We certainly have much to
disparage as we contemplate this 2020 Election (too much perhaps to fit into
this space):
Ä misinformation from a President and his followers in
the Senate that questions the integrity of the vote
Ä people on the Alt Right called forth by the president
to intimidate others at the polls, some carrying weapons
Ä a Biden campaign bus surrounded by Trump supporters in
automobiles; some media reported attempts to push bus off the road
Ä Trump and chosen sycophant director disrupted post
office service to slow delivery of ballots by removing mail boxes, slowing
delivery, confiscating and destroying high speed mail sorters and “losing” some
ballots
Ä judge’s ruling closing drive-through voting locations
in Texas shutting down a potential of about 60,000 votes
Ä Trump campaign rallies became spreaders of coronavirus
because precautions were not taken
Ä attempts through court actions to reduce voting, stop
counting of some ballots and/or placing some ballots in limbo: i.e. were mailed
but attempt was made to keep them from being counted because deadline for arrival (Nov.3rd)
was missed; luckily, the courts held firm on most cases that there had to be
sufficient evidence to grant standing to the charges;
Ä Trump declaring victory before all votes counted, and
deciding to go ahead with court cases where he claims fraud or faulty procedure
influenced the vote
Ä number of Americans, particularly young women, who
desire to leave the U.S. permanently is on the rise. In fact, 40% of women
younger than 30 would like to depart, study showed (msn.com)
Ä vitriolic moves by Trumpians to delay the
transitioning of Biden-Harris to their new positions
However, not everything
was negative; we have some things that are historic and some that are truly
laudable:
· 11 million people turned out to cast early votes
· early voting itself in 25 states and DC
· a record popular vote total for the winners!
· poll watchers were needed in many places across the
country because of absence of older people (caused by fear of exposure to COVID
19) who usually volunteered for those positions, and many young people ages
18-24 turned out to fill the gaps
· number of mailed-in ballots increased substantially
· people helping or aiding other people on long (and delayed)
voting lines no matter their political affiliation
· spontaneous celebrations in the streets of many cities
as the votes were finally tallied completely in several states to cement a win
for Biden-Harris
· the celebration of the first woman to be elected to
the Vice Presidency was impressive and stood out as a vivid example for
children and young people
· the contributions of manypeople to various aspects of
the election: women of color made a tremendous difference in getting people
registered to vote and then in getting to the poles; the people who worked a t
the poles on election day and the counters of ballots who spent days at their
posts doing their jobs made democracy a reality
· the importance of the calls for patience from the
Biden campaign
· the poignant picture of Joe Biden visiting his son Beau’s
grave after he attended Mass on Sunday; a promise kept.
· the important contribution made to the success of the
Biden-Harris ticket from disaffected Republicans who put away years of being in
opposition to Democrats in order to save our Republic from the machinations and
dangerous policies of Donald Trump. The
Lincoln Project deserves our undying gratitude for their boldness and
creativity.
· The projected president and vice-president have
already begun transitioning to their work and initiated a new Task Force on COVID19 as of Monday, Nov. 9th.
A Major Question lies heavy
upon us all now that the President-elect has called us to greater unity and understanding
involved in healing our divisions: WHAT DO WE DO NOW?
I have great reservations
about the fact that there were over 70 million people who voted for Trump, the
great destroyer of our form of governance. Perhaps only 25-30 million are die-hard
supporters but one does not know that. Those
reservations become laden with anger, sorrow and grief when I think of all the
people who have been harmed or killed and perhaps maimed by a pandemic that a
competent administration could and should have controlled. I think of those killed in natural disasters
that might have been handled in a more competent manner. I think of those in our battered economy who
are now unemployed, broke or bankrupt, homeless, and now living in poverty. I think of those like granddaughters of mine
who lost a senior year’s celebrations and now are affected at their colleges
because of lack of preparation by this administration for opening schools and
colleges in a safe way.
And just recently, I have
been jolted by a missive from a close friend of our family who touched our hearts
and lives so often in her growing-up years.
She put in a post on Facebook -- a plea and a challenge and a hope. The plea is that we recognize that Donald
Trump and his racist attitudes harmed their family by denigrating the image and
future of their young son.
