The time has come
Will America remain a democracy or not?
We stood in the cold wind and rain Sunday in Tucson at Speedway and Campbell, waving our signs and banners for Kamala.
I shivered and joked, “This is our Valley Forge.”
During the harsh winter of 1777 an estimated 1,700–2,000 colonial revolutionary soldiers died in the cold from disease, hunger and hardship. What’s putting up with a little rain to serve the same end—ending the reign of a mad tyrant?
We Tucsonans and Tucson visitors joyfully survived the weather and welcomed the smiles, thumbs up and honks for the Harris Walz ticket. This past week I stood proudly with friends and fellow citizens, canvassers and party regulars, old timers and first timers. On display was Tucson’s beautiful E Pluribus Unum diversity at our sign wave gatherings and I was inspired by the range of reasons.
“I’m not a sucker or a loser.”
“My parents are immigrants.”
“I’m a grandmother. I have a daughter and a grand daughter. I will not let them be second class citizens.”
We were all cheered, in the wind and the downpour of rain, by the recent Iowa Poll giving Harris a 4 point lead. We hoped we cheered Southern Arizonans on to “do the right thing.”
This cold Monday morning I woke up, made my first oatmeal of the season and went for a long walk…
…on what felt like an Autumn day and I thought about the week ahead and the holidays and work life and the election on Tuesday. No matter the outcome our democratic republic will never be the same after this election. It will be historic and transformative. I told myself, “Don’t even try to predict this week or even a month from now.”
When Trump won in 2016 my allegiance to our Constitution and the Rule of Law deepened.
Many of us lived in the escape of satirical news during Trump’s Presidency. We held on tight and Biden vanquished him.
And still roughly half are enamored with Trump. When a young Trumper drove past us in his gas hog truck he slowed to shout “faggot!” before he gunned it, leaving behind a noxious cloud of exhaust. Most of us feigned an “impressed” sarcastic “Oooooooh...” at the young man’s display of chest thumping fossil fuel burning inanity. I suspect that particular inarticulate young male Trump fan follows right wing podcasters and has been conditioned to despise our kind, our progressive group, of mostly women, as woke, and weak, and worse: threatening. Because we believe in gender equality. As he rattled down Speedway I said to a fellow patriot, “There goes another incel home to his mother’s basement.” We laughed.
Most likely he’s in debt up to his scrawny ass for his stupid truck and blaming Biden for the cost of fuel, when he should have spent that debt on completing his high school education. To each his own.
Monday afternoon I cleaned out my Honda CRV. The back was crammed with Harris Walz banners, flags big and small, homemade signs, mass produced signs, stickers, buttons and bling. Organizing the street rallies with Linda I ended up being the guy with all the signs and banners. If you think I may have a banner or flag that’s yours let me know.
This hard core knee jerk old lefty found himself awestruck by the sight of so many flags held high by his fellow makers of good trouble. If you’ve never seen Robin William’s sweetly imaginative take on the meaning of our flag, give yourself the gift of 5-minutes enjoying his brilliance.
Right-wing media and conservatives have always been certain progressives hate America.
And the flag. Their incredibly daft mistake.
I used to get angry letters from readers upset over my liberal views telling me to, “go back where you came from!” or “America, love it or leave it.” Well, we love it and we aren’t leaving it and we are most definitely not going back. We love America because this is where positive change is possible.
The dark news fueled thought that a Trumper might shoot us, or run us down, did not dissuade us from standing on public street corners and supporting this idea, loud and proud. We know Americans have endured worse. It’s not as if it was Valley Forge out there. Or Selma. Or Gettysburg. Or Omaha Beach.
Harris will protect our freedom to take to the streets, to express views that she might differ with, unlike Trump who has vowed to take out “the enemy within”. For President Trump the enemy within would be those daring to speak their minds freely.
The America we know and love is fearless about free speech.
Vote fearlessly.
Embrace the future fearlessly.
May the best woman win.
Thank you for all you have done. Perhaps your greatest contribution was your wordsmithing. It raised my flagging spirits mant times. WE ARE NOT GOING BACK!
Kudos to those who braved the weather yesterday to support Democracy… My father and grandfather fought in two different World Wars to keep the flame on the Statue of Liberty shining, and no matter who wins tomorrow, I too will continue the fight. It’s strange to me that most (if not all) of those who would round up and deport immigrants probably had someone in their family history who also sought freedom and opportunity on our shores.