In The News – Page 7 – This Old House 2

Who is America?

What we now refer to as America started with the arrival of Indigenous people of Siberian origin before 15,000 BC. Many cultures formed and disappeared, and then what we all know of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in 1492 was the beginning of the colonies.

Some data I obtained from several sites on the subject:

**From the time Europeans arrived on American shores, the frontier—the edge territory between white man’s civilization and the untamed natural world—became a shared space of vast, clashing differences that led the U.S. government to authorize over 1,500 wars, attacks and raids on Indians, the most of any country in the world against its indigenous people. By the close of the Indian Wars in the late 19th century, fewer than 238,000 indigenous people remained, a sharp decline from the estimated 5 million to 15 million living in North America when Columbus arrived in 1492.

Even more fundamentally, indigenous people were just too different: Their skin was dark. Their languages were foreign. And their world views and spiritual beliefs were beyond most white men’s comprehension. To settlers , all this stoked racial hatred and paranoia, making it easy to paint indigenous peoples as pagan savages who must be killed in the name of civilization and Christianity.**

We’ve all heard this cautionary tale – those who do not heed the lessons of history are condemned to repeat it. Never has that been more clear to me than as I witness President No. 45 and the minions who applaud his reckless behaviors, his hateful rhetoric designed to divide, his trampling laws to suit his agendas, his total disregard for truths in small and very big ways. Most horrifyingly to me…. are all the supporters who are willing to give him a pass because in some way he speaks to their fears, their own prejudices, their hates, their needs and he gives them a free pass for any behavior associated with it. I doubt any Tr&mp supporters read my posts any longer, but if you are reading this and you will vote for him again, I absolutely believe that the only reason you can abide this man in office is because you harbor within yourself some of the prejudice, hate, or greed this man projects daily and you want action and permission, validation for those things. It means nothing that you are “religious”, the hypocrisies there have been too many. I no longer care who this offends – I am assaulted daily with the damage he’s doing to this Country’s integrity, this Country’s soul.

And that brings me back to my post title. Who is America? I used to believe, with every fiber of my being…. that in this day and age we were for the most part a generous, intelligent, enlightened lot despite a not so perfect government.. although one must acknowledge here we are damned lucky to have lived in a Democracy with the freedoms we have clearly taken for granted. Did we fail the ultimate test with these freedoms? Have we fallen too far down the rabbit hole to redeem ourselves now that social media and news outlets and the President himself give us full power with a few clicks on our keyboard or speeches or articles to weave a tale that suits our agenda, to unleash those concealed (not buried, not destroyed, not diluted) racist bents some of us still hold close to the vest? And all this newfound bold display of untruth and hate is then devoured by those who favor it’s content. Let others be damned who are different or may be in need or have rights of their own, US FIRST. Well… that’s how it all started here in America. Are we to repeat the mistakes of the past?

What does America’s soul look like today? It surely isn’t charitable, kind, or respectful under this administration. Prosperous? I don’t know – would you consider opening the flood gates once again to polluting our waters, destroying our remaining pristine forests, walking back air pollution regulations, electing a man who lies to all daily, spews rhetoric designed to divide the nation, paints immigrants as the enemy, of which we are ALL if you want to be honest,…. are these qualities of a prosperous, healthy nation? What price is too much to pay for perceived monetary gains? Where’s the line? is there one? …..

It feels like we have sold our soul. And you know …. I don’t like what that implies specifically.. the collective “WE” in this narrative. Because not all of us has fallen for this nonsense. Not all of us is OK with this erosion of our values, or morals as a country. I and the many who feel as I do are not to blame for the ugly, corrupt, narcissistic picture that is currently being sold as “America”. Will not carry that baggage as if it is my badge to wear. I will resist.

