This Is Personal

Current politics are personal to me. For many reasons.

First, I am a guy. I have an ex-wife, a daughter, two granddaughters, a daughter-in-law, and a sister. I have had a mother, grandmothers, and aunts. I care about their freedom to make their own decisions. That includes abortions and other gender related health issues. It is their pursuit of happiness and wellness that is central to their own debate. Not mine. My role is to support them and help maintain the system of government that protects them and their rights.

Second, I am gay. This has not been an easy issue to live with. I did not choose to be gay. I was born this way. My job was to know it, understand it, and live with it. None of those things are in a written manual. I did not know what to do, nor where to turn for advice and counsel. None. I lived life the best I could. The struggle informed me of options. Those developed over the course of a few decades. I did not become an independent gay man until the age of 50. Seven years later I had a husband. Both he and I have rights under the constitution. Those rights have always been there. They have not been recognized by government people (congresspersons, senators, Presidents, and state level elected officials) until very recently. Until then it was a crap shoot on what my rights were and how I was to conduct my personal pursuit of happiness. Same for my husband.

Third, not knowing everyone individually and personally, I have learned to accept the diversity of our people known as Americans. I also have learned and accepted the diversity of peoples all over the globe. I respect their diversity. I cannot possibly understand them, but I can support their privacy and personal freedoms. They have every bit of freedom as do I to pursue happiness. Policies and programs that support all of this matters to us nationally and internationally. My government should follow suit accordingly.

Fourth, I am a citizen of this nation and have certain inalienable rights. One of those is to vote. That role and function comes with responsibilities and duties. The foremost duty is to be informed and able to understand the issues and vote accordingly. Every citizen has this right. Unfortunately, not everyone takes this duty seriously. They let others think for them. They allow others to run and abuse our political process. Saying something is so does not make it so. Facts matter. Truth matters. Both are available to read and study. Both are accessible for our brains to understand. Not doing this often leads to government actions that deprive many of us of our rights.

Fifth, Abraham Lincoln told us everything we need to know in the Gettysburg Address. Everything. Short and to the point. And so very true and honest. His speech demonstrates why it was great and memorable. He is an indelible part of our nation’s history and rightly so. It is up to each of us to maintain our democracy, so it does not perish. It can easily do so. It is not easy to maintain it, however.

Sixth, who I love, what I believe, and how I pursue happiness are mine to define. Not you or the government. Not the Supreme Court, either. Nor the legislators. They all think they do, they make decisions and take actions that do, so they do. They ought not. That is in the Constitution. It is basic.

The final word here is just that, basic is my freedom to live life. No government should interfere with that. No church or religion, either. It is mine to define and to take responsibility for.

I’ll be voting accordingly this November. I hope you do as well.

July 8, 2024

 

 

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