Fire N Freckles

agreeing to disagree

I keep seeing a lot of things about respecting and remaining friends with those who voted differently than you. I guess I am admittedly having a hard time agreeing to disagree on something that impacts so many human lives so deeply. One “side” sees that as no big deal, presumably those that are not personally impacted. As an empath, I really struggle with things that I know are going to harm others, even if I’m not harmed. I’m also really disappointed in those who did not educate themselves on how much or how little power the person sitting in the oval office has over the price of eggs or gas, and what actually significantly controls those things. I’m disappointed that voters didn’t care to learn about how taxes for the middle class versus the 1% actually work. And how little they chose to learn about how the economy was left for the current administration after it was handled so incredibly poorly during the pandemic, and how vastly improved it is now, because of the current administration. That it continuing to improve will be claimed by one individual who was the reason it was left to shambles for the Biden administration from the get. That the only thing that individual cares about is taking credit (mostly for things he hasn’t actually done), and not at all about the unity of the country. That he strongly encourages the opposite of unity did not bother 72 million people.

As per how this impacts me as an individual, I am now scared to conceive. I am already a high-risk candidate. It is very unlikely that I’d be able to successfully carry a child to full term the first time I became pregnant (if the miracle of pregnancy even happened at all). If during a dangerous childbirth I needed life-saving measures to help save me, a lot of doctors in a lot of states would not act. Doctors in 14 current states could not act. Legally. And no, crossing state lines is not a possibility as it, under the Trump administration, could be deemed an illegal act, and more importantly: if I am bleeding out from an ectopic pregnancy, a detached placenta, etc. – I’m not exactly hopping in the car to drive to New Jersey. Due to a lot of reasons I feel like it’s not my responsibility to teach you, if PA follows suit behind those first 14 states, a medically necessary abortion will also not be possible. Someone I know, who lives in Texas (one of the 14), was made aware that her baby would not live upon childbirth. Imagine what she experienced and the trauma it will cause her all her lifetime. You guessed it – she was forced to carry that child for months and deliver it at full term, where it died, as she was told it would. The thought of having to do that rather than mercifully ending the pregnancy when given the information is enough to make me never want a child, for my own health, but also because I wouldn’t want to raise it in a world full of this much hate and backwards thinking.

How this impacts our country: Among many, many other things I’m concerned about, our fragile relationship with NATO, the Department of Education, generally accepted and well-proven medical science such as vaccines: all promised to be dismantled. Social security and caps on prescriptions for the elderly will look entirely differently. Even the age at what is considered elderly is said to be changing. Will this POS have the power to do everything he is promising, essentially lighting our country on fire? Let’s hope not, but of course sanity lost the old guard that had the power to keep things like this in check and the Senate is now stocked full of radical Trump loyalists. Same with the Supreme Court, which will I’m sure wave any accusations or impeachments, factual cases, etc. against their leader. Why should he be held accountable for his legal flaws? Jesus appointed and voted for him, right?

How this impacts my relationships: the fact that we are so concerned about immigrants coming here who are sexual predators but aren’t concerned with voting a convicted felon (on 34 accounts), with over 35 accusations of rape (including his ex-wife), and a known sexist, misogynist, racist, homophobic, and absolutely narcissistic ego-maniac into the most important, powerful, and impactful seat in the United States of America DOES INDEED MAKE ME THINK DIFFERENTLY OF ANYONE WHO OVERLOOKED THOSE THINGS, ESPECIALLY MY LOVED ONES. I wasn’t expecting everyone I care about to put themselves directly in my shoes regarding the safety of a potential pregnancy, but to show DECENCY and an opinion that this man is not fit for this job to represent all of us – our children, our women, the poor, the tired, – was indeed expected by me. I am so disappointed to be living somewhere that doesn’t care about others; their basic human rights, and cares more about a totally misguided and uneducated opinion about the price of gas. Exodus 22:21-23, 23:9: God’s people are not to wrong or oppress foreigners, because they were once foreigners in Egypt. Zechariah 8:9-10: The Lord says, Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. Leviticus 19:33-34: The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love them as yourself. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” written on our Statue of Liberty to show the importance of immigrants’ and refugees’ emotional hopes and dreams. And here we are. Animals. Shithole countries. Floating islands of garbage. All criminals (just like our next fucking president, but we only care about who commits crimes when they’re brown or have a vagina, apparently).

‘Agree to disagree is reserved for things like “I don’t like coffee.” Not racism, homophobia, sexism, and basic human rights (mine included). Not basic common decency. Not the right to be treated equally regardless of race, religion, color, creed, or sexual orientation. We do not have a difference of opinion. We have a difference in morality.’ And yes, your complete disregard for immorality makes me think differently of you. Your decisions, and what you told the world that you’re okay with, are on you.