Our country has always been a melting pot, a seaming together of many cultures, many religions, many nationalities, a picture taken with a wide economic lens. We’ve overcome many hard things to become a strong nation, one I hope will find it’s way once again among our people, within our government, and as a participating cooperative enlightened member of the worldwide community, a beacon in preservation and respect for life and the health of our planet, in the natural world and the spiritual. It sure as hell isn’t what we are right now, but we’ve proven before we are capable of change, and I hope enough of us can right this ship before it’s too late.

Orange Koolaid

R*bert Mueller’s team indicted or got guilty pleas from 34 people and three companies during their lengthy investigation. Six former Tr*mp advisers, 26 Russ*an nationals, three Russ*an companies, one California man, and one London-based lawyer. Seven of these people (including five of the six former Tr*mp advisers) have pleaded guilty.

There is absolutely NO DOUBT in ANYONE’S MIND there was Russ*an interference in our election process, among other things. AND YET… now.. we have a criminal investigation into the investigation itself. All because B*rr is in Tr*mp’s pocket, and Tr*mp wants vengeance because a spade was called a spade and it makes him look bad. If the shoe fucking fits, dude.

This Pres*dent is trying to block any witnesses to testify to anything that might not go his way, he publicly mocks anyone who doesn’t agree with him. Republicans storm an impeachment inquiry that was following their own playbook! Their rules!!… His own lawyer is telling judges he should not be held accountable for any of his crimes while he’s Pres*dent, including shooting and killing a person – that.. was his very words to the Judge. This.. is nuts.

What you are witnessing is the destruction of our Democracy at the hands of a man and his cohorts who NEVER HAVE AND NEVER WILL HAVE YOUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART. I’m not telling anyone they should take my word for it- Their own history proves it! They line their pockets right in front of the world, pull illegal bullshit and step all over the constitution that those who support him USED to swear they wanted upheld…and yet they applaud what they used to know was no damned good. The corruption here is just so unbelievable, and yet so many are still drinking that orange Koolaid. It’s absolutely DumbFounding to anyone with their eyes wide open, (not a fucking snowflake, not a radical left). Just a human being seeing what’s happening right before our eyes.

For the love of everything decent, holy, just, sane, for our country to come together again because divided we will fall!!…. WAKE. UP… before the freedoms and protections and quality of life for ourselves, our planet and the species that inhabit it among a myriad of other things we’ve all taken for granted for so long are destroyed by this corrupt asshole. We are damned lucky to live in a Democracy – and some of us are actually encouraging it’s destruction, under an absolutely false pretense of Making America Grate Again.

FUCK TR*MP.

Dump Tr*mp

It’s going to be a beautiful day here in New England, and I hate to spoil even two seconds of it mulling over the current state of these Uniteds. Seriously… can you believe all the nonsense currently spinning around in the tornado that is Tr*mpworld?

Regarding the most recent pressuring of another country to investigate his political rival…P*nce had this to say in defense of his President…

P*NCE: “ One of the main reasons we were elected in Washington, DC, was to drain the swamp. And I think the American people have a right to know if the vice president of the United States or his family profited from his position as vice president during the last administration,” he said. “That’s about looking backwards and understanding what really happened.”

That’s absolutely hilarious!! Does he think the American People are so dumb we don’t see the many ways the President of the United States and his family are profiting from his position as the POTUS? That’s about looking at what’s right under our nose and understanding what’s really happening, right now.

Let alone there has been ZERO evidence of any wrong doing by Biden or his son, already investigated.

More Fake News from the Tr*mp Train. Holy shit, talk about the dumbing down of America. I would never in a million years have believed such a corrupt lying egostical maniac could garner such support. Now that he has shown us what he truly is made of, how does ANYONE overlook all the obvious ills. And yet. It’s as if some of our population has decided to stick their fingers in their ears chanting la la la la la la la la la…… instead of looking at the facts. Ignore the Treason, People!… we just have to figure out who the leaker is.

