America At the Crossroads

This is it, America. 

Election day 2020. This is without a doubt the most important election since I became eligible to vote some 50 years ago. Apparently many others feel the same way, as more than 100 million Americans have already cast their votes. Many stood in line for up to 10 or 12 hours, in driving rain and blazing sun.

As Joe Biden says, we are fighting for the soul of America. This election will determine whether we can start to rebuild was has been destroyed over the past 4 years, or whether we will continue on the path to autocracy and economic ruin for the masses. Will we choose democracy or fascism?

If Biden loses, we will certainly see more power grabbing by the president*. We will continue to see him and his cronies in Congress enrich themselves and their wealthy friends at the expense of ordinary Americans. We will see him continue to suck up to the dictators of the world, such as Putin, Kim Jung Un and Mohammed bin Salman. We will watch as America withdraws even further into isolationism. Alliances with our long-term allies will continue to wither. We will be hit with even more lies, and more egregious lies. Environmental protections will be completely destroyed, opening our national parks and wilderness areas to extractive uses such as mining and oil drilling. Nothing will be done to combat the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the country.

Nothing will be done to stem the hatred and violence this president* loves to foment. I expect the members of his cult to feel emboldened by his victory -- whether legitimate or not -- and to increase their hateful speech and actions against those who disagree with him. The evangelical 'Christians' and their allies in the courts will press to remove reproductive rights from half the population of the US. They will continue their efforts to return members of the LGBTQ community to second-class status. We will inch closer to becoming a theocracy, with Muslims, Jews and other religious groups being shoved aside.

We cannot, we must not, allow this to happen. Is Joe Biden a perfect candidate? He is not. He wasn't my first choice in the large field of potential Democratic candidates. But he has the knowledge, the temperament, the energy and the compassion to lead us out of the mess he will inherit. He is a good man. He has a deep Christian faith.

If you are registered to vote (and some states allow same-day registration and voting), and you are not among the more than 100 million Americans who have already cast their votes, please VOTE TODAY!