I will never be President of the United States, but if I was, I would take every opportunity to work toward making our country better.  I would try to make life better for its people, for our lands, and for our institutions…I would strive to make us a more perfect union.  You see, a person’s vote is a precious thing, and I would treat their vote for me as such.  One of my favorite quotes is President Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”  I know he was challenging us as citizens to do our part, but I also think he was challenging himself as the leader of our country to do well by America.  After all, without our country, without our democracy…what are we?

I am not the President or a former President, so I don’t have the power to effect as many people as those who hold their position.  But every day I see regular people, going to work, contributing to their communities, and doing community service.  I see people raising their children and taking care of their elderly.  I see people donating their time, volunteering at food drives and feeding strangers they don’t even know.   

Storms are coming our way, and I know my neighbors of all races, gender, religion, and beliefs will be out helping to clear our yards and making sure everyone is okay.  I’ve seen this all my life and in every community I have lived in over the years.  Some would make you think it is not happening now but it’s still happening. Some people are still helping each other…some neighbors are still neighbors.

Today, our little southern community is worried because the police have shot another young black man.  The police and other state agencies are being less than transparent, and our little community is on edge.  And, then there is the shooting in Jacksonville…and another shooting in another community.  Our country is on edge.

We have a former President and even some who are running to be the next President who have been stoking division in our communities.  Not just division along the lines of race, but religion, gender, abortion rights, common-sense gun laws, books, democracy versus autocracy, protest versus insurrection, even division regarding equal justice.  Some in our country are even calling for violence and some have gone as far as to bring up a civil war. 

I don’t know about you, but this is the first time in my life I have seen a former President indicted.  It is also the first time I have seen a President or former President do so much.  Its not as if we have always had perfect presidents.  We all know better.  Let me ask, is there a difference between telling a couple of little lies, and telling huge lies that affect people’s lives?  Today we are not dealing with someone who put his hand in the cookie jar a couple of times…we are dealing with someone who robbed a bank, relatively speaking. 

We are not talking about someone who hugged someone, we are talking about someone who has been found liable for sexually assaulting (characterized as rape by a judge).  We are not talking about someone who had hundreds of people come to the White House and protest loudly, we are talking about someone who sat in an office doing nothing, as people he summoned to the White House attacked and brutally beat officers.  We are not talking about someone who called inadvertently took classified documents home, we are talking about someone who the Archives literally begged to bring back, and the Justice Department requested likewise, and he just wouldn’t.  We are not talking about someone who protested loudly about and election, we are talking about someone who made a phone call that would be clear to anyone who wanted to listen…and then there are the fake electors. 

But it doesn’t end there.  Citizens were hurt by all these actions…some died. 

And the other group of people are the ones who trusted, believed, and followed.  Some went to prison, some are going to prison, and some will be left broke because they cannot afford to pay their legal fees.  If it were you or me…we would be one of them.  We would not be grifting millions of dollars to get them out of our mess.  We would not be held up as heroes. Do you even know their names?  Does he even mention them in his rants on social media…no, it’s all about him.

Our country, its people, and our democracy are worth more than this.  Our children deserve more than they are getting.   We can make better choices.  We truly are better together.