Tag: America

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one year on

One year ago today, I was working from home and had one of my monitors tuned in to watch the certification of the electoral college votes. I was watching not because I expected anything would happen, but because I was relieved that we would finally have a competent adult in the White House.

Well, I expected a few theatrical objections from the Republican side of things because they’d already proven that they were incapable of behaving like rational adults. I didn’t expect to be watching a full-on insurrection.

In fact, I was so incredulous when it started to be clear that something was happening, that I called my mother to confirm what I was seeing was real. For clarity, I don’t have cable tv, I was streaming on YouTube, so I was looking for confirmation that the news was showing the same thing.

Needless to say, not a lot of work got done the rest of the day as I watched the coverage.

There was a lot of shock and some fear on my part, a lot of disbelief too.

In the days that followed, as more and more information came out, that disbelief turned to anger, and over the last year, as we learned more and as social media posts made during the insurrection went viral, that anger grew.

In the last year, some of those people went on trial and went to jail, or had to pay fines. The length of the sentences grew as they went along, working their way up to those who committed the more heinous acts that day.

This is not over, not until those at the top face justice. Not until the full truth about who was involved behind the scenes is known. Not until those in office who were involved are expelled.

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the very existence of democracy in America is on the line.

On this anniversary, I hope a somber remembrance will lead us to better days, dear Readers.

Photo by Louis Velazquez on Unsplash

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reflections on what it means to be American

In 1776, on the fourth of July, the Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, kicking off the great American experiment in governing ourselves. It was the first step in throwing off the perceived chains of Britain’s hold on us, the beginning of our attempt at a government formed by the people.

July fourth became a national holiday in 1870, but it wasn’t a paid federal holiday until the 1940s. Over the years, the holiday has been observed in a number of ways, traditionally including flag-waving, fireworks and family BBQs. Nothing says freedom like hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, I suppose.

The first real memory I have of understanding what the flag stood for, or the fervor of patriotism that it seems to inspire these days was in 1976, the second centennial of our stand for independence. Before then we recited the pledge everyday at school…but it was just so many meaningless words to this not-quite-eight-year old.

I wasn’t instilled with patriotic passion as a child. The concept of “the nation” and my place in it wasn’t something that my little brain gave much energy to.

As I grew, I did develop a love for the country I called home, and the older I get, the more radically I love, and want to improve, America. I’m not a flag-waving-ammo-sexual-patriot. I don’t actually even own a flag. I’m not likely to attend any fireworks displays (especially now when we are so dry and the state is burning), or play patriotic music.

I guess you could say I would rather live my patriotism than show it off. How do I do that? With my vote. With my vocal support of equality, equity and the desire to live the ideals of freedom, rather than the letter of the law. With my dollars that I spend or donate to support causes that are fighting for that ideal of freedom.

For me, the greatest thing about this country is the way we have progressed, and how we have allowed our understanding of what the founding fathers intended to grow with us, even though we still have a very long way to go.

Sometimes that progress needs to be dragged out of our past with a team of Clydesdales, and as recent years have showed us there is always a danger for our footing to flounder and the weight of our history to drag us backwards.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Maybe they didn’t mean all men, and maybe they didn’t include women, but here we are, grown from that to, at least in theory, include all men and all women. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Think on that was you wave your flag and grill your brats. Consider what that means to not only you, but those who are not like you. Consider what it will mean to your children, or the generations to follow.

In the grand scheme of the world, we are a young country, and we have a lot of growing up to do, we have high standards to hold ourselves to, and we have an ideal of freedom for all that we must embrace in our hearts.

I hope this holiday weekend finds you well, Readers, and that your days bring kindness.

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what a week

Like most Americans, my attention has been firmly on our nation’s capitol this week, as law enforcement investigates the uprising at the capitol and congress worked to hold the president responsible for inciting that violence.

I’ll admit that it has not been great for my creativity or productivity!

That said, I did finish the zero draft of the second Blood Witch book over the weekend. Up next will be an editing pass to flesh out a few scenes and retrofit some story points that developed near the end.

For as long as I have been writing, my characters can still surprise me. Going into this book, I knew the plot points I wanted to hit, at least in the beginning and middle. The ending changed multiple times while I was writing, and a relationship developed between two characters along the way, which I now have to go back through and lay the breadcrumbs in.

There’s a certain satisfaction that comes with reaching the end of the book, even though I know there is still work to do. It was a victory I needed this week.

Now though, I need to finish my coffee and get on with the day job. I hope you are all safe and well, Readers and that you manage to find joy in these chaotic and dangerous times.

Cover Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash

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safe, loved and informed

The days blur, one into another, just as much now that I have a lot of work to do as they did when I had none. They all begin the same, up at five am…ish, coffee and a brief read through of social media, then laptop booted up. That is where I stay for between ten and fourteen hours of my day, well, I do switch between laptops, depending on which work I have to work on, but pretty much it’s all the same.

I have to say, I am so tired y’all. It isn’t the work. I’m grateful to have something to do. I’m just tired. World-weary is a good phrase for it. This world right now is exhausting, and no amount of sleep is going to fix it.

Maybe we’ve been sleeping too long and it’s time to wake up.

I’ve been watching a lot of documentaries about American history this week while I work. I’ve been very focused on the American Revolution and the Civil War. I’ve learned about a lot of people and battles I had never heard of before. Our history has been so whitewashed here in the US.

Add in some documentaries about black and brown folks, produced by black and brown folks, and I’m just so tired of this world. I can’t imagine how much worse it is for those not born to the privilege of this white skin that encases me.

We need to do better, people. We need to be better.

And as we barrel forward into the uncertainty of this virus infested world, with cases spiking, and deaths to certainly follow, we need to be kind. We need to be informed. We need to vow to care not only for ourselves, but for our fellow human beings. We need to demand the government do the same.

Hoping that you are safe, loved and informed, Readers. Safe, loved and informed.

Cover Photo by Abbie Bernet on Unsplash

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an act of treason

July 4th is a celebration of an act of treason. An act of dissent. The original event, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, was only one such act. The colonies had already been at war with their sovereign for some time. They had already convened a Continental Congress once to bring the colonies together and lay down plans for governance and to bring grievances from the colonies to the ear of the king, among other things.

The second congress was convened and from that congress came the Declaration of Independence, essentially a written FU to the king. These Americans were fed up, done with being the king’s dogs. So they rioted.

They started a damn war. They felt cornered, like they had no choice.

Sound familiar?

Sound like anything going on in our country today?

I keep hearing people saying that the Black Lives Matter movement is not going to get the changes they want unless they are “polite” and “protest the right way”…whatever that way is. But that isn’t how the world actually gets changed. We’ve spent two hundred years treating black and brown people far, far worse than old King George treated the colonies.

You think they don’t deserve to rise up and make their own declaration? You think they don’t have reason to destroy the property of the overlords? Is it going to take a war? A revolution?

Think that’s unAmerican? Think that’s treasonous? They aren’t even looking to create their own country, they just want to be treated like people, equal to and considered the same as white folks, by white folks.

That kind of treason is where we come from. An act of treason should not be necessary, a war should not be necessary, for us to recognize the problem inherent in our history and our present so that we can forge a better future.

And those are my thinky thoughts on this July 3rd. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness“

All men are created equal and entitled to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. All men. All.

And on that note, I shall leave you and head out to the living room to start work on Job #2. Have a nice long weekend, Readers. And contemplate the rights which are unalienable.