Tuesday night I watched in stunned disbelief. The numbers I saw couldn’t be right. Is it possible that the majority of my fellow countrymen and women voted the way that they did?
Could our beliefs about what is fair and right be so misaligned? The American people voted for the future of our country. This morning I kept asking myself, is this who we are? Are we in agreement that the physically disabled are here to be mocked, women are objects of unwanted sexual advances and numbers on a rating scale, Mexican people are drug dealers and rapists, and Muslims — whether American born, or not — are potential terrorists? Is this what we believe?
I understand that we were offered a choice between two flawed candidates, but did we really just choose a leader who lashes out at some of our most vulnerable populations? What does this mean to us, those who voted for Obama (twice), Sanders, and Clinton? Is what we believe, the values we stand for, not shared among the majority of Americans? I’m sad to realize, they are not.
A few days removed from the announcement I realize what we must do. We must not be mired down by our fears. That is something the Trump campaign did very successfully, created fear. We must fight against the paralysis that fear creates.
There is not time to wait for mid-term elections; we mobilize now. Our beliefs are still valuable, our voices will be heard, because we will not be silent. If we have not been active in our local and state politics, it’s time to become active. Email your state representatives and share your concerns about the course you see our nation taking. Encourage one another to not lose hope, but to use our voices … all I propose is to not stand idly by. Write on your blogs, Facebook pages, send out a tweet stating your beliefs and vision for our America. Contact our elected officials and let our voices be heard much more frequently than on voting day. We teach children to report and refuse bullying, not become a silent bystander. We must not be bystanders. I realize our pantsuits are rumpled, but that does not quiet our voices. I am starting with this letter. Will you join me?
Jennifer J. Wheeler
Orange