Embracing the "Radical"

rad·i·cal radək(ə)l/ 

U.S. youth slang use is from 1983, from 1970s surfer slang meaning "at the limits of control."

This is how I feel today.  At the LIMITS of my control.  And I believe (or hope) that I am just one of 3 MILLION people in this country that have had ENOUGH.  Enough silence.  Enough hoping that someone else would step up.  Enough wishing that people would do the right thing.  Enough ignoring all the injustice, ignorance, discrimination, hatred and vitriol we are being faced with.  ENOUGH WITH THE LIES.  or let me rephrase - enough with the "alternate facts".

Here we are.  2 days after the inauguration of arguably the least qualified, most controversial figure in American history.  A self aggrandizing narcissist. A man who will go down in history as the force behind the creation of the largest US resistance this side of the succession from the Union.  This won't be all about him, but it will be BECAUSE of him.  What he represents.  The underbelly that was lying dormant, waiting for someone like him to emerge.  They took advantage of our complacency.  Our temerity.  Or if I am being honest, our own self-absorption.  This is what happens when you are not paying attention. And if this is the result - that we are being shoved outside of our proverbial boxes - then THAT has to be the WHY.  So, here we are.

I've seen a ton of "anti" posts.  Why march?  Why not give him a chance?  You are just making it worse.  This is my response.....THIS is WHY ------->.  I gave him a chance.  During the primary.  When at every turn he disappointed me.  And dropped lower and lower in my esteem.  Until I didnt think he could lower, honestly.  AND THEN this came out.  I dont care that it was in the past. I dont care that he was a reality star. I dont care that he thinks it's appropriate locker room banter.  IT IS NOT.  And those of you defending it as such are at best enabling him.  At worst, you are sexist, misogynist asshats.  Most of you fall somewhere in between those extremes.  Let me say one more time IT IS NOT OKAY. And those of you who have wives, mothers, daughters, sisters or even just women friends - YOU should be ashamed of yourselves for rationalizing this.  PERIOD.  The fact that that quote can be attributed to THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is a TRAVESTY.  And I understand that this is not an issue for everyone.  But it's MY issue.  One of many, but also the lowest hanging fruit.  

I won't go so far as to say he's not my President.  I understand that he is, in fact, my President.  Whether I support him or voted for him, he won the election. And I have to live with that. I UNDERSTAND.  But I do NOT have to like it.  I do not have to go quietly on about my merry way. It is my OBLIGATION to challenge him, his rhetoric, and his policies.  Because if not ME, WHO? Letting other people take responsibility is what got us in this mess to begin with.  If you support him, then DO IT.  Stand up and tell me why we should leave NATO.  Tell me WHY we should reverse Roe v Wade.  Tell me why you believe the media is persecuting POOR DJT.  Tell me WHY science is now in question.  Why the environment is not a priority? Or for that matter WHY the truth is no longer an imperative. I may agree with you.  But i implore you to voice your support in a coherent, intelligent, cohesive manner.  So that I can UNDERSTAND.  We DO NOT have to agree on policies.  That is not what I am talking about. I am talking about getting to a place where we can discuss our differences in sane, logical, rational discourses. Not mean tweets.  Or contrarian media sources.

There is such a thing as TRUTH.  There are NOT alternate versions of it.  There are a myriad of OPINIONS on just about everything.  And I understand that some things can not intrinsically be proven.  But some can.  I REFUSE to become a silent member of a society that is trying to subvert the TRUTH.  We have long let our politicians get away with telling us half-truths, and buying into the political "SPIN" that goes along with it.  We have created this animal.  WE HAVE TO OWN THAT.  But if we don't wake up NOW, it may ultimately prove to be too late.  The TRUTH is under attack.  THE TRUTH.  FACTS are not up for debate.  There is not an "alternate fact".  An alternate fact is a distortion - plain and simple.  One could go so far as to call it a LIE.  I guess phrases like "lets just call a spade a spade" no longer apply.  Maybe in ALTERNATE fact land, a spade could be a club.  They are both a card.  And not red.  Close enough.  Do we really want to raise our children in an era of CLOSE ENOUGH????

I do not.  I OBJECT.  This is me.  RAISING MY VOICE.  I do not know exactly what the next step is.  But I do know I WILL NOT BE SILENT.  I will not keep my criticism to myself.  I will not stay quiet when others voice their support for questionable tactics, facts, media, policies or people.  I just WON'T.  And it's hard.  It's hard already, knowing I will lose friends over this.  I like my friends.  Even the ones who voted for Trump.  I've tried giving them the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe their lives are truly so difficult that they are willing to turn a blind eye to his questionable character.  But I am NOT.  I understand having POLICY differences.  I was a Republican until about 4 months ago.   Lifelong I might add.  But I would rather come down on the side of DECENCY than of prosperity.  And ultimately I believe that was the choice.  That is what is came down to for me, anyway.

My hope is that what emerges from this trainwreck is an era of moderation.  And if it takes labelling moderation as a RADICAL movement, then so be it.  I believe in fiscal responsibility.  100%.  I know we can not pay for every social program on the planet.  I know that some very smart people will have to put their heads together to start figuring this out.  BUT.  I also believe in FREEDOM.  And the definition of freedom is in no way shape or form having someone else decide FOR ME what I am allowed to do with and to my body.  The questions of who I love, where I go to the bathroom, how I might identify, where or what I worship (if anything), and WHAT I DO TO MY OWN BODY are not your concern.  They are MY concern.  MINE.  I believe in your right to NOT have an abortion.  I believe in your right to be CATHOLIC.  Or Protestant.  Or Evangelical.  You don't like abortions - don't HAVE ONE.  You don't want to use a gender neutral bathroom - DON'T.  You don't want to use birth control.  DON'T.  But please for the love of your GOD, stop trying to enforce your beliefs on me and mine!  How many times have you said or heard "it's a free country"?  Guess what?  You want to keep your guns?  I want to keep my RIGHTS.  There is room here for all of us. It's called COMPROMISE.  I'm sure you have heard of it.  Maybe we all just forgot that it's not a bad word.

com·pro·miseˈkämprəˌmīz/noun 

an agreement or a settlement of a dispute that is reached by each side making concessions.

Somewhere along the lines, compromise because synonymous with sellout. When in reality, we compromise every single day. As we should. Otherwise we would all be running around thinking that we can do or say whatever we want with no consequence. Sound familiar? The people who are selling out are the ones who WON'T compromise. If you are at a place where you honestly believe that what you think is more true, more important, or more significant than anyone else, you have lost your ability to learn or grow. And that is just tragic. People are allowed to change their minds. When faced with new information, it is okay to say, I have a better understanding now. That is what learning is. Being exposed to new information. And then working to incorporate it into your current understanding. Compromising is not selling out. It's EVOLVING. It's being open to enlightenment. It's placing VALUE on what someone else brings to the table. Compromise is my hope for our future.

The miserable have no other medicine

But only hope.~William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

 One of my favorite slogans that has come to the forefront recently is this :  FEMINISM is the RADICAL belief that women are PEOPLE.  How that is now or ever should be considered a radical belief is beyond imagining.  I fervently want to thank every woman before me that took up the mantle of "radical" to demand what should be given freely.  And that my friends is where it starts.  At the limit of my control is the beginning of the next phase of this continuing "radical" movement towards justice, equality and freedom.  For all of us.