I Do Now

I used to be a proud Republican. I spent my high school AP government class fiercely defending my party. I faithfully watched the GOP convention every four years and voted almost straight Republican for my first election. My last year of college, I was a grant researcher in Republican Senator Sam Brownback's local office. I was RE-PUB-LIC-AN.  Now...not so much.

While I support some of the GOP platform like committing to combat human trafficking and caring for veterans, the majority of the rhetoric I heard during the last election from the Republican party left me feeling forsaken by the party I once wholeheartedly aligned myself with. Their stances on everything from tax principles to unfettered capitalism to discrimination thinly veiled as"religious liberty" to an unhealthy obsession with radical Islam did not seem, to me, to be in the best interest of myself or the diverse people of my country.

Then, of course, Republicans somehow chose to overlook the ENORMOUS list of misdeeds and character flaws regarding Donald Trump and nominated him for president. He is a revolting, mentally unstable, heartless, shamelessly selfish, wimp of a man. I couldn't get behind that nomination even a little bit.

So, finding myself utterly opposed to the direction in which Republicans were marching, I tried to find common ground with the Libertarian Party before making the switch to the Dirty Dems. Though I philosophically support many of the tenets of the Libertarian Party, the objection I hold with them, is that they are a little too hands off for my liking. In my opinion they are the equivalent of a permissive parent. While I am a HUGE proponent of freedom, handing off said freedom without at least SOME safeguards makes me nervous. Human nature does not do well with highly philosophical government. For instance... communism...sounds so good on paper...in reality it's oppressive and violent because humans, in their hearts, desire power.

So, I reluctantly found myself aligning with the Democrats. Progressive liberal Democrats seem to care about things I care about...civil rights, voting rights, supporting the middle class, fair and equitable education, and common sense immigration reform (among other things). Democrats seem to still care about ALL Americans. Conversely, in policy and in deed, Republicans seem to only care about Wealthy, White, Corporate, Conservative Christian, Americans.

Democrats have remained true to their platform in dozens of ways since Trump took office. They are standing up for immigrants, Muslims, women, fair education, and even defending the prerogative of the American people to exercise their right to peaceful assembly. On the other hand Republicans are remaining true to their platform by supporting a Secretary of Education who is against public education, an Attorney General who has a history of voter suppression and racism, a Secretary of Labor who has a long history of unfair wage distribution, an FDA director who thinks that Americans should get access to new drugs before they are tested for effectiveness, and a president who is more concerned with being made fun of on SNL or whether his daughter's brand is suffering than being a strong, well informed, commander in chief.

NOTE: Now that the election is over...I have not heard a PEEP from anyone in the Libertarian Party. They are keeping their heads down and staying out of it...which reads to me as cowardice and ambivalence. 

If what is being presented to me by the current majority government shows what it looks like to be a Republican in 2017, I want no part of it. Before this election I did not consider myself a Democrat. I do now.

To My Friends Who Are #Resist-ing

Guys, I can talk candidly here right? Everyone who thinks I'm a liberal crybaby loser has either unfollowed me by now or is not going click on the link to this blog...so I might as well just let it all out there.

I am utterly horrified by what is happening in America. Watching these new policies unfold nearly every day adds a loop to the thick, dark, knot at the pit of my stomach. I dreaded Inauguration Day for weeks because I knew that this was going to be unpleasant. But, damn, all of this is beyond anything I could have prepared myself for. Who knew? Even now, with story after story of utter incompetence and disregard for the American system of government, I still feel a little strange calling it what it is.

I am scared. Not for myself...not yet. However, the new stance toward Muslims sounds like something I've heard before...seen played out in heart wrenching, soul crushing, films. I hope against hope that I am over reacting. God, I would rather be labeled a loony tune than be right about the direction our government is taking. If I'm right...it will be to my horror.

What I am certain of is that God has stirred passion in my heart to be both a consummate helper and a fervent truth teller. I will NOT stand silent as Muslims are targeted for mistreatment by our government. I will NOT stand silent as Mexicans are targeted for mistreatment by our government. I will NOT stand for anyone being mistreated by our government.

As the coming days (days that feel like years amirite) keep bringing worse and worse news, the cost of speaking out is going to get higher. I just want you to know that I am, at my very core, in this for the long haul. But friends, my mind and my body are going to get tired. They're going to want to give in, to sit down and shut up. It will be gloriously tempting to throw my hands in the air and scream "to hell with this!" That's why I need you all.

We're all going to have our moments when we have nothing left. We collectively need to remember that this fight is going to be long...it's going to be arduous...it's going to be new and challenging to many ideas we have about how to effect change. I have no clue what standing with one another is going to look like...but I know we need to figure it out. We're going to need to prepare to pull one another up if we collapse under the weight of this #resist-ance. Also...bail money...we might need bail money.