Dear Editor:
January 6th is 5 days away, and soon after Trump becomes President. Not that he appears to be waiting. My friends and family have taken a break from politics. It’s Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, but mostly everyone is exhausted. Some want to have time before they step up again. I understand. Others hope to return to their “normal” lives. Didn’t “normal” life disappear recently? Hasn’t life since the election taken a frightening turn? We have very rich, unelected men with significant power. They have flung their intelligence and elite educations against their precursors, the MAGAs with red hats who hoped that Trump would make their lives better. Mr. Musk–Ramaswamy, however, wants to increase the number of workers whose competence exceeds mediocre Americans, and then pay them little.
Susan Glasser of the New York Times says that 65% of us are “tuning out”. It’s no wonder. Seasoned reporters ask questions like, “Do you think Mike Johnson will lose the speakership?” The world in which that really mattered is gone. Trump wants Greenland and Russia is creating havoc. Of course, we all want to spend time with our family or go to the new Bob Dylan movie. If we know who Bob Dylan is.
There is no new world awaiting—only a challenging one. Please return when you are ready. I expected problems late in life: nuclear events, wars, climate crises. Not the Greed and the Hatred. I did not know that autocracy and democracy would be fighting for territory globally. Is anyone optimistic? Not many. I read, listen, learn about a world I hardly comprehend. I want to discover what I can say or do. For now, I ask, “Don’t Give Up”.
Norma Barnett, Sonoma
Be First to Comment