Sometimes the hardest times come after the promise of better times falls short.
It looked so good for a brief time. The Confederate flags were coming down, Obamacare was upheld in one of the most ridiculous-without-merit cases ever to come before the Supreme Court, gay marriage was coming to all fifty states, climate change regulations were being put in place by the President (still way too little too late, but ya gotta start somewhere), Bernie Sanders was climbing in the polls, and the treaty with Iran was miraculously agreed to by all nations involved.
But the joy of living where I live, of the dominant right-wing media, of the hordes of naysayers as displayed on Facebook and in polling across the country, I am devastatingly confronted with this simple fact - we're not there yet.
And I have just way exceeded my fill mark of being able to listen to it.
I've passed my fill mark listening to those who still advocate for the Confederate flag, even as Strom Thurmond's son, and a woman whose ancestors were among the political leaders of the Confederacy, and many other Republican leaders vote to take down the flag from state grounds, still make the case that's it's, uh, history or heritage or whatever. Those Republican South Carolinian Republicans made it abundantly clear that that was a false argument and completely blew it out of the water. It's not about history or heritage. It's about representing a system with slavery as it's bedrock, as it's purpose for going to war, and turning treasonous to the United States of America. So stop it, Confederate flag advocates! It does not mean what you think it means. It does not say what you think it says.
I'm way way past my fill mark in listening to people whine and moan about Obamacare. As more and more people are covered, and as the rise in healthcare costs are slowed, as it reduces the federal deficit and improves our economy, as fact after fact after fact demonstrates the good that it is doing, I still hear from people who say the word with a sneer of disgust. As it SAVES people they know, as it helps even themselves, they still deride it and proclaim weird anecdotes against it, and worst of all, really really the worst of all, they have NOTHING in mind to replace it with. They care not a whit about others and their access - it's either all about themselves or just sheer gut hatred of the President of the United State. I'm sick of it. Don't think it's good enough? Well, the only thing better is a single-payer system, Medicare For All. So either accept what we have (with legislative tweaks and improvements), or start feeling the Bern (Bernie Sanders for President!), or just admit you are an Ayn Randian Scroogist who just really doesn't give a crap about what happens to other people.
I'm so far past my fill mark on global warming, I can't stand it. Honestly, I'm like those evangelical hard-line Christians who feel compelled to forcefully save everyone around them, because they know the consequences of not accepting is eternity in a burning hell. Which is where we're headed if we don't do something about man-made global warming RIGHT NOW. I cannot believe, in the face of overwhelming evidence, of not just things predicted to happen but things that are happening RIGHT NOW, that I still have to deal with people who deny it's very existence. It's happening, it's real, and as much as you don't like it, if I don't catch your attention and make you understand what is happening, we're ALL going to burn in a hell of our own creation.
I'm sick unto way past my fill mark about gay marriage. I've seen the devastation that hatred and prejudice and resistance has caused. The unreasoning intolerance of so many around here is wearing me out. Love the sinner, hate the sin is a cruel, stupid response. With all the problems and injustices in the world, with all the active cruelty and selfishness and exploitation that occurs, if you are in a church that stresses intolerance for gays in any fashion - GET OUT! GET OUT NOW! And find a church based on love, tolerance, and understanding. Focusing your religious ire on loving, consenting adults is not where your focus should be.
I've zoomed way past my fill mark about the Iran nuclear deal. Those who speak out against it have only one alternative - WAR. That's all that's left. Is that really where you want to go? By stressing the perfect over the best practical arrangement, they're risking everything.
And really, really way mega-past my fill mark with the circus surrounding Donald Trump. I'm just not furious at those ill-informed Americans crazy enough to support him (even for a fleeting second), I'm upset at the talking heads on the right and left who in any way tries to legitimize or explain his appeal. NO. A thousand times NO! What's his appeal? There is none! Nothing that makes sense. It says more bad things about his supporters than anything about Trump. We really have that many uninformed, inattentive voters in this country? The man represents everything that is NEGATIVE about this country, He was born on third and thought he hit a triple. He's gone corporately bankrupt repeatedly. He survives because the bankers are afraid of what will happen if they let him fail - he's too big for them to let him fail. Yes, he speaks his mind - such as it is! He makes less sense than Sarah Palin, and his con-man bluster should make any person ill or wary. I keep being told that it's OK, that there's no way that he could become President. It doesn't matter. Even if he leaves tomorrow, the damage and vulnerabilities he's exposed in our system, and the lack of basic civic knowledge many of our citizens demonstrate, has done permanent damage to our system. Maybe we should just elect the President through a reality show. Many Americans won't even know the difference.
So much past my fill marks. And yes, for better or worse, I take politics way too seriously, and I'm sure it's one of the contributors to my blood pressure problems. There is one bright spot, however -
And that's Bernie Sanders. No, he may not be able to defeat the corporate juggernaut, but he is dramatically demonstrating that a message of progressive solutions has a much broader appeal than the corporate media wants us to believe. He is attracting unprecedentedly huge crowds, amazing grassroots organizations, and a large army of small donors (of which I am proud to be a part of). His appeal, as an unbought spokesman for the everyman, fills me up with hope for the future.
And after so many things filling me up with anger and disappointment, that is a very good thing.
Feel the Bern!
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