[Critique Group 1] Marcia's February submission

Thu Feb 13 21:04:13 EST 2020

On the late side.sorry. They took my Dad off hospice "abruptly" yesterday so
we've been scrambling to put other support in place. Warning, my submission
this month contains political commentary.

An Open Letter 

Marcia J. Wick, The Write Sisters

February 2020

Word Count:  1182

Dear Friends and Family,

I've known some of you my entire life; others of you I've connected with
more recently along life's trail. It's never mattered to me your political
party. Likewise, my liberal leanings never conflicted with your conservative
views. We could complement and question each other, compromise and
collaborate. I've always felt confident that we shared good intentions.
Neither of us questioned the other's allegiance to our community. We
welcomed opposing points of view in order to find common ground. We gave and
took in equal share to maintain balance. 

I have always counted you as caring and compassionate without considering
your political affiliation. Your politics never influenced my high regard
for you and yours. I never feared that our political differences could
divide us; I didn't question your family values or commitment to country
because of your vote. We've worked side-by-side to improve opportunities for
our children, ensure quality care for our aging, and promote enriching
activities for persons with disabilities. 

For nearly 50 years, I've been casting my ballot in local and national
elections. Along the way, I've registered as a Republican, Undeclared, and
now Democrat. Despite my changing party affiliation over time, behind the
curtain of an old-fashioned voting booth, or with the security of a private
mail-in ballot, I've checked off the names of the women and men who I
considered most trust-worthy, well-intentioned, and qualified to represent
their constituents, regardless of party. I assume you have always cast your
equally important vote in the same considered way. 

At times, I've voted for women and minorities over white men who were in
"my" party because I believe in the value of diversity. In college, I voted
for Ronald Reagan because I was dating a young Republican. I cheered when
the President called for Gorbechev to "tear down that wall!" Later, I became
a Democrat and voted for Bill Clinton, but I didn't defend his sexual
exploitation of a young intern. His behavior was unbecoming of the president
who should model the highest behavior standard of all. I supported his
impeachment. If we don't expect the president of the United States to follow
the rule of law, why should any of us? 

Although I didn't vote for either Bush, and I was quite disappointed with
the outcome of those elections, I honored both Presidents Bush as "my
president" while they served. Despite the "hanging chad" controversy which
flipped the outcome from Gore to George W., when the Supreme Court decided
the debate, I wanted only for George W. to honor the trust our country had
invested in him. I didn't like the guy, but I respected him. When he stood
in front of the world and spoke as the most powerful person on the planet,
he did our country proud. He listened to his advisors and valued experienced
government servants. I never questioned whether his first loyalty was to the
United States and our Constitution, or to himself. I didn't worry that he
would sell out our people for political gain. 

Although I preferred Hilary to Obama in 2008, I celebrated the election of a
minority and the promise of change. Again, in 2016, I preferred Hilary over
Trump. I so wanted to celebrate the election of a woman for the first time
in our history, but instead I wept myself to sleep that fateful night.

In the past, if "my candidate" lost the race for mayor, governor, senator,
or president, I always supported the winner. After all, the duly-elected
individual then represented all of us, right? I didn't worry whether or not
elected officials would ultimately uphold their oath and obligation to serve
-the school district, the city, the county, our country, or the United
States Constitution. I have always backed our leaders and applauded their
success regardless of party. 

If I found myself unhappy with my representatives, I sucked it up and spoke
out. I wrote emails and made phone calls. I've attended town hall meetings
and protested outside city hall so that my voice was heard. I expressed my
views and offered suggestions. I didn't boycott the party agenda or bully my
adversaries. Only by communicating do we find common ground and purpose. 

Growing up, I trusted the network news anchors - Walter Cronkite, Diane
Sawyer, or Peter Jennings (who happened to be Canadian). They didn't
broadcast their views, just the news. They let the viewers process the
information and form our own opinions. Whether I tuned into CBS, ABC, or
NBC, I could depend on factual, accurate, and balanced reporting. Politics
didn't entered into the equation. I myself was educated as a newspaper
journalist, and I never framed an article based on political bias. My
opinion on the matter wasn't relevant to my reporting responsibilities. 

Nowadays, we are bombarded with "news" at such a rapid rate that it's
impossible to process and, more importantly, trust. Many of us have tuned
out, or we only tune into the channels that align with our views. As our
culture has abandoned many other long-held norms, the neutrality of the
media has also been abandoned. It's now our personal responsibility to vet
the sources and double-check the facts before jumping to conclusions.

These days, many of us feel threatened. The nuclear family has morphed into
multiple ideas of loving and committed relationships. We struggled to make
ends meet; at least two full-time incomes are required to cover the cost of
child care. This means that strangers often raise our children. In addition,
young people are exposed to an ever-expanding universe of choices - in
fashion, in food, in travel and technology, in media and meaning, in what is
considered "normal." With the stakes higher than ever, we have divided into
camps - for or against gun control, for or against a woman's right to
choose, for or against immigration and inclusion, instead of standing
together for human rights and the common good.

It isn't about one party opposing the other. We are partners in this
experiment called Democracy. Most people agree. We need a president who
valued honesty, trust, and integrity. It isn't an issue of party but of
values. The man in the White House and the media like to divide us -
Republicans for Trump, Democrats against. But it's not that easy. I don't
have an issue with Republicans; I have an issue with a man who devalues
women and children, who brags about sexual exploits, who separates children
from family, who enlists foreign interference in our elections, who bullies
and brags that he could get away with murder.

Our system of government is a "Democratic Republic," not a "Monarchy."
Supreme power resides in the body of citizens who elect representatives
responsible to the people and rule of law. One person does not possess
sovereign power. 

It may be the 21st Century, but our Democracy is infantile in the scheme of
things.  - Barely 250 years old. The history of mankind spans 10 million
years. Many civilizations have risen and fallen. Many walls have been built
- crumbling remnants around the world provide evidence of their futility to
stop change. 

Germany still pays the price for Hitler who constructed justification for
murdering millions less than a century ago. One hundred years from now.?
Where will we be?

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