Silence is Not Golden in the Face of Fascism

Oh wow. I just saw that it is the 74th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. I will just say that, since we now, in my strong opinion, have a fascist at the helm in our own dear, precious country, it is important to study the Holocaust if you are not familiar with it, for as the truism goes (and truisms aren't called that for no reason): those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it.

Silence is not golden in the face of fascism, hate, bigotry, and/or cruelty, and certainly not when any or all of those become national policy. In my strong opinion, we must speak out against the walking, talking, tweeting violation of, and affront to, our constitution that is our current President, and his barbaric, cruel, illegal, immoral, un-American and inhuman policies such as kidnapping babies and children, putting them in cages, not keeping records of who and where their parents are, traumatizing and orphaning them.

Because I am familiar--literally familiar, it affected my family, my people, but also familiar in the sense that I've studied it, studied the holocaust, studied history, and I know that history isn't really history: it's the present, in the sense that the potential for everything that has ever happened in human history lives within us all today--I know what I'm seeing in our current President, and I know I need to speak out, loudly and clearly, when I see it. I know I need to stand together with all my fellow Americans of all stripes in the Resistance, and I need to stand with all 45's victims--some are not American, some are not old enough to know how to talk, and have no way to be heard even if they can talk, as they are in cages as we speak. 74 years ago today, Auschwitz was liberated. 74 years ago is not a long time. Look around today. Both of those potentials in the history books from 74 years ago are still there: the Nazi potential. The Resistance potential. 74 years ago, the good guys won. Today, we need to open our eyes and see that the fight against hate and cruelty never is over. It's up to us.

Bernie 2020!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my God. OH MY GOD.  See article linked below re what all my Oh-my-Godding is about!

Okay, then, my 2020 Presidential Candidate dance card is FULL, and it's all Bernie Sanders!!!!!!!!! Yes, he's a senior. Yes, he's male. Yes, he's white. And YES: if you are against him due to any or all of those, you are any combination of ageist, sexist and/or racist. In a truly egalitarian society, which no, we aren't yet, but the only way to be that is to BE THAT, none of those factors would matter. Yet I've heard many so-called fellow progressives say they don't want any older, white and/or male candidates. Again: none of that should matter. I don't care if a candidate is white, black, purple, pink or polka-dotted. I don't care if she's a she or a he or anywhere in between. Age is a little bit different, as it is a legitimate factor to consider on two fronts: if the person is old, are they healthy? If so, then FUGGEDABOUTIT. If the person is young, do they maybe lack the relevant experience and wisdom to be the leader of the free world? If the experience isn't there, it's definitely relevant, yet if somehow the wisdom is, then they still could be worth consideration, as long as they meet the constitutional age requirement. Back to Bernie: he's healthy. And with his age, comes many, many years of experience, not just as a Senator, but as a political and civil rights activist and leader. He's been on the front lines in civil rights actions. He's been handcuffed and arrested fighting for equal rights, for civil rights, for everyone. So I don't care what color he is or isn't--he's a damn good egg. He puts his body and his life, his time and effort, where his mouth is.

Bernie Sanders' positions and priorities are EXACTLY in sync with my own and have been since I came of age in the early 1980's, and he was Mayor of Burlington, Vermont. The only issue we disagree on is open primaries, which isn't make or break to me. I'm a lifelong Democrat (since my dear Mom registered me as such when I was just 17 years old) and also a Democratic Socialist (since about age 19). Bernie has fought for single payer forever. Bernie has fought for fair taxation forever. Bernie has fought to change our budget priorities from unfair tax cuts for the very rich to fair taxation for all and investing in the PEOPLE and infrastructure and future instead of in, again, tax cuts for those who don't need them, and a war-based economy.  But my entire adult life, and the entire time Bernie has been fighting, we've been up against a solid wall of Republican opposition and the dominance of the trickle-down theory (read: LIE) of economics.  I think that now we are finally, finally seeing a demographic shift in our country, and an evolution of ideas, and now maybe America is ready to listen, hear and understand what we really need!

Bernie, if he is in the race, is my candidate, period. PERIOD. And now it sounds like he's in the race! So let me declare, before he even declares, if it even needs declaring, given my approximately 10,000 or so posts in 2016: I'M FOR BERNIE. I'M WITH BERNIE. Bernie is with me, with all of us, with what is the healthy prescription for our ailing-in-so-many-ways, beloved country. BERNIE 2020! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Bernie Sanders Set to Announce 2020 Presidential Run