Dr. King, I'm sorry . . .

Dear Dr. King,

I am a white woman.  I was born and raised in Massachusetts.  I was four years old when you made your "I Have A Dream" speech and eight years old when a bullet from a white supremacist ended your life.  I have no memories of you from my childhood.  What I know about you, I learned in history books.  Today the United States commemorates your birthday as a holiday.  I don't know what you would have thought of that.  Whether you would have been surprised, honored or dismayed because people continue to struggle for the rights and equality for which you ultimately gave your life.

Dr. King, I am sorry that nearly one hundred fifty-three years after the end of the Civil War, a little more than one hundred fifty-two years after ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, nearly one hundred fifty years after ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, nearly one hundred forty-eight years after ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, a little more than fifty-three years since you gave your "I have A Dream" speech, nearly fifty-four years since the enactment of the 1965 Civil Rights Act and nearly fifty years after you were assassinated, we, as a country, have not made very much progress at all and we white people are to blame.

Racism has always been a part of the United States from its beginnings as thirteen British colonies, to its birth as as a nation and every year since then.  Often we are able to keep racism simmering beneath the surface.  Sometimes it boils over and explodes in violence.  But always it is with us and to deny that is to deny the reality we white Americans must accept and acknowledge if we are ever to really make progress.  Dr. King, I am sorry that not only has racism boiled over once again, but that it has also found a friend, a voice and support in the Office of the President.  This is not the first time we have had a President who espoused racist values.  Nor is this the first time that racism has found friends, voices and support within Congress as well as state and local governments.  We can surely hope this will be the last time that racism is welcomed and used to stir up people to vote for candidates who divide us.   In the end, whether we once again choose to send the message that racism is not welcome in our country will be up to all of us and that can only happen if and when we stand together as one, not divided.

Most of all, Dr. King, I am sorry that we, as a country, have not moved closer to that beautiful dream that you had, that so many still have, that equality will no longer be based on skin color, race, gender sexual orientation, religion or anything else which separates people in to "us" and "them" and allows anyone to believe that anyone who is different, in any way, from us is the "other" who does not and never will be worthy of the same rights we have.

President Lincoln' Gettysburg Address

One hundred fifty-four years ago on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln stood up to say a few words on a battlefield in Gettysburg Pennsylvania. He said “the world would little note nor long remember what we say here.” But that is not true. President Lincoln’s speech is still studied not only in history books but in literature books. He also said that “we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground.”

He was right, of course. Mere words can never really dedicate or consecrate any place which has already been dedicated and consecrated by the blood and sweat of those who gave their lives there and those who fought there did. So President Lincoln called upon his fellow Americans to honor the living and dead soldiers by “being dedicated here to the unfinished work… that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Today let us take some time to reflect on what those words meant on a blood-soaked battlefield to a young country torn apart with its young experiment in government teetering on the brink of failure. The war had been waging for over two years with no end in sight. A war President Lincoln accepted on behalf of the United States because he believed that the country must remain whole. he asked his fellow Americans to hold on and to fight on to preserve that “noble experiment” the founders dared to create.

Let us ponder what those words continued to mean to the United States in the years after the Civil War as the country tried to come back together though forever changed by the bloody battles and division. Reconstruction was not easy nor was the struggle for equal rights. Fights for equal rights have continued throughout all these years.

Let us then ask ourselves, do the words of the Gettysburg Address mean anything to us today?

Honor, dishonor and patriotism

I consider myself to be very patriotic. But no one has to take my word for it. Family and friends know how I feel about the United States and can easily provide "references" should anyone want proof. I love the United States. I love studying the history of the United States, particularly early American political and constitutional history and President Abraham Lincoln, which is why I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and why I am currently in graduate school pursuing a Master of Arts degree in American History. I love the American Flag, the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance. I love the Statue of Liberty. I really do stand up in my living room and put my hand over my heart when the National Anthem is played on television. 

Given my feelings about the United States and its symbols, one might expect that I would be against taking a knee during the National Anthem. That would be the patriotic response, wouldn't it? After all, taking a knee is disrespectful to the American Flag, the National Anthem, the country and the military, right? Well, many veterans have stated that they served this country to ensure that everyone's rights were protected, whether or not we agree with them. They do not feel disrespected.

Think about the first twenty words in the Pledge of Allegiance "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands". What does "allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands" mean? Merriam-Webster defines allegiance as "devotion or loyalty". Promising to be devoted and/or loyal to the Flag "and the republic for which it stands" means promising to be devoted and/or loyal to the Constitution and the freedoms enshrined in Bill of Rights. The First Amendment guarantees "freedom of speech" which has also been defined as "freedom of expression". Taking a knee is freedom of expression. Taking a knee is saying that "liberty and justice for all", the words which end the Pledge of Allegiance, have not been applied equally to all and we must come together to talk about what we can do to ensure that "liberty and justice for all" really does mean all people.

