Apparently it was a Long Intermission

Breakfast Table Political Argument by Norman Rockwell
Sorry, kid, it won't end with the election...

Tonight, I logged into my Blogger account believing it had been two weeks since my last post. Not exactly great, but well within this year's blogging habits. I assumed that I had only slipped up a little. Only upon seeing the date of my last entry (September 29th), did I realize my short slip had turned into a long slide of four straight weeks. Nowhere near as bad as my fourteen-week-long sabbatical at the beginning of this year. Yet, it feels a lot like I have given up on this project. A part of me wants to stop completely. However, another part clings desperately to a hope that whatever blogging I do will bear fruit someday. Since I am sitting here at my desk typing away, that optimistic part of my brain has won out.

The main reason for my absence these past four weeks has to do with the election. I have been struggling to put my thoughts into words. Well not quite. My mind is a boiling over with reactions to the onslaught of media coverage surrounding this year's presidential race. However, I do not have the courage to put any of my responses under public scrutiny. Nor do I have the will to commit them to private journal entries. But, I could not bring myself to share the trivial and mundane experiences filling up my life. They did not seem urgent or appropriate given the state of this country.

So, I avoided blogging--an entire month of it. And, I languished under a maelstrom of observations and ideas churning about in my head. But, the election is two days away, and cannot be silent any longer. Not that what I have to say will change anyone's minds. Anyway, my audience consists of a half dozen people. However, if this election becomes as consequential as most people in this country believe--and I share that conviction--I want a record, for what it is worth, of my place in this historical event.

Last week, I voted for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for President of the United States, and all Democrats down ballot, and I did it for the following reasons (in no particular order, nor is it an exhaustive list):

• I fully and unequivocally support the right of a woman to access abortion for whatever reason she decides, and currently the Democratic Party is the only party willing to fight for that right;

• The Republican Party refuses to recognize this right, and has demonstrated their willingness to impose a national ban on abortion;

• I support the Ukrainian people's defense of their independence from Russian influence, and understand that the US and Europe must help them fight off this unjustified invasion;

• I believe that Donald Trump's open support of authoritarians such as Viktor Orban, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un undermines our national security, our alliances with democratic countries, and the rights of US citizens;

• I cannot support any candidate or party who denies the humanity of members of the LGBQT community, by accusing them of grooming, denying them access to necessary medical treatments, and mocks their existence;  

• I cannot support the Republican Party as it refuses to question the words and actions of its  leader, or its most radical members;

• I cannot support the Republican Party as it dehumanizes immigrants; 

• I cannot support the Republican Party as it constantly misuses the terms Marxism, communism, socialism, pornography, grooming, and patriotism, and uses them as a form of misdirection, misinformation, and avoidance;

• I cannot support the Republican Party after its attempts to undermine our election processes through outright lies, and lies of omission;

• Donald Trump is a textbook-case narcissist, unable to handle criticism or comprehend a reality beyond his own self, constantly blames others for his own mistakes, forever seeking the attention and approval of authoritarians and bullies;

• Donald Trump associates himself with people like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a person who openly peddles pseudoscience, and denies the results of scientific research, who would be a direct threat to our ability to deal with a health crisis;

• Donald Trump is now too old to be President of the United States, and is clearly showing cognitive decline;

• The Republican Party is undermining public education, by redirecting funding to private and religious schools, labeling teachers as groomers and Marxists, and introducing the Bible and the Ten Commandments as indoctrination tools;

• The Republican Party's support of banning ideas and books from schools is dangerous and destructive, anti-intellectual, and unconstitutional (yes, they are banning books, and, no, they are not removing pornography);

• The Republican Party's constantly puts forth a history of the US that claims exceptionalism, ignores the oppressed, includes inaccuracies, elevates myths, and rejects uncomfortable truths;

• Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are competent and educated people, who openly support public education, recognize the importance of immigration, acknowledge the dangers Russia poses to Europe and the world, and have shown zero signs of narcissistic behavior.

I am not going to bother to provide support for each of these statements. Not today, at least. If you disagree with anything I have said here today, here is a suggestion: go read the work of those with whom you disagree. That is what I have done for decades. I have read arguments from pro-life people, the controversial excerpts from books people have labeled inappropriate or pornographic, Trump's speeches, stories from the southern border, legal and historical analysis that I find disagreeable, and so on, and so forth.

As for election day, I am going to spend the morning with my eldest daughter touring a college, eat a lunch of pulled pork and ribs, and retire early to bed with a good book. I am not going to look at my phone or a television. Following the election news is not going to change anything. And the Media does not deserve my attention. Fuck them. More importantly, I need my energy and a clear head in order to face the results the next morning.