I just finished watching a biography of Frederick Douglass. I cried most of the way through it, in the same way I weep at the Lincoln Memorial. I thought about what he fought for and why. Then I considered the recent Supreme Court decision on corporations and campaign funding, a real-life grab to limit the freedoms of the individual.
This is truly a crisis.
Then I thought about the fighting that goes on at DailyKos, well, daily. It either shows trolls have definitely taken over the site, or shows a deep division within Liberal/Progressive ranks. I truly wish it was trolls infiltrating, but I think it's an indication of a disintegration of progressives - so much so that we no longer can muster any fight for the outside.
In two months and a day I will be 66. I have seen a great deal of the civil rights movement from the 60s on, women's rights, gay rights. Many on this site have also lived through this. We know change takes time, especially in this time when a minority of the country fights with dirty tactics to control this country, especially when those folks are anti-women, anti-people of color, ant-gay people, anti-anything that stands for the values stated in the constitution.
Frederick Douglass did not give up. Harriet Tubman did not give up. Time after time they put themselves in danger of death or slavery, and they did not give up. Harriet even went back into the devil's territory time and time again. And she did not give up.
I was fighting being depressed at the current political situation. I was ready to talk both my chidren into emigrating to Canada or the UK. I was ready to call it quits because of the circumstances and the apparent lack of will of so many on the left. Most of what I see here is complaints, some valid, some just complaints. I thought there was no future in trying to change things.
Then I watched the biography of Frederick Douglass and remembered Harriet Tubman. And I wept with pride in them and in pride of my country. I love my country, I love its ideals, I love its freedom. I love, yes, really love the people who fought for her.
But I thought fighting again wasn't going to work, that I'm too old to start all over again fighting for the same things, all over again. Damn, I am tired. I envisioned a nice retirement, growing plants, helping individual people here and there, enjoying my grandchildren. That's not too much to ask, is it?
I became ashamed of myself a little after this biography. I became ashamed that I would have to fight with freedom on my side. Well, I am ashamed.
How can I not fight? Others fought before me with far less than what I have now. I still have freedom on my side - how dare I give up now.
So. What do we do now? Do we sit around throwing blame around? Do we sit around writing about how President Obama did us wrong? (I think he's doing as much and more than humanly possible, but he's doing it without our help or our support.)
Or do we emulate great men and women who fought with not only much less, but with nothing in the beginning other than their own life? They did not fight with freedom on their side, but they fought anyway.
They were heroes, true heroes. How can we not fight?
So, for my grandchildren, so they can inherit a free country, I will fight. And neither setback nor negativism will stop me. So, complain all you want, if that is what you want to do.
But the invitation to join me in the fight will always be open, and I do invite you. Let's do something constructive.
P.S. There is a health care rally by Moveon.org in the Chicago area tomorrow - is there one in your area?
P.P.S. You should know up front that I will probably only read fully the comments that are constructive. If you are here to drag this down, I truly am sorry for you.