What Kind of America Do You Want?

What does your version of an ideal America look like?

What do you want America to look like? Is it a country where only straight white men (mostly old white men) have power and control over everything? Is it a country where

• only white men hold the nation's wealth
• white men act only to benefit themselves rather than the people at large
  
• minorities are second-class citizens
• women are considered 'less than' men in all respects
• the environment is seen merely as something to be exploited
• the white male version of Christianity is seen as the only 'true' religion
• hypocrisy and misogyny are the norm
• equal rights for gay, lesbian and transgender people don't exist
• only those deemed to follow the Republican party line are allowed to vote 
• anybody who wants an assault-style gun (or a dozen) is allowed to have one
• programs that protect the most vulnerable (Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, mental health programs) are deemed to be 'too expensive' and are slashed 
• doing anything and everything -- bribery, intimidation, legislation -- to hold onto power is allowed, even encouraged
• immigrants who aren't white are demonized
• women are looked upon as unqualified to hold any position of influence regardless of their qualification 
• strong women are demonized as whores who sleep their way to the top
  
• the 'right to life' applies only to the unborn fetus, not to children after they are born
• as 'less than' men, women should accept being paid less for doing the same job as men
• women are judged on their clothing, their hair style and how pretty they are, not on their education, talents and skills
• members of the LGBTQ community are discriminated against with impunity
• abortions are illegal under all circumstances
• voter suppression is seen as acceptable
• those who dislike the results of an election are free to march on the capitol, threatening and attacking legislators and police, even killing some
  

This seems to be the unwritten platform of the current Republican party, where voter suppression and intimidation are commonplace. The great state of Arkansas just passed legislation (that was signed post haste by the governor) that allows physicians to refuse to treat members of the LGBTQ community. Georgia's legislature passed (and the governor quickly signed) legislation severely curtailing voting rights, even making it illegal to distribute food and water to voters waiting in line. 

If this is your idea of a great America, congratulations. If we don't fight back, this is the country we will get.

So yes, this is the Republican (or as some prefer, the Republikkkan) version of an ideal America. White. Male. Straight. Domineering. Hypocritical. Racist. Sexist. Greedy.

What's next? Slavery? Indentured servitude? Women aren't allowed to go to school or work outside the home? Anyone who isn't a white male needs to 'know their place' and shut up?

This is not the America I want to live in. It is not the America where I want my daughter and my unborn grandson to live. This isn't the America for which more than 1 million Americans died in service to this country, defending our constitution. 

Things haven't been perfect during my time on this planet, but at least racism and misogyny are being called out and people -- sometimes -- held to account. Progress has been made, but it has been painfully slow. At the rate things are going, how long will it be before blatant racism, homophobia and misogyny become the norm?

I fear for my country. I fear for those who are impacted directly by this growing trend of us (white men) vs them (everybody else). 

If this is not the kind of country you want, GET INVOLVED! Vote in every election. Contact your elected officials and let them know how you feel. Help others register to vote. The stakes for our country and our way of life are too great to merely stand by and let this happen. Always remember that freedom isn't free.