She feels a sense of relief that Trump will no longer be in a position
to flaunt that racism from his powerful position , but what about those who
carry on his racist hateful views? How
do we deal with them? The call for unity
and civility may be something we must strive toward. But what do we do about those who want to
harm or injure or denigrate her beautiful young son (and the millions of sons
and daughters who are part of all of us and for whom we share a common responsibility). Her post captured the fears and hopes of many
in a way I never could. She has graciously
allowed me to share it with you.
by Brigid Colgan
His shirt says, “I can
change the world.” And after a long time of feeling hopeless and that our
voices weren’t loud enough, I’m finally able to release a bit of my held breath
and hope that it is true. He is everything that is good in this world wrapped up
in one joyful (albeit, destructive!) little package.
It won’t be easy. It’s
going to be a long road and a lot of work to keep doing. There was a lot of
hurt done, and it won’t end just because of this new day. But this new day
feels lighter, more hopeful, and comes with a renewed inspiration.
I want people to know
this. For me, this was never about differing politics. Or whose side was going
to “win.” This was about what we as an American people were going to determine
was decent and right.
In the last election, I
was shocked. And looking back on that now, that was my privilege. Dom wasn’t
shocked...he knew that racism has plagued our country for its entire being.
Because he has experienced it. There was a lot I didn’t understand back then
and still more that I am learning. But to see it again 4 years later felt like
a gut punch. And this time I was scared for my son’s future and what message
the American people were sending to people like him.
For those who say we are
“gloating.” This is not gloating....this is simply an intense relief from a
weight we have felt for the past 4 years. There is now a little more hope that
we are headed in a better direction and that there is a chance for change. That
hope was handed to us by the very people who have been pushed down by white
privilege. For that, I am eternally grateful.
I also want people who I
know personally to understand that for those of you who voted for him, or who
didn’t vote at all....maybe you meant no harm, I’m sure you would undeniably
declare that you love Dommy....but we had an opportunity as a country to stand
up for him, for all our children, and for people in this country, who for far
too long have not been considered equal to us. We had an opportunity to put
policies and parties aside, and stand against racism....and you chose not to.
Yes, this is me taking that personally. You chose not to stand up for my son,
and the millions of children who look like him. That is something that, as of
this moment, I’m not sure how I will ever forgive.
And yes we need to come
together. Of course further hatred will only perpetuate more hatred. But please
know, that with your vote of him, you caused a lot of hurt. And for that I hope
you can be reflective and take responsibility for that hurt before we all can move
on and start repairing harm done.
I still have so much to
learn. But for that little face, I am determined to give it everything I have.
So more questions come our way: HOW DO WE UNITE WHILE MANY ARE INTENT UPON DELIVERING HARM TO OTHERS IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER? If healing is important, shouldn’t we start by healing the harm done to Trump’s victims?
2)
Simultaneously, we
will need to Rejuvenate Virtues of long-standing that we cherish, such as: civility,
humility, caring for others, random acts of kindness, responsibility and duty
3)
In preparation
for the future and to bolster a current movement by youth, we must focus on the
well-being and Healthy Development of all our Children and young adults, with precise attention to the truth
that Black Lives Matter; all of which involves many aspects of government and
private sector support
4)
There is an
overwhelming need to Change our Societal Folklore
and National Biases to something
other than the brutishness of a Donald Trump , thus:
5)
Let us Call on
government and the private sector to replace bullying, aggressive behaviors, belittling
of others, profit motive, unregulated enterprises and the unwarranted privileges
bestowed upon wealth to inaugurate SERVICE
as the basic principle guiding our endeavors – install community & national
service as the principle undergirding our best efforts to establish fairness,
civility and equal justice imperatives.
Best place to start is to expand the efforts we have right now (see my
Blog for 2/8/2016).
6)
Care
for our neighbors as we would want them to care for us – civility and
“random acts of kindness”
7)
Think
more globally – we are not one nation alone we are just one
among many and we’re all in this together;
we must return to working cooperatively with other nations to achieve
peace and human rights
8)
Work to overcome our fault lines and
flaws in trying to actualize our ideals; begin with protecting the vote from
any requirements that restrict someone from voting
9)
Change
the status quo where it is holding us back from progress; change
processes that do the same
10) Focus on problem-solving rather
than adversarial bickering; we are failing to solve problems because of outmoded
rules of order and structures like useless committees and too many powers held
by leaders; but mainly because our representatives have little technical
training in the problem-solving method
