Over the past few weeks, in reading all the posts here and some comments on “right-wing” sites, I feel I need to examine the concept of how “fear” plays into this election. We all know that Trump’s entire campaign is composed of hate-mongering and fear tactics. Hate-mongering legitimizes people’s hidden bigotry and misogyny and makes it “okay” to hate. Hate will bring internal conflict to this nation and break us apart. It has already done so thanks to the media these past few years, and yes, to the far right Christian Evangelists. With the Evangelists, fear is their weapon. They preach that Islam is out to destroy Christianity, it isn’t, but even if it were, that’s why we have the laws we do regarding the separation of church and state. No religion can dictate their beliefs on others in this land or make laws against other religions who are here lawfully. So, bottom line is, Christians can’t force religion on anybody and neither can Muslims or any other religion. That’s why separation of church and state is one of the most brilliant laws ever made. Throughout history, whenever personal beliefs were in power over the people, terrible things happened and freedoms were lost. Then there are those who fear Sharia law. The very concept of Sharia law is against our laws and therefore would not be accepted in this nation.

So…is Isis coming to the United States? Not lawfully, no. Yet, I hear over and over how Hillary is going to “bring” Isis here. What?
Isis is, relatively speaking, a small band of fanatic criminals just like Osama Bin Laden and his cult. Isis does not represent Islam. Hillary and Obama “took care” of Bin Laden, did we forget?

Can we promise that we won’t have any more “terrorist” attacks in the United States? No one can promise that. Trump, who doesn’t seem to understand the basics of running this country certainly can’t. Hillary and Obama? Well the last eight years have been relatively peaceful, aside from some isolated incidents, none of which have been attributed to Isis. So I think the answer is, so far so good. Yet people who should know better are so fearful they would have us jump from the frying pan right into the fire of a Trump presidency where an unstable man could surround himself with fanatics and have his finger on the nuclear button. That, my fellow Americans, is something to fear.

In closing, I’d like to suggest that if we are going to fear something it should be a crazy, lying, bigoted, unstable man as president, and, oh yes, another crazy man, Kim Jong-un in North Korea playing with his nuclear weapons, one’s that COULD reach our shores very soon. Now that’s something to be afraid of.

An Open Letter to the GOP:

Dear GOP,

I get it, I do. You want the United States of America to go back to the way it was oh, 65-75 years ago. At that time, it was controlled by white people who had pretty much the same mind-set. “Queers” were to be ridiculed, blacks were sub-human, women belonged in the home raising kids and anyone of any other race was an “outsider”. Christianity was the ONLY religion and anyone who didn’t fit that mold was shunned. Men all had short hair and wore suits…pretty much how the recent Republican convention looked this year.. I get it, really I do. The Japanese were hated. I remember much of it. I remember when things began to change too. All of a sudden, I, as a woman, had the right to do something with my life other than get married and have kids. My Dad was very disappointed in me. My Mom was confused by it all. I actually had the right not to be beaten by my husband, or raped by my husband or anyone else. Blacks and Gays had the right to be heard after centuries of abuse. Children were protected from hidden sins like incest. Men started wearing their hair in different styles. Women could actually have careers, the horror! As time went on, immigrants who came to this country began to be accepted, their cultures blended into the actual beauty of what this country was supposed to represent. I saw all this happen and, you know what? It was like a breath of fresh air. People were no longer hiding in fear of their true selves or desires.

So yes GOP, I get it, I get that you are all a bunch of hypocrites to the ideals of what this nation is supposed to be. I get your hatred, your bigotry, your greed, your small petty minds. I get it, I do. Here’s the problem, we can’t go back, the people of this country don’t WANT to go back to being suppressed, beaten, ridiculed or raped. Sorry but it just isn’t going to happen. We live in a different world and it’s called The United States of America, it’s the melting pot it’s supposed to be and it’s been a long road, but now, even with all the lingering issues,it is truly GREAT.