My New Awakening

Isn't it crazy what awakes the sleeping giant in all of us? Here I am at my advanced age (no I am not going to tell you) and feeling a need to have my voice heard!
I have always felt passionately  about things, but always figured that everyone or at least someone felt like I did and would take care of all the dirty work. Well, Wisconsin and their shoving their union busting ways down the throat of their hard working residents did it for me!
I have been a life long Dem, no big surprise to anyone that knows me. But early in my life, I was, like most young people living my life, having kids, working, divorcing, remarrying etc. to think that I had any responsibility to retain the Civil Rights and the Workers Rights that were hard won. For Pete's sake, we had Grandparents that did that for us so we could just live the easy life and expect the status quo.

Then, real life becomes apparent. My son, who I knew was gay from age 2 comes out to me at 17, trust me I would have been way more shocked if he brought a girl home. I also know that the nurture vs. nature argument would have been clear if anyone else had shadowed my life. Two sons, one sports obsessed, straight, completely masculine, then 2 daughters, and my youngest son. All you Moms out there that think that you smothered your first baby, male and made him gay, well....NOT. My youngest is the one that is gay. He is then most independent of the 4 without question.

Then secondly, I become a single parent of 4. If anyone thinks that all you have to do to get assistance is walk on down and say, feel sorry for me, give me money, you are sorely mistaken.
I found out quickly that the system is NOT set up to help with emergency needs. I had no car, no way to get to my new job, no way to buy food, pay my rent, utilities etc.
I, with help from people that were loving, helpful, and were then and remain now life long dems like me, was able to make it though. Trust me, the privileged within my  community where not there offering a "hand up".

There are so many of us that get caught up in our everyday lives, bury our heads in the sand and expect someone else to fight for our freedoms, rights and our ability to pursue our happiness. If this continues America, we are all going to become Wisconsin's shocked residents. We are going to wake up to find ourselves unable to fight for our rights as workers, women, LGBT Americans or anyone who is not the rich elite 2% who control the 80% of our countries wealth.

I will continue to fight the good fight! I will no longer bury my head in the sand. I will no longer expect that someone else is holding that sign, attending that town hall meeting, making those phone calls.
I WILL fight for what I believe, I WILL speak out, I WILL try to educate, I WILL lend my time, talent, and words to the causes that I believe in. I WILL STOP PHONING IT IN!