It’s 5:13 am, a full moon is providing enough light to see a deer cross the yard and a slight breeze is tickling the wind chimes and I am awake. I write to you of ‘hope from the trenches’. Since November our group has been growing. A rag tag bunch of Liberals, Greens, Independents and Democrats who have lived under the yoke of Republican dominance and ridicule. I still recall the vision of an oversized 4 wheel drive truck, confederate flag blowing from the bed and the driver honking and yelling ‘Fuck You!’ while waving a middle finger as he drove past Democrat Headquarters on November 9, 2016. As a mountain climber holds the image of the peak in her mind to drive her to the top, I hold that image in my mind to keep me going- to one day have the opportunity to return the gesture BUT choose not to.
After every meeting I arrive home exhausted and hungry but also the conquering warrior-ess, each event, each discussion just one step closer. The path seems so much clearer than it ever has, mistakes and bad decisions are so glaring and we have set goals of what not to do going forward. This vision seems to be shared by so many others and that is empowering. A new member or 3 or 4 show at each meeting, other lost souls venturing out of their cave of despair, peeking out, stepping a tentative toe in the water, is it safe to come out now? YES. Come on out, we need you and we are in this together I tell them as we welcome them with open arms.
Last night our club filled the venue, again, all the chairs were taken and people were standing while the treasurer accepted dues and donations. Our coffer is growing and we just committed to spending a portion of it on a community event for ‘single payer’. We made a long list of our concerns on a white board and kept score, then selected the top 4. We then broke into groups and each group determined action items. Global Warming was one of the top concerns as was Health Care, we were all rebounding from Ryan’s Death Panel for the Poor version of health care. Several folks have now secured a venue, planned community flyers, contacted the Nurses Association to come and speak to the community at large about California SB562, single payer health care for our state.
How are we coming together? We have all agreed to stop talking about what happened and trying to pin blame (even though that can feel so good in the moment), move forward, focus on what can we do now to improve the future because we all know if we do nothing it will get worse. We are utilizing the talents and knowledge of those who have been in the battlefield already. The veteran activists who thought they were loners for years like Bonnie and Betty. These 2 women have been working and studying water and planning issues in our county for a long time, steadfastly attending meetings often being the only one in attendance at council meetings. They have preserved and won small victories and large battles here and there. Another woman, Pam, joined us and described how she learned to work around the difficult personalities of our Board of Supervisors and educated herself in legislature and the general plan- seeking ways to find current laws preventing the destruction of our forests. When you call another women she answers her phone, “Eve’s president toppling, congressman ousting services, how can I help you?” We have a gentleman who worked on preventing a Big Box Store from marring our landscape. The people are out there. There are many, many in the community who have experience and knowledge. There are some who have no experience but a whole lot of energy. We have a big bus and plenty of room. Sometimes there are little squabbles but nothing to waste time over. The key, I think, is to continue to welcome folks, determine their talents and figure out where they fit. Tina told us that she hates speaking in public so she is going to work on making calls to find venues for rallies and events- that’s where she fits best.
What joins us together is larger than a label of political party, what we have in common are mostly the same values whether you call yourself Liberal, Democrat, Green, Independent and declined to state.
Let us set aside the things that we disagree upon and focus on what we do share and let us strive to oust the insane 45, stop the cruel Herr Bannon, the misguided Robespierre Ryan and the feeble Turtle McConnell from foisting their misguided and anti-democratic oligarchy on us.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Abraham Lincoln.
“We have given you a democratic-republic... if you can keep it.” Benjamin Franklin.
Comments