The America of My Upbringing

 I realized today that I have not written anything about the current presidential election. One would think that as often as my head has nearly exploded from it all, I would have put down some notes, at least!

When I watched the first debate, what I saw was depressing, at best. Here were two supposedly grown men, acting like children on a playground engaged in name calling, and talking over one another, as an ill and tired nation shook its collective head. 

Now that we have heard Trump once again publicly disrespect a veteran-this time, Biden's now deceased son, Beau-and we have heard Biden call Trump "this clown", let's take a deep breath. Now, take another. Take as many as you need! And then listen to this liberal, 50+ year old, life long Democrat mom from Iowa. I am about to just say it the way I see it.

No white supremacist or nationalist group should ever have the ear, let alone the blessing, of the President of the United States. To those who would give these bad actors the benefit of the doubt, I say perhaps you should "go back where you came from". I don't know what vision of America was painted for you, but the one I loved and believed in is the one where we all count equally regardless of race, religion or national origin. Maybe that was only a dream, but it was a good one. It was nothing resembling the vile hatred we have seen and heard in the past four years under Donald Trump.

       I grew up in a small rural county and never laid eyes on a black person, in person, until the age of ten. The student pastor of our church brought a van load of African American boys to our farm. They were close to my age, maybe a couple years older than I. They had never been outside their impoverished neighborhood, and definitely  had never seen farm land!

      Did we look down on them? Ridicule them? Tell them to "go back where they came from"? My God, NO! There was no way our family would have dreamed of being anything but welcoming! The boys had a great time, as did we, all of us huddling around our kitchen woodstove to warm up, while Mom cooked lunch in the gas oven.

It was a  very good experience for all of us.

THAT is the America of my upbringing, and the country that we will be again. THAT is the true "Make America Great Again" campaign and we will make it inclusive for all people. 

Where anyone gets the idea that one group of people is  not the same, not like us,  not to be trusted is just beyond me. Taken to the extreme, it costs lives. I see no room for that in our America.

That's  really all I can say right now. The Presidential election is upon us and I hope everyone votes. I think we have seen that complacency favors tyrants. Let's  not be  asleep at the wheel my friends! The future of our democracy is  at stake, and I don't  take this lightly and hope you too see the handwriting on the wall.

 

 

'