A Date Which Will Live in Infamy

Seventy five years ago today, it was a Sunday. It started off like any other day, but would end up plunging the United States into the world war, two years after it had begun. The nation united as it never had before, and possibly never will again. Their fight lasted four years, and changed America for all time.

I was thinking about this today and trying to make sense of it in terms of today's world. It occurred to me that America's time in the war was the same amount of time as a president's term. I don't know about you, but sometimes it feels like Election Day this year was a date which will live in infamy. For me, I think remembering the Second World War will help me get through the next four years.

The new term that will begin next month, like the war, will bring out the best in us and the worst in us. Like then, it will be the defining moment of our generation. How we treat one another during this time is entirely our choice, and will be what we are remembered for. It will define us as individuals, as a generation, and as a nation in this world, for all of history.

Will we rise up to the reputation of the Greatest Generation? Maybe in an ultimate act of irony, in the new POTUS's goal of "making America great again," he truly will, when we all band together against him and everything he stands for. Let us continue to fight for our rights and those of others. Let us continue to fight for the planet. We will look out for one another when times are tough and dark and it seems like it can't get any worse. We shall rise up and stand arm-in-arm with people who are experiencing hate and discrimination. Let us become the heroes and heroines we long to be. We don't need guns and weapons for this, we just need to be brave, kind, and loving to one another.

Just like the war, everybody has a part to play. There will be plenty of people in need and plenty of organizations that need help in the next four years. We don't have to do all of it, and we really shouldn't burn ourselves out in trying to, but all of us can do some of it. It's going to be scary, it's not going to be fun, but this is our moment. Now it's our turn to be the Greatest Generation.

And in four years, maybe Election Day will be a date which will live in infamy for the man who will be the next POTUS. We will celebrate his last day in office, just as much as we will mourn his first day...

We Are All Deplorables

There have been many "watershed" moments in American history over the years. Moments where it seems as if the fate of the country, or even the entire planet, hangs in the balance. Times when it feels like the world has come to a fork in the road and either path taken will change everything forever. The choice is up to us to pick either the "good" path or the "bad" path. Deciding to break away from England and become our own nation, choosing to divide our nation in two and take up arms against one another to resolve the conflict, Pearl Harbor, the Civil Rights movement, 9/11. These were all moments where the world we know now would be vastly different depending on how these ended. This election is also one of those moments. History will judge us based on the outcome of this election. And how can it not? Our future will be shaped by it, after all.

We can all feel this. We can sense it. The heaviness in the air that seeps into our skin and permeates our brains and souls. It makes it difficult to concentrate on anything else, and it becomes nearly or actually, an obsession. It takes over everything. It has taken over our minds. Things we would never do under normal circumstances, feel normal to us now. Treating people in ways we would never dream of before, is now par for the course. I think we need to be reminded that civility, good manners, and being kind to each other has always been our choice and always will be. Regardless of who becomes our next president, nobody can take that away from us. The only one who takes that way from us, is ourselves. No presidential candidate made us do it. They might have started down that road, but we fully and willingly followed behind without questioning it. 

We have said to ourselves, Well, it was the other side who started it, so I might as well dive right in and fight fire with fire. It isn't just "them,"(whatever side 'them' is to you) who have become so rude. It is all of us. You, me, everybody. We have all become the deplorables. Some of the rudest words I have seen in this election have come from people inside one party, towards others within their own party. We aren't just disagreeing with another party, we are disagreeing with one another, and we are being vicious and cruel. Feelings have been hurt. Friendships have been damaged or ended. Family members have turned away from each other all because we disagree on the best way to move forward as a nation.

How many of us has wished somebody ill will during this election? Either a candidate, somebody online, or somebody in our own lives? How many of us have called somebody stupid or otherwise questioned people's intelligence? How many of us have questioned somebody's loyalty to this country? How many of us have had these things said about or questioned of us? It doesn't feel very good, does it? We've all created a lot of negative energy, not only in our own lives, but in the country, and the world. We owe it to ourselves and each other, to do better. To be better. To create positive change and energy for our world. The question is, can we do that without screaming at each other and tearing each other down?

For those of us who consider ourselves followers of Christ, we are supposed to follow his example. It isn't "politically correct" or weak to be kind to one another, it is literally "What Jesus Would Do." The concept of "grace" is one of the things that makes Jesus unique. We are forgiven, through God's grace, though none of us truly deserves it. It is a gift given freely to us anyway. Are any of us truly acting grace-filled during this election? Are we extending that grace to others? What are we becoming?