I cannot profess patriotism, love of country and its symbols, nor devotion or loyalty unless I am willing to defend its Constitution and Bill of Rights. I cannot do that unless I support all who take a knee. That is how I honor the Flag and the National Anthem. That is how I honor the Pledge of Allegiance. That is how I honor all the men and women who served and those who lost their lives, defending our country and the freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights. To refuse to do so would be dishonorable.

Yes, I am still angry about the 2016 presidential election

Nearly ten months after the 2016 presidential election, I am still angry.  Not only am I angry that the most qualified, best prepared candidate lost, but I am still angry with third party voters who could not bring themselves to vote for Hillary Clinton.  I am angry with everyone who could not be bothered to vote.  Of course, I am still angry with those who voted for the Republican candidate.  But my anger with them is different than with those who voted third party or did not vote.

This weekend eight hundred thousand people who are DACA recipients do not know whether they will be allowed to remain in the United States or be deported to the country of their birth.  A country they have little, if any, memory of because they have lived in the United States since they were children.  This is their home.  This is their country.  This is their life.  With one signature from the current president, the life they have known will be ripped from them.  They will be sent back to a place they do not know.  For what?  To make America great again?  How could destroying peoples' lives possibly make America great?  Did the lives of the DACA recipients not matter enough to vote to protect them?  Obviously not.

We have already heard the stories of ICE agents tearing families apart as they round up all those "bad hombres", some of whom are not really bad, after all.  So how does this make America great?  How does destroying peoples' lives make America great again?  What has happened and what might happen are not surprising to anyone who understood what the current president said during the 2016 campaign.  He said he would do this.  Did the lives of these people and their families not matter enough to vote to protect them?  Obviously not.

The current president has rolled back protections for women, LGBT people, the environment, and wage-earners while promoting the interests of business and the wealthy.  Did women, LGBT people, the environment and wage-earners not matter enough to vote to protect them?  Obviously not.

The Affordable Care Act has been under attack since it was passed.  The most recent attempt to destroy it failed.  The current president remains undeterred in his quest to destroy the ACA one way or another.  His latest tactic is to cut the advertising budget for ACA open enrollment as well as shorten the enrollment period.   Again, this is not surprising.  One of his campaign promises was to repeal the ACA "on day one."  The ACA is not a perfect system.  But it has provided life-saving insurance for millions who had been uninsured.  Millions of people are able to go to a doctor on a regular basis and afford medications that help them control medical problems that would otherwise kill them.  Did protecting accessibility to healthcare insurance for millions of people not matter enough to vote to protect it?  Obviously not.

The current president has not merely lifted the lid on the simmering undercurrent of racism that has always pervaded the United States, he ripped that lid off and made racist speech and acts acceptable again.  This is not surprising to anyone who understood what he said as candidate during his rallies.  Was working to continue to keep racism from becoming acceptable enough to vote to prevent it?  Obviously not.

So what did matter?  What would have been the one issue that would have mattered enough for people to vote to protect it?  If the answer is that the Democratic party should have picked a different candidate and/or another candidate would have won, then that is poor excuse for all the damage that has been done and will continue to be done by the current administration and the Republican controlled Congress.

Yes, that angers me because it did not have to happen, and yes, I am angry at the people who could have prevented it with a vote and chose not to stop it.

What makes America great?

The current president, during his campaign, used the slogan "make America great again."  Those of us who opposed him knew the slogan was intended to appeal to white voters, especially men, who felt they were losing power and longed for "the good old days".  Katy Tur, MSNBC reporter and host of her own hour-long show on the cable news network, covered the current president's campaign and recently said that some of his supporters talked about the 1950s being a time when America was great.

The United States of America was flawed in its conception.  After having declared independence in a document which stated that "all men are created equal" and "they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness", the country not only continued to engage in slavery, but wrote and ratified a constitution which protected slavery.  The constitution also limited citizenship to white men, leaving out women, African Americans who had gained freedom and Native Americans.

With the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1866,  ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868 and ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870, African Americans were guaranteed citizenship as well as the right to vote.  Then came the Jim Crow laws which were enacted by white Southerners after returning to power in Southern states.  The laws were designed to severely limit the rights of African Americans and every attempt was made to impeded their right to vote.  Murders and lynching took place on a regular basis.  White supremacy reigned in the South, while many whites in Northern were ambivalent at best.

Although women finally won the right to vote with ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, the fight for equal rights continues into the present as does the fight for equality for many groups.  While some white Americans may think the 1950s were a time when America was great, that was not the case for non-whites, women or gays and lesbians.  African Americans were still engaged in fighting for equal rights in 1950s.  That fight continued into the 1960s and while the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made great strides, the fight for equality continues.

