What We All Want
polarization
John Lewis Deserves Better Than This
Okay, this is more than I can bear.
Attacking John Lewis is like attacking Buddha, Malala Yousafzai, Jesus, Gandhi, or Ewoks.
I can’t think of many living human beings who I consider to be heroic in this day and age. (Sorry. I know that seems incredibly cynical, but that’s how I feel.)
John Lewis is one of my heroes.
His contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and to this country are epic. Time and again John Lewis was willingly ready to sacrifice HIS LIFE in order to obtain and preserve justice and equality, and he did it with grace, compassion, love, and dignity. John Lewis is a REMARKABLE MAN.
In fact, after I moved beyond the self-pitying stage of my post-election grief I started to worry about John Lewis. That’s how much I admire this man. I found myself overwhelmed with anger as I thought about everything he has valiantly worked for crumbling beneath the deranged iron fist of the Trump administration.
Back in November, before I had even mustered up the courage to create this website or post my half-baked doodles, I started brainstorming ideas for a John Lewis doodle.
Don’t know much about Congressman John Lewis? You should. Here are some videos to check out: (and yes, Trevor Noah, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Anna Deavere Smith, and Stanley Nelson are some of my other heroes):
John Lewis on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
John Lewis on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
John Lewis on The Colbert Report.
Anna Deavere Smith portraying John Lewis in her brilliant show Notes from the Field.
John Lewis from the documentary The Freedom Riders. (Watch the whole documentary while you are at it.)
And some words of wisdom from this man I admire so much:
“There was a moving feeling within me that I was sitting there demanding a God given right and my soul became satisfied that I was right in what I was doing. At the same time there was something deep down within me, moving me, that I could no longer be satisfied or go along with an evil system that I had to be maladjusted to, and in spite of all of this, I had to keep loving the people that denied me service.”
~John Lewis, Civil Rights Leader (Quote taken from NBC’s White Paper: Sit in)
I don’t know about you, but I won’t be going along with any “system” that attacks someone like John Lewis.
I’m ready to get into some “good trouble.” Are you?
We All Lose
MERYL STREEP is NOT OVERRATED.
Even Donald Trump thinks she’s “excellent” and a “fine person.” I guess he just forgot that.
Just watch this classy, divine actress eloquently and passionately articulate what so many of us are feeling.
And check out some of my favorite comics chiming in on this.
Fake News vs. Real News
Dotty’s Letter to Joe Moravsky
Dear Joe,
I hope this letter finds you well. Crazy times, huh? Anyway, I wanted to reach out to you because I’ve really been concerned about the world (in particular, the United States) since the election.
I know that you and many others who voted for Trump are decent, reasonable, smart folks who were completely disillusioned by the current state of political affairs, the systems that are broken, the bureaucracy, the dishonesty and corruption, and the feeling that your voice wasn’t being heard. I know that many of you are struggling in lots of different ways and feel left behind. I know that many of you are frightened by a world that seems to be rapidly changing before your eyes. I understand.
But I have to be honest Joe, I have a hard time understanding why you would believe that Donald Trump might be the solution to these problems. However, hard as it may be, I’m willing to accept that we see things differently.
That being said, I know you are a reasonable guy, so I wanted to ask a few favors of you:
- Could you please hold the President-elect accountable for his words, his tweets, his appointments, his rhetoric, his alliances, his policies, and his actions? Can you be vigilant about this?
- Can you try not to let your pain, prejudices, fears, and anxiety distort the facts? If there are things that the President-elect says or does that make you feel queasy and unsettled, can you continue to speak out about it?
- Can you try and put yourself in the shoes of those who are living in a state of fear and insecurity because of the rhetoric that has been unleashed by the President-elect? Can you help by advocating for those who are the most vulnerable in the current political climate?
I know that you and I agree that we all deserve leadership that reflects the best that’s within us. I’m looking forward to working with you in 2017 to ensure that happens.
Thanks for your help, Joe. Wishing you a happy 2017.
Most Sincerely,
Dotty
You Matter
You really do.
Harmony
Post-Election Day 14: 10 Most Polarizing Foods in America
For the record, I have eaten everything on this list more than once.
Coming soon: my recipe for Summer Squash Casserole with Spam!
Post-Election Day 13: Superiority
Superiority. Yup, we all do it.
Guilty as charged.
Post-Election Day 11: 7 Things We Can Agree On
FULL DISCLOSURE: When I visit my family we have a “no poop” rule with my niece (6) and nephew (9) because all they want to talk about are poops and farts, and it just gets exhausting after a while.
And here I am drawing poop.
Shame on me.
SUPERIORITY ALERT: If you think fear wasn’t a motivating factor in this election on just about every level, then I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to be superior and say YOU ARE WRONG.
