Ah, Memorial Day weekend. I like BBQ and I love veterans. I am blessed to get to work with smart, funny entrepreneurial veterans in my professional life and with ever patriotic concerned citizen veterans in my political life. I am always inspired by and learning from these brave men and women, back home in different fights, still hoping to make a better world for their families and all of us.
I worry about the rise of oligarchy, media fraud and election fraud a lot. Mostly because I love the promise of America myself of fair and open democracy, but quite a bit because I want the sacrifices my friends, family and colleagues have made on their families and frankly, sanity to honor the American promise of equality and justice. (http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/05/09/hillary-clinton-versus-bernie-sanders-taking-election-fraud-allegations-seriously-part-1/)
I worry about the rise of totalitarianism in America, not because I fear an orange colored demagogue, but because I believe in the American promise of melting pot, where individuals of different backgrounds come together as citizens with common goals for our greater society. I worry about the over 5,000 Muslim men and women who serve in our military having to hear pundits and candidates dismiss their sacrifices for political points with the ignorant. You might say that I worry a lot, which is fair, because I do. I’m basically an old Jewish grandmother at this point.
Anyhow, enjoy that BBQ, and do thank and think of our veterans. But, perhaps we should do more. We should care for them better when they come home to us. We should preserve the ideals they fought for. Lesser of two evils isn’t cutting it. Let’s honor vets by fighting to restore democracy. Show patriotism and speak out against the oligarchs who are undoing the American promise. Cheers.
