"Dad, do not worry. I will be fine for telling the truth."

I have to express my feelings re Lieutenant Vindman’s heart stopping testimony yesterday at the impeachment hearing.

My personal backdrop for yesterday is that it was a cosmic day for me: an important mile marker, my last every-three-months-for-two-years check-up with the gynecologic oncologist about my 2017 ovarian cancer. My last chemo was October of 2017, so it has now been two years and, so far, so miraculous: I’m fine! Everything looks great, and now we transition to me only going to the doctor every six months to get checked out (CA125 blood test, and check-up with the oncologist), for the next three years. I’m so grateful to be here!  As my mom would say, "Thank God we're this far!"

And so it was that, yesterday, instead of being at work as I normally would have been when the impeachment hearings got underway, I was at home, getting ready to go to the doctor (went to work after the appointment, never fear). I was able to catch just the very beginning of Lieutenant Vindman’s opening statement. As I stood up, reluctantly, to turn off the TV and head out the door, and walked up to the TV to put the remote down next to it, I was suddenly riveted in place by what he said as I did so. I froze, and my heart leapt into my throat. Tears came into my eyes.

Lieutenant Vindman came here as a toddler, when his 47-year-old dad made the decision to leave his home, his country, the Soviet Union, so that his children could live free. As I stood there, inches from the TV screen, about to turn it off, Lieutenant Vindman suddenly stopped my heart: “Dad,” he said, “you made the right decision coming here. Do not worry. I will be fine for telling the truth.”

Tears filled my eyes. As they do again just typing that: Dad, don’t worry. I will be fine for telling the truth.

He is now under extreme threat from 45’s despicable, cult-like, hateful, mob-mentality, McCarthyesque followers. I don’t even refer to them as “supporters” anymore.  No, as of this second, I only call them "followers":  they are blind, hateful followers. They don’t think for themselves. Whatever hateful, dehumanizing, violence-inciting dog whistle 45 and/or Fox News (a.k.a. 45’s propaganda arm) blow, they follow. They are definitely like a cult at this point. Voluntarily brainwashed.  The dog whistle gets blown, and they instantly bare their ugly fangs and attack.

Lieutenant Vindman is a patriot, who has dedicated his entire life to serving the United States of America. He has a purple heart. Yet he is being demonized by these rabid Trumpsters and threatened, as is the whistleblower, and other brave patriots. Lieutenant Vindman’s words, in the face of all that, to me, encompass everything about what we are going through as a country right now, and everything that we ARE as a country: "Do not worry, Dad. I will be fine for telling the truth."

And there you have what this whole thing is about.  There you have what is important, what is worth being brave for, what is worth standing up for, what America really is: our constitution, our rule of law. Lieutenant Vindman (and I) have faith in it. The constitution and the rule of law will win. Our republic, our democracy, will win.  The lawless fascist in the White House and his truly despicable followers will not. That said, I am scared of their hate. I’m scared for Lieutenant Vindman. I’m scared for Rachel Maddow. I’m scared for the Whistleblower. I’m scared for my dear Muslim co-worker and her family. I’m scared for myself when I sit in my liberal church on Sundays. We are in scary times, when the POTUS encourages, incites and leads with hate. But, do not worry, Dad. We’ll be fine for telling the truth. Though I am scared for brave individuals, and groups targeted by the disgusting POTUS and his perhaps even more terrifying followers, I have faith in our founders, and the wise, awesome and strong groundwork they laid.  I have faith that, as a country, in the end, we WILL be fine, Dad. We will be fine for telling the truth.

God bless you, Lieutenant Vindman, and all of the other brave, patriotic witnesses who complied with their subpoenas, showed up and told the truth, and will continue to do so.  America will indeed be fine, due to our constitution and rule of law, our free press, and courageous patriots like you and all of us who continue to stand up to this President, and for what America really is.