Which horror is the worst horror for us? Is it the virus? Is it an economic disaster? Is it a political catastrophe? We seem to be in a perfect storm that is bludgeoning the walls and the foundation of a fledgling democratic country just barely over 200 years old.
As young as our country is, it held out hope to people all over the world that here they might find safety from persecution, opportunity to rise out of poverty or even freedom to be who they needed to be. But the perfect storm threatens all these hopes.
How do we weather the storm? How do we fight the lashings the are falling on us? We form a barrier, a barrier made up of thousands upon thousands of us. We vote! We vote as though our lives depend on it. We vote for people who show they understand the threat of the virus. We vote for people who have compassion for people struggling to keep their homes, feed their children and stay alive. We vote for people who comprehend the meaning of democracy; people who know government cannot be for the few and the elite. We vote for people who serve in our courts, in our cities, in our states and in the federal institutions who believe and behave in ways that bring safety from persecution, bring opportunity to rise out of poverty and freedom to be who we need to be.
We vote. We must vote as though my life and your life depends on it. We vote. We vote to keep tyrants at bay. We vote. We vote to beat down the perfect storm.
Sandra Belcher, Burlington
