A Series of Unfortunate Events in the United States
Since mid-2015 when the Election campaigning started accelerating, it’s been a roller coaster of adrenaline. We shouldn’t expect 2017 to be any calmer. We're not even done with January, and our collective adrenal functions are on fire.
- Obama’s farewell speech, final press conference and all those good-bye videos. Comedians joked that it felt like our kind father figure was being replaced by a creepy molester stepfather. The moment when Mufasa died and Scar crowned himself king; we now understand how the lionesses felt.
- Friday January 20th was a surreal spectacle. KellyAnne in her Revolutionary War uniform, Melania in baby blue holding blue Tiffany box, and Trump’s overly phallic red tie and clenched fist at the end of the carnage speech. And, Michelle needed a hug that day. I hope she and Barack had some champagne in the helicopter because I know they’ve got the popcorn ready.
- Saturday January 21, 2017 was a day of empowerment.
However, there are still a lot of people who don't understand our purpose. The primary reason we march is to have our voices heard. Here's my poem Why We March.
They call us cry babies because our candidate did not win. FYI Our candidate did win the popular vote by 2%, check the chart on the bottom for historical perspective.
People are saying we needed this enthusiasm in October. Where was everyone? True, there was a false sense of complacency; we thought we’d always have our rights and core freedoms. We never thought we’d see a swastika again or a hijab being pulled off on the streets of the US. There may be a reality of whole groups of residents being segregated and detained based on religion or color or culture or whatever it is that offends others.
The best part about the Women's March on January 21, 2017 was the global connection. My daughter and I marched in Doylestown, PA with friends. It's a small town near us with coffee shops and Saturday farmer's markets with artisan cheeses. The organizers put it together in 6 days and had over 1000 people attend. They had permissions to march on the sidewalks, but response was overwhelming that the police blocked the streets and redirected traffic to allow peaceful assembly.
They call us cry babies because our candidate did not win. FYI Our candidate did win the popular vote by 2%, check the chart on the bottom for historical perspective.
People are saying we needed this enthusiasm in October. Where was everyone? True, there was a false sense of complacency; we thought we’d always have our rights and core freedoms. We never thought we’d see a swastika again or a hijab being pulled off on the streets of the US. There may be a reality of whole groups of residents being segregated and detained based on religion or color or culture or whatever it is that offends others.
The best part about the Women's March on January 21, 2017 was the global connection. My daughter and I marched in Doylestown, PA with friends. It's a small town near us with coffee shops and Saturday farmer's markets with artisan cheeses. The organizers put it together in 6 days and had over 1000 people attend. They had permissions to march on the sidewalks, but response was overwhelming that the police blocked the streets and redirected traffic to allow peaceful assembly.
We weren't alone in our enthusiasm. My sister and friends were checking in from the NYC march. Cousins were holding up signs in the Chicago march. I followed the journeys from my friends who traveled to DC from Minneapolis, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia on bus and planes. I followed online postings from London, Paris, Budapest, Nairobi, Tokyo and secret gatherings in countries that do not allow assemblies.
This was such a profound visual because it reminds us that what happens in the US has ripples around the world. They want to be heard as well even though they are not US citizens, they are global citizens.
This was such a profound visual because it reminds us that what happens in the US has ripples around the world. They want to be heard as well even though they are not US citizens, they are global citizens.
Democracy can atrophy
Already I see more online activity to mobilize locally. If we can't look to the federal laws working in our favor, we can only seek our states and counties working for us.
I'm eager to do what I can now. Someone suggested to me to run for a local office, but I declined. I'm a fake extrovert and the real introvert in me does not want to talk to people! However, I can definitely use my talents behind the scenes.
I'm eager to do what I can now. Someone suggested to me to run for a local office, but I declined. I'm a fake extrovert and the real introvert in me does not want to talk to people! However, I can definitely use my talents behind the scenes.
My friend said that she's been a registered Republican for years. Her call to action will be to contact the local Republican committees. If she jumps to the other side to be a Democrat, that does not eliminate the problems in the Republican party. Therefore, Republicans need to take their party back.
And, Republicans and Democrats need to work together.
I want to close this post with a link to beautiful words from Valerie Kaur's "A Sikh Prayer for America on November 9, 2016"
What if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb, but the darkness of the womb?
What if our America is not dead but a country still waiting to be born? What if the story of America is one long labor?
And, Republicans and Democrats need to work together.
I want to close this post with a link to beautiful words from Valerie Kaur's "A Sikh Prayer for America on November 9, 2016"
What if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb, but the darkness of the womb?
What if our America is not dead but a country still waiting to be born? What if the story of America is one long labor?
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