I can assure you, that regardless of who wins the election tomorrow, the sun will continue to rise and set, as it always has. Our money will still be in the bank. Our beds will be just as cozy and warm as they are tonight. For the most part, our days and nights will continue on as they always have, with very little interruptions. But soon, that fog we've found ourselves in, will dissipate. We will find ourselves having to look ourselves in the mirror and looking at each other. Can we live with the words we said or the actions we took? Can we mend family bonds and friendships that have been damaged? Only time will tell. But the choice is ours. It has always been ours.

I will end this with two of my favorite quotes. I have used them before, but I won't stop using them, because they sum everything up so perfectly:

"Turns out, real life is a little bit more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker. Real life is messy. We all have limitations. We all make mistakes. Which means―hey, glass half full!―we all have a lot in common. And the more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each of us will be. But we have to try...Try to make the world a better place. Look inside yourself and recognize that change starts with you. It starts with me. It starts with all of us."-Judy Hopps, Zootopia

"Have courage, and be kind."-Cinderella

An Open Letter to Senators Clinton and Sanders

“Wherever we go, whatever we do, we're gonna go through it together…”-Together Wherever We Go, Gypsy

Dear Secretary of State Clinton and Senator Sanders, 

It’s been a very long, very contentious road to the DNC, but now we’re here. We’ve made it. It’s been a great show so far, and we’re only halfway through! We were all really worried at first over whether or not you two could pull off bringing the party together to present a (mostly) united front against one of the biggest threats our country has ever known. It remains to be seen if this will be successful. A lot of hearts were broken, and a lot of minds have been closed in the race to the nomination. Both “sides” still have some growing up to do between now and November.

One of the things that stood out to me the most during the nomination process, was how you two played off of each other. You two have always been #StrongerTogether. You made each other better candidates. You brought out the best in each other and forced one another to work harder to be the best candidate you could be. And you both succeeded. The Democratic party currently boasts an embarrassment of riches when it comes to amazing people. I have always felt proud about being a Democrat, and I am happy to say that this feeling never wavered during the nomination process.

The nomination has been made now, and Senator Clinton has been chosen to carry the party to the general election in November. Senator Sanders, you have been gracious and humble these past few days, and are to be commended. I can’t have been easy for you. You have helped change the direction of the party. You have changed the conversation. You have pushed Senator Clinton farther than anybody else probably could have, and I hope you are very proud of yourself. Senator Clinton, you have the strongest chance yet to become the first woman president this nation has ever known. Whenever Sanders pushed you, you pushed back, but never pushed over him. You are one of the greatest candidates I have ever seen, and I am so proud to get to vote for you in November.

One thing has become clear to me during this long process: regardless of what you two feel about each other, you’re stuck with each other. The party needs both of you to win, and the country needs both of you to keep working together to become the best that we can be. I don’t care if you two can’t stand the sight of each other once the cameras are off and the doors are closed. You two complement each other perfectly.

My proposal: Senator Clinton, you need to offer Senator Sanders a position in your cabinet, and Senator Sanders, you need to accept it. There are three positions that would be a good fit with your passions. Secretary of Education would allow you to continue your fight for tuition-free college for every American. Secretary of Energy would allow you to continue working for the betterment of the environment. This would help the nation, and the world And Secretary of Labor would help you keep fighting for the working class, the middle class, and helping to achieve goals like equal pay for equal work, and a $15 national minimum wage.

They say that still waters run deep. On the surface, the water might look calm, but underneath, the current is moving swiftly downstream. I think the same could be said of revolutions as well. Sometimes they come with violence and a frenzy of action, and sometimes they sneak up on you until they’re over and you never knew it even took place. I personally believe that slow and steady wins the race. Maybe the changes won’t happen overnight, but we’ll get there.

Being president would pull you in too many directions to be able to give any of your passions the true attention you need to give them. And by helping out in the cabinet, you help free Senator Clinton to give her attention to other needs. She’ll have a very full plate on her hands and will need all the help she can get. Juggling the needs of the nation while also keeping her eye out on the rest of the world will take every spare moment she can give.

What better way to continue bringing the party together and healing the rift that was created over the last year, than by announcing that both of you will continue to fight for America after being elected to the White House in November? I would encourage both of you to seriously consider this idea. I don’t care if you hate each other; you can work from different buildings if you have to. As public servants, making the United States of America the best it can be, should be your top priority. It’s time to let go of any bruised egos, hurt feelings, and negative personal opinions of each other you may have, and continue to work together. We will thank you for it. History will remember you for it.

