A woman’s perspective on the great nation I grew up in, where we are now, and where we are headed…….
My ex husband suggested years ago that I write a book with this title…..and that was 30 years ago. Our nation was not really in crisis then. At least compared to what is going on now it wasn’t…and now it is time to get on my soapbox.
I used to be, by my own definition, a liberal. I believed in the ability of women to achieve every goal available to a man, break the glass ceiling, in women’s rights, and have many unique or liberal views about a lot of things. I was raised by a very liberal mom, and a more conservative father….but I leaned more to the left than the right. But in the last couple of years, and especially in the last few months, that has changed greatly.
Don’t get me wrong….I consider myself a PROUD American. I believe in the Constitution, the ideals of our founding fathers, and that my country is the greatest civilization the world has ever known. But in the past few years, and especially in the past few months, this country and those in it have become strangers to me. How did we get here? Because lately, we have lost our right to free speech, our right to practice our religion, our right to walk down the street unmolested. We have lost our right to safety and security in our homes, our houses of worship, in our neighborhoods and cities. We have lost the right to be protected from those who did not believe as we did. We have lost…..
Our Sanity.
That is the only answer I have. We have collectively lost our sanity. As if COVID weren’t bad enough, there is something in our nations water. Something that has affected our brains. Because nowhere in MY AMERICA, would vandals and looters be allowed to damage property without consequence. Nowhere in MY COUNTRY would persons be allowed to assault innocent citizens defending their property. And certainly in MY COUNTRY would you be allowed to hurt those people, have your face on camera, and get away with it. In MY AMERICA, if you destroy my home, my business, my safety and my health, you pay the price. In MY AMERICA, our elected officials ensured my rights were protected, and those who violated them were punished.
But I obviously don’t live in MY AMERICA any longer. I now live in a country where a mayor, a governor, can make excuses for those who burned my life’s savings, my life’s work, my business. They tell everyone, OUT LOUD and in public, that these are just frustrated people expressing themselves. Really? But those same people, when the mobs came knocking on their front door, cried for help. Cried for the security they want to abolish.
I feel like I now am living in an episode of the Twilight Zone….I don’t recognize the images I see each day. I don’t recognize my country. I don’t recognize my government.
This is the situation that drove this blog. I don’t do social medial….and it is truly unsafe to be a “visible vocal” today. But I can’t sit here and do nothing…say nothing. And so this blog. I believe with every fiber of my being that one person CAN make a difference. I believe in the power of the pen. I believe in not only having a voice, but USING it. So maybe these words will reach a few. Maybe one or two will share in via venues I don’t venture into. Maybe my pond will ripple far beyond my wildest dreams. Because regardless of my circumstances, I am, and will always be an optimist. So I will write. Each day, based on what I see and hear and feel deeply about. Because we cannot stay silent. We are a nation in crisis….and silence is deadly.
Woman on a Soapbox 