enneagram personality types to better understand myself and others,  paying attention to the news of the day, finding rest and relaxation amidst also clutter-busting this big old house.  I am living the best life I know how to live, alive to each moment, and ready for whatever comes.  And I am 100% committed to the actions I can take to preserve our democracy, to elect leaders who share my values and vision of a world of equality, compassion, diversity, generosity, and justice. 

I'm writing some letters, donating some money, sending some texts, making a few calls.  It doesn't seem like nearly enough.  But...If we ALL do a little, it adds up to A LOT!  No doubt there is something you can do too.  It's time to do it. 

At least, that's the view from here...©