The Speech

DEFENDING AMERICA’S SOUL

My husband and I watched President Biden’s speech last night at Constitution Hall in Philadelphia.  It is so fitting he chose this location to speak, and we are so glad he is finally coming out with a non-sugar-coated truth:  our democracy is in danger from the fascist words and actions of tRump and MAGAs.  I sure hope other politicians are inspired to begin speaking out against the evil pervading our country.  We must begin to make our opposition to the nefarious actions by MAGAs much more vocally and frequently.

He tried to delineate most Repubs from those he was actually targeting.  He said that they didn’t agree with what TFG (tRump) and the MAGA legislators were doing but were afraid to speak out.  I suppose they were thinking of the career-ended representatives and/or senators who publicly disagreed with TFG or voted to impeach him.  Those politicians were “primaried” and others just simply retired, knowing they were going to lose because of TFG’s vengeful nature and power.  Those are the honorable Repubs, to be honest.  The ones who sit on their hands and say nothing are complicit with their silence.  Sorry, that’s the way I feel.

President Biden referred several times to saving America’s soul and mentioned God once.  I am spiritual and connected with that.  But even those who are atheist, agnostic, or of another religion can certainly relate to the soul.  Scientifically, it would be what makes us uniquely us.  It’s our life force, which is why once we’re gone, we look so phony lying on display in a coffin.  I have been to wakes many times in my lifetime and never have any of my loved ones looked like themselves.  That’s because their energy has gone, leaving an empty shell.

Well, America has a soul too.  It’s made up of us all and right now, it’s infected with disease.  The only way to save it is to respond and react to the disease.  If America was a body, we would take her to the doctor to check her over.  If the infection was a bad one or spreading, we’d give her an antibiotic and help her get well.  America is not a single human body though.  America is all of us.  I refer to America as “her”, thinking of the Statue of Liberty, welcoming everyone to the country.

It's not enough to grumble about what the MAGAs have been doing.  Too many were afraid of retaliation or disapproval to say anything even as the infection began to spread.  Think of an infected appendix about to rupture.  Wait too long to see the surgeon and it ruptures, sending poison all through what used to be a healthier body.  We’re just about at that point and so it was so important that President Biden step in now and speak up.  Hopefully it was in time to stop the rupture and irrevocable poisoning of America.

TFG and MAGAs are throwing a big hissy fit about the speech.  They are whining that the President has declared war on conservatives (no, he didn’t) and that he is being divisive.  They seem to be conveniently forgetful that they are the masters of divisiveness.  They are either incredibly ignorant or clever hypocrites.

I don’t want to make it seem like all we need to do is vote out the MAGAs.  America’s soul needs more TLC because of the injuries done to Blacks, indigenous peoples, and people of different colors, faiths or sexualities/gender.  If the MAGAs/GQPers take control, those injustices will become greater.  Every time there’s been strides forward, it’s been with a Democratic administration under Presidents Roosevelt, Kennedy/Johnson, and Obama.

There’s a lot of possibilities for the Biden administration and not just with the legislations that were passed this year.  Just yesterday, I read that sixty high schools in this country will be offering advanced placement African-American studies—but obviously not in the repressive, fascist red states.  This is a wonderful idea and I would hope that eventually all high schools would implement it.  Younger children would benefit from learning a truthful history, one that was taught age-appropriately.

Now is the time to speak up and keep speaking up.  MAGAs are eager to talk about rioting in the streets if TFG is charged or convicted for any of the crimes he’s committed.  Don’t fear the violence.  Fear the danger that silence causes.  Hiding won’t stop the violence of bad people.  So be vocal.  Contact your representatives and let them know how you feel.  Volunteer for phone banks to elect Democrats.  Above all, VOTE.  For the sake of our country, VOTE.