Never again do I want to hear “We need a businessman to run the country instead of politicians”. How’s that working out? Let alone the fact that a lot of his business was shady to begin with! Does being Rich impress them? A pig in a ball gown and tiara is still a pig. And if I hear one more chirp about how well the economy is doing… Ha! The economy has been on the upswing for more than 8 years now, whether we want to look at what’s actually true or not. Ask farmers how they’re making out. And how about that bailout? Much more costly than Obama’s auto industry bailout, and yet Obama was criticized for -socialism-. To be clear, I’m all for helping the farmers out, I believe in some forms assistance, especially when Tr*mp fucked them over in the first place. I’m heartened to see some of them are finally seeing the forest for the trees. The real irony is…. some of Trumps supporters, friends of mine I can attest to… are the very people his policies will never help. They cheer on his hate for immigrants and cling to their love of guns (we all believe we need immigration reform, and no one has been trying to take away your guns) and it appeals to them how he gives everyone permission to be an asshole, because hey, the POTUS is standing up on that podium doing that very thing, telling YOU to do that very thing, and he’s getting away with it. …..All that hate mongering is just false narrative, an excuse to rail against the machine. … and one more thing… Let’s talk about bible thumpers. He could not recite one verse, he’s cheating on every wife he’s had, he’s a self admitting pussy grabber!…. though I’ve heard it said we’ve put God back in the White House.

Man, that’s some strong Orange Koolaid.

What does this guy have to do ? Where’s the line? ……………….

You know what? I feel better now, I’m glad I spit it out. And I’m not worried about who I may have offended with this post, because I’m offended every damned day by that lying, bullying, corrupt, hate mongering piece of shit you’ve elected. He’s like a slap in the face to anyone who believes in decency, integrity, truth, upholding laws and our constitution. May he get what he deserves.

Summer’s End

I cannot believe how fast this summer has flown by, are you all feeling the same?

Summer is my favorite season, although as I’ve grown older I have developed a real love for the treasures of each of the four. When I was a young girl I dreamed of someday living in the land of endless Summer – for me that was Florida. As an older adult that goal has shifted – I feel sorry for those who never know the golden light cast on a cool autumn morning as orange, red and yellow leaves swirl about your feet. The crunch of snow under boots and the sparkle of sunlight on snow on a January day. The song in the heart when the first crocus unfurls from the thawing earth with the promise of Spring.

I’ve been letting myself get all crazy with the freak show that is our current governing body, praying with everything I’ve got that those who still support The Orange Scream will see all the damage he’s inflicting on our integrity, our relationships with allies, our natural resources, the protections from abuse of animals, truth in general…. I’m just too weary of soul to continue with this list. It’s dumbfounding, the support – just WTF is happening to this country? So because of the fret over this menace in the White House, in this greed and cruelty gone rampant, the fibromyalgia in my body has done the same. I need to walk away from it, but that also feels irresponsible to me… we need to bear witness to the destruction so we can perhaps recognize and assist whatever will be the catalyst to get us the hell out of this mess.

Below is a picture of my ancient Dane, Ben, right now as I type, sharing his bed with Frasier. They weren’t friends, ever, but now as Ben struggles with the simplest tasks in old age, Frasier has stepped up ❤️. As I am discouraged daily watching humans become more bold with their darker side, I am continuously reminded of the simple Grace of the animals. We still have things to learn from those we consider lesser beings.

I think it’s safe to assume I am now in the Autumn of my life – 54 is middle-middle aged, right? The lines on my face and the ache in my body tells me so. Until recently I had an inherent belief that the country I lived in, for the most part, was made up of people who believed we are all equal, that despite our differences, we were one nation, whether under a God or not. I truly believed greed and racism and hatred for anything that isn’t what we think we are, was dying out. Or at the very least, not -winning-. So.. much.. winning. What I fear most for our country, this land that I love, is that we are in the autumn of our decency, our respect for each other, and others beyond. This earth is dying slowly, and we’re killing it daily, now untethered, unrestrained because Greed has been given the green light, the hate that flows in the veins of so many has been given permission to flow freely. Division seems to be the goal, unity be damned. These are not my assumptions, just listen to the message being sold. And so many are buying it.

