Friday, November 21, 2014

It doesn't affect me much so why do I care?

My children are grown so I have none in school.

I'm past childbearing age.  No worries there.

My husband and I are both professionals.  We each have/had great jobs throughout our working lives.

We've always had a nice home to live in, enough food and clothing.

We've always had what passes for health insurance in this country (I have other words for this) so, thank goodness we've enjoyed good health for the most part.

I've never had a personal need to go to a women's shelter, a food kitchen or a charity for help.

With the exception of one incident decades ago, I've never been the object of religious hate.

I've never been the object of hate because of the color of my skin or my sexual orientation.

I've never been denied to right to vote.

I'm able to live my life with never having to worry about the myriad of hateful things that millions of people all over the world are subjected to.... and especially the millions who reside in the United States, that bastion of democracy that is supposed to be the land of the free and home of the brave where freedom and equality are supposed to apply to every citizen.

So, the Ferguson, Missouri horror; the denial of the right to vote for so many that just occurred; the laws passed regulating women's health issues by men who shouldn't be sticking their noses in where they don't belong; the gerrymandering; the decimating of social services; the defunding of all the things that help the poor, the disabled, women, veterans, education, and children; the privatization of prisons and schools; the dumbing down of education in America and replacing facts with religious fiction; and the drive to make this country a right-wing Christian nation should really have no affect on me but yet, IT DOES!

It does because I have a heart, a brain and I understand what a democracy is supposed to be.  What we have now is an oligarchy, a form of government with power vested in a few, not a government of, by and for the people. The Republican/Tea Party faction in this country doesn't want a government to benefit the populace.  They want control of our lives, the country's assets and a population of uninformed puppets doing their bidding. Our Congress is populated by a plethora of absolutely the most stupid and crass individuals, filled with hate for those unlike them

How can I stand by and watch this country sink into a quagmire of never-ending greed, hostility, intense hatred, racism, bigotry, misogyny, corporate greed and disregard of civil rights?  I can't.  I'm choking on my rage. So I write to my Washington Congressional representatives and senators, to my local politicians; I sign petitions and add my own comments; I email to these same people; I make my opinions and positions known; I support organizations who believe in equality and civil rights for everyone; and I BLOG because I have to have a place to vent my frustration with what passes for a society in this country.  It's not civilized.  It's simply crazy.

If this country doesn't change into a humane, caring country that welcomes diversity and offers equality and civil rights to all and offers ways everyone can live without fear (of so many things and people), this country will go down in flames and we'll have the vicious Republicans and Tea Party to thank for the demise of the United States.  They will cause the death of this country. And no one wants to see the younger generation put up with that.

So, yes I care and I do what I can do.  And anyone who reads this should be doing something, anything to combat the viciousness and stupidity so prevalent in this country now.  Perhaps it will take another couple of decades when these nuts will have died off for progress to be made.  But rage against the Republican machine needs to begin now before there is nothing to save and nothing to care about.


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