I went to my first ever political protest on Saturday. I surprised myself, because generally I am not a political person. I don’t vote the party line. I vote for who I think is the best candidate for the job, no matter which party. Maybe this is because one of my grandfathers told me never to vote republican and the other told me never to vote democrat. Haha. However, one thing they agreed on is that casting your vote is of the utmost importance. They passed that importance down to Mom and Dad, and they passed it to me.

Abstaining from voting isn’t an option for me. Too many people died to give me the right to vote…and so many places in the world they don’t have that right…I view it as a long fought for privilege. But instead of voting for a party, I decided to vote for the person. I do my research and due diligence, then vote in the privacy of the booth. Once I am finished, I don’t think about any of it for another few years. Until now…

Imagine my surprise when I felt compelled to go to the Hands-Off Rally in Gainesville. You might be shocked, you might unfriend or unfollow me, but for me, this is not a red issue or a blue issue. It is a red, white, and blue issue. I felt the need to stand for the rule of law, due process, checks and balances, human rights, the Constitution, three branches of government, respecting our Allies, keeping our word at home and abroad. For all the things I love about the U.S., our generosity, our willingness to help others, our offer of hope to the oppressed, our big heart, our compassion. Our “American Dream” that believes in hard work, community, caring for our neighbors. Our freedom to worship how we want, to speak freely, to converse and disagree with each other without fear, to be diverse individuals who make up the fabric of our country. We haven’t done it perfectly, but we have tried our best to continue to reach for those ideals, even as we have wrestled with ourselves and our human flaws and prejudices. That’s what I love. That’s why I marched.

No matter what side you are on, the current policies threaten our beloved United States of America. All of the things I love about my country are being threatened. This causes me great consternation. I am a student of World War II. Books, movies, documentaries anything about that era catches my attention. It has always been fascinating to me how such atrocities could have happened in a modern age. I mean, this was not the middle ages, it was only 80 years ago. I think I am captivated by the causes of such madness. How could that many smart and intelligent people have consented to such rabid leadership? I just keep reading, trying to find the answer. So far, I have only seen the manipulation of the people on a grand scale. So grand, it seems impossible to have been believed, yet it was. Of course, hindsight is 20/20. Looking back, it is hard to comprehend how so many could have been so wrong. It seems so obvious.

Having done so much study on that era, I am flabbergasted to SEE the similarities in our current situation. The beginnings are chillingly parallel. So many are so convinced and it seems obvious, yet here we are. The writing is on the wall, right in front of my eyes. To the point, I had to stand up. To be one who forgoes the rhetoric on either side and stands with Lady Liberty. Holding her lamp of freedom high in the darkness. A beacon of hope. I am only one small spark, but when small sparks come together, they create a flame which burns for the poor, tired, and huddled masses. It is this flame of freedom, born from the sparks of the individual people, which will guide our country forward…if we do not allow it to be snuffed out.

The petty divisions are small in comparison to what we could lose. The harm that could come if we do not stand up will affect all of us…and generations to come. Our grandchildren and their grandchildren will look back and possibly be fascinated at how their relatives (us) behaved during this juncture in history. In this era, I would rather be the one than the many.