I’m going to continue to try like hell to maintain a little of Summer, even in the darkest nights of Winter, because without hope for the future, we are a lost cause, all of us. We will kill ourselves out in the end if we don’t wake up, if we don’t work hard to save the gifts we were given from the very start. Here’s to a return of Summer to the psyche of we, the people of this earth so that we may thrive in harmony, our samenesses and our differences alike.

Cape Wonder

I am in love with the house nextdoor! ❤ It just so happens to be the home my husband is building for our daughter and her guy.

When we first bought This Old House and the land around it, we knew there was potential for a few building lots, if the kids decided when they were grown that they’d like to settle in this area. We are very fortunate to be in the business of building houses, so we can help them do this. We’re also lucky they don’t mind living near mom and dad. We’ve made the promise that we’ll respect privacy so no one feels like the ‘rents are breathing down their neck. A stand of trees planted in the field between us helps too.

We found a home plan on the internet that’s style is in keeping with the other 200 year old homes in this area, including Grace (our restored home). The size is perfect, too – we did some tweaking to the plan and the finished home will have a nice big kitchen and open family room layout with master bedroom and bath on first floor, an office room which they both need for their jobs, a second half bath mud/laundry room and attached rear garage. Upstairs, which for now will remain unfinished to keep mortgage and taxes down, has the potential and is rough framed for two bedrooms and two baths, should children come along or they want the additional space down the road. There is also potential for a bonus room over the garage, rough framed for now. It’s a fantastic layout for a retired/empty nester person or couple as well.

Some light fixtures we’ve ordered ….

Their condo is sold and the closing is in a week, so they’ll be moving into Stella by the Sea for the remaining four weeks it will take to complete their home.

Do I even comment on the hundreds of atrocities in the news? How about I just post this…

Thoughts and Prayers

Gun violence and hate in this country have reached epidemic proportions. The NRA is a known propaganda machine, corrupt to its core- a totally different animal than it once was and it pumps that corruption through our republican politicians veins. A government and President that does NOTHING about this and encourages the white nationalist hate with his own rhetoric …..“ there are fine people on both sides” ….is poison to our already troubled society.

I am not anti gun, I’m no snowflake. Why the Fuck isn’t every single person screaming for sensible gun laws? And why are social media pages allowing hate groups like the one the Texas shooter belonged to online? Freedom of speech? I get it, but hate? It kills and kills and kills.

The bullshit line that guns don’t kill, people do… is true and false. We have no idea how many lives could be saved by implementing more sensible gun laws, and that does NOT mean taking them away from sensible law abiding mentally healthy people. Just one example – How wonderful it would have been if mental health history was considered before the Sandy Hook slaughterer was allowed to take shooting lessons and his mother was allowed to give him access to hers and encourage his use of them. What are the statistics in countries where sensible gun laws are applied? Yeah… so I guess we do know.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the POTUS would give a thorough anti hate speech for once? But he won’t, because he knows hate fuels his campaign. Just watch any one rally, I’m not asking you to take my word for it. He stokes it! This isn’t just a mental health issue, of which this country is sorely lacking in affordable treatment options. It’s a hate issue as well.

WAKE UP.

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Heavy and Light

New England just experienced an awful heatwave, just like much of the country. We spent part of it at a week-long horse show. When the temps hit 100 we opted to give ourselves and more importantly our horse a much needed reprieve from the heat.

I must confess I am conflicted about our involvement in horse showing. In any sport that involves animals, there is some cruelty in the mix. If you’re an animal lover as I and my daughter are, there is no denying it. My experience is in the quarter horse industry, but the abuses are present in all disciplines. I cringe when I see folks celebrating a Kentucky Derby race – if you’re truly aware of what is involved in the horse racing industry, I don’t know how the conscience allows the support of it. What I can say, and what let’s me support my daughter’s involvement in showing, is we are surrounded by people who genuinely give a damn about their horse. Our show barn family are a decent, caring lot, for the horses in their care, and toward each other.

