I have one last and long train of thought addressed to Trump voters before I move on and figure out the best way I can use my own energies to help protect the vulnerable people and nature I care so much about.
The next time you have the incredible privilege of seeing our gorgeous National Parks or monuments… or watching a sunset filled with the sights and sounds of seabirds … or taking a cruise to Alaska to see our magnificent, once-critically-endangered whales …
… or sipping a drink of water straight from the tap … or sitting on a coastal beach unmarred by the oil derricks that used cover the sands … or walking the city streets without a pollution respirator … or swimming in a fresh lake untainted by effluent …
… or getting medical care even though you have a pre-existing condition … or marrying the person you love without fear of repercussion or legal prohibition …
… or, for women, having credit and bank accounts (federally insured) and economic autonomy that weren’t available to our grandmothers and many of our mothers … or, (up until Dobbs) awaiting the birth of your first baby knowing you or your partner will be able to get the reproductive and life-saving care needed …
… or collecting overtime pay and working in OSHA-safe environments … or unionizing to protect your rights … or retiring with a baseline cushion of Medicare and Social Security … and on and on …
… know that liberals are the reason these benefits and protections exist for everyone. For years, we’ve had to hear how loathesome our liberal values are. But, now it will be progressives again, the ones who still have the fight in them, who will be the remaining guardrails, trying to save and protect what is left of our precious planet against the worst impulses of this man who’s signaled his intent to tear it down.
Know that all of the above is what you voted against. It’s everything and everyone in the world I love and care about, and I’m not alone. There’s a reason I’m hearing from so many people I know that they’ve had enough, that they don’t want any of this in their lives anymore … because, you voted against us … all of us, and most likely yourselves in the end. I’m not putting a happy face or a peace sign on any of that.
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