I Am Not Proud to Be an American

A long time ago, when I was a wee lass, my mother told me that my great-grandfather on her side was a member of the KKK. Needless to say, I was horrified on learning this. After the shock wore off, I made a vow that I would do everything in my power to undo as much damage as he had done when he was alive.

Today, with the election results, this feels more relevant than ever. I'm writing this, cringing for the impact of what will be an unmitigated disaster for this nation.

I feel like how I did when I found out that I am a descendant of the KKK: ashamed. Yet responsible. No, I did not elect for that asshole. Yet it was my race and the privilege that comes with it that did it.

I want to apologize, but I feel the words will hurt more. A bandage on a broken soul.

Instead, I will do more than apologize. I will vow not only to undo as much of the damage that this will wrought, but I will stand at the front lines with all those that will fight.

Fuck you if you voted for Trump. You are responsible for this and you will clean up this mess once the damage has been done.

For those who fight and will continue to, I love you from the bottom of my heart and without condition. I am on your side. Count me in.

This got too personal. This has gone on far too long.

And you don't want to fuck with me. I am part Irish. I am a liberal stuck in a red state. I am also a writer armed with words. Just sayin'...

A Note on Recent Political Events

Since it's looking VERY likely that Hillary will be the Dem nominee and there has been a push for Bernie supporters to join her side and defeat Trump in the general election, I feel the need to make something very clear.

While I am not a Bernie or Bust gal, I am definitely not voting for Hillary.

I have stated in my FAQ why I have no intention of voting for her. I do not like a lot of her policies; the only one I honestly feel aligned with is anything regarding women's rights and sadly, that is not enough.

I’m sure some will feel compelled to "scare" me into voting for Hillary so we don't get a President Trump. First off, Hillary is doing fine without my vote, so she'll do without mine in the GE. Second, throwing the privilege card in my face may not work. I am aware of (and working so hard against) the catastrophic  heaviness of what a Trump presidency could do for everyone. Also, I would be impacted since I am a woman, a young person, and certainly not wealthy nor middle-class.

Hillary has done nothing to earn my vote. Her track record in the Middle East, here in the States, her history of overshadowing the voices and efforts of many activists of color (especially with those involved with #BlackLivesMatter), and also her hawkish tendencies are some of the many things that deeply bother me.

Yes, it is historical that we have a female presidential nominee. Yes, I hope more young girls are inspired to run for office. I just feel that we're having to take what we can get and be grateful for it (or else).

Or, in other words... Death Cab for Cutie said it best: "bah-baaaah, bah-baaaah, this is the sound of settling..."

Yet, this doesn't mean I am not voting come November 8th. I am still voting in local elections. As for the presidential pick, it will be either Jill Stein or a write-in for Bernie.

It hurts that Bernie didn't win, but it hurts even more that we're settling for someone that I believe is mediocre and won't do 3/4 of what she's promising on the campaign trail. And the droning of "accept it or else".

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One more thing before I go: I would love to be wrong about Hillary. That once she gets elected, she just blows us all out of the water with her progressive politics; she gets us out of the Middle East, champions for women's health, breaks up Wall Street, and does something amazing to stop all the police brutality.

But her track record says otherwise.

Then again, I tend to give people a chance.

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Due to the possibility of all sides clashing, I will do something rare here and close comments on this post.