I’m pretty certain if there is a God, when the time comes, he or she will swing the gates wide open for horse show moms, no questions asked. …..Practice, patience, practice, patience, dirt, heat, cold, rain, laughs, tears, cheers, Dirt, more dirt, and a few curse words sprinkled in….

Speaking of K – the home we are building next door is coming along beautifully. Because this is what we do for a living, it’s truly a family affair – my husband and son are building it, a labor of love for our daughter and her guy. That makes it extra special for K, who has been saving her money responsibly since she was a waitress at a retirement community in HS, and the past ten years as a secretary at a Bank. She is now seeing the rewards of hard work and thrilled to see it unfold. And so are we – truly feeling so blessed to be able to help her achieve this monumental goal of her own home with her partner in life.

We’ve been enjoying a little relaxation time at the cottage, where the gardens including the tomatoes are insanely happy, despite our doing not one thing to encourage it. Go figure. I’m thinking it must be the sea air…

It’s not often I get him to sit and relax for 15 minutes. I think on this day it may have been 20.

Here on the farm, my vegetable garden is anemic despite my efforts in the fertilization and watering department. I have no idea why. We’re getting small amounts of produce, but nothing like past years yield. The flowers, however, are prolific.

Regarding our country and it’s current “climate” – Whether we like it or not, the mobs chanting : send her back, send her back, send her back, are our fellow Americans. The current P0TUS is nothing more than a ringleader of hate. I never thought I’d see anything like this in America.

And if you’re still condoning this level of hatred, I have no use for what’s in your heart. I am so done with any defense of that assh0le. It’s an American Tragedy on several levels, some of it has nothing to do with politics. Hate and division destroys nations. Wake. the Fuck. Up.

– heartbroken

Please Pass the Torch

Bernie Sanders needs to get off the stage- I don’t know how some democrats are missing the clear message that swinging too far left isn’t realistic and the middle class is fed up with the huge burden of overtaxation and will certainly not vote for an increase.

I liked him, then … but now is too late, Biden needs to pass the torch. Better yet, we need to light a new torch in politics all together. All across the board. Too bad no one in the Republican Party will challenge Trump.

Right now the field is wide open with plenty of players – Kamala Harris, Pete Buttejieg, – there’s common sense truthful politics and the kind of life experience brought to the table that can benefit us all, devoid of the prejudices of the past, which will sadly weigh down others like Warren.

That’s my two cents.

On the homefront… K & D’s house begins to take shape… framing has begun! Last night the Mr. and I walked the foundation and imagined the rooms, enjoyed the warm setting sun over the hill and how the light will play on their homestead.

And Speaking of K… she has recently joined our family business full time in the office and we’re so proud of her accomplishments and hard work. Long time readers of my blog might remember her story – she is a car accident/brain injury survivor who has done the really hard work of getting her life back through years of determination through rehabilitative work, mostly of her own power and resilience.

You see that little pink unicorn on the desktop? It used to sit on my desk – but I felt K needed a little mascot in her new position. After all, I now have three dragons in the space that little pink guy used to occupy. We could all use a little magic, a little whimsy, don’t you think?

You Go, Girl ❤

Daily Grind

Through my life’s journey my daily grind has varied greatly – the early years consisted of giving pony and cart rides at the zoo, waitressing at a jewish synagogue catering hall , scrapping soap at a factory and loading customers trucks with feed sacks, shavings bags and bales of hay while attending college locally. Then I sat at a desk managing real estate papers in a law firm, and for a while I had a windowless office in the export division of a large company that shall not be named. The windowless thing was torturous for this outdoors loving girl. When my kids were older I had an artisan shop with a partner for a few years and that was a big learning experience as well as a lot of fun and creativity. All those jobs had some good qualities and I learned valuable skills, worked with good people. Nothing was more fulfilling than my stay-at-home-mom years, though, and with this empty nest we now live in, I’ve pondered going back to work in some capacity full time. With a hearing impairment, my options are limited.

