IWSG, WARNING: I'm Going to get Political

Posting the First Wednesday of every month, the Insecure Writer's Support Group, is the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. YOU can sign up HERE to participate.

Every month a question will be posed that may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Remember, the question is optional. You can write about anything that relates to your writing journey.

Let's give a warm welcome to our co-hosts:  Diedre Knight, Lisa Buie Collard , Kim Lajevardi, and JQ Rose!

This month's question is: What creative activity do you engage in when you're not writing?

I used to do a lot of crafty stuff, but my hands don't like to cooperate like they once did. I still like to color. But for me, now, at this stage, I'm into putting jigsaw puzzles together. I like 1000 piece puzzles, I like them challenging and moderately hard. I post pictures of finished puzzles on my Facebook page.

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WARNING: I'm going to get political!

I'm writing this post the day before the most important, contentious, and chaotic presidential election I have ever experienced. And, it will be posted the day after, when we may have some idea of who won or who has claimed to win.

Never in my all my political life (and I've been voting a long time now) have I felt so personally fearful for myself about expressing or showing my political choice. I have not been comfortable wearing a button, sporting a bumper sticker, or posting a sign in my yard because I personally know of too many instances when yard signs have been stolen/destroyed, bumper stickers removed or cars vandalized, or people being verbally abused for wearing a button or t-shirt. Make no mistake, I live in a red town in a red state and it is MAGA Republicans who are behaving in this undemocratic and intolerant manner. That this has happened/is happening in this day and age infuriates me and is also very frightening as it is the early warning signs of a deeper sickness that could lead to even worse acts of violence against the perceived "enemy within," which is all of those who disagree.

I have three ancestors who fought in the American Revolution. And, except for the Civil War, people in my family have fought in every major war since then. WWI - my great uncle lied about his age and drove ambulances. WWII - my father, his two brothers and my mother's brother. Korea - my mother's cousin. Vietnam - my floating island of garbage Puerto Rican cousin who has SEVEN Purple Hearts. Desert Storm, another Puerto Rican cousin. These are the military people a certain candidate has disrespected on more than one occasion. 

This election isn't normal. This is about women's rights and whether we will continue to have our independence and control over our own healthcare or whether we will be returned to a state of subjugation and submissiveness. Having grown up knowing a Suffragette, who was in her late teens early 20s when she marched for the right to vote, I know she would be appalled at what is happening. This election is about taking care of our military, it's about minority rights, LGBTQ rights, voting rights, HUMAN RIGHTS. Even public education is under attack. On the voting issue, I know it's gotten more difficult to vote in my red county, not easier, not just because of Texas's draconian voter registration laws, but because of the reduction in the number of polling places. And the gerrymandering makes it damn near impossible to get a democrat into a state seat let alone into congress so Texas is basically functioning as a one party dictatorship. 

Whatever your political stance, know that your choice will take us in one of two directions, forward or backward. Being from the generation who struggled to give women the right to have a credit card in her own name without a man signing for her, taking out a loan or buying a home in her name, owning a business, and getting safe abortions -- because there will ALWAYS be abortions so we have voted on whether we want them to be safe or not -- it is gut wrenching that we have to go through this all over again. 

A representative democracy such as ours will always be messy and fragile. My hope is, that despite everything, we will find a way to return to being civil towards each other even if we disagree. I personally, do not want to be afraid any more.

Quotes of the Month

Democracy is the worst form of government, except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time. Winston Churchill

Our children should learn the general framework of their government and then they should know where they come in contact with the government, where it touches their daily lives and where their influence is exerted on the government. It must not be a distant thing, someone else's business, but they must see how every cog in the wheel of a democracy is important and bears its share of responsibility for the smooth running of the entire machine. Eleanor Roosevelt

The freedom to express varying and often opposing ideas is essential to variety of conceptions of democracy. If democracy is viewed as essentially a process – a way in which collective decisions for a society are made – free expression is crucial to the openness of the process and to such characteristics as elections, representation of interests, and the like. Jonathan D. Casper The basis of a democratic state is liberty. Aristotle

Being Thankful

Today, Monday, I am thankful I live in a relatively free country.

Today, Wednesday, will tell me if I still am.