My Two Cents

 I know in the grand scheme of things my opinion does not matter.  No one is going to really listen to someone like me.  Who am I, really?  I'm a realtor in Florida.  I'm a mom of three kids.  I identify as LGBTQ+, I have pink hair, pronouns, and I really don't really speak up until I'm pushed to my breaking point and then I explode.  I was raised in a small town and have also lived and worked in two major metropolitan areas of the United States.  I know that I am not important and that my opinion really doesn't hold much weight.  I'm that naive anymore.  But, I continue to write those strongly worded letters and call my representatives and tell them what I think.  I have kept my mouth primarily shut on the internet because I know that this administration, and frankly anyone involved in the GOP, are often petty and by most accounts, retaliatory.   

My Dad would tell me to keep my head down and keep moving.  I think this comes from the fact that he was alive during world war 2.  He would have been very young, but he would have seen the stress that it caused my grandparents.  For the longest time, I listened to that not really understanding.  I still don't understand that way of thinking at the age of 47.  Especially since my Dad always taught me that speaking up for what I believe in is the right thing to do.  My Dad was a bit of a puzzle there - on one hand telling me to keep my head down but on the other, write those letters and tell people what you think.  He certainly did not like confrontation, but he wasn't afraid to write letters to the editor of the local newspaper or publish his opinions for the world to see.  

I am not afraid to write those letters, but I don't think the letters ever get seen anymore.  I think they disappear into a vacuum and we all get those standard "thanks for writing! Your opinion matters," form letters that are supposed to make us feel heard.  Things have changed in that regard. 

For the past several months I have been writing more and more frequently not just to my state representatives but also to members of this administration (including the president).  They have all been pejorative in nature.  The letters don't accomplish anything but maybe making me feel like I'm doing something because I am afraid to actually go out and protest.  I am afraid, especially here in Florida, to go out and stand up for something I desperately believe in - fairness, equality; essentially the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.  I believe that ALL PEOPLE deserve this.  And I very much believe that this administration is hateful and wants the exact opposite. 

My Father was a professor of History at the collegiate level.  He saw the writing on the wall.  I saw the writing on the wall.  Several members of my family saw the writing on the wall. Before my Dad passed he likened what had been and continues to be happening here in the United States to being the exact same as what happened in Germany prior to World War 2.  He said that this administration that we elected in 2024 are Nazis.  I believed him then and seeing the escalation of what has been going on and now the MURDER of the woman in Minneapolis I believe it more and more.  There is nothing that anyone could say to change my mind.  

The people that are in ICE are little more than modern SS thugs wanting to play at war and escalating everything on purpose.  

If I had the ability, I would pack up my family and move away from this state and in all honesty, probably this country.  But then, my wife and I have constant discussions about how we don't even know where it would be better.  So, what do I do?  My mental health and my wifes mental health are suffering.  My kids are incredibly smart and they see what's happening.  

This administration does not care about people.  This administration does not want peace. I have tried to treat everyone with kindness, no matter what.  I can no longer do that.  I have had enough.  I shall not give quarter to anyone associated with or supporting this administration.  If you support this administration, you are not my friend. If you are okay with anything that they're doing, you can go fuck yourselves.