Truth be told, I’m finding this mostly home part time editorial position nudged in among my farm/home/garden chores suits me just fine. I’m not longing to go back to a daily grind that is not my manure hauling gator ride to the back field after mucking stalls. I’m liking my morning commute , sometimes in my Pajama pants, from the porch to the chicken coop to the barn to the garden and back in to clean up and get on with the rest of the day. For a while I toyed with the notion that I might be missing out big time by not pursuing -the next big thing-. I felt guilty that I had the option to not pursue it. I believe I’ve decided.. the next big thing is the very thing I’m in the middle of, enjoying at this very moment… and there’s not a darn thing wrong with that. You know that song by The Eagles, Don Henley – Learn to be Still -? I’ve always felt a connection to it, like it was explaining something I needed to figure out.

And you know? I think I’ve finally figured it out – where I belong is where I am right now, doing what I’m doing, with the people I love most. What a glorious feeling, to be grounded and satisfied in the here and now. I hope you are in that same place wherever your life path has taken you, or are on your way there.

My GOT Flock (Arya, Sansa, Summer, Snow, Daeynerys, Cersei, Melisandra) have all been set free into the older flock and all is well. Amazing how fast they grow, isn’t it? You can tell the new from the old, as the GOT girls are slightly smaller. The coop yard has gotten a new layer of fresh clean sand, too.

We’ve begun haying the fields – allergies be damned! And Damn – they’re awful. Is it me or is this a bad year for allergy sufferers?

After coop and barn chores were done this morning I ran errands around town and then drove down to Stella to mow her lawn. That’s where the pollen caught up to me and I’ve felt like a slug ever since.

Every rose has it’s thorn, right? Small price to pay for a daily grind I love.

Completely different subject to leave you with – have you given a listen to Pete Buttigieg yet? I am really encouraged by what he has to say. Gives me hope for this country.

Till soon –

The best take I’ve read on a tough issue

From Seth Wood on Facebook- best take on this issue I’ve read- Amen, Seth.

___________________________________

Oh man. Here we go…

I need to talk to my conservative/Christian friends and family for a minute. About abortion.

First: if you hold the personal belief or conviction that abortion is wrong, is a sin, is against God’s will… That is absolutely okay, and understandable. There are so many reasons to feel this way, not just from a theological/religious standpoint, but from personal experiences, hopes, desires, etc. Your belief about where you stand on the moral/ethical merits of abortion are yours to have, to cherish, to speak about, to share. They are your human rights and your constitutional rights in our country.

Second: America is not a Christian nation. It is not a nation for Christians. It is a nation for all. I know this can be genuinely hard to accept. I grew up in the church too. We are sold this idea of a Christian nation, one nation under God. That was never what we had. What we have is a nation founded on the idea of liberty and equality, with the men drafting the documents having the amazing foresight to make the language broader than their own beliefs about equality (which many of them felt only applied to white landowning men). Thank God! What they gave us was so much greater than their own biases. They gave us room to grow in our understanding of equality and freedom and mutual cooperation. And so all faiths are welcome here. And that is beautiful.

