Why I Rant

I saw this quote, or something like this, in a social media post recently, but I failed to note the source. I haven’t been able to find it again, and my attempts to uncover a source have been unsuccessful. The best I can do is to acknowledge that the words are not mine. The sentiment, however, is.

Like many of you, I have been watching in horror and frustration the systematic dismantling of the soul of America by a political machine that is oiled by a lust for unrestrained authority, that is powered by hatred and bias towards “the other,” that is geared to benefit a privileged few, and that is driven by corruption and greed. That all of this is happening in broad daylight, not with embarrassment or shame but with braggadocio and celebration, is both incredible and appalling. That so many of my “fellow Americans” are not just watching this spectacle but are cheering it on astounds me. All I’m able to do is wonder, what has happened to us?

My frustration comes to the fore when I feel that there’s very little I can do to make a difference. The temptation is to disengage and seek shelter, but I’m incapable of pretending that all is well when it’s so blatantly not. So, I resist by “ranting.” While I hope what I say might lead to change, even if that change is just in the mind or heart of a single person, mostly I’m putting my leanings, learnings, and yearnings out front as a reminder to myself that this is who I am and how I want to be seen.

I have decided that circumstances no longer limit my disdain for the hateful, spiteful, immoral, unethical, and destructive policies and behaviors of the MAGA faithful. To preserve my own moral sense, I choose to rant! I encourage you to find and exercise your own form of protest.

To borrow from the sentiments of the unknown author above, I stand in protest not only to alter my country, but to prevent my country from altering me.