I am sitting at work, a cup of coffee with marshmallows in it (don't judge, they're cardamom marshmallows and they're delicious), trying to process what happened last night, what you have done.
You had a chance, America, to prove to the world that you truly believed in your mantra of life, liberty and justice for all.
Life, liberty, and justice.
For all.
But you went a different way last night. You chose instead to revel in ignorance. You made yourselves small, and snuffed your light. You were pulled, like a bull by the nose, into accepting, and then celebrating the worst of humanity; the hatred, the bigotry, the anger. And now those you love will pay dearly for it.
With your vote, your sister, your daughter, your wife has lost the hard-won right to decide her own health care matters. Is she pregnant, and will that pregnancy will likely cost her her life? You must watch her die. Was she raped and now pregnant? You must stand by and watch her suffer through that pregnancy with no way for her to move forward from her assault, chained for nine months to a medical condition forced upon her by someone else.
Sit her down now, and explain to her, America, why she mattered so little to you. Tell her that you voted for a man who has boasted of sexual assault, who has a double-digit list of women claiming sexual assault, and a pending court case for the rape of a thirteen year old girl. Explain to her that she must have her life threatened, her liberty suffocated, with no recourse for justice because you were afraid of brown people. Look her in the eye and tell her.
Explain to your LGBTQ+ friends why their rights are stripped. Tell them that you elected a team, one of whom signed a bill that would throw them in jail for even applying for a marriage license and was a supporter of the torture that is conversion "therapy." Tell them how little they mattered to you. Let them know that your fear of brown people made it so that their very existence is threatened. Look them in the eye, America, and tell them that their life and liberty are now threatened because of you. Tell them that they will find no justice.
Turn to your immigrant friends, your Muslim friends, your black friends. Tell them how little they mattered to you when you cast your vote. Tell them that you voted for a man with a history of extremely racist actions. Look them in the eye, and tell them that you were too angry at the world to ensure their life, their liberty, or justice for them.
Now turn to the future. Explain, for the history books, why you did what you did. Explain why you felt it was alright to strip so many people of the things you professed once to love - Life, liberty, and justice for all.
Life, liberty, and justice.
For all.
Explain to the children of tomorrow why you threw it all away. Explain it to them. History is watching. History will not look favourably on this moment.
Life, liberty, and justice for all.
For all.
It's easy, I think, for all rational people to despair. Gods know I wept last night.
But I would advise against it. I know that America isn't full of hateful, spiteful bigots. I know that there are so many good people sitting at work, or in their living rooms, or lying in bed, unable to find the will to move. So I would ask you, specifically you, and any who still value the core that made America that shining beacon on the hill - Life, Liberty, and Justice For All - to mobilise. Now is not the time to give up, to give in, to crumble away like a pillar of salt.
I believe you will have a fight on your hands. You are going to have to fight hard to ensure America doesn't fall into the terrible fate yawning like a great chasm of the darkest repeated history before us. You cannot stand idle on this any longer. Now, more than ever, we must find the courage to be good in the face of evil.
Let me tell you a little something I've learnt about courage:
It is not a screaming banshee demanding the blood of battle. Courage is reaching across the divide to grasp the hand of someone different from yourself and helping them up. Courage is standing between the bully and his target. Courage is standing up for compassion. It's having empathy in the face of the mindless mob. It's facing the darkness in yourself, and challenging yourself to return to the light. It's falling down, and getting back up, again and again and again.
America, you have fallen down.
But I believe in you. You must find the courage to stand up again. Reclaim the values that actually made you great.
Life, Liberty and Justice For All.
For all.
And while you fight for your lives, know that you will have an ally in me. I am not perfect. I will make mistakes. And I'm really introverted, so I might disappear for a while as I recharge, but I will be here. Fighting with you and for you.
Because it's not too late to stop history repeating. It's not to late to reclaim the world from the grip of selfishness and the evils that follow it. It's a fight. It will be hard. But I will be here, chanting with you,
Life, Liberty, and Justice For All.