Third: Knowing and hopefully accepting that, we can recognize that there are large portions of our fellow Americans who are not Christian. Imagine a Jewish senator putting forth a bill that would require every male -infant, child, and adult – to be circumcised. Or a Muslim governor signing a bill into law that states all citizens must pray five times a day on their prayer mats. You would be very understandably (and as far as the constitution goes, rightly) upset over someone trying to legislate their beliefs onto your lives and bodies…

Four: Your politicians are using you. They are using your deeply held spiritual and emotional beliefs about abortion to justify racial, gender, and class inequality. The men pushing these laws are concerned with power, not with the unborn. There are documented cases of GOP “pro-life” politicians who are pushing legislation like this with one hand and with the other hand are encouraging their secret girlfriends to terminate their very secret and unwanted pregnancies. For you, this issue is about speaking up for what you believe. For many many of the politicians, it is about feeding their own personal agendas and increasing their power. YOU GIVE THEM THAT POWER. And they are grossly abusing it, not to the glory of God. Please stop letting them use you to control people.

Five: this is pretty core, and I’m not sure how to say it, so forgive me my ineloquence here. If you want to see a world without abortion, you need to work to create a world that doesnt need abortion. That world cannot be legislated into being. That was never the job of the church anyway – to legislate their way to the kingdom of god? Ugh. You may want to see a world that didn’t drink alcohol – how did prohibition work out? No more drunks? No. You cannot legislate morality. You can work toward it though. I love that you love the unborn. I love that you have a heart that feels that. Please have a heart for those who are already born as well. Please be truly pro-life, and take care of women instead of criminalizing them. A world that didn’t need abortions would be one where birth control was extremely affordable and available, where young people everywhere were well educated about sex. It would look like accepting that abstinence is not the only choice that young people are going to make – “I believe sex is supposed to be saved till marriage, however, if you choose to have sex before marriage, as many of you will, there are things that are very important for you to know” is a totally acceptable way to talk about your beliefs AND the facts of life with your kids.

You are NEVER going to get close to having a world where people dont have sex unless they are married. TRUST ME. That will never happen. You absolutely can work toward a realistic world where we take care of people, where we help and educate and love people in a way where the number of unwanted pregnancies declines drastically. Do you want a world where people arent allowed to get abortions? Or do you want a world where people dont need to get abortions, where it’s not even a question or an issue that they have to face, because they have been equipped with the tools to navigate sex and relationships and personal choices with maturity and safety and love? And look, I havent even brought up the very very troubling issue of rape, incest, abuse. And real quick on that: you CANNOT make descisions like that for another person. YOU CANNOT DO THAT. A person who has been abused needs to have our support, our ear, our compassion, and if they need assistance or advice or comfort or a friend then we can be that. What we can’t do is make a life altering decision for them after they have already experienced a traumatic life altering assault. We shouldn’t be making those descisions for anyone (just like we shouldnt have the legal ability to tell anyone else whether or not to drink, or to pray, or to get circumcised).

There’s so much more. So much. And it all needs to be said – not just said but talked about. But here’s what I want to end this with: WE NEED YOU. We need each other. We have become so divided from each other, and so much of that is because we rely on our intermediaries: the media, the politicians, the social media algorithms. But we are never going to go anywhere unless we come together to figure this out. No matter what you believe this issue really is (a woman’s issue, a moral issue), it is not JUST that. Left and Right. It is multifaceted, it is personal, and there are real people on both sides. And so I am saying to you my conservative christian pro-life friends: we need you. We need you to stop letting your politicians use you. We need you to BE THE BODY OF CHRIST to people. Not because we believe what you believe, but because we could use some very Christ-like people right now. Who challenge the powerful and who love people, not judge them, not further abuse them, not investigate them after they have miscarried a pregnancy.

We are never all going to believe the same things. But we do not have to be enemies, we do not have be opposed. I get that this sounds crazy, but we need to work together to build that world where people are loved and safe, where humans have freedom to make choices, and we have equiped them out of love and with love. Please work with us to make that world where women are not put in a position to need an abortion. Our women are amazing and powerful and inspiring, and if we could make a world where they are not always having to fight to be heard or respected or taken seriously, then I think we would all be blown away by what they could accomplish for the world.

Thanks for reading this. It was written out of respect and love and with an open heart. If you are reading this, it is because I love you. Thanks.