So was America ever great?  Is America great now?  Can America ever be great?  The answer is a resounding "yes" because greatness and perfection are not the same!  When the Declaration of Independence was issued, there were people who understood that slavery could no longer exist in a country that declared all men equal.  During the convention in Philadelphia which produced the United States Constitution, there were men who argued that slavery should be abolished. During the 1850s, abolitionists argued forcefully against slavery and Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle' Tom's Cabin which disputed the Southern myth of "happy slaves" and added fuel to the calls to end slavery.  In 1860, when eleven Southern states seceded from the Union to protect slavery, men fought and women served in whatever capacity they could to initially save the Union and ultimately end slavery because President Abraham Lincoln understood that slavery had to end and guided the Union in achieving that outcome.

When the war ended, as African Americans began their fight for equal rights, they did not fight alone.  They were joined by whites who understood that they could not sit back in silence.  When women fought for equality, they did not fight alone.  They were joined by men who understood that they could not sit back in silence.  When gays, lesbians and transgender people fought for equal rights, they were joined by heterosexual men and women who understood that they could not sit back in silence.  When people did not have enough food to eat, people joined together to find ways to help them get food because they understood that they could not sit back in silence.

There are countless numbers of examples of times when people stood up, stood together and spoke out because they understood that they could not sit back in silence.  Each and every time they did is what always has and always will make America great!

Removing Confederate monuments.

Some States have begun the process of removing Confederate statues and monuments.  Other States are still debating and Alabama passed a law to protect Confederate monuments from removal.  One of the arguments for preserving those monuments is that they represent part of history.  After all, there have been countless numbers of statues and monuments erected throughout our country to commemorate a person, a people and/or a significant event.  So what is the problem with the Confederate monuments and why do people want them removed?

Statues and monuments are erected to honor a person, people and/or events or to remember something tragic.  So what's wrong with having Confederate statues and monuments to honor those who fought for the Confederacy?  There is no honor in fighting a war to keep a race enslaved.  There is no honor in fighting a war to destroy a country.  There is no honor in erecting statues and monuments as testaments to white power and white superiority.  There is no honor in erecting statues and monuments as a way to remind a race of people that they are former slaves or the descendants of former slaves and will always be inferior.  There is nothing brave, courageous or righteous about fighting for, shedding blood for or dying for the right to own another human being. 

So what is the history that these statues and monuments represent that deserves to be protected, preserved and honored?  A history of enslaving a race of people.  A history of fighting for the right to own another human being.  A history of fighting to tear apart the world's first democratic form of government.  A history of fighting to say that all people are not created equal?  A history of fighting for white superiority and power.  Is that really a history worth honoring and preserving?

Hillary Clinton's supporters will not be silenced or dismissed

The media has featured various stories about those who voted for the current President.  The focus of the stories tends to be about the fact that those who voted for the current President still support him even though his policies and those of the Republican controlled Congress will likely hurt them.  Once in awhile the media will talk to people who now regret their choice.  But those are few and far between.  The media also focuses on the most progressive members of the Democratic party and have come to the conclusion that not only should Hillary Clinton be silent, but that her own party wants her to be silent.  She no longer has a reason to speak unless she is finally willing to accept complete and total blame for her loss.  After which she must be forever silent.  But Hillary Clinton is not the only one the media as well as those on the right and some on the left want to silence.  They also want to silence those of us who support her.  How many times has the media interviewed or written about Hillary Clinton's supporters?  Maybe a story or two, but other than that, Hillary Clinton's supporters have been dismissed as no longer important, not worth talking to or listening to any more.

Perhaps the lack of media coverage of Hillary Clinton's supporters gives the impression that her supporters have dispersed, are no longer engaged, just do not care any more, have accepted their fate and moved on to other things.  Such suppositions might seem quite right, but are in fact quite wrong.  We are alive and well and very vocal on social media, particularly Twitter.  We care about what is going on our country.  We are angry because we know that much of what is happening could have or would have been prevented by the election of Hillary Clinton.  Oh yes, there is always that specter of the unending investigations and stalled legislation if she had been victorious and the Republicans maintained control of Congress.  But there would not have been executive orders undoing what President Obama had done.  There would not have been families torn apart by ICE agents.  There would not have been a travel ban.  There would not been a withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement.  The Republican "repeal and replace" healthcare plan would have been vetoed.  The list goes on and on.

But we are not merely rehashing the election and lamenting what could have been.  We are raising our voices and using social media to speak truth to power.  We are calling out the leaders of the Democratic party who seek to silence us and reminding those leaders that we will not be silenced nor dismissed.  We are not some little group who can be dismissed as unimportant.  We are a big diverse group and we vote.  Yes, we are still with Hillary Clinton.  We are still listening to her because she has the wisdom, knowledge and experience to guide us through these difficult times as one of the Democratic party's leaders.  She was not a weak candidate and the media and others saying that over and over again will never make it true.  Hillary Clinton has withstood an onslaught of lies and rumors that has lasted over thirty years.  She chose Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" as one of her main campaign anthems because that is what she has always done: continue the fight for the voiceless.   She will never be silenced or dismissed and neither will those of us who stand with her.