Good luck, America.
Sincerely,
Me.
You had a chance, America, to prove to the world that you truly believed in your mantra of life, liberty and justice for all.
Life, liberty, and justice.
For all.
But you went a different way last night. You chose instead to revel in ignorance. You made yourselves small, and snuffed your light. You were pulled, like a bull by the nose, into accepting, and then celebrating the worst of humanity; the hatred, the bigotry, the anger. And now those you love will pay dearly for it.
With your vote, your sister, your daughter, your wife has lost the hard-won right to decide her own health care matters. Is she pregnant, and will that pregnancy will likely cost her her life? You must watch her die. Was she raped and now pregnant? You must stand by and watch her suffer through that pregnancy with no way for her to move forward from her assault, chained for nine months to a medical condition forced upon her by someone else.
Sit her down now, and explain to her, America, why she mattered so little to you. Tell her that you voted for a man who has boasted of sexual assault, who has a double-digit list of women claiming sexual assault, and a pending court case for the rape of a thirteen year old girl. Explain to her that she must have her life threatened, her liberty suffocated, with no recourse for justice because you were afraid of brown people. Look her in the eye and tell her.
Explain to your LGBTQ+ friends why their rights are stripped. Tell them that you elected a team, one of whom signed a bill that would throw them in jail for even applying for a marriage license and was a supporter of the torture that is conversion "therapy." Tell them how little they mattered to you. Let them know that your fear of brown people made it so that their very existence is threatened. Look them in the eye, America, and tell them that their life and liberty are now threatened because of you. Tell them that they will find no justice.
Turn to your immigrant friends, your Muslim friends, your black friends. Tell them how little they mattered to you when you cast your vote. Tell them that you voted for a man with a history of extremely racist actions. Look them in the eye, and tell them that you were too angry at the world to ensure their life, their liberty, or justice for them.
Now turn to the future. Explain, for the history books, why you did what you did. Explain why you felt it was alright to strip so many people of the things you professed once to love - Life, liberty, and justice for all.
Life, liberty, and justice.
For all.
Explain to the children of tomorrow why you threw it all away. Explain it to them. History is watching. History will not look favourably on this moment.
Life, liberty, and justice for all.
For all.
It's easy, I think, for all rational people to despair. Gods know I wept last night.
But I would advise against it. I know that America isn't full of hateful, spiteful bigots. I know that there are so many good people sitting at work, or in their living rooms, or lying in bed, unable to find the will to move. So I would ask you, specifically you, and any who still value the core that made America that shining beacon on the hill - Life, Liberty, and Justice For All - to mobilise. Now is not the time to give up, to give in, to crumble away like a pillar of salt.
I believe you will have a fight on your hands. You are going to have to fight hard to ensure America doesn't fall into the terrible fate yawning like a great chasm of the darkest repeated history before us. You cannot stand idle on this any longer. Now, more than ever, we must find the courage to be good in the face of evil.
Let me tell you a little something I've learnt about courage:
It is not a screaming banshee demanding the blood of battle. Courage is reaching across the divide to grasp the hand of someone different from yourself and helping them up. Courage is standing between the bully and his target. Courage is standing up for compassion. It's having empathy in the face of the mindless mob. It's facing the darkness in yourself, and challenging yourself to return to the light. It's falling down, and getting back up, again and again and again.
America, you have fallen down.
But I believe in you. You must find the courage to stand up again. Reclaim the values that actually made you great.
Life, Liberty and Justice For All.
For all.
And while you fight for your lives, know that you will have an ally in me. I am not perfect. I will make mistakes. And I'm really introverted, so I might disappear for a while as I recharge, but I will be here. Fighting with you and for you.
Because it's not too late to stop history repeating. It's not to late to reclaim the world from the grip of selfishness and the evils that follow it. It's a fight. It will be hard. But I will be here, chanting with you,
Life, Liberty, and Justice For All.
Good luck, America.
Sincerely,
Me.
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