Kudos to you on an excellent debut column, Mary Jo. I believe that the reason so many of us feel the dissonance right now means our hearts are still reaching for something higher. That gives me hope.
Beautifully written first column! Great work. And relatable. In Leesburg I had a hard time watching the parade. My husband and I took our son only out of the obligation to our child, teaching him about honor of country and family traditions... My husband was in the Navy and served out government for almost 30 year until recently. But watching the Department of Immigration and Detention walk in our parade made me sick and sad.
Thank you, Erika. I'm glad you found this relatable. I think there are so many of us who don't know how to feel about our country right now. Can we compartmentalize and keep our love of country separate from our pain and anger over what the current administration is doing? I'm finding that challenging, and it sounds like you do, too. And – ICE walked in your parade?? That feels downright offensive.
Bless your husband for serving us for so many years.
I can definitely relate. This was the first July 4 in several years I did not drive my old 560 Farmall tractor to town to be in the evening parade. Certainly not a year to celebrate the USA and what it has become.
Brava Mary Jo. Thank you for capturing the worry and dread most sane Americans are feeling right now. I show up for the rallies and protests. I wonder how we’ve become so bloody helpless. I fear for close friends who could be rounded up in the middle of the night. His first wife, Ivana, mentioned once that he kept a book of Hitler’s speeches on his nightstand and read it regularly. His own mother hoped he would stay out of politics. Melania refuses his attempts to hold hands when appearing with him in public. All the major publications based in NYC reported on him for years, even revealing details of his divorce from Ivana. I’ve watched this monster for years but never imagined he would be elevated to this level of power. None of us did. Now, we must deal with the consequences of a truly ignorant and hateful citizenry. I don’t know what it will take to rescue this country from these hateful idiots but I am willing to be on the frontlines as necessary.
Thank you for reading this and for your comment, Paula. I'm still in a state of disbelief that he was ever elected – twice! Why do people vote against their own self-interests?
Because people operate on the old adage that ignorance is bliss. MAGA drinks the Kool-Aid and its followers do not possess the intelligence or desire to understand who the grifter and chief is. Our present era is tragic and impacts anyone even remotely connected to this country. Even if we can fight enough to turn it around, how would any other country ever trust us again?
I hear you, Mary Joe. I’m working on a memoir also that starts in the bicentennial year when I was 11 and brings us to today as we approach the 250th anniversary. inspired by the bicentennial I decided I wanted to go to West Point and dedicate myself to public service. You would not believe where that has landed me today. I hope my story will provide universal insight into how we got where we are and hopefully inspire a spark of an initiative to lead us in a new and better direction. Maybe you and I and a few other writers can contribute to inspiring a new and better direction. Here’s a short piece I wrote earlier this year.https://open.substack.com/pub/findingwe/p/beef?r=3ji8n5&utm_medium=ios
Good piece, Philip. Thank you for sharing it. I visited West Point as a teenager for an Army-Navy game, as the guest of a friend's family. (I didn't actually understand football in those days!) But I remember thinking WP and the Hudson River valley were the most beautiful places I'd ever seen.
I, too, hope we can make a difference as we continue writing these columns. I'll watch for your future work. Keep the faith!
Kudos to you on an excellent debut column, Mary Jo. I believe that the reason so many of us feel the dissonance right now means our hearts are still reaching for something higher. That gives me hope.
Thanks, Deb. We need that hope!
Lovely. I can hear the Overture now.
Thank you, Julie.
Beautifully written first column! Great work. And relatable. In Leesburg I had a hard time watching the parade. My husband and I took our son only out of the obligation to our child, teaching him about honor of country and family traditions... My husband was in the Navy and served out government for almost 30 year until recently. But watching the Department of Immigration and Detention walk in our parade made me sick and sad.
Thank you, Erika. I'm glad you found this relatable. I think there are so many of us who don't know how to feel about our country right now. Can we compartmentalize and keep our love of country separate from our pain and anger over what the current administration is doing? I'm finding that challenging, and it sounds like you do, too. And – ICE walked in your parade?? That feels downright offensive.
Bless your husband for serving us for so many years.
I can definitely relate. This was the first July 4 in several years I did not drive my old 560 Farmall tractor to town to be in the evening parade. Certainly not a year to celebrate the USA and what it has become.
Thanks for your story.
It's good to know we weren't alone, Jim. Thanks for reading and commenting – and hang in there!
Brava Mary Jo. Thank you for capturing the worry and dread most sane Americans are feeling right now. I show up for the rallies and protests. I wonder how we’ve become so bloody helpless. I fear for close friends who could be rounded up in the middle of the night. His first wife, Ivana, mentioned once that he kept a book of Hitler’s speeches on his nightstand and read it regularly. His own mother hoped he would stay out of politics. Melania refuses his attempts to hold hands when appearing with him in public. All the major publications based in NYC reported on him for years, even revealing details of his divorce from Ivana. I’ve watched this monster for years but never imagined he would be elevated to this level of power. None of us did. Now, we must deal with the consequences of a truly ignorant and hateful citizenry. I don’t know what it will take to rescue this country from these hateful idiots but I am willing to be on the frontlines as necessary.
Thank you for reading this and for your comment, Paula. I'm still in a state of disbelief that he was ever elected – twice! Why do people vote against their own self-interests?
Because people operate on the old adage that ignorance is bliss. MAGA drinks the Kool-Aid and its followers do not possess the intelligence or desire to understand who the grifter and chief is. Our present era is tragic and impacts anyone even remotely connected to this country. Even if we can fight enough to turn it around, how would any other country ever trust us again?
So many good points here. I just try to take it all one day at a time. It's the best I can do. 💛
That may be the best any of us can do, Andy. Thanks for reading this.
I hear you, Mary Joe. I’m working on a memoir also that starts in the bicentennial year when I was 11 and brings us to today as we approach the 250th anniversary. inspired by the bicentennial I decided I wanted to go to West Point and dedicate myself to public service. You would not believe where that has landed me today. I hope my story will provide universal insight into how we got where we are and hopefully inspire a spark of an initiative to lead us in a new and better direction. Maybe you and I and a few other writers can contribute to inspiring a new and better direction. Here’s a short piece I wrote earlier this year.https://open.substack.com/pub/findingwe/p/beef?r=3ji8n5&utm_medium=ios
Good piece, Philip. Thank you for sharing it. I visited West Point as a teenager for an Army-Navy game, as the guest of a friend's family. (I didn't actually understand football in those days!) But I remember thinking WP and the Hudson River valley were the most beautiful places I'd ever seen.
I, too, hope we can make a difference as we continue writing these columns. I'll watch for your future work. Keep the faith!