All that you have is your soul

You know I appreciate all the wonderful, amazing things the world has to offer, but today, I’m feeling deep concern over the state of the country where I was born.

Collectively, we have lost our way.

This straying from the path of kindness and compassion is endemic, although it seems to be prompted by disparate motivations. You’ve got your billionaires who are solely concerned with accumulating even more money, along with a generous serving of power. Then there are the sycophants who willingly offer their reputations and character in the hopes of joining their clay footed idols in an elevated existence.

Securely below these folks are what was previously known as the middle class. This socio economic group has more practical aspirations – access to higher education or career training, perhaps eventual home ownership and the security of health care. At the very bottom are the people who have the least, financial and otherwise, and for whom every day is unpredictable. Will today be the day they injure themselves working in a field or factory? Is their housing situation or transportation sustainable? Might they be the next people to be swept off the streets by the goon army empowered by the current occupant of the Oval Office?

Last Saturday, in the midst of what was an intensely busy weekend, I took some time to participate in a demonstration against Elise Stefanik. She was attending an event at the Bethlehem Town Park and there ended up being a couple of hundred people joining me in protest.

I mean, that’s my estimation. I have looked for confirmation of this impression, but haven’t been able to find much established media coverage of the welcome Stefanik was given by the people lining the road and park paths for her approach. The only photos I’ve been able to locate were behind a paywall (an observance, not a complaint) on the Delmar Spotlight website.

I’m deeply concerned about the lack of presence and attention being paid to shockingly outrageous government activities, when it comes to local media outlets. Especially the Times Union. But the story shouldn’t be exclusively about the next Trump injustice.* Instead, the story needs to be about the actions people are taking to resist and fight these failures to uphold the highest office in the land with some measure of dignity, intelligence and democracy.

When your hopes for the future are threatened and you are without sufficient resources, directing your anger and fear to those around you might feel like the only choice. Maybe that’s the reason why so many of the presumed MAGAts felt compelled to flip the peaceful protestors the bird as they drove past in their oversized trucks. Their utter conviction that everything bad that has ever happened to them is due to the presence of POC/immigrants/LGBTQ+ folks/ the poor/the educated and the literate, instead of the corrupt and morally bankrupt people they believe are looking out for their interests, would be comical if it wasn’t so damn tragic.

When this dreadful chapter of the United States’ history is complete, where will your name be found? Will it be on the same page as those who are speaking out, like Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Representative Jasmine Crockett? Or, will you be silent like the largest print media outlet in the state capital?

This is not a drill. This is a call to action.

Who will save (y)our soul?

*those are infinite until they’re stopped.