It is impossible not to be disgusted by the display of the underside of the nature of humanity that we have seen this year. Being angry and revolted simply means you are an intelligent human. But if you are disgusted, especially if you are in a swing state, you need to vote. Now. The things we have witnessed in the last year cannot be allowed to continue. The only way to start to mitigate the damage is to get the offending parties out of power.

Let’s Start With Our Moderate Right of Center Friends:

If you are a Republican who is appalled and disgusted, you are a human being who still has a soul. You should be appalled and disgusted. You understand that we are trying to have a society here; and yes, that means we all do need to care about each other’s well being, not use a crisis costing lives to top off bank accounts already filled to bursting. That’s called being a human being with a conscience and a soul, and respect for the morals and values you claim to represent. You believe that all lives have value; even the lives of people who don’t have money or power. You believe in helping people reach their potential here in America, not kicking them when they are already down and scared to death, and taking what little money they have out of their pockets while they are lying there dying. As a fellow human being, I applaud your disgust and revulsion. But, I ask you to please consider voting.

No Party Has a Monopoly on Patriotism

It is not “unpatriotic” for Americans to disagree with each other and with your party. In fact, it is part of the fabric of American politics and the very foundation of democracy. If you have an idea that you feel would help make America a better place for its citizens, sharing that idea and having it voted upon is good. That’s part of what democracy is about. No party has a monopoly on patriotism. Your patriotism is not connected to unwavering support of the sitting president; and any statement to the contrary is itself un-American. You know this. It used to be common knowledge.

Disagreement is Good and Dissent is Necessary

You may never have voted for a Democrat before. I can tell you this: you may not agree with all of their policies, but until this current regime -I hesitate to call it an administration or a party-we had a system of checks and balances. Just because someone makes a political promise doesn’t mean it’s going to go through the way they say. Starting high is part of negotiating strategy, you know that. And no, Democrats are not going to take your guns. You will still have protections. Even the minority party has rights and a say. At least that’s the way it used to be. Dialogue and different solutions were part of American discourse. Remember? We all need to get involved in that process again, not slinging insults at each other in the streets.

Things Went A Little Too Far

Things may have gotten a little overboard here. You may have wanted some reforms, get a few tax cuts, but you never meant to have an administration that would blatantly refuse to help its people in their time of need, and you are revolted by the idea of revoking health insurance from people during a pandemic. The pandemic changed things. It changed them for all of us. So I understand your reluctance to vote, but if you did vote for Trump, and things got a bit out of control for you, not voting isn’t the answer this time. This needs to stop, not continue.

Now My Bernie Supporters

I remember when, in February, the Democratic Party started throwing support behind Joe Biden rather than Bernie. Many of you regularly listen to podcasts and commentators who I’m not going to call out here because that’s not the point: what I am going to ask is- are you sure that you aren’t being played into not voting? Is there an agenda behind the words of the influencer you listen to regularly? Can you be absolutely sure? Are you so sure you are willing to possibly a million or more American lives on it: and possibly the lives of your family, friends, and acquaintances as well?  I am NOT saying this to scare you or shame you, I am stating facts. Real facts, not “alternative facts.” You and everyone you know is at risk.

This Time, It’s Not The System that is Broken

This is a risk that we have been both conditioned and learned to accept to various degrees. It’s a risk at a level we should not be accepting in a developed country-and not one other developed country is accepting. Granted, we’ve had to swallow a lot this year in order to do what we need to survive; work with the public, teach our kids, parent our kids….get to sleep at night. I know. Trust me, it is a huge deal, and it is going to get a lot worse. You are rooted in reality, you know this. Let’s at least have something to work with here. Because, this time, the system isn’t broken. It is, in fact, working too well. This isn’t the same system you were originally fighting. It has become something else, and it must be removed. The only thing that is going to be broken about this system is us.

Yes, it Will Be More Work

It will be a lot more work if Biden gets in than if Trump stays in. We are going to have to demand some serious changes in the party. They created an environment in which this could happen. They have done little to support their constituents, but at least they’re not neglecting them and leaving them to die and counting their money while claiming the moral high ground. We are all going to have to get a lot more involved in the process. That is the price of democracy. But to leave people to experience the full wrath of this horrifying vision of a “great America” in order to bring them around to your way of thinking is just as cruel, or even more so, really, than what is happening right now.

Please, Just Vote

Vote with your rational mind, with your heart, with your courage. No candidate is perfect; all humans are flawed. But right now, we are fighting against people who do not see other people as valuable, people who hypocritically claim to be moralists and pro-Life, yet turn their backs on hardworking Americans in their time of need. I never thought I’d be saying this, but

It can, and did, happen here. And, we need to stop it from continuing-right now. No more.

No, it didn’t go down the same way that we thought it might have, or looked the same way as we expected; because, we certainly would have fought it sooner. We need to admit that first, and start mitigating the damage ASAP. This is not a matter of discussion. The leader and all the complicit henchmen need to be put out of command of this country before any more damage is done. We’re already stuck with them for the next few grueling, painful months, during which a virus will circulate through the population unchecked with winter and the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays approaching. They leave behind a populace that is frightened, tense, angry, and at each other’s throats. If this is the process of Making America Great Again, frankly, I am terrified to see what the finished product looks like.

As long as you are registered in your state, it’s not too late. Plan how you’re going to vote today. https://www.vote.org is a site that can help you with the particulars of your state.