biden

The Count Goes On (and on, and on)

~ debsthoughts

The Vote Counting Continues

Rika using body language to communicate.

My dog, Rika, is helping to count the votes. She just needs me to take off my sock – you know, because toe counting makes it easier. She is pretty clever and she did get me off the couch, but it was her intimidating stare, not the paw-pressure, that did it.

Look Up!

I still cannot tolerate listening to all the possible outcomes of this election. I kind of wish I could stick my head in the sand until the counting is over. However, this is no time to choose to be in denial, folks. This is really happening: Millions of manual handwritten mail in and early drop off votes must be manually counted. We can’t rush the process. We must be optimistic. Whatever that means to each of us, we must be that. For me it means remembering to look up, because even on the worst political days, this is beautiful.

Where We Are Right Now (it’s a nail-biter)

It’s a nail-biter alright. Or, if you prefer, it’s a frisbee-biter. If you’d like to see where we are right now, here is a map of current votes counted per state, as of about one hour ago, by NPR.

If this frisbee was sanitized I’d give it a go myself. It seems to pacify Rika when she’s overly excited. Her stare is unnerving though. I think one of us needs a sedative.

Reflections

One day, way off in the future of this country, all the votes will have been counted. Americans will have time to reflect on an election gone bad due to a global pandemic and a crime family that cheated its way into the White House.

This year has been horrible for far too many innocent people. Surprisingly, the blue wave did not occur. Too many in this country are willing to believe conspiracy theories being shouted and tweeted by the president himself. It’s disgusting to contemplate how many Americans are still eager to vote for a person who promises walls to protect them, but instead builds walls to protect himself from the people.

The pandemic has put a wrench in our politics because the current man-in-charge has intentionally politicized it and used it as a campaign message. Remember back in February when he called it a ‘Democratic hoax?’ “He has weaponized the word “hoax” throughout his presidency, using it to belittle and discredit former special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian election interference as well as his impeachment trial.” -NBC News Feb. 28, 2020

It’s Thursday and the count goes on, and on, and on. The count will soon be over and I am certain all of us, here and abroad, will gladly welcome calm, still waters where we can reflect on these intensely emotional times. But let’s not forget. Let’s continue to mourn lives lost during this pandemic. And let’s not forget the freedoms this administration has so desperately tried to rip away from us. Reflection is good. Awareness is good. In the meantime, keep counting those votes and remember to look up occasionally.

A Free and Fair Election

~ debsthoughts

A Free and Fair Election is what the American people deserve, however, will it happen? Your guess is as good as mine. But a free and fair election is what democracy is built on. So a free and fair election is what we are counting on today — election day, 2020.

Optimism

I woke up feeling optimistic; I admit, this is unusual for me lately. I’m going to listen to my gut today and rejoice over the possibility that the ugly, horrible, immoral humans occupying the People’s House will soon be somewhere/anywhere else. If they lose they will not lose with dignity, that’s for sure. There will be lies (obviously) and conspiracy theories from them and the far right extremists. I pray there will not be violence, but if there is, it will be the current president’s responsibility. And since he only knows how to pour gasoline on the fiery chaos that he alone creates, it won’t be pretty. But this is:

Peak Fall Colors

The Pandemic Politicized

Fall in Michigan has provided intense color and beauty. While natural disasters are occurring far and wide, including political strife around every turn, no one expected 2020 to bring a global pandemic as well. I had a horrible gut feeling way back on New Year’s Eve 2019 that 2020 would be very difficult from a political standpoint, not knowing a pandemic was on the horizon. However, the current president and his cronies have politicized the pandemic and are now pretending like it’s over, even though the numbers of cases and deaths are on the rise. The majority of us accept the fact that nothing the president says is likely to be true, but far too many of his loyal supporters do. That has been perhaps the most disheartening thing to witness during these trying times. Critical thinking skills are lacking in far too many people.

Of course, I admit I would cherish the thought that the pandemic is no big deal, that the worst is behind us, that a fully tested, proven safe, and peer-reviewed vaccine is coming soon. I’d also like to believe I’m still 30 years old and have my whole life ahead of me to take any career path I desire. But I choose to be a realist and not live in daily denial, even when it’s really hard.

Goodbye Leaves, is it a Sign?

Peak fall colors have become a memory. November 3rd is here and I think it’s a sign that the leaves are nearly gone. Perhaps a new leader will be overwhelmingly voted into power today. Imagine . . .

Fall leaves disappearing

Leaves, going going…gone.

A Country in Need of Healing

This country needs time for healing. There has been a lot of human suffering since this administration took control of the People’s House. Lots of emotional and physical suffering has occurred and will continue for a long while. If the polling is accurate at all, Joe Biden will become the 46th president of the United States. If he, and his stellar choice of a VP candidate, win this historic campaign, they will have their work cut out for them. The damage done has been astronomical and will take years to clean up and make right again. Especially the racial divisions that have risen to the surface under 45’s racist team of ‘advisers.’

First Order of Business – Dealing with the Pandemic

The racial divide has brought out the worst of the worst in us, and that will be a difficult challenge for a new administration to take on. But the first challenge is saving American lives, which will not be easy by any means. It will require a national mandate that we know will not go over well with the covid-deniers in our midst. If only we’d had a national plan back in January, we could already be on the other side of the worst of it. Potentially hundreds of thousands of lives might have been saved.

Praying for a Peaceful Transition of Power

But these are empty words. All that matters today is #VOTE. I pray for a peaceful transition of power. I pray for red states, like Texas and Florida to turn blue as an historic sign that goodness will prevail in America. There will be evil in this world, however, it should not be leading our country. And it, like the leaves of Fall, will soon be . . . going, going, gone. I feel it in my gut.