Signed,

Summer Whitesell

Seattle, Washington

The Presidency and How We View It

I don't know about you, but my social media has been pretty crazy lately. Some people are extremely excited about Hillary Clinton being the Democrat nominee, some people are terrified/outraged. And some, I'd wager to bet the majority, are just quietly taking it all in and hoping calmness and logic will prevail over emotion by November. I've been mulling it over, and wanted to offer my thoughts about all of this. 

Regardless of who the nominee is, the president is not the person with the most power in this country. He or she is one of many people who wield power in this country. Our nation is purposefully set up like this so no one person can have all the power. He or she isn't the captain of the ship, he or she is the steering wheel of the ship, and moves in the direction that he or she is told to by the captain, which is us. Yes, the president does have a good amount of power at their fingertips, and that does need to be taken into account when looking at our options in November, but it is not the sole source of power in this country.

What the president isn't and should never be: Our Messiah. Lately it seems to me that we look to the president to solve all our problems and we become disappointed and disillusioned when that doesn't happen. I feel that we sometimes idolize the role of president and whoever it currently is. For anybody of Judaeo-Christian persuasion, we know this is generally a bad thing. In fact, it's rather quite frowned upon and should definitely be kept in check. We should never make the mistake of turning the president into a god. They should never have that much power over us. We simply cannot and should not, put all our hopes and dreams on the shoulders of this person. Some of the hopes and dreams we will have to achieve on our own, regardless of who currently does or will become the next steering wheel of America.

The person in the role of the presidency is merely a human, just like us. He or she is fallible, is not and cannot be perfect. He or she will inevitably disappoint everybody at various parts of their tenure as president. This is simply the way it is because a government is a human-made entity, run by fallible, imperfect humans. As much as we try to make it look like it's greater than this, or capable of being better than it is, we will always be choosing the lesser of two evils when we vote.

We like to say things like "This is the most important election of our lifetime," to try and drum up support of our candidate and to encourage others to go out and vote as well. But the truth is, every single election, at every single level, is the most important election of our lifetime. Local elections will affect our daily lives much more often and much deeper than those at a national level. "Lesser" elections like those of our Congressmen and women and those in the Senate are in some ways, far more important than whoever we elect as the next president. With our current Do-Nothing Congress up for reelection, we have a responsibility to vote them out of office. If they remain in office, it won't matter which Democrat is elected, because none of their goals will be achieved. 

And finally, to the "Bernie or Bust" people, I'd like to point out just a few things that are subject to change, should the Democrats lose the election in November. The Affordable Care Act, women's right to choose what they can and cannot do with their bodies, two or possibly three Supreme Court Justices who serve a lifetime term, our dignity and standing in the rest of the world. All of these things will affect not only the four to eight years that a GOP candidate is in office, but for generations to come. It will affect not only America, but the whole planet, as well. Writing in a person as a candidate or encouraging them to run as a third party candidate has always been a way of helping to elect the other side's candidate. In the history of this country, no write-in or third party candidate has ever won a presidency. If this candidate did not win the primary election, what makes you think he or she could possibly win via these means in a general election? Just remember that the "bust" part of that saying affects everybody else in this country as well, not just you. A scorched earth policy only destroys the earth; I have yet to see anything good come of it. If November comes around and you still just cannot stomach the idea of voting for Hillary Clinton, I would honestly encourage you to not vote for that category at all. You are allowed to do that, it is your right to abstain from voting for a category if all the options are so abhorrent to you that you cannot do so in good conscience. I would, however, highly encourage you to vote for your state's Congressmen and women and Senate members who are up for reelection. Either voting them back in or out, as you see fit. Just because you skip one category doesn't mean you can't vote for everything else.

It is still an eternity away until November, and anything can and probably will happen between now and then. Emotions are high, and it's about to start getting even uglier. One thing to remember in all of this is that we are all trying our best to do what we feel is right for the present and future of our country. And when the election is over, and the dust has settled, we still have to work with each other, live with each other, and be friends with each other. Don't let an election ruin real life relationships in your own world. Nothing is worth that. Not even Donald Trump.

I'm so tired of it all

The fighting, the name-calling, the mudslinging. I'm as liberal as they come, but can we stop with the nitpicking of people on the opposing political side? Yes, Sarah Palin is not my choice for President, and never will be, but do I need to exhaust my life with tearing apart everything she says and does? No. All that does is make me look like a petulant child, and that is never good for politics.

I think I'm going to try to walk the walk and talk the talk of being a kinder, gentler participant in politics. I will not yell and scream and point fingers. I will try to remain calm and appeal to common sense. I will focus on what I think are the good points of all parties, instead of the negative. Because I can't waste my life anymore on this garbage. It